Try Again

TUBE TALK How dull was it on TV last week? So dull that a rerun of ''Yes, Dear'' crept into the top 10, according to Nielsen. Maybe network viewers were all trapped for days in Labor Day weekend traffic, since ABC won the week with an average of just 8.4 million viewers, followed by neck-and-neck CBS (7.76 million) and NBC (7.74 million), then Fox (5.6 million), UPN (3.8 million), and the WB (2.8 million). As has been typical of this rerun-laden summer, a new episode of ''Who Wants To Be a Millionaire'' last Tuesday was the week's top show (13.6 million viewers); that and the previous night's Raiders-Cowboys game, whose 11.54 million viewers made it the highest-rated NFL preseason game in two years, helped ABC to victory for the week.

A look into the future: In the year 2001...Andy Richter will replace Christopher Titus as host of the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where he will oversee the handing out of awards for TV directing, guest actors, music, and other categories that the following weekend's Emmy gala won't have time for...And the ceremony will air Sunday on E!...Yet no one will know why Titus dropped out...So it shall be, in the year 2001.

In another Emmy warmup, Emmys for news and documentaries were presented yesterday at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York. CBS took home eight awards, more than any other network, including six for ''60 Minutes'' and ''60 Minutes II.'' CNBC's ''National Geographic Explorer'' was the most honored series, winning five awards. Titus didn't show for this one either, but the ceremony was not without comedy. Peter Freundlich, fired by CBS after 20 years but brought back as a freelance writer, won an award for a ''CBS Sunday Morning'' piece and punctuated his acceptance speech with a couple of raspberries for his former bosses....

Also on the awards front, this year's winners of the Kennedy Center Honors are Jack Nicholson, classical pianist Van Cliburn, tenor Luciano Pavarotti, Julie Andrews, and R&B guru Quincy Jones. The lifetime achievers will be feted with an audience with President Bush and a tribute at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 2, which will air a couple weeks later on CBS....

Fox News Channel fired star anchor Paula Zahn when it got wind she was considering jumping ship to archrival CNN. CNN responded by snapping her up. Still, Fox News may sue her for breach of contract, since she negotiated with CNN while she was still under a three-year contract to Fox News.