| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Monday, October 28, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Paul Allen's Vulcan Media Ready To Launch European Sports Net December 1st |
| • | Formula One Rejects Proposals To Make Series More Competitive |
| • | K-Rod Signs With Sports & Sponsorships For Endorsement Deals |
| • | Jeff Gordon With Kung-Fu Grip: Action In Venture With McFarlane Toys |
| • | Hannah Storms Into The Morning News Genre |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Daily Stat/Articles of Interest/In Other News/Channel Surfing |
EUROPEAN SUBSCRIPTION SPORTS SERVICE TO DEBUT DECEMBER 1
Vulcan European Media Holdings – the European investment arm of Paul Allen's Vulcan Media -- and Setanta Sport announced today that the North American Sports Network (NASN) is scheduled to launch December 1 on Sky Digital. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Setanta Sport will operate the subscription service from their Dublin headquarters. NASN has already signed deals with MLB and the NHL, as well as ESPN, Fox and CBS Sports to provide pro and collegiate programming. NASN will begin airing a minimum of 15 live games per week, as well as some tape-delayed games and sports programming. Subscription to the channel will cost US$14.75 per month. Initial distribution will be via Sky Digital in the UK and Ireland with cable distribution planned during the first half of '03 (THE DAILY).
EISNER CAREFUL NOT TO COMMENT ON THE ONGOING ANGELS SALE
ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reports that the Angels' World Series victory could "help the value" of the franchise "climb over the $200[M] mark." Moag & Co. Chair & CEO John Moag said, "The Angels just got more expensive and the outlook is a whole lot brighter. There's going to be a direct economic impact since the World Series victory will put more bodies in the seats." The team's speculated value has been "held in check by economic factors in both the country and in the sport." Before the season, Forbes magazine estimated the franchise's value to be $195M. Last night after the victory, Disney Chair & CEO Michael Eisner said, "We don't know where the offseason will take us" (ESPN.com, 10/28).
The on-field success of the Angels did little to spark investor interest today as shares of Disney at presstime were trading at $17.33, down $0.65, or 3.62% (THE DAILY).
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, "I think with three rounds of playoffs, there's a strong case to be made for shortening the season to some extent. We went with a ten-man pitching staff (for the postseason) … but we're about at the end of where I think guys are going to be able to go out there and execute the pitches you need to win games" (AP, 10/28).
ONE MARKETER GETS ON THE HALOS' BANDWAGON; SIGNS K-ROD
By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large, The Sports Business Daily
Scott Becher's Miami Beach-based Sports & Sponsorships agency has signed to represent Angels P Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez for endorsements. The 20-year-old rookie emerged as one of the biggest names in the recently concluded postseason and World Series. Rodriguez won five games during the playoffs -- the first five wins of the Venezuelan's career. During the World Series, Rodriguez appeared in four games, compiling a 1-1 record, with one hold. Sports & Sponsorships also represents Dolphins QB Jay Fiedler (THE DAILY).
F1 DROPS BELGIAN RACE; REJECTS COMPETITION PROPOSALS
The AP reports that the Belgian Grand Prix was "dropped from the Formula One schedule Monday because of a ban on tobacco advertising," impacting several tobacco company-sponsored teams. The Belgian government "wants to introduce a national ban on tobacco advertising in August 2003, a month before the race was scheduled." A European ban goes into effect in '06. The cancellation of the Belgian race leaves 16 races on the F1 schedule next year (AP, 10/28).
Meanwhile, F1 today "threw out radical proposals to improve the competitiveness" of the series "in the face of dwindling global television audiences and mounting concern from large corporate sponsors." The rejection of the competition proposals "leaves little prospect for any change next season in what has been increasingly criticized as the dull and processional nature of F1" (FT.com, 10/28).
COMCAST'S PROGRAMMING BUSINESS HELPS BOOST Q3 EARNINGS
In reporting its Q3 earnings today, Comcast said that its "programming business posted operation cash flow of $33.7[M] on revenue of $148[M], growing, respectively, 10.4% and 7% over results for the same period last year." The programming business includes E! Networks, Comcast-Spectacor (76ers/Flyers/First Union Center/Comcast SportsNet), The Golf Channel and Outdoor Life Network, among other entities. Last year's results assume that the consolidation of The Golf Channel, effective June '01, and the acquisition of Outdoor Life Network, effective in October '01, occurred on January 1, 2001 (PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/28).
MCFARLANE TOYS TO CREATE NASCAR INSPIRED FIGURES
Action Performance today announced a joint venture with McFarlane Toys -- Action McFarlane LLC -- to produce and market a new series of action figures based on NASCAR drivers. Winston Cup drivers Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, and the NHRA's John Force will be among the first drivers depicted. Initial plans are to produce the first figures starting in mid '03 (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
ESPN announced that ESPN2 on November 18 will showcase multiple Preseason NIT games within each of its two telecast windows for whiparound-style coverage of the first round. It will mark the first time that the net has offered more than a single game telecast for one given time slot on college basketball (THE DAILY).
