Cincinnati Democrat John Cranley won't get the national exposure he wanted from MTV before Election Day. He'll have to wait two weeks.

        Crews have been in and out of Cincinnati for a year shooting Mr. Cranley, 26, who is challenging Republican Steve Chabot for the 1st Congressional District seat.

        MTV has produced a special called True Life: I'm A Candidate featuring Mr. Cranley and another untested young congressional candidate, Dylan Glenn, 31, from southwest Georgia.

        Mr. Cranley had hoped MTV would air the special on Sunday, two days before Election Day. But folks at the Pew Charitable Trust, which helped finance the special, talked MTV out of airing the special so close to the election.

        So True Life: I'm A Candidate will air at 10 p.m. Nov. 16, nine days after western Hamilton County voters determine his fate.

        Mr. Cranley may be seen briefly in MTV's VoteFest 2000 special today (8-9:30 p.m.).

        In The Zone: The local 180 Videos Christian video show returns for a second season (11:35 p.m. Saturday, Channel 9) with a new name, The Zone, and more hosts.

        The Zone is a “safe place where young people can share their faith,” says Harold Hay, executive producer and executive director of the nonprofit Victory Videos ministry founded in 1998.

        “The zone is a place where you're in the presence of God, no matter the circumstance. It's like the athlete on the basketball court who's "in the zone,' and no matter what he throws up, it goes in the basket,” he says.

        There's another reason for the change: The name was “in conflict with an organization in Tulsa, Okla., using the term 180,” he says.

        The Zone “is the only positive Christian program of its type in a top 30 market on an ABC, CBS or NBC affiliate in the nation,” he says. “A couple of times we've tied Saturday Night Live (ratings), which is really amazing.”

        Rotating hosts for the second season (38 shows) are Dave Dobbins, Larry Spellman, Bekka Prewitt, Rosie Franklin, Mike Woods and Michael Hairston.

        The show is taped at Victory Videos in the basement of old St. George, 42 Calhoun St., Clifton Heights. For information call (513) 221-4888.

        Bart's guy: Matt Groening and producers of The Simpsons slip a plug for their favorite presidential candidate into the 12th season premiere Sunday (8 p.m., Channels 19, 45).

        The show opens with Bart Simpson writing on the school blackboard: “I will not plant subliminAL messaGOREs.”

        The Who guest star as themselves in the show about Homer protesting the city being divided into two telephone area codes.

        Allen Tribute: At 7 p.m. Saturday, A&E Biography repeats its 1994 profile of Mr. Allen filled with terrific old clips, including the 1954 premiere of The Tonight Show.

        Channel 64 news: WSTR-TV (Channel 64) will pre-empt Total Recall and Terminator 2 Saturday to broadcast the noon Miami University-Ohio University football game from Oxford. Nash Bridges will air at 3 p.m., followed by Alien 3 at 4 p.m. (instead of the announced time of 4:30).

        WMUB-FM news: Oxford's WMUB-FM (88.5) raised $60,037 by the close of its fall fund drive Wednesday, shattering the previous record of $53,000. The goal was $55,000.

        The Miami University station this weekend also will broadcast a couple of Pat Buchanan presidential campaign commercials, which public radio stations are obligated to carry (if requested) under a little-known federal regulation, says John Hingsbergen, WMUB-FM program director.

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