TV NETWORKS' TOP WOMEN; FOR SIX FEMALE EXECUTIVES, IT'S THEIR BALLGAME.

Byline: Marla Matzer Daily News Staff Writer

It's true, though a generalization, that men and women watch different television programs. There are plenty of women who enjoy ice hockey and professional wrestling and a goodly number of men who follow the soaps and watch ``Touched by an Angel'' religiously. But they are not typical.

It is also a fact that, until very recently, there have been almost no women in top executive positions at the television networks. Now, there are suddenly four top broadcast executives who are female, as well as a number of high-ranking women in cable TV.

And why not? After all, television has long been considered more of a ``women's'' medium than, say, motion pictures. The television audience is about 51 percent women, so the executive ranks have a long way to go toward reflecting who their ultimate customers are.

The next question is ... will they do things differently than men? Will their presence affect what we see on television?

It can be a touchy subject among these newly powerful women. ``My parents and the people surrounding me never suggested to me what I could do in terms of being a woman. Being a good executive or a bad executive has nothing to do with sexuality,'' insisted Jamie Tarses, president of ABC Entertainment, when asked recently about the gender issue.

Tarses is the longest-tenured female network entertainment president; she works for Pat Fili-Krushel, president of the ABC Television Network, who is television's highest-ranking woman. Along with Susanne Daniels, executive vice president of programming for the WB Network, Nancy Tellem, president of CBS Entertainment and Kathy Quattrone, programming chief at PBS, they make up a handful of women who now occupy the top ranks at broadcast television providers.

Tarses has endured (and sometimes invited) close scrutiny in the press, often focusing on her being female. She was rumored for months to be on the verge of losing her job at the network. So she admits gender is a hot-button issue for her: ``I get a little bit of an edge when I talk about this,'' Tarses concedes.

Others tend to agree with Tarses' soft-pedaling of the issue. ``I think (there being several top female network executives) is just reflective of what's happening in the workforce today,'' said CBS' Tellem. ``Whether it's entertainment or any other industry in America, more and more women are working. It's a natural progression.''

The insistence of women like Tarses and Tellem that their gender is already a ``nonissue'' is typical, says Joe Saltzman, an Emmy Award-winning documentarian and associate director of the USC School of Journalism.

``What usually happens with anyone who's been deprived of executive status is, the early group who make it tend to want to fit in. They tend to emulate the white, male model,'' says Saltzman. ``But as more and more women and people of color get to positions of power, they will start to make decisions that men wouldn't make, or wouldn't even think of making,'' Saltzman says, adding, ``I think we're already into the cycle now where we're starting to see decisions being made that have a different point of view.''

Would a male network president have developed the popular ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' in the same way that the WB's Daniels did? When she was growing up in Westport, Conn., her favorite ``Batman'' episodes were the ones featuring the strong female action hero Batgirl.

It's perhaps no coincidence that, less than 30 years later, Daniels helped develop ``Buffy,'' the network's first hit. The show stars a strong female action hero. ``How cool is that?'' remarks Daniels, who shepherded the quirky show to success.

Other women concede they have an advantage in understanding what appeals to female viewers. ``I think it's similar to coaching a basketball team,'' says Carole Black, the newly appointed CEO of cable's female-targeted Lifetime Network, of being a woman and programming for women. ``I don't think you ever have to have played basketball. But it's helpful.''

At her most recent job as president and general manager of Los Angeles' NBC affiliate, Black found that stories on such topics as education and health brought a much-needed infusion of female viewers to the channel. Her experience in boosting the local NBC station to the area's top-watched news channel, along with her background as a top marketing executive for Disney's television production arm, attracted the attention of Lifetime's hiring committee.

Women began climbing the television corporate ranks about 20 years ago. Many women, like Black, got their breaks in areas that were considered more ``female'': TV movies and children's programming. As those areas within the networks have gained importance, so naturally have the women who came up through them.

Cable television has provided great opportunities for women for years before the networks opened up to them. USA Networks and Nickelodeon were until recently headed by women. The Cartoon Network has been headed by Betty Cohen since its launch in 1992.

``For a long time, cable was considered not really `ready for prime time,' '' admits Cohen, ``but in a way, I think that made it easier for companies to `risk' hiring women. Women have been able to show their abilities in the cable industry and help grow it into one of the greatest industries in telecommunications.''

Cohen points out that the skills many women honed at the cable channels have become highly valued by the major networks. ``Presentation, promotion and branding are the things the cable networks have used to differentiate themselves. Now, the major networks are looking more than ever to those things as well,'' Cohen says.

But even as women are showing up at the top of the television heap, they continue to be underrepresented both behind the camera and on camera, according to recent reports by Hollywood guilds. The West Coast branch of the Writers Guild of America reported in October that men outnumbered women 3-to-1 in television writing jobs, showing virtually no improvement in the '90s. It also showed men were paid, on average, 5 percent more.

According to a study released by the Screen Actors Guild in December, women - as well as minorities including Latinos and Asians - are still underrepresented in front of the TV camera. The study found that there are still fewer roles for women than for men on television and that female characters generally ``age faster than men, and as they age they become more evil.''

