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Closing Bell

Closing Bell, June 19, 2002

 
The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
4:00pm ET

ESPN's MLB Telecasts Enjoy Increased Ratings Over Last Year

Reebok Upgraded To "Strong Buy" Based On Latest Marketing Initiatives

Foot Locker President Guarantees Earnings Growth In '02

Univ. Of Pittsburgh On Track To Sell Out New Arena Before Season Even Starts

Giuliani To Be Honored At Tonight's Joe DiMaggio Dinner In N.Y.

Articles Of Interest/In Other News/Tonight's Events/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing


MLB TELECASTS ON ESPN NETWORKS UP SINCE LAST YEAR

ESPN and ESPN2's viewership for MLB telecasts are up versus '01. Compared to ESPN's Sunday/Wednesday night games last year, this year's telecasts (21 to date) are up 17% in ratings (from a 1.19 to a 1.39) and 22% in HHs (978,000 to 1,198,000). ESPN's Monday night and weekday afternoon telecasts (17 to date) are up 48% in ratings (a 0.48 to a 0.72) and 56% in HHs (400,000 to 622,000). Meanwhile, ESPN's Sunday night telecasts (11 to date) are up 19% in ratings (a 1.57 to a 1.87) and 25% in HHs (1,292,000 to 1,614,000). Finally, ESPN2's MLB telecasts have posted a 45% increase in ratings (a 0.47 to a 0.68) and a 59% increase in HHs (THE DAILY).

Meanwhile, ESPN2's NCAA College World Series telecast of Stanford-Texas on Monday earned a 0.90 Nielsen rating (752,039 HHs), making it the most-viewed and highest-rated College World Series game ever on the network (THE DAILY).


SHARES OF REEBOK CLIMB FOLLOWING CSFB RATING UPGRADE

Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) today raised its rating of Reebok to "strong buy" from "buy," citing the company's latest product and marketing initiatives. CSFB also said that it sees double-digit sales growth potential in '03 from Reebok's promotional efforts tied to the NFL and NBA. Shares of Reebok were trading at $28.99, up 2.91%, in late afternoon trading (THE DAILY).


FOOT LOCKER PRESIDENT PREDICTS CONTINUED EARNINGS GROWTH

Foot Locker President & CEO Matthew Serra announced to shareholders at today's annual meeting that the company expects continued earnings growth in fiscal '02. Serra discussed three strategies going forward, including a new store-opening program, improvements in the productivity of the company's base business and continued growth of the catalog and Internet arm. Shares of Foot Locker were trading at $15.26, up 0.13%, in late afternoon trading (THE DAILY).


PITTSBURGH MAY SELL OUT NEW ARENA BEFORE SEASON BEGINS

The AP reports that the Univ. of Pittsburgh is "selling basketball tickets at a record pace," and could sell out its new 12,500-seat arena before the '02-03 season begins. Pitt set its men's basketball attendance record of 9,464 per game in '89-90. However, the school is "guaranteed of surpassing that record after selling 9,000 season tickets and 1,500 student tickets to date." There are "about 2,000 seats still to sell, most behind the baskets at the $100 million Petersen Events Center, which has yet to open" (AP, 6/19).


FDNY MEMBERS TO JOIN CELEBRITIES FOR GOLF TOURNAMENT

Three N.Y. firefighters will compete among 78 celebrities, including Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux, for $500,000 in prize money at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship next month in South Lake Tahoe, NV. Owned and operated by NBC Sports, the tournament will raise money for the Uniformed Firefighters Association Scholarship Fund through several means: title sponsor American Century Investments will donate $10,000; the tournament will donate prize money earned by its amateur golfers to the fund; and a sports memorabilia auction will b conducted during tournament week (THE DAILY).


GIULIANI IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR TONIGHT'S DIMAGGIO DINNER

Former N.Y. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will be honored at the Joe DiMaggio Award Dinner at the N.Y. Sheraton at 7:00pm ET tonight. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will present Giuliani with the autographed No. 5 jersey DiMaggio wore in the '51 World Series. Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent is set to give the keynote address (THE DAILY).


BUZZER BEATERS

Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Meghann Shaughnessy and Lisa Raymond were named today for the U.S. Fed Cup team to face Israel in the '02 World Group playoff, scheduled from July 20-21 at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, MO (REUTERS, 6/19).

NHL HOFer Jean Beliveau retired from Molson's BOD after 24 years. Beliveau was appointed to the board in '78, seven years after retiring from the Canadiens (THE DAILY).

The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that over 1,200 friends of Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson will attend a gala in Toronto tonight to "raise money for Hockey Fights Cancer and the newly established Roger Neilson Forever Hockey Fund" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 6/19).


TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES' Carol Slezak discusses Title IX with Nancy Lieberman.

