| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Monday, March 31, 2003
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Chiquita Today Announces Sponsorship Deal With U.S. Soccer Federation |
| • | Nextel Communications To Be Official Wireless Provider Of Wild |
| • | Expos Today Announce Deal To Broadcast Games On All-Sports Radio Station |
| • | Lou DiBella's "Monday Night Fights" To Debut Tonight On PPV |
| • | SportsLine.com Today Announces Plans To Integrate Google Search Engine |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight's Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
DONOVAN, MACMILLAN TO SERVE AS CHIQUITA SPOKESPERSONS
Chiquita Fresh North America today announced that it has signed a deal to be an official sponsor of the U.S. Men's and Women's National Soccer Teams, becoming the official banana and fresh produce of the USSF. The company has also signed National Team players Landon Donovan and Shannon MacMillan as spokespersons. Sponsorship benefits include signage and public address announcements at U.S. soccer matches and POP soccer-themed signage in supermarkets nationwide and online at both the USSF and Chiquita Web sites (THE DAILY).
NEXTEL SIGNS MULTI-YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL WITH WILD
Nextel Communications today announced that it has become the official wireless telecommunications provider of the Wild. Under the multi-year agreement, Nextel will receive category exclusivity, internal and external facility signage and real estate to feature the company's wireless phones, services and technologies. Nextel will also supply Wild staff with phones and services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed (THE DAILY).
EXPOS TO AIR ON THE TEAM 990 FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
The Expos today announced that an agreement has been reached with Montreal all-sports radio station CKGM-AM, The Team 990, to broadcast Expos games for the third consecutive year. Play-by-play announcer Elliott Price will work with a variety of color commentators throughout the broadcast season, which begins next Monday with a 2:00pm ET game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Exec Producer Mitch Melnick will serve as color commentator for most home games, while former players, sports journalists and local celebrities will serve in that capacity for road games (THE DAILY).
DIBELLA HOPING TO TAP AVID BOXING FANS WITH PPV SHOW
Boxing promoter Lou DiBella tonight premieres his PPV-boxing series "Monday Night Fights" with a four-bout card from the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, and the L.A. TIMES noted that DiBella "sees a market he believes he can tap into." DiBella envisions "perhaps as many as six Monday night shows revolving around, but never going head to head with, 'Monday Night Football.'" DiBella: "We are not expecting to attract the guy who only buys an Oscar De La Hoya or a Mike Tyson fight. … We are not looking to get 100,000 homes. We are looking to build up to 40,000 to 50,000 homes." Suggested price is $24.95 (L.A. TIMES, 3/30).
BUZZER BEATERS
SportsLine.com and Google today announced a multi-year agreement to integrate Google's search technology and sponsored links into CBS SportsLine.com. The inclusion of the sponsored links provides an additional revenue stream for SportsLine.com. Terms of the deal were not disclosed (THE DAILY).
ABC today reported that its coverage of the LGPA Nabisco Championship on Sunday averaged a 1.4/3 overnight Nielsen rating, down 39% against last year's 2.3/6. Saturday posted a 0.8/2. ABC did not carry the Saturday round last year (THE DAILY).
Nike Golf today announced that former American Golf Corporation President David Pillsbury has been named U.S. General Manager, effective immediately. Pillsbury will report directly to Nike Golf President Bob Wood. Pillsbury will replace Chris Zimmerman, who was named Bauer Nike Hockey CEO (THE DAILY).
Maple Leafs RW Tie Domi will address the crowd prior to the Canadian and American national anthems at the Yankees-Blue Jays 7:00pm ET game as Blue Jays management is "worried about [fans] booing the American anthem" (TORONTO SUN, 3/31).
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
The GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE reported that a proposal to change Packer Drive to Bart Starr Drive will go before the Ashwaubenon Planning Board at 7:00pm CT (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 3/30).
Prior to the 7:30pm ET Flyers-Penguins game, Penguins Owner & C Mario Lemieux will be honored as the POWERade/NHL Outstanding Player of the Year, which recognizes on- and off-ice achievement, as determined by fan voting on NHL.com. In addition to a trophy, Lemieux will receive a POWERade vending machine emblazoned with his likeness and a year's supply of POWERade (THE DAILY).
