Rhea of hope

Will Caroline Rhea's talk show for Paramount Domestic Television make it on the air in September? That's the $400,000-a-week question facing Paramount syndication executives less than a year after they launched the troubled Dr. Laura. Sources say the odds are 50-50 (or maybe a little north of that) on Rhea, who currently co-stars on Paramount's Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Paramount has so far been unable to land clearances for Caroline
in the three biggest TV markets (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago), but sources say those clearances could be forthcoming from a mix of NBC and CBS O&Os and independents. Studios are famous for waiting until the NATPE convention (in Las Vegas this week) to announce good news. The co-owned CBS stations, which downgraded Dr. Laura
last year, are said to be back on good terms with their Viacom compatriots.