winter's night, songwriter John Hiatt hit the television jackpot. Joey and Dawson were discussing their relationship again on "Dawson's Creek,'' wrestling over whether Joey would spend a semester in France. A piano in the background heralded Hiatt's 1987 ballad, "Have a Little Faith in Me.'' Less than an hour later on "Party of Five,'' Julia and Ned were at his college dorm, trying to decide whether to break up. The music came in as an insistent plea: Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me.'' Watching with a sense of renewed appreciation for her dad was Hiatt's 14-year-old daughter. "My stock went up with her and her friends quite a bit,'' he said with a laugh. It did with his record company, too. The placement of songs in TV shows -- particularly those popular with a teenaged audience -- are becoming a potent way to expose music and to juice sales. It has to be just the right song, though. And just the right moment. Matching the two is the job of people like John McCullough, Hollywood's most respected music supervisor, who recommends songs to television producers to enhance their scenes. Music has long played a vital role in movies, but less so in television comedies and dramas. McCullough's work has helped change the thinking of TV and music executives. His placement of an Enya ballad added the perfect touch to a moonlit scene in "Northern Exposure.'' The BoDeans' "Closer to Free'' became a hit song when McCullough suggested it as the theme for "Party of Five.'' Edwin McCain's "I'll Be'' headed to the Top 10 after it was used during a key scene in Dawson and Joey's endless soap opera. Music is also frequently used on "Homicide: Life on the Street,'' "Providence'' and "Beverly Hills 90210.'' Sometimes musicians come out from the background: "Ally McBeal'' has made Vonda Shepard an integral part of the show, "New York Undercover'' has acts like Tracy Chapman, Ray Charles and Nancy Wilson perform in a club featured in every episode of the series, and R.E.M. is taping an upcoming appearance on "Party of Five.'' Hiatt was happy to grant permission to producers who wanted to use "Have a Little Faith in Me.'' It has been used more than a dozen times in movies or television shows. "I certainly would think that any time someone can hear your music, possibly for the first time, then that's a good thing,'' he said.

"As far as soaring record sales, I personally haven't experienced that.'' It's still lucrative. A television producer generally pays a licensing fee to the song's publisher to use the song, and the writer receives royalties every time it is played. If the episode is rerun a lot and goes into syndication, a writer can really cash in. Even though "Have a Little Faith in Me'' never became a hit on the radio, the song he wrote in the mid-1980s to try and smooth a rough marriage has since become his signature. Audiences respond enthusiastically because of its exposure on screens. The marriage didn't last, but the song has. McCullough actually chose other songs for those key "Dawson's Creek'' and "Party of Five'' moments. Producers insisted on Hiatt, but he has no complaints. "It's an incredible song,'' he said. "It's always one of those songs that is just sitting there waiting for the right scene.'' Finding a song to evoke a mood is a matter of instinct. McCullough stays away from the obvious -- he doesn't want viewers to say "not that again'' -- and like any music fan, loves to introduce people to something new. He has recently used music by bluegrass artist Tony Ellis and the Peruvian musicians Duchichelo. "We don't use music for the sake of using it to be cool,'' he said. "If it doesn't bring something to a scene or an episode, we don't use it.'' McCullough knows he's struck the proper chord when the Internet is buzzing the next day about the song, and people call producers wanting to know the singer. One night, that realisation came directly to him through a telephone call. A friend was on the line, a music executive. He was driving up Ventura Boulevard late at night, searching for an open music store to buy a Heather Nova song his teenage daughter simply had to have after hearing it on "Dawson's Creek.'' "He was yelling at me,'' he said. It isn't always easy to match music and television. Networks like to create their own background music because it's cheaper. Sometimes artists don't want their work on TV, or don't like a particular programme. TV shows also generally can't afford the typical rate to licence songs, so McCullough has to show executives how a discount may pay off in the long run. "They've finally realised the value of 20 million viewers,'' he said. Atlantic Records saw the impact on McCain's "I'll Be'' almost instantly. Sales of his album more than doubled the week after the song's appearance on "Dawson's Creek, said Linda Ferrando, senior vice president at Atlantic. Anxious to expose its music any way it can, Atlantic has aggressively sought these TV tie-ins. It has a significant advantage: the company's corporate parent, Time Warner, also owns the WB, the hot new network for teenagers. "We've had many meetings, deciding to really work together -- a `you help us, we'll help you' kind of thing,'' Ferrando said. "We understand the WB network is targeting a specific audience and the music companies are targeting the same audience.'' Corporate synergy makes it easier, for example, for producers with shows on the WB to licence songs from Time Warner labels. But it has its dangers: McCullough said producers of "Dawson's Creek'' were pressured to include songs from Time Warner labels, but they've insisted on also using songs from other labels. The executives walk a fine line with viewers. If they include too many Time Warner songs, viewers may suspect the music is a sales pitch instead of a key part of the show. At the end of each "Dawson's Creek,'' producers flash a graphic giving the name of the artists featured in each show. Again, this is a danger zone: Do viewers consider this helpful information or just another commercial? If the music isn't used judiciously, "You're doing a disservice to your viewers,'' McCullough said. "Your viewers are tuning in to that episode to be pulled in to all the characters' lives,'' he said. "If you're not using a song that conveys a certain emotion or gets across what you're trying to say, then what are you doing it for?'' PHOTO Bermuda star: Heather Nova has a song on the show `Dawson's Creek'.