While TV has clearly come a long way in depicting women, some complain that the sexy-goofy female leads on such shows as ``The Nanny'' and ``Ally McBeal'' are actually a step backward for women.

Teen-targeted shows could prove to be a big area of opportunity for young actresses, though. With more channels than ever vying for ``niche'' audiences such as teens, there's been an explosion in shows such as ``Felicity'' and ``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' that showcase young women. To the extent that these shows create stars out of young actresses - for example, ``Felicity's'' Keri Russell - they may help foster a new generation of actresses who have the power to demand better roles for women.

For now, their primary appeal is obvious: They're young. For the coming TV season, barely known teen actors reportedly are getting record salaries of up to $20,000 per episode. Executives both male and female say that, if anything, age is the predominant connection between programmers and their audiences. Television, they note, is demographics-driven: Age-segmented data is used to help target programming, with a frequent emphasis on youth.

``I actually don't think it has to do with being a male or a female,'' says Tony Jonas, who as president of Warner Bros. Television deals with all six networks. ``It has to do more with age group - if you are younger or older - and whether you have a family or don't have a family. It has more to do with personal experience than gender.''

The WB, which aims at the 18-to-34 market, is programmed by a 33-year-old. ABC, which targets viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, is headed by someone who's 34. CBS goes after those 25 to 54, so they promoted a 45-year-old to program its lineup. The decision-maker at PBS, which doesn't have to cater to advertisers the way the commercial networks do, is 47.

PBS chief programming executive Quattrone's take on women at the top reflects her network's educational mission. ``I like to do for young women what women did for me,'' said Quattrone, who began her public television career in 1976 and joined PBS in 1987. ``I will always talk to them and give them a sense of what their options are. There are so many role models for men to give them a sense of what their options are.''

Other women admit they're thrilled to see others following in their footsteps. ``There are great women coming up through the ranks. (Cable networks) are going to have enough women to supply both cable and the networks for years to come,'' says the Cartoon Network's Betty Cohen.

But the WB's Daniels isn't satisfied just yet.

``I'll let you in on a secret,'' Daniels joked. ``We're not gonna rest until we are running all six networks.''

What television needs is a few good men

It's only natural that the networks should hire more females, since women watch more TV than men. According to the most recent data from Nielsen Media Research, women over the age of 18 watch television an average of four hours and 44 minutes per day, while men watch four hours and 16 minutes.

So if anything, the nets should worry about attracting more men. The tried-and-true ways of attracting the elusive male viewer are faltering. After paying a record $17.6 billion last year for the rights to televise NFL football games, the four TV networks who chipped in watched ratings erode this season. Monday Night Football has even been losing male viewers to ``Ally McBeal''! Now that they have dozens (or even hundreds) of channels to choose from, men have become inveterate channel-flippers, defying attempts to keep them tuned in to one program.

Seeing as how some are predicting a female takeover of media, we humbly suggest that the networks hire more men in the spirit of affirmative action. We also submit the following ideas for new series that might help attract male viewers.

``Extreme Stooges Wrestling'': All the bone-crushing excitement of professional wrestling, coupled with the timeless brand-name appeal of the Three Stooges. Eye gouging and mallet-to-the-head blows are just the beginning of the no-holds-barred fun!

``The Victoria's Secret Ironwoman Cup'': A weekly contest featuring Victoria's Secret models taking part in a mini-triathlon, wearing only barely there lingerie from the catalog. A special twist: The ladies are handicapped according to the size of their implants, so those with the largest ones get a head start in the race. Winner receives an iron-clad replica of a VS bra.

``ATF: Too Hot for TV'': The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms gets in on the ``Cops'' craze with its own reality show. See agents arrest people, seize illegal smokes and guns, and blow things up. Whoa!

``Virtual Rat Pack'': Cross-generational appeal, courtesy of new ``virtual reality'' technology. Now YOU can be a member of the Rat Pack. It's booze and broads galore as you cavort with Frank, Dean, Sammy and friends. A welcome refuge from a 1990s culture that scorns such vices, ``VRP'' is your own private Vegas.

- Marla Matzer

CAPTION(S):

6 Photos, Box

Photo: (1) `My parents and the people surrounding me never suggested to me what I could do in terms of being a woman.

Jamie Tarses

president, ABC Entertainment

(2) `I like to do for young women what women did for me. I will always talk to them and give them a sense of what their options are.'

Kathy Quattrone

chief programming executive, PBS

(3) `Whether it's entertainment or any other industry in America, more and more women are working. It's a natural progression.'

Nancy Tellem

president, CBS Entertainment

(4) `I'll let you in on a secret. We're not gonna rest until we are running all six networks.'

Susanne Daniels

executive vice president of programming, WB

(5) `Women have been able to show their abilities in the cable industry and help grow it into one of the greatest industries in telecommunications.'

Betty Cohen

president, Cartoon Network

(6) `I think it's similar to coaching a basketball team. I don't think you ever have to have played basketball. But it's helpful.'

Carole Black

CEO, Lifetime, on understanding what appeals to female viewers

Box: What television needs is a few good men (See text)