TrackersTV, the two-hour, live, every-weekday show on Oxygen,
will be cut to one hour, probably for weekend airing, the network said
Monday.
Truncating the teen-oriented show will, as previously reported, result in
layoffs. The number will rise higher than the reported 30 jobs, a network
official said. But the move was not intended to cut costs, and the savings will
be plowed back into programming, the official added. Viewers were 'confused' by
the women-oriented network's running a two-hour teen block every day, the
network official said.
The change will likely take effect April 2.
Trackers occupies 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday on the network's
schedule. It will drop a game-show element but keep 'Life in Progress,' which
features teen-aged girls discussing topics of import, as a half-hour
segment.
The show's other 30 minutes will be programmed in magazine format, using some
previously aired Trackers material and some new material, the official
said.
