Networks refuse popular HBO show

NEW YORK -- Three of the four biggest broadcast networks said Monday they have no interest in airing a sanitized version of HBO's Emmy Award-winning comedy "Sex and the City."\nThe fourth network, CBS, would not comment on the possibility.\nPublished reports, first in Variety on Friday, said HBO had approached executives at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox about airing an edited "Sex and the City" as a prime-time series, starting this fall.\nAlthough it's rare for a cable series to find a home on broadcast networks, ABC had some success last year by picking up reruns of the USA Network series "Monk."\n"Sex and the City" would present special problems for the broadcast networks, given its often-explicit story lines about four single women in New York City.\nBut since each episode would have to be cut from the 30-minute version that runs on commercial-free HBO to about 22 minutes to accommodate ads, racier scenes could be cut. \nHBO has long talked about selling "Sex" reruns to others. But this is the first time the major broadcast networks have been mentioned as a possibility.\n"It would have to make fiscal sense for us," said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks. "Secondly, we feel confident about our own (series) development. Lastly, we don't have any needs at this current time."\nABC also passed on the proposal, spokesman Kevin Brockman said. So did Fox, said a network executive who spoke on condition of anonymity.\nThere was some concern among broadcasters about HBO's asking price, said by Variety to be around $3 million per episode. \nHBO has said it will run 12 additional original episodes of the series this summer, then eight more starting in January 2004. After that, the series will conclude.