That deficit is absorbed in the hope that a show will become a hit and generate enormous syndication sales later.

Southmark, which blames depressed real estate prices and lowered syndication sales for its mounting financial problems, lost $25.3 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30.

With the negotiations mostly completed, analysts estimate syndication sales will total $2 billion, up 17.6 percent from $1.7 billion in 2001-02.

But those profits could be dwarfed by the eventual syndication sales of "Love and War."

The new series incorporated a multi-national cast to ensure that worldwide syndication sales would be easier to obtain.

Television, for "economic issues" as a result of declining syndication sales.

That means none of the lucrative syndication sales other hit shows enjoy.

Revenue from syndication sales - expected to be at least $1 million this year - will go directly to AIDS organizations.

That means the $50 million realized in syndication sales would net the owners of the program about $25 million.

The profits to be made in programming are enormous, if the producers have a stake in the syndication sales.