Carson Daly's quest to expand his audience comes to Cincinnati Saturday and to NBC on Jan. 7.

        The host of MTV's top-rated Total Request Live (3:30-5 p.m.), who chats with rock stars over the din of screaming teen-agers, will host the “Nightmare on Main Street” concert 5-10 p.m. Saturday at Central Parkway and Main Street, Over-the-Rhine.

        Headlining the concert will be Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Uncle Kracker. Tickets for the cert, a benefit for the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, are $5 through Ticketmaster or at the gate.

        On Jan. 7, d Mr. Daly 28, will debut as the host of NBC's Later, a revival of the 1:35 a.m. talk show formerly hosted by Bob Costas (1988-94), Greg Kinnear (1994-96) and Cynthia Garrett (2000).

        For most of next year, he will do double duty, hosting TRL in the afternoons on MTV, and Later on NBC. He signed a three-year contract with NBC in August after failing to reach a new agreement with Viacom, parent of MTV and CBS.

        “This is a guy who wants to be Dick Clark,” says Rick Ludwin, NBC senior vice president for prime-time and late-night programming. “He wants to have a long-term career, both in front of and behind the camera.”

        NBC's new late-night Carson will tape four shows a week in historic Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, the home of Saturday Night Live. Half of the shows will feature musical guests; half will have sports figures, actors, actresses or nonmusical guests.

        “He's volunteered to get on the phone to get people on to talk and perform,” says Mr. Ludwin, a Miami University graduate, during a visit to the Oxford campus this week. “It will be an interview show with some music.”

        Unlike Mr. Costas, Mr. Daly will have a studio audience for Later. “Carson likes the idea of having people to talk to,” Mr. Ludwin says.

        Is he looking forward to conversing with celebrities without being surrounded by screaming teen-age girls?

        “Absolutely,” Mr. Ludwin says.

        For the past year, NBC has filled the Later slot with reruns of SCTV (1:35 a.m., Channels 5, 22),the 1981-83 Second City sketch show starring John Candy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy.

        Time out: For those of you who have missed the “7 a.m. time check” on Jim Scott's WLW-AM (700) morning show, here's what has happened: It's being held hostage by Osama bin Laden.

        There's not enough time for the long-standing feature with hourly ABC News updates about the terrorist attacks and war, explains Darryl Parks, AM operations director for Clear Channel station here.

        “The ABC News feed that we have been carrying at the top of each newscast starts exactly at 30 seconds past each hour and half hour. We can't do both,” he says.

        “Once coverage of the war and terrorist attacks is scaled back, we will return the 7 o'clock time check,” he promises.

        Ellen benched: Ellen DeGeneres'low-rated sitcom, The Ellen Show, has been pulled by CBS for most of November sweeps (Nov. 1-28). After a Nov. 2 episode with guest star Tom Poston, CBS will air Funny Flubs & Screw-Ups on Nov. 9 and 16 (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7), and Rugrats: The Movie on Nov. 23.

        Ellen has been pushed back from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and next Friday, following a King of Queens rerun. CBS canceled Danny two weeks ago.

        NBC also is pulling Inside Schwartz for part of sweeps. A Friends rerun airs 8:30 p.m. next Thursday, the first day of sweeps.

        Fox delays: Fox has postponed season premieres for The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle and The X-Files by one week so they don't compete with the Emmy Awards Nov. 4. Fox's Sunday lineup will return Nov. 11.

        Titus and the new Bernie Mac Show finally will arrive Nov. 14, eight weeks after the TV season launched. Two shows already have been canceled (Danny, What About Joan) and a third (The Mole II) placed on hiatus.

        Enquirering Mind: Myra Washburn, Joan McLaughlin and other Enquirering Minds want to know: What happened to WLWT meteorologist Todd Warren?

        The morning weatherman left Channel 5 in late August to be a chief meteorologist at a TV station in Shreveport, La., his wife's hometown. Mark Massaro moved to mornings when Channel 5 hired Mike Nichols as weekend meteorologist.

        Renewals: NBC has ordered a full season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Crossing Jordan, while ABC has renewed Alias and According to Jim.

        Contact John Kiesewetter by phone: 768-8519; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: jkiesewetter@enquirer.com.
       

Stadium's suite success
McGuinn feels at home with the folks
'NSync stars put film career 'On the Line'
Dual blues bands tear up tiny Latonia bar
Sum 41 show was more filler than killer
KNIPPENBERG: Knip's Eye View
Artists respond to attacks
Roundup your knowledge of 'Toy Story 2,' skating
You'll see MTV host 'Later'
The Early Word
Top 10s
Get to it