Reporting on the continued ratings slippage of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, AP television writer David Bauder commented Tuesday, "Viewers may be suffering from Regis fatigue."

Likewise, Washington Post TV writer Lisa de Moraes listed Millionaire as the biggest loser of the week, and remarked: "The overexposed game show sensation Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is fading fast." The number of viewers for the quiz show in October was 21 percent below the average between January and September.

Last Thursday's episode, which drew an 11.1/16, fell to No. 20 on the Nielsen list. The network is wasting no time putting into effect a number of planned changes for the game show. Instead of selecting all contestants by phone quizzes, it plans to select several of them by an audition process that is due to begin in New York on Nov. 12. Would-be contestants who wish to audition are invited to phone 800-433-8321. (On Monday a federal judge in Miami rejected a suit filed by a Miami group accusing the Millionaire producers of discrimination against the deaf.)

Source: Studio Briefing