MLB.com said today that it had more than 330,000 online registrations in California for its free "World Series Daily Draw" sweepstakes last week (THE DAILY).
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
Knicks head coach Don Chaney, Nets F Brian Scalabrine and N.Y. Post columnist Peter Vecsey will host an NBA season preview at the NBA Store in N.Y. at 5:00pm ET.
Five AHL Grand Rapids Griffins players will ride along with Domino's Pizza drivers as part of the team's "Delivering the Dough" benefit for the March of Dimes (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The L.A. TIMES' Mark Heisler profiles new Grizzlies President of Basketball Operations Jerry West and his decision to leave the Lakers and "start all over, at age 64, from the very bottom." West admits that by the spring of '00, he was "unsettled to the point he not only stopped going to games, he didn't even watch them on TV." West says that being unable to watch the Lakers play in that year's Finals "made me realize this had become almost a sickness and that I just couldn't do this any more. … At times, you almost feel ill in even thinking about them losing. … It was terrible for me. It was terrible for the people around me, my family, my friends. Everything ceased to become fun" (L.A. TIMES).
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION's Matt Kempner reports that Ted Turner, "hard of hearing and approaching his 64th birthday, has got his groove back," as the billionaire "`Mouth of the South,' who spent much of last year demoralized and complaining he was fired, is now looking much more like the corporate rabble-rouser he used to be" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION).
The ORLANDO SENTINEL's Mark Matthews examines the golf industry in FL, noting "the combination of Sept. 11 fallout, market saturation and roller-coaster weather has put scores of Central Florida's courses in the rough -- and crippled other golf related industries." David Johnston, owner of a par-three course in Kissimmee, FL, said, "It's probably the worst I've seen it in 22 years. If our winter doesn't get better and it just trickles along, there will be a mass of golf courses going under" (ORLANDO SENTINEL).
IN OTHER NEWS…
After spending ten years at NBC, Hannah Storm made her debut today as one of
four hosts on CBS' "The Early Show." Storm said, "I've stopped reading the sports pages." "The Early Show" Senior Exec Producer Mike Bass: "People wonder why you pick someone from sports to do news. First of all, she has a fantastic personality" (GREENWICH TIME, 10/27).
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia "gave a judicious reply when asked about `The Sopranos' at the National Italian American Foundation event Saturday night." Scalia: "Italian-Americans are enormously divided: Half love it, half hate it. Inasmuch as I have enough enemies, I'm not going to take a position one way or the other" (USA TODAY, 10/28).
THE DAILY STAT: N.Y. TIMES BESTSELLING NONFICTION
The following presents best selling nonfiction books from the N.Y. Times for the week ending October 19 (N.Y. TIMES).
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER NONFICTION |
| 1) | LEADERSHIP, Rudolph W. Giuliani with Ken Kurson (Miramax/Hyperion) |
| 2) | MY LOSING SEASON, Pat Conroy (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) |
| 3) | LET'S ROLL!, Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham (Tyndale) |
| 4) | LET FREEDOM RING, Sean Hannity (ReganBooks/HarperCollins) |
| 5) | LONGITUDES AND ATTITUDES, Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) |
| 6) | LIVE FROM NEW YORK, Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (Little, Brown) |
| 7) | ABRAHAM, Bruce Feiler (Morrow) |
| 8) | SANDY KOUFAX, Jane Leavy (HarperCollins) |
| 9) | TAKE ON THE STREET, Arthur Levitt with Paula Dwyer (Pantheon) |
| 10) | BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, Ben Mezrich (Free Press) |
Other book sales of note include Charles Barkley's "I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It," ranking No. 13, up from No. 30 last week and "Keep It Simple" by Terry Bradshaw at No. 26, up from No. 34 last week (N.Y. TIMES).
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air "Monday Night Countdown" at 7:30pm ET.
ABC will air "MNF," Giants-Eagles, at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air "The New American Sportsman" at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air "Fish On!" at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air "True Outdoor Adventures" at 9:30pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Venus and Serena Williams at 8:00pm ET and Albert Belle at 8:30pm ET.
NFL HOFer Lawrence Taylor, Chargers LB Junior Seau, Lakers Exec VP/Business Operations Jeanie Buss and actor George Lopez are scheduled to appear on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
Angels RF Tim Salmon and P Jarrod Washburn as well as columnist Skip Bayless will be on FSN's "The Last Word."
A&E continues its "TVography" series with a profile of Barbara Eden: Out of the Bottle at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile Liza Minnelli at 8:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "Late Show" | Bonnie Hunt |
| "The Tonight Show" | Kiefer Sutherland |
| "The Late Late Show" | George Lopez |
| "Late Night" | John C. Reilly (r) |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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