A Coronation Street spokeswoman, Alison Sinclair, defended the portrayal of the new character, commenting: "The arranged marriage storyline is just a device for pulling viewers in.

So far, only modest forms of interactivity seem to have won over enough consumers to remain viable, and generally they do not pull viewers out of the programs.

And, of course, both new networks, the WB and UPN continue to pull viewers away from the big networks.

In the larger scheme of things, Fox expects the fight to be a magnet that pulls new viewers to the network.

Mr. Tarantino denies wanting to be what he calls Mr. Master Manipulator, placing time sequences out of whack, pulling viewers this way and that.

In general, network television shows rarely match up to records set years ago because of the networks' diluted strength; more and more channels pull viewers away from network shows.

Variety shows no longer pulled viewers, and Parton turned out not to have universal appeal.

YouTube is undoubtedly one of many factors pulling viewers away from the TV towards their computers.

Nonetheless, the Defense Department could unintentionally pull viewers away from the other channels.

In the film, that connection raises conjecture about a painter whose precise, astonishingly lifelike pictures pull subjects and viewers into communion, only to pull away into mystery.