| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Diamond Of California Signs Four-Year Title Sponsorship Deal With S.F. Bowl |
| • | NFL Responds To Reported Investigation Of Colts Owner Jim Irsay |
| • | ESPN Reports Six Days Of "Around The Horn" Has Increased Timeslot Rating |
| • | NASCAR.com To Launch Travel Section For Fans To Plan Race Trips |
| • | LeAnn Rimes To Help Cowboys And Salvation Army Kick Off Campaign |
| • | Articles Of Interest/In Other News/Tonight's Events/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing |
DIAMOND OF CALIFORNIA SIGNS TO TITLE SPONSOR S.F. BOWL
Diamond of California announced today that it has signed a four-year agreement to title sponsor the inaugural S.F. Bowl, now known as the Diamond Walnut S.F. 
Bowl. The game, matching teams from the Big East and Mountain West conferences, will be played December 31, at 7:30pm PT at Pac Bell Park, with TV coverage on ESPN2. The length of the agreement matches the four-year deals with the two conferences. The S.F. Bowl has a seven-year agreement with ESPN. S.F. Bowl Exec Dir Gary Cavalli, Giants Enterprises President Pat Gallagher and S.F. Convention & Visitors Bureau President/S.F. Bowl Association President John Marks will make the official announcement at a 2:30pm PT press conference at Pac Bell Park (THE DAILY). The S.F. BUSINESS TIMES notes that while terms of the deal were not disclosed, the teams "have been guaranteed $750,000 apiece" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/13).
NFL RESPONDS TO REPORTED IRSAY INVESTIGATION
Responding to a recent report in Indianapolis that Colts Owner Jim Irsay is under investigation for prescription drug fraud, NFL VP/Communications Greg Aiello said today, "Jim Irsay has discussed his medical issues with Commissioner (Paul) Tagliabue on several recent occasions, including that he voluntarily sought professional treatment to help overcome his dependency on certain prescription drugs. We have no reason to believe that Mr. Irsay currently is the target of any investigation. We will continue to monitor this situation" (THE DAILY).
WNBA TO LAND IN SAN ANTONIO FOR '03 SEASON
As expected, WNBA President Val Ackerman officially announced today that 
San Antonio would be a member of the league in '03. The SAN ANTONIO-EXPRESS NEWS reports that the Spurs have been "working for eight months to secure the 6,000 deposits needed to gain a WNBA team." Ackerman said that she "expects to know by the end of the year which team will be playing in San Antonio." Speculation is that the city "could get the Orlando team, which is relocating," but Ackerman said that it is "highly possible that a non-NBA city could join the WNBA" and get that team (MYSANANTONIO.com, 11/13). The team received 6,166 season ticket deposits (THE DAILY).
WNBA San Antonio COO Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, after being handed a commemorative basketball by Ackerman today, said, "I know you guys were waiting to see if I would spin it. But I just got my nails done this morning, so I'm going to have to hold off on that one" (ESPNews, 11/13).
ESPN REPORTS 65% RATING INCREASE FOR 5:00PM TIMESLOT
ESPN announced today that "Around the Horn," which premiered November 4 and airs weekdays at 5:00pm ET, has improved the rating for the timeslot 65%, compared to the comparable six-day period a year ago. The show has averaged a 0.43 Nielsen cable rating, compared to a 0.26 for "Unscripted" in '01. Among the male 18-34 demo, the rating has improved 132%, from a 0.28 to a 0.65 (THE DAILY).
NASCAR.COM NEW TRAVEL SECTION TO BE POWERED BY WORLDSPAN
Worldspan today announced that its private-label solution for online leisure travel will power a new travel section on NASCAR.com, allowing race fans to plan and book travel options for NASCAR events. The site offers air, car, hotel and travel destination services (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
This week's cover of Sports Illustrated features Trinity High (Louisville, KY) three-sport athlete Brian Brohm, under the headline, "High School Sports … Inside the Changing World of Our Young Athletes." The feature is the first of a four-part series. Meanwhile, this week's cover of ESPN Magazine, the college basketball preview, features Univ. of AZ F Luke Walton, under the headline, "Wild Child" (THE DAILY).
The Maryland Racing Commission today unanimously approved the acquisition by Magna Entertainment of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park (THE DAILY).
The NFL and ESPN Int'l announced a join venture, ESPN Semanal, the first pan-regional weekly NFL studio show to be broadcast in Latin America. Former NFLer Raul Allegre and ESPN commentator Alvaro Martin will host (THE DAILY).
