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NFL NETWORK BECOMES A REALITY TONIGHT AT 8:00pm ET

NFLNetwork launches tonight at 8:00pm ET with its signature daily show, “NFL TotalAccess,” hosted by Rich Eisen and featuring analysts Ken Norton, Jr.and Seth Joyner.  NFLCommissioner Paul Tagliabue will be one of the show’s first guests.  Bears LB Brian Urlacher and Chiefs QBTrent Green will also be interviewed tonight.  The following details the programming schedule for the net’sfirst three hours in the Eastern Time zone (NFL):

Note:At 11:00pm ET, the three-program rotation will be repeated twice.  Beginning at 5:00am ET, seven consecutiverepeats of “NFL Total Access” will be shown.

LAUNCHNOTES:

• The NAPLES DAILY NEWS notes that an injury suffered over the weekend may delay Mike Ditka’s first appearance.  Ditka fell and broke a bone in his right leg.  NFL Network Dir of Media Services Seth Palansky: “Right now Coach Ditka is a game-time decision” (NAPLES DAILY NEWS, 11/4).

• The K.C. STAR notes that Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez will be in the studio for his weekly “video diary” series.  Friday’s episode includes Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil “hitting a punching bag during his daily workout” (K.C. STAR, 11/4).

• Sporting News Radio’s “Sunday Around the NFL” with Bob Berger and Bob Shelton will provide the audio backdrop for the net’s Sunday “Red Zone” programming from 1:00-8:00pm ET (Sporting News Radio).

MONSTER.COM SELECTS OCTAGON CONSULTING AS SPORTS AGENCY

By Terry Lefton,Editor-at-Large, The Sports Business Daily

Monster.comhas selected Octagon Consulting as its sports marketing agency, ending anagency review that lasted the past four to eight weeks.  The Maynard, MA-based employment site hasinvested heavily in sports marketing, with sponsorships from the USOC, NCAA andNASCAR, and it has bought ads on the Super Bowl. Octagon is believed to be Monster's first sports agency.

NBC TO INCREASE BOXING TELECASTS IN ’04 FROM THREE TO FIVE

NBCSports today announced that the “Budweiser Boxing Series” will return to NBCand Telemundo in ’04 with five telecasts, up from three in the series’ inauguralyear.  On five consecutive Saturdayafternoons beginning April 17, Telemundo will feature a live one-hour telecast,which will be followed by a 90-minute broadcast on NBC.  The bouts on May 1 and 15 will serve aslead-in programming to NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby and PreaknessStakes, respectively.  GSC Marketing hasbeen contracted to package and sell sponsorships and promotions (NBC Sports).

A’s TODAY ANNOUNCE McCANN-ERICKSON, S.F., AS AD AGENCY FOR ‘04

TheA’s today announced that McCann-Erickson, S.F., has been named as the team’sintegrated ad agency for the ’04 season. Scope includes brand strategy, advertising, media, digital andpromotions.  Goodby, Silverstein &Partners, S.F., held the account last year. From ’99-’02, Foote, Cone and Belding, S.F., was the team’s agency ofrecord.  McCann-Erickson’s N.Y. officedoes MLB ad work (THE DAILY).

BUZZER BEATERS

Coca-Colatoday announced that it has signed a five-year extension of its deal withSebring Int’l Raceway in Sebring, FL. The agreement includes the production of the second Sebring Int’lRaceway commemorative bottle, following the raceway’s 50^thAnniversary bottle in ’02 (Coca-Cola).

MSGRadio Network and WKDM-AM today announced that select NHL Rangers games will bebroadcast in Russian, marking the first time an NHL team will feature aschedule of Russian-language games.  MarkRasstanny and Dmitry Huhlaev will call 32 games, beginning with theteam’s November 10 game against the Oilers (MSG).

DAILYVARIETY reports that broadcaster Rede TV “has bought exclusiveterrestrial TV rights in Brazil to NBA games, European soccer and other sportevents as part of an agreement with local sports marketing companyTopSports.”  Rede TV will broadcast onelive NBA game every Saturday at 10:00pm local time (DAILYVARIETY, 11/4).

TheSuns today announced that the team’s Website registered 2.97 million page views during October, topping theprevious high of 2.61 million in April. The traffic numbers include visitors to the team’s en Espanol! section (Suns).

TheALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW reports that the UHL Adirondack Icehawