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"Lately, there has been some irresponsible talk from some of our competitors, which has been repeated by the media, that SONY-TV is not America's seventh network," Diller said. "Let me be perfectly clear about this: Any such talk is little more than a hoax." Rival network, PAX-TV -- which broadcasts musty Touched by an Angel reruns on a handful of UHF and Mexican-language stations -- has claimed that it is the seventh network, joining the ranks of NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, the WB and UPN. Its programs are watched each night by an average audience the size of Pawnee City, Nebraska. In contrast, SONY-TV -- the true seventh network -- has assembled an army of affiliates covering all of America's major markets. It will broadcast seven nights of programming. And all of its shows will be originals, not warmed-over repeats of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman that people have already seen dozens of times. "Bud Paxson, PAX-TV chairman, is a good friend of mine," Mr. Diller said. "But let's be perfectly frank -- throwing together a chunk of Diagnosis Murder reruns and calling yourself a network is a far cry from carefully crafting seven nights of stirring dramas, gripping news programs and wacky sitcoms. And that's what we're doing at SONY-TV." Mr. Diller's comments were supported by a recent poll commissioned by SONY-TV. The 200-person survey asked, "What do you think of when you hear the word Pax?" More than half -- 52% -- thought Pax was a new lemon-scented dishwashing soap. Another 18% thought of the Pax Romana, while 13% associated it with a kiss of peace often given at mass. Some 10% believe Pax was the stage name of a professional wrestler, while 5% weren't sure exactly what Pax was. Only 2% of those surveyed associated the word Pax with "a penny-ante TV network run by a whacked-out religious nut who fancies himself to be a match for the likes of Barry Diller." "The people have spoken," Mr. Diller said. "And what they're saying is PAX-TV is a sack of crap."
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Diller Puts Pretender Network Pax-TV In Its Place