Television

Journalist Robert Krulwich. He's correspondent for the PBS series Frontline. His documentary "High Stakes in Cyberspace" airs Tuesday, Oct. 31 (at 9 PM). Krulwich explores the growing industry of advertising in cyberspace, and its social and cultural impacts. He interviews software designers who are creating the new programs used by advertisers, and also the advertisers themselves, who are counting on the information superhighway as an arena where they can keep track of the buyers' behavior, and where they can also successfully market their products.

T.V. critic David Bianculli previews the season opener of "NYPD Blue."

TV critic David Bianculli previews the new "Prime Suspect" which airs Sunday night on PBS, and "Homicide" which begins a new season tomorrow night on NBC.

Co-founders of Brooklyn's Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corp. James "Rocky" Robinson and Joe Perez. They began the corp in 1988, after watching people die because the Ambulances responded too slowly to calls. (There are 39 volunteer ambulance corps in New York City). They are the focus of a new "The American Promise" PBS documentary. (The program premiered October 1).

Broadcast journalist John Merrow. He's the anchor and Executive Editor of "The Merrow Report" a quarterly series of documentaries on PBS that examines education and surrounding issues. Their latest documentary is "Attention Deficit Disorder: A Dubious Diagnosis?" In the documentary Merrow disputes the widely held belief that Ritalin, the drug given to children with Attention Deficit Disorder, is not "dangerous and addictive." Merrow also found that the drug has been overprescribed, and that some kids have begun to abuse it.

TV Critic David Bianculli previews a two-part documentary titled "The Private Life of Plants." It will be featured on cable TV's TBS network tonight and tomorrow night. Bianculli says its the best documentary he's seen this year.

Rock writer and critic Robert Palmer. He was the New York Times's first full-time rock writer and chief pop critic, and he's a contributing editor at Rolling Stones. He's written several books on blues and rock and roll, and was the writer and music director for the award-winning documentary films, "The World According to John Coltrane," and "Deep Blues." His latest work is chief advisor to the ten-part PBS documentary, "Rock & Roll: An Unruly History," currently airing on PBS. He's also a companion book (Harmony Books).

TV Producer Michael Berk for the show "Baywatch." The show, which is filmed in Malibu, California, is about a group of lifeguards who patrol the beach. It's been called the "number one show on earth." It has one billion viewers in more than 110 countries.

Jonathan Katz is another comic who has broadened his horizons. He went into animation. His "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" is a half-hour animated sitcom on Comedy Central (Sundays at 10:30 PM and Tuesdays at 8:30 PM). Katz is the voice of the psychiatrist, and fellow comics supply the voice of the patients, and the routines on therapy. (Also: Tonight Jonathan Katz will be doing standup on HBO's Comedy Half-Hour)

T.V. critic David Bianculli reviews two new shows this fall: "Murder One" which premieres on ABC tonight, and "American Gothic" on CBS Friday Night.

Stand up comic Ellen DeGeneres, the star of the sitcom "Ellen." The show airs on Wednesday nights on ABC. Last year DeGeneres co-hosted the 1994 Emmy awards and received a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female in a New Television series. She now has a new book, My Point. . . And I Do Have One. (Bantam News).

ABC News political and media analyst Jeff Greenfield. He appears regularly on Nightline and World News Tonight. He also has a weekly column on World News Sunday. He's just written his first novel about presidential politics and the electoral college, The People's Choice: A Cautionary Tale, (G.P. Putnam).

T.V. critic David Bianculli tells us about the new TV season.

Veteran television announcer Bill Wendell retires this week after 37 years at NBC. Wendell is currently the announcer for "Late Night with David Letterman." He's famous for adding the long "A" in his introduction "Here's...Daaay-vid Letterman" Wendell also emceed several games shows and was the Tonight Show announcer in 1956 and 1957.

TV producer, writer, director and actor Garry Marshall. He's considered a "One man Who's Who" of Television. He's written for The Lucy Show, The Danny Thomas Show, The Tonight Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jack Parr Show, and Love American Style. He created 14 prime time sitcoms including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, The Odd Couple. During one week in 1979, Marshall boasted four of the top five rated TV shows.

TV. Critic David Bianculli reviews "The Larry Sanders Show" on HBO and "TV Nation" which debuts on Fox.

Chairman of the Board of the Carnegie Corporation and former Chairman of PBS Newton Minow. As President Kennedy's chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Minow astonished the public in 1961 when he referred to television broadcasting as a "vast wasteland". His new book, Abandoned in the Wasteland, (Hill and Wang), which he co-wrote with Craig L. May, examines the nation's television system (both past and present) and looks into the negative effects it poses on our children.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the fourth season of MTV's "The Real World " documentary series, which is set in London.

Playwright and satirist from South Africa Pieter-Dirk Uys. He has a television talk show in South Africa with an unusual twist: instead of hosting his show as himself, he dresses in drag as an Afrikaner dowager named Evita. His guests have included such leaders as Nelson Mandela.

TV critic David Biancullii reviews Diane Sawyer's interview with Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, which aired June 14th on ABC's "Primetime Live."