| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| • | Documenting Media Reactions To Coors/NFL Mega Deal |
| • | Haas Carter Ceases Operations, Fails To Fill Kmart Void |
| • | Pierce Named To Fannie Mae's Home Team For Community Service |
| • | Six New Teams Ready To Join USPV In Time For '03 Season |
| • | Pele's '70 World Cup Shirt Fetches Record Bid In London Auction |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/In Other News/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing |
MEDIA, ANALYSTS REACT TO COORS/NFL DEAL
In discussing Coors' multi-year sponsorship deal with the NFL, CNBC's Stocks Editor Joe Kernen said, "Coors wants to be seen as a worldwide, major player in what is happening. … At this point, individual teams can still negotiate with other beers, but you are going to see a lot of Coors" (CNBC, 3/27).
FORBES.com's Davide Dukcevich writes, "Unfortunately for Coors, being associated with an individual team is much more effective than sponsoring a league or event. Fans, after all, cheer and identify with the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins – not the NFL or the Super Bowl." Banc of America Securities analyst Bryan Spillane said that it is "important for Coors to get in front of young males – some of the NFL's most reliable viewers" as men ages 21-24 "consume twice as much beer as any other age group" (FORBES.com, 3/27).
UBS Warburg beverage analyst Caroline Levy today raised her 12-month price target on Coors to $78 from $63, reflecting higher earnings per share estimates. Levy has a "buy" rating on Coors (REUTERS, 3/27).
At presstime, shares of Coors were trading at $66.17, up 1.05%. Meanwhile, shares of A-B were trading at a new 52-week high of $52.74, up 1.27% and shares of Philip-Morris were trading at $52.47, up 0.45% (THE DAILY).
WITHOUT PRIMARY SPONSOR, HAAS CARTER CLOSES UP SHOP
ESPN.com reports that Haas Carter Motorsports "has ceased its NASCAR Winston Cup operation." The team fielded the No. 26 Taurus for Joe Nemechek, and the No. 66 Taurus for Todd Bodine. Kmart, the team's primary sponsor since Haas Carter first entered the Winston Cup Series, recently filed for bankruptcy, and the team "has been unable to secure sponsorship" since that point (ESPN.com, 3/27).
FANNIE MAE NAMES PIERCE ITS TOP HOME TEAM PLAYER
The NBA and the Fannie Mae Foundation named Celtics F Paul Pierce the winner of the '02 Home Team Community Service Award, based on Pierce's volunteer activities and community service in the Boston area. NBA HOFer Nate “Tiny” Archibald will present Pierce with the award prior to tonight's game against the Warriors at the FleetCenter (THE DAILY).
USPV PLANS ADDITION OF SIX NEW TEAMS BY '03 SEASON
The United States Professional Volleyball league today revealed its plans to add six teams to the league to begin playing in '03. The new teams, which will be announced in the next 30-60 days, will come from a list of 14 potential markets throughout the country. The expansion will increase the league to 10 teams – halfway to its projected goal of 20 teams by '05 (THE DAILY).
PELE JERSEY GRABS RECORD BID AT LONDON AUCTION
REUTERS reports that the shirt worn by Pele during Brazil's 4-1 defeat of Italy in the final of the 1970 World Cup "smashed all records at an auction in London" today. The yellow and green team shirt "sold to a private collector, whose telephone bid of $224,600 more than tripled its pre-sale estimate and topped the previous world record by more than 50 percent" (REUTERS, 3/27).
BUZZER BEATERS
Olympic Gold Medalist Apolo Anton Ohno "is skipping the world short-track speedskating championships over the next two weekends, saying he's out of shape after a whirl of post-Olympic TV and promotional appearances" (AP, 3/27).
Cubs Care, the charitable arm of the Cubs, announced today its distribution of $718,000 in grants to non-profit organizations throughout Chicago (THE DAILY).
STATS Inc. announced today that it will provide broadcast support enhancements, including statistical packages and game notes, for Yankees telecasts on the YES network in '02 (THE DAILY).
MLB and HDNet have finalized plans to broadcast 80 MLB games in High Definition TV during the '02 season, with the first HDNet broadcast to be the April 13 Tigers-Twins game (THE DAILY).
Tigers' Hall of Fame play-by-play broadcaster Ernie Harwell will lend his voice to a series of 10 new radio spots for the MI-based Kroger Company. Harwell, who's retiring from the Tigers this year, will make his commercial debut for Kroger the week of April 1, in conjunction with the team's April 5 home opener (THE DAILY).
Meanwhile, former Padres OF Tony Gwynn will make his debut as an analyst alongside Jon Miller for the network's featured opening day game, Rockies-Cardinals, on April 1. Gwynn: "I'm scared to death. I honestly thought I was just going to ease in, kind of learn the ropes. But they throw you in with the head honcho. I've tried to warn them. I said I'm long-winded; I've got to shorten my stuff up. You've got to give me a chance" (S.D. UNION-TRIBUNE, 3/27).