USA TODAY's Erik Brady writes that "culture wars still rage over" Title IX.

The Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL's Eric Crawford reports on gender-equity findings of area schools.

The WASHINGTON POST's Don Oldenburg on new thinking in the licensed goods market.

The FLORIDA TIMES-UNION's David DeCamp profiles Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee President & COO Michael Kelly.

The L.A. TIMES' Jason Reid on Dodger Stadium.

The SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER's Dan Raley on "the high cost of fandom."

The SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER's Raley on "a growing number of fans who say enough is enough."

MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Jim Forkan on network and affiliate sales-promotion tie-ins.

The London GUARDIAN's Oliver Burkeman profiles Ted Turner.

See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.


TONIGHT'S EVENTS

John McEnroe will sign copies of his book, "You Can't Be Serious," at the Barnes & Noble in Framingham, MA, from 7:30-9:00pm ET (THE DAILY).

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Cecil Cooper will join Brewers legends Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Rollie Fingers as members of the Miller Park Walk of Fame at 4:00pm CT (THE DAILY).

The Braves will begin "Welcome Back Wednesdays" prior to the team's home game against the Tigers. The program, scheduled to take place every Wednesday through the remainder of the season, will invite former Braves players back to Turner Field for on-field presentations and meet & greet opportunities. Greg McMichael, Mark Lemke and Terry Blocker will participate in this inaugural event (THE DAILY).

76ers F Damone Brown, G Speedy Claxton, C Samuel Dalembert and F Matt Harpring will join Exec VP Dave Coskey and GM Billy King for a sold-out benefit screening of 20th Century Fox' children's movie "Like Mike" at the Ritz East Theater in Philadelphia at 7:00pm ET (THE DAILY).

The Int'l League Rochester Red Wings will hand out 2,000 bobblehead dolls of former Red Wings and current Yankees P Mike Mussina prior to the team's home game against the Columbus Clippers (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 6/18).


IN OTHER NEWS……

REUTERS reports that nine states seeking "stiff antitrust sanctions against Microsoft" told a judge today that "disclosure of key pieces of computer code that allows rival software to work with the Windows operating system was their most important demand" (REUTERS, 6/19).

Martha Stewart today "made her first public appearance since the ImClone insider trading scandal made her nearly daily fodder for the tabloids a week ago," and "matter-of-factly restated her contention that there was no wrongdoing in her December sale of nearly 4,000 ImClone shares" (AP, 6/19).

The AP reports that a federal appeals court has "reinstated a lawsuit claiming ABC discriminates against disabled people" who want to compete on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Disability rights advocates sued the network and the show's producer for "using a telephone system that excludes hearing-impaired people and those who can't operate touch-tone phones" (AP, 6/19).


THE DAILY STAT: PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS

The following lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime shows for the week of June 10-16. Also provided are Nielsen ratings averages season to date for the nets' primetime coverage (USA TODAY, 6/19).

TOP TEN PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS FOR JUNE 10-16
RK
PROGRAM
NET
DAY
RAT/SHR
VIEWERS
(IN MILLIONS)
1)
NBA Finals Game 4
NBC
Wed
10.8/19
16.6
2)
CSI
CBS
Thu
10.9/18
16.0
3)
Everybody Loves Raymond
CBS
Mon
9.9/16
14.0
4)
Becker
CBS
Mon
8.7/14
12.3
5)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
NBC
Sun
8.0/14
12.1
6)
48 Hours
CBS
Mon
8.2/14
11.2
6)
American Idol
Fox
Wed
6.9/12
11.2
7)
Crime & Punishment
NBC
Sun
7.6/13
11.0
9)
Dateline
NBC
Sun
7.2/13
10.7
10)
60 Minutes
CBS
Sun
7.5/16
10.4

NIELSEN AVERAGES SEASON-TO-DATE
NBC
9.1
CBS
8.4
ABC
6.5
Fox
5.8
UPN
2.8
WB
2.6


CHANNEL SURFING

ESPN will air Angels-Cardinals at 7:00pm ET

ESPN2 will air the '02 NCAA College World Series Game 11, Clemson-South Carolina, at 7:00 pm ET.

ESPN2 will air Red Sox-Padres at 10:00pm ET.

ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Curt Flood at 8:00pm ET.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), agent Scott Boras and Dr. James Andrews will discuss steroids in MLB on FSN's "The Last Word."

A&E's "Biography" will profile Johnnie Cochran at 8:00pm ET.

E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile model Niki Taylor at 8:00pm ET.

The U.S. men's soccer team will appear, via satellite, on NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.


HEADLINERS

Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:

"The Late Show" Moby
"The Tonight Show" Jamie Lee Curtis
"The Late Late Show" Jackie Collins
"Late Night" Caroline Rhea

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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