Eugene David<br>...The One-Minute Pundit

Posted 7:49 PM by Gene

QUELLE SURPRISE: Not only does cri-TIC-ALLY ac-CLAIMED teevee drama draw audiences that would shame a second division NFL team, they're so expensive they don't make money -- and they don't work in syndication because even the hard-core fans who hang on their tee-VEE cri-TICS' every word aren't interested.

Still, there may be hope -- from a leader in...satcom:

On DirecTV, "Damages" isn't interrupted by commercials, and DirecTV has no stake in the program's aftermarket sales (Sony is the production partner on the series). Instead, executives at the satellite-TV concern are counting on the program's appeal to high-income, highly educated viewers to make such folk feel more connected to their service. DirecTV used emails and phone calls to reach subscribers who had elected to receive such promotions to alert them to new "Damages" episodes, and also placed ads on its interactive program guides. The results? The first episode of season four of "Damages" reached 1.02 million viewers across four telecasts, a number the company said exceeded its expectations.

Which, if we had to guess, is maybe 2.5 percent of the audience Star Trek got on NBC in one first-run the season the 30 Rockheads canceled it.