The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER reports Broadcom Corp. co-Chairs Henry Nicholas III and Henry Samueli "each lost $17.2 million" on Broadband Interactive Group (BIG), "which was shut down last year." Plans were for BIG, "which created Bluetorch TV for the Fox Sports Net cable channel, … to usher in a new era of interactive TV," but the technology "never materialized" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 3/27).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
CNNSI.com's Mike Fish on the NCAA's stance on gambling.
The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER's Frank Fitzpatrick on revenue generated by a school's football program and its impact on the school's chances of advancing in the NCAA Tournament.
The ORLANDO SENTINEL's Chris Cobbs on golf pros watching the mechanics of their swing on DVD.
The BUSINESS JOURNAL OF CHARLOTTE's Erik Spanberg on the growth of the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
The Portland OREGONIAN's Geoffrey Arnold on the increasing number of foreign-born players in the NBA.
The Newark STAR-LEDGER's Paul Needell on the lack of fan attachment in the NFL, thanks in part to free agency and the salary cap.
See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
The AHL Philadelphia Phantoms are giving away a four-day, three-night trip to Starfish Resort in Trelawny, Jamaica courtesy of AAA Mid-Atlantic and U.S. Airways Vacations (THE DAILY).
A soccer doubleheader at Giants Stadium begins tonight at 7:00pm ET with MLS Crew-MetroStars, followed by an Ecuador-Bulgaria friendly (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
Dudley Moore, star of "10" and "Arthur," died today at his home in NJ "of pneumonia as a complication of progressive supranuclear palsy." He was 66 (AP, 3/27).
REUTERS reports "embattled accounting giant Andersen is set to name a new chief executive in London on Thursday," and recently appointed a new leader of its "tarnished U.S. arm." It was not clear who would replace former Andersen CEO Joseph Berardino, who "resigned on Tuesday amid fallout from the firm's role in the Enron Corp. scandal" (REUTERS, 3/27).
John Travolta is in early talks to star in "Mr. 3000," about a baseball player who "unretires when three of his past base hits are disallowed, dropping him below the esteemed 3,000-hit plateau" (DAILY VARIETY, 3/27).
THE DAILY STAT: PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS
The following lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime shows for the week of March 18-24. Also provided are Nielsen ratings averages season to date for the nets' primetime coverage (USA Today, 3/27).
| TOP TEN PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS FOR MAR. 18 – MAR. 24
|
| RK | PROGRAM | NET | DAY | RAT/SHR | VIEWERS
(IN MILLIONS) |
| 1) | Academy Awards | ABC | Sun | 25.4/42 | 41.7 |
| 2) | On Red Carpet: Oscars 2002 | ABC | Sun | 17.1/28 | 25.9 |
| 3) | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | Mon | 13.4/20 | 21.2 |
| 4) | Friends | NBC | Thu | 13.0/21 | 20 |
| 5) | Survivor: Marquesas | CBS | Wed | 12.6/20 | 22.8 |
| 6) | Barbara Walters Special | ABC | Sun | 11.8/20 | 16.9 |
| 7) | Becker | CBS | Mon | 11.5/18 | 17.9 |
| 8) | Law & Order | NBC | Wed | 11.1/20 | 16.1 |
| 9) | Leap of Faith | NBC | Thu | 10.0/16 | 15.1 |
| 10) | E.R. | NBC | Thu | 9.9/17 | 13.9 |
| |
| NIELSEN AVERAGES SEASON-TO-DATE |
| | | NBC | | 9.0 | |
| | | |
| | | CBS | | 8.1 | |
| | | |
| | | ABC | | 6.5 | |
| | | |
| | | Fox | | 6.0 | |
| | | |
| | | UPN | | 2.7 | |
| | | |
| | | WB | | 2.5 | |
| |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN's "SportsCentury" will profile Rangers C Eric Lindros at 7:30pm ET, followed by Flyers-Rangers at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air tennis' Nasdaq 100 quarterfinals at 8:00pm ET.
TNT will air Nets-76ers at 8:00pm ET and Spurs-Trail Blazers at 10:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air men's soccer, U.S.-Germany, at 10:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Johnny Bench at 8:00pm ET.
Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams, Pittsburgh men's basketball coach Ben Howland and actor Dennis Quaid will be on ESPN's "Unscripted."
"HNIC" broadcaster Don Cherry, family rights advocate Victor Schwartz and insurance attorney Jim Elliott will discuss the safety of fans at hockey games on FSN's "The Last Word."
Iowa St. wrestler and NCAA champion Cael Sanderson, MN Gov. Jesse Ventura and director Gary Marshall will be on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
A&E's "Biography" will profile Moses at 8:00pm ET.
Greg Gumbel will narrate "The March to Madness" at 9:00pm ET on UPN.
TX Tech men's basketball coach Bobby Knight will be on PBS' "The Charlie Rose Show" at 11:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "The Late Show" | Peter Krause |
| "The Tonight Show" | Dennis Quaid |
| "The Late Late Show" | Joely Fisher |
| "Late Night" | French Stewart |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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