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"Dear America," the historical-fiction series aimed at young girls, returns to HBO at 7:30 tonight. The story takes us to a Southern plantation in the unhappy last months of the Civil War. With her father away at war and her mother ill, young Emma Simpson (Melyssa Ade) is forced to shoulder the family estate. That becomes harder when the Union Army takes over her house and Emma's favorite slave decides "it's time to take my freedom." The program is a charming slice-of-life, though it underplays the relationship between white Southerners and their slaves. No matter how kindly our heroine regards her house servants, history tells us that generations of little Emmas grew up thinking that black Americans were property to be bought, sold and confined.

Ben Stein and the fountain of youth

Answer: Other than news programs, this type of TV show will most likely attract an older audience.

What is, "game shows"?

Correct. As you may have read recently, not even a television phenomenon like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" has proven immune to the curse of aging that befalls nearly all game shows. In time, younger viewers tire of the game and move on and the program becomes the province of older viewers, which advertisers are far less interested in reaching.

It doesn't take Dick Van Dyke to figure out that this diagnosis is murder on game shows. Which is why, for years, most producers didn't even try floating a game-show concept. Unless it is able to sustain the enormous popularity of "Jeopardy!" or "Wheel of Fortune," a game show simply doesn't stand a chance in today's young-skewing TV marketplace. (As "Millionaire" grows older, at least one rival broadcaster, NBC's Bob Wright, has predicted that Disney will migrate it to syndication, where "Jeopardy" and "Wheel" have thrived for more than a decade.)

Over on the cable side, however, at least one game show appears to be bucking that trend. It's the Comedy Central favorite "Win Ben Stein's Money" and get this -- its audience is getting *younger.*

According to figures from Comedy Central, the nasally, sneaker-clad actor-speechwriter-diarist has been drawing more younger viewers than older. In 1998, 72 percent of his audience for "Win Ben Stein's" late-night (11:30 p.m.) edition was under the age of 50. Today, that figure has risen to 84 percent.

Likewise with the early edition — which in many markets actually competes with "Jeopardy" and "Wheel." Stein's 7:30 nightly telecast has raised its under-50 concentration from 64 percent in '98 to 73 percent in second quarter 2000.

Is it the shoes? More likely it's the offbeat contestants (none of whom seem remotely close to retirement age), the naughty title cards on the questions and the banter with Stein and sidekick Jimmy Kimmel. The latter is a trouble sign, since Kimmel is leaving the show this fall to focus on his other endeavors. His place will be taken by a female comedian.

But the star of the show is Stein, as he himself is always happy to remind people. Comedy Central has given him a talk show, "Turn Ben Stein On," and encourages his staff on "Money" to mess around with the format. On July 20, "Win Ben Stein's Money" airs a special "Blair Witch Project" edition complete with shaky handheld cameras, flashlights, spooky fog, tattered leaves, a tent, and chirping crickets.

Speaking of Comedy Central, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the channel's new Friday late-night schedule. Starting at midnight, watch reruns of "Strip Mall," "Strangers With Candy," "The League of Gentlemen" and my favorite, "Upright Citizens Brigade."

On this date...

in 1950 "Your Hit Parade," already a hit on radio for 15 years, comes to television. The Hit Parade Dancers perform elaborate production numbers of America's top seven songs "on sheet music and phonograph records, the songs most heard on the air, and most played on the automatic coin machines in an accurate tabulation of America's taste in popular music." A fine idea until 1955, when America's taste for ballads and standards is replaced by a hunger for rock 'n' roll. The show airs until 1959, then is revived as a nostalgic series in 1974 with singer Chuck Woolery. -- Tom Heald

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