CHANNEL SURFING
Venus and Serena Williams will appear on "Oprah."
ESPN will air Pirates-Reds at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Brewers-Cardinals at 4:00pm ET and Yankees-Blue Jays at 7:00pm.
ESPN will air the NCAA women's basketball tournament: Villanova-Tennessee in the Mideast Regional Final at 7:30pm ET and Texas Tech-Duke in the Midwest Regional Final at 9:30pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Babe Ruth at 8:00pm ET.
Olympic swimmer Janet Evans, former MLBers Bert Blyleven and Andy Van Slyke and comedian Wanda Sykes are scheduled to appear on FSN's "BDSSP."
St. Petersburg Times columnist Hubert Mizell and former MLB manager Davey Johnson will be on The Golf Channel's "19th Hole" at 7:00pm ET.
CBS college basketball announcer Jim Nantz will make a cameo appearance on CBS' "Yes, Dear" at 8:30pm ET.
MLB Rangers SS Alex Rodriguez will be on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno at 11:35pm ET.
CBS' "The Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn will broadcast all week from New Orleans leading up to the net's Final Four coverage. Presenting sponsor Coca-Cola will have a nightly feature on the show.
Boxer Mike Tyson will co-host ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" all week.
A&E's "Biography" will profile Julia Louis-Dreyfus at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile Carmen Electra at 9:00pm ET and LaToya Jackson at 10:00pm.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "Late Show" | Billy Crystal |
| "The Tonight Show" | Bill Paxton |
| "The Late Late Show" | Roseanne Barr |
| "Late Night" | Dave Chappelle (r) |
| "Jimmy Kimmel Live" | Wanda Sykes |
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The N.Y. TIMES' Eric Taub wrote that HDTV technology "has started to catch on in measurable ways. … HDTV programming, meanwhile, is steadily moving beyond special-event status and becoming an increasingly regular part of the lineup on the leading broadcast networks, transmitted as digital simulcast feeds by the local affiliates that have the necessary equipment" (N.Y. TIMES).
The Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL's Blake Fontenay wrote that FedExForum will be "part of a new breed of public buildings designed and built during an era of heightened concern about potential terrorist threats. As a result, some of the building's features are specifically designed to better protect visitors at what is expected to be one of downtown's showpieces" (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL).
See The Daily Insider's Articles of Interest section for these and more sports business-related links.
TODAY'S TEASER…
Sports: Who holds the record for most career HRs on Opening Day?
IN OTHER NEWS…
The ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL reports that as Charter Communications Chair Paul Allen looks to restructure the company's $20B in debt, he is "on the verge of being forced to invest" another $725M in Charter. Allen is expected to "buy out Comcast Corp.'s indirect interest in a cable joint venture with Charter" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/31).
The 46th Annual New York Emmy Awards were distributed last night and WNBC led all nets with 13 awards. View a list of all winners (THE DAILY).
THE DAILY STAT: N.Y. TIMES BESTSELLING NONFICTION
The following presents best selling nonfiction books for the week ending March 22 (NYTIMES.com, 3/31):
| THIS
WEEK | HARDCOVER NONFICTION |
| 1) | STUPID WHITE MEN, Michael Moore (ReganBooks/HarperCollins) |
| 2) | LEAP OF FAITH, Queen Noor (Miramax) |
| 3) | THE SAVAGE NATION, Michael Savage (WND/Thomas Nelson) |
| 4) | JARHEAD, Anthony Swofford (Scribner) |
| 5) | WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE?, Po Bronson (Random House) |
| 6) | DERELICTION OF DUTY, Robert (Buzz) Patterson (Regnery) |
| 7) | THE HARDY BOYZ, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy with Michael Krugman (ReganBooks/HarperCollins) |
| 8) | THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN, Robin Moore (Random House) |
| 9) | THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, Erik Larson (Crown) |
| 10) | BUSH AT WAR, Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster) |
…TODAY'S ANSWER
Frank Robinson holds the record with eight career HRs on Opening Day.
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