The BUSINESS JOURNAL OF THE TRIAD reported that ISP Sports has extended its partnership as the exclusive multimedia and advertising rights-holder with Wake Forest Univ. through '09. ISP Sports also announced that it has extended a similar deal with VA Tech through April '06. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/12).
The Cleveland PLAIN DEALER reports that CBS' David Letterman is interested in having OH high school basketball standout LeBron James on the "Late Show" before James' first game on November 30 (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 11/13).
The DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that LeAnn Rimes will "be the featured entertainer" for the '02 National Kettle Kick Off, the Salvation Army's fund-raising campaign which begins during the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game. It is the sixth year that the Cowboys and the Salvation Army are joining together to raise awareness for the program (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/13).
In its November issue, Tennis magazine ranked The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort the top tennis resort in the U.S. View the entire biennial ranking (THE DAILY).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS' Dana Pennett O'Neil holds a roundtable discussion with Phillies General Partner David Montgomery, 76ers/Flyers Chair Ed Snider and Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie, noting that while "their paths cross rarely, … when it comes to the business of running sports in Philadelphia, all three are on the same page" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS).
- Excerpts from the discussion.
- Also from the DAILY NEWS, Rich Hofmann writes, "it does takeall kinds," as the three owners have "little in common except for team ownership."
The BOSTON GLOBE's Joseph Kahn examines Patriots Vice Chair Jonathan Kraft, son of Patriots/Revolution Owner Robert Kraft. Kahn notes that the younger Kraft has been "steadily emerging from his father's shadow to become a player in his own right, one recognized as a prime architect of the Pats' and Revs' success" (BOSTON GLOBE).
See The Daily Insider's Articles of Interest section for these and more sports business-related links.
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
The Padres will hold their '02 Awards Dinner at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina beginning at 6:00pm PT. The team will present major league and minor league awards in recognition of outstanding performances during the past season, and will conduct a special tribute to former RF Tony Gwynn (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS……
Retiring House GOP Conference Chair J.C. Watts (R-OK) will be feted tonight by a group of Republican staffers who hope he will make a presidential run in six years. The Republican Communicators Association, which is made up of GOP press secretaries, will host the celebration in the Longworth Building from 5:00-7:00pm ET (ROLL CALL DAILY, 11/13).
The AP reports that the FCC today approved the proposed merger of AT&T Broadband and Comcast Cable Communications, bringing the creation of the country's largest cable TV firm one step closer to reality. The deal still needs approval from the U.S. Department of Justice (AP, 11/13).
TODAY'S DAILY STAT: PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS
The following lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime shows for the week of November 3-10. Also provided are Nielsen viewership averages season-to-date for the nets' primetime coverage (USA TODAY, 11/13).
| RK | PROGRAM | NET | DAY | RAT/SHR | VIEWERS
(IN MILLIONS) |
| 1) | CSI | CBS | Thu | 17.2/26 | 27.9 |
| 2) | Friends | NBC | Thu | 17.0/26 | 27.5 |
| 3) | ER | NBC | Thu | 15.5/25 | 24.4 |
| 4) | Will & Grace | NBC | Thu | 13.4/20 | 21.4 |
| 5) | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | Mon | 13.1/19 | 20.4 |
| 6) | Monday Night Football | ABC | Mon | 12.8/21 | 19.4 |
| 7) | Survivor: Thailand | CBS | Thu | 11.3/17 | 19.1 |
| 8) | Law & Order | NBC | Wed | 12.6/20 | 18.4 |
| 9) | CSI: Miami | CBS | Mon | 12.1/19 | 17.9 |
| 10) | CMA Awards | CBS | Wed | 11.0/17 | 17.6 |
| |
| NET | VIEWERS |
| CBS | 13.3 |
| NBC | 12.5 |
| Fox | 10.1 |
| ABC | 9.9 |
| WB | 4.8 |
| UPN | 4.1 |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air Spurs-Nets at 7:00pm ET and Kings-Warriors at 9:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Panthers-Flyers at 7:30pm ET.
Monica Seles, Falcons RB Warrick Dunn, Lakers G Kareem Rush and actor Steven Seagal are scheduled to appear on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
MTV's "Cribs" will feature Trail Blazers F Rasheed Wallace at 10:00pm ET.
A&E's "Biography" will profile JK Rowling at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile Tonya Harding at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "Revealed" features the Dixie Chicks at 10:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "Late Show" | Joe Pantoliano |
| "The Tonight Show" | Adam Sandler |
| "The Late Late Show" | Kermit the Frog |
| "Late Night" | Regis Philbin |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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