When Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman insisted to TV critics in January that the remaining episodes of "Tru Calling" would air at some point, many a reporter chuckled. Well, Berman may be departing Fox for a creative gig at Paramount, but she's true to her word. The much maligned and already effectively canceled "Calling" will return Thursday, replacing the equally maligned and equally effectively canceled "Point Pleasant."

Originally scheduled to air at 9 p.m. on Thursdays after "The O.C." this fall, "Tru Calling" was yanked first for "North Shore" and then for "Point Pleasant" this winter.

It turns out those experiments were failures. Despite getting a reasonably large sample for its post-"American Idol" sneak preview, "Point Pleasant" averaged all of 4.09 million viewers per episode, shedding nearly half of the audience from its more successful lead-in, "The O.C." Those numbers were right in line with the viewership for "North Shore" in the same time period.

Last season, "Tru Calling" averaged 4.55 million viewers.

The drama, which stars Eliza Dushku as a young woman who can relive days whenever a corpse asks her to, will begin its six-episode final run with a two-hour premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday. It will take its planned 9 p.m. slot the following week.

(Zap2it.com)

Liguori replaces Berman at Fox

FX President Peter Liguori, who introduced "The Shield" and "Nip/Tuck" to the cable channel, was selected to replace Gail Berman as entertainment chief of the Fox TV network.

Liguori moves to Fox with the network leading in the ratings this season among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic most sought by advertisers -- mainly because of "American Idol" and the new hit "House."

Berman is leaving Fox after five years for Paramount Pictures.

Like Fox, FX is owned by News Corp. Liguori said he tried to be bold in programming the cable network and hopes to bring the same quality to Fox.

(AP)

WPXI wins award

The Washington, D.C.-based Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation has lauded Pittsburgh's WPXI for coverage of the flood of 2004. The TV station was given the Edward R. Murrow Award for spot news coverage in this region.

"It was a story that was really made for television coverage that TV could do really well," said WPXI news director Corrie Harding, who was not at the station during the coverage. "I know that with consideration for the public safety concern, the people here at the time devoted huge resources and commitment to that story and we're grateful to [the foundation] for recognizing that."

(John Hayes, Post-Gazette staff writer)

WPGH-HD back on Comcast

Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Pittsburgh's WPGH and WCWB, has finally reached an agreement with Comcast for carriage of its local Fox and WB high-definition channels.

WPGH-HD is on Comcast's Channel 213; WCWB-HD will be carried beginning this summer.

(Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)

Channel surfing

NBC has canceled "Third Watch" after six seasons. ... HBO has renewed "The Wire" for a fourth season to air in 2006. ... TV Guide Online reports that Lena Olin will reprise her role as Sydney's mother on the season finale of ABC's "Alias." ... Fox has renewed "The O.C." through the 2005-06 TV season. ... Confirming earlier reports, CBS has signed Cybill Shepherd to reprise her role as Martha Stewart in "Martha," a new TV movie about the just-released-from-prison domestic diva.

(R.O.)