TV love survives

Way back in 1992 — when KSL was still a CBS affiliate and KSL's parent company still owned the CBS affiliate in Seattle, KIRO — Ch. 5 introduced a Utah version of the Washington show. Produced in Seattle and hosted by Probst (who did a number of shows for KIRO), it was an attempt at corporate synergy that didn't last long.

But things turned out just fine for Probst, didn't they?

"THE CONTENDER" IS BOMBING, which really isn't much of a surprise to anybody but NBC and producer Mark Burnett ("Survivor," "The Apprentice").

The boxing reality show aired three times in seven days with little success. The 90-minute Monday premiere finished third in its time slot, drawing 8.4 million viewers (compared to CBS's time slot-winning duo of "Two and a Half Men" with 17.45 million and "CSI: Miami" with 21.68 million).

It was far worse for the second episode of "The Contender" on Thursday night, even though it drew more viewers (9.16 million), a number far below what "ER" normally does in that time slot. What with the non-competition from "The Contender," CBS's "Without a Trace" did its best numbers ever, attracting 23.36 million viewers to easily win the time slot — and give NBC its worst numbers with an original show on Thursdays at 9 p.m. in at least the past 18 years.

Finally airing in its regular time slot on Sunday at 6 p.m., "The Contender" was out of contention, finishing fifth in a five-way network-ratings battle and drawing only 6.71 million viewers.

Apparently, both NBC and Fox (which failed miserably with "The Next Great Champ") greatly overestimated TV viewers' interest in boxing.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com