'Buffy' jumping WB for UPN

What's the biggest news in TV since Richard Hatch slyly won the $1 million last summer?
   I'll give you a hint: I'm not talking about the next ultimate survivor/millionaire to be announced a week from tonight.
   It's all about Buffy! Once a joke of a movie, now one of the hottest shows and the Crown Jewel to The WB's small demographic-specific programming . . . the show is hopping networks to UPN.
   After months of renewal negotiations with The WB, 20th Century Fox TV made a deal with UPN for a two-year, 44-episode pickup of "Buffy" starting this fall. UPN will pay more than $2 million per episode for the series, according to reports in the Hollywood Reporter.
   "We are incredibly pleased to have 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' on UPN, not just because it is one of the best shows on the air and represents a new era in UPN's life and direction, but more importantly because Joss Whedon is on of the finest writers and producers in television," said Dean Valentine, president and CEO of UPN.
   The undeniable appeal of "Buffy" and star Sarah Michelle Gellar has made the show the hottest in The WB's line up, and even though its sister show "Angel" will remain on the froglet, it's a big blow.
   It's an even bigger blow to "Buffy" fans in Corpus Christi. Local UPN affiliate KTOV still isn't carried on Time Warner Cable. One local fan, Laura Ramone, expresses her distaste for the questionable state of "Buffy" come next season.
   "I was extremely disappointed," said Ramone, a 19-year-old Del Mar College student. "We pay for our cable and we pay to watch the shows we like, and since Time Warner doesn't have UPN, it's ridiculous."
   Even though the announcement was only recently made, Ramone has already bought an antenna and found that the network is still a bit on the "fuzzy, snowy" side. So to catch all the rock 'em, sock 'em vampire action, either call Time Warner with your pro-"Buffy" vote or test your luck with the rabbit ears.
   Sweeps time
   May is almost here, as is the May sweeps period. The stations save their best programming and make dramatic changes during these periods in hopes that people will watch and boost their ratings so they can raise their advertising rates.
   The biggest change viewers will notice is the commotion going on in the studios of CBS affiliate KZTV. Remember that archaic map that acted as the centerpiece of the affiliate's newscast for the past epoch? It's coming down, and the station - known widely for not spending money on bells and whistles such as sets, equipment and computer graphics - is launching a massive promotional campaign.
   KZTV is tired of being the stepchild of Corpus Christi's news market. As it should be. The station's content is usually near that of its competitors, but KZTV's staff runs into problems when it comes to distributing it.
   And in the midst of all this, owner Vann Kennedy recently announced that KZTV is for sale.
   KZTV assignment editor Jan Park is ecstatic about the forthcoming change.
   "We've been complacent for too long about the news product, and it's time to get in there and be really competitive," said Park. "It can only help with the sale - make it more appealing to buyers. And we're hoping that the changes will be reflective in the May (ratings) book."
   KZTV is also hiring new talent, upping and updating promotions and freshening its look, but the most notable difference will be the absence of the set come May 1.
   "You look at it and Spain is not quite right," said Park of the world map on the old news set. "It's been there for a very, very long time, and it served its purpose. We'll probably have some sort of memorial service for it."
   Some KZTV staffers are moving on. Former KZTV reporter Natasha Barrett recently moved on to a station in Waco, and both weekend meteorologist Andrew LaFavers and sports anchor Mark Williams are heading to Beaumont.
   KRIS and KIII
   NBC affiliate KRIS is now sending out a publication called the "KRIS Communications News" to area households. Its generic public relations copy tells you all the places you can find people from KRIS, Fox affiliate KDF or Telemundo station KAJA on network and cable TV, as well as on radio and in the Caller-Times.
   It has biographies of KRIS's anchors and some of the shows found on KRIS, KDF and KAJA, and it also features the station's new logo which will be debuting within the next few weeks.
   Real news on the KRIS front centers around the return of anchor Cheryl Alexander. She's back from maternity leave tonight, which is, you guessed it, the start of sweeps.
   ABC affiliate KIII followed Peter Holt, chairman of the San Antonio Spurs and Ray High School alumni, with their cameras during a recent playoff game, and those segments will start tonight.
   Cable notes
   Time Warner Cable has a few changes coming up May 1. The biggest change is the addition of channels; some areas will notice these changes immediately while others will see them in the coming months. Call Time Warner with any questions.
   Subscribers of the expanded basic package will now get ESPN Classic, CNN-SI, Fox Sports in Espanol, Outdoor Life, Speedvision and Soap Net. The channels are in addition to the 13 channels already added to the lineup, and others will be announced within the next few months.
   Those digital subscribers willing to shell out extra cash will have access to more than 120 new channels on their sets - but only after calling Time Warner, checking the rates and requesting a new set-top box.
   Also, most of the cable company's prices will be slightly lowered. The cost for expanded basic will drop from $20.47 to $20.02 and pay-per-view and adult movies will also be slightly cheaper.
   Other news at the company: Time Warner will air the Buc Days Illuminated Night Parade on public access Channel 10. The pre-parade coverage starts at 7 p.m. on May 5, and the parade starts at 8 p.m.
   "KIII has decided not to broadcast it this year," said Vicki Triplett, Time Warner marketing manager in Corpus Christi. "We saw it as a real need for the community and a great opportunity to get it on our public access channel. We'll show it in its entirety - no cutting away for the 10 p.m. news."
   Time Warner, which will also rebroadcast it during the week for the parade's participants, hopes to make it an annual affair.
  

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