Anchor away as Fox pulls reality series

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox has yanked "Anchorwoman" off the air less than 24 hours after the reality/comedy hybrid's putrid debut Wednesday.

"Anchorwoman," chronicling swimsuit model Lauren Jones' attempt to become a TV journalist in Tyler, Texas, came in a distant fourth with two back-to-back episodes in the 8 p.m. hour. It averaged just 2.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data.

The remaining six episodes of "Anchorwoman's" eight-episode order will be available on the Fox on Demand section of Fox.com and MySpace.com. Its spot on the schedule will be taken by repeats of "'Til Death."

In addition to heavy promotion, "Anchorwoman" received substantial prelaunch publicity as its premise of a model-turned-TV anchor caused a stir in journalistic circles and was accused of devaluing the work of real journalists.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter