Mr. Springer's sitcom project at Studios USA, which produces his daytime talk show, is dead.

        “He desperately wanted to do a sitcom, but we couldn't find a buyer,” says David Kissinger, Studios USA programming president.

        In 1998, a situation comedy writer visited the Chicago-based Jerry Springer talk show (11 a.m. weekdays, Channel 5) to research a script about the fictional off-camera life of an outrageous daytime TV show host.

        Mr. Springer mentioned the project during a 1998 visit to Cincinnati, where he served as a city council member and mayor (1971-74; 1975-81) and Channel 5 news anchor and commentator (1982-93).

        The sitcom was sidetracked later that year when he starred in a feature film, Ringmaster, a fictional look at Mr. Springer's popular talk show.

        Enquiring mind: This Enquirering mind wants to know: Why has Dan Carroll stopped doing airborne traffic reports on WXIX-TV?

        Because the Metro Traffic helicopter was too expensive for Channel 19 — the same reason cited when WCPO-TV (Channel 9) grounded Chopper 9 last summer.

        “I just didn't feel that what we got justified the cost,” says Jon Lawhead, Channel 19 general manager.

        Channel 19 now uses the Artimis' Smart Traveler information for Mr. Carroll's morning commute reports.

        “It's maybe not as "sexy' as the helicopter, but Artimis gives us the ability to show traffic from over 100 different cameras in the area. I believe our traffic presentation in terms of the content is now much superior with Artimis than it was with the helicopter,” Mr. Lawhead says.

        A helicopter company “will put us in the air in the event of breaking news,” Mr. Lawhead says.

        Square deal: Loveland native Greg Walsh, 19, a freshman at Ohio State University, will appear on the two-week Hollywood Squares college tournament Feb. 12-23.

        Parents Mike and Jean Walsh won't say too much, other than report that their son does well enough on Feb. 13 to advance deep into the second week. (Draw your own conclusions.)

        Students from 14 colleges and universities are competing for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. The college champion wins a $25,000 U.S. Savings Bond.

        Mr. Walsh was chosen during auditions in Columbus last fall. Representatives from Purdue, the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh also participate. National Valentines: Mark Perzel's WGUC-FM Love Greetings Valentine's Day special will air on more than 50 public radio stations, including statewide networks in eight states.

        Mr. Perzel, the host and executive producer, has assembled a mix of symphonic, chamber and vocal music composed by Rachmaninoff, Vivaldi, Puccini, Pachelbel and others. He also has sprinkled in poems by William Shakespeare, Richard Bach and William Butler Yeats.

        WGUC-FM (90.9) will broadcast the two-hour show at 7 and 9 p.m. on Wednesday. A complete play list for Love Greetings is posted on the station's Web site (www.wguc.org).

        Robin returns: Robin Wood, who quit WKRC-TV in September, returns to host Auto Expo 2001 (7 p.m., Channel 12) from The Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati Post Auto Expo this weekend at the Albert B. Sabin Convention Center. Kimberly Ray and Rob Carson from Clear Channel sister station WVMX-FM (94.1) also will do a report for the show.

        Who let the dogs out: Channel 12 helps the Hamilton County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raise funds and attract pet owners with the fifth annual Adopt-A-Pet special Saturday (11 a.m.-1 p.m., Channel 12).

        SPCA General Manager Harold Dates will be joined by Marty Brennaman, Pat Barry and Channel 12's Mike Buresh, John Lomax, Cammy Dierking, Dave Burchell, Tim Hedrick, Paul Adler, Layne Mason, Kit Andrews, Rob Braun and Brad Johansen.

        Channel 5 news: Channel 5 has hired a new investigative reporter, Jesse Jones, from WMAR-TV in Baltimore. He replaces Deborah Cole, who left in December to work at WFTV-TV in Orlando for Lyn Tolan, a former Channel 5 news director.

        Radio highlight: Bill Fox, president of the Tristate Beatles Boosters, joins Dusty Rhodes on WGRR-FM (103.5) at 7 p.m.-midnight Sunday for a Beatles tribute. Mr. Rhodes, the Hamilton County auditor, says he'll air outtakes from the Beatles' recording sessions marking the 37th anniversary of the band's 1964 debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.

        Around the dial:E! Entertainment repeats its Carmen Electra True Hollywood Story taped here in November (9 p.m. today, E!).

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