TV's annual fall unveiling under way

NEW YORK - Before Sept. 11 turned him into the commissar of national pride, Rudy Giuliani's lasting legacy as mayor of New York was returning Manhattan to its former glory as the mass media's playground. From Times Square, now a sanitized canyon of neon, to the fishbowl morning TV shows where important messages are transmitted by tourists waving hand-drawn signs, the entertainment business has once more spilled out of the tall buildings and onto the streets. This week the atmosphere here will be more carnival-like than usual as the TV networks take over some of Manhattan's showiest venues - Carnegie Hall and Radio City among them - to give their advertisers sneak peeks of the fall schedules. The press is also welcome to attend and, of course, welcome to write choruses to the hosannas that network executives will lavish on all their new shows. And yet, wherever the attendees go, they will be met by a sober reminder that scant miles south of where they stand is ground zero, where nothing stands. Every network has warned us to expect "heightened security." Badges and bag inspections will be required at the door. No longer will just anyone in a three-piece suit be able to stroll in and get a peek at Dana Delany (CBS' "Presidio Med") or Suzanne Pleshette (NBC's "Good Morning, Miami") pitching their new shows. It's something the locals have gotten used to, though I still find security checks unnerving. I'm told, however, that many New Yorkers struggle privately, and some not so privately, to recover from the massive trauma inflicted here last fall. I am not sure what I can do to honor New York, either its living or its dead, but it seems the least I can do is not complain about the bag search. Of the more than 30 new shows introduced here last year, at least half won't be on the schedule this fall. By historic standards, that's not bad; unfortunately, the margin for error has shrunk in recent years, as the recently ousted network chiefs at ABC can tell you. That's because the costs of making TV shows have soared while audiences for network TV have dwindled. Even success can be wildly expensive, as networks pay eight-figure ransoms to keep their biggest hits from defecting to other networks or shutting down before every last ad dollar can be squeezed from them. Which brings us to the point of this annual ritual. Immediately after the galas end, network salespeople will sit down with advertisers and negotiate rates for the upcoming season. The two sides will debate the potential audience for an entire year's worth of television based on a few fleeting glances of these new shows. Some new shows seem like money in the bank: the "CSI" spinoff that will mark the reappearance of former TV heart throb David Caruso; and "Firefly," a sci-fi series for Fox from "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon. We'll see. Or rather, I'll see the previews, then I'll tell you about them in this space. Wednesday: NBC. Thursday: ABC and WB. Friday: CBS. Saturday: Fox, UPN and the week in review. To reach Aaron Barnhart, call (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com