Quarter of a Loaf

Would ABC bow to low ratings results and the wishes of many of its affiliates by canceling the Dick Cavett Show? Or would it defer to the argument by Cavett's highly vocal following that the show was a late-night oasis of wit and intelligence that should not be forced to compete for a mass public? For months that has been the big question in the TV industry.

Last week ABC announced its decision: it will do neither. Under a compromise arrangement starting in January, the network will keep the Cavett show on the air for one week each month. In two other weeks of the month, Cavett's time slot will be filled by various programs of drama, mystery, comedy and musical variety. In the remaining week it will be filled by another talk show--this one to be hosted by Late-Night Pioneer Jack Paar.

The plan is a mixed package in more ways than one. For Cavett fans, a quarter of a loaf is probably better than none. The return of the volatile and engaging Paar to regular programming for the first time since 1962 is also a plus. But an enforced rivalry between Cavett and the man who gave him his first job in TV (as a writer on Paar's late-night talk show) could be mutually damaging. Moreover, ABC seems to be violating a basic tenet of TV--that viewers are creatures of habit. The competition from NBC's Johnny Carson and CBS's late movies promises to be at least as formidable for the network's round robin as it was for Cavett alone.

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