'ER' calls its time of death

After 15 seasons, "ER" will leave behind a splintered prime-time landscape as the networks struggle to compete in a digital world. "ER's" life span has coincided with a deep commercial and cultural decline for the broadcast networks. Cable outlets stole market share and media attention with gritty dramas such as "The Sopranos" and "The Shield." Increasing numbers of viewers are watching programming on the Internet or on a time-delayed basis using digital video recorders. Pressured by low ratings and rising production costs, broadcasters are turning to relatively inexpensive reality series and talk shows. Next season, in a dramatic symbol of the networks' ebbing fortunes, "ER's" slot -- where it had the longest reign in the same one-hour time period of any scripted drama in network history -- will be occupied by Jay Leno's Monday-to-Friday talk show. Leno's program is reportedly expected to cost less than $2 million for a week's worth of shows; for this season, NBC has paid Warner Bros. Television, the studio that produces "ER," an estimated license fee that is nearly twice that figure for each episode of the hospital drama.