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Speaking at a presentation to TV critics during the broadcasters' annual summer tour in Hollywood, Fox Television chairman Sandy Grushow said networks should use the summer schedule to give traditional entertainment programmes a higher profile.

He said the industry needs to "strike a better balance in the summer between scripted and unscripted programming".

He said: "There's a limit to how many [reality TV shows] we can do."

Fox airs a number of high-profile reality TV shows including 'Paradise Hotel', 'Temptation Island' and 'Joe Millionaire'.

More recently, Fox has scored critical success with dramas such as '24' and it racked up 37 Emmy Award nominations, beating rivals ABC for the first time.

The comments from Fox follow those of Disney-owned ABC, which earlier this week said it was ditching some reality shows this summer including 'Are You Hot?', a search for Amercia's sexiest men and women.

ABC Entertainment chairman Lloyd Braun said of the show: "Ultimately, I think it was in bad taste."

The network is also turning to comedy to boost figures and is to rerun shows such as the Jim Belushi vehicle, 'According to Jim'.

ABC will continue to run 'The Real Rosanne Show', its own version of Viacom-owned MTV's 'The Osbournes', which sees a camera crew following outsized comedienne Rosanne Barr and her staff, including her ex-husband's new wife.

Over at CBS, also part of Viacom, 'Big Brother' is enjoying a revival, after the network decided to spice up the show by putting ex boyfriends and girlfriends in the house together, which has proved the perfect recipe for a dramatic reality TV show.

Last week, Scott Weintraub, a 33-year-old waiter, got booted out of the house for throwing a violent tantrum including hurling chairs across the kitchen and refusing to go to the diary room when called by Big Brother.

It remains to be seen whether or not UK TV networks will follow the example of the US networks. 'Big Brother' in the UK has failed to produce any kind of fireworks this year, and viewing figures have been down by about 1m on last year.

However, it is hoped that the blossoming romance between Nush, who is up for eviction tonight, and Scott may help boost audiences in the last week of the show, which ends next Friday, July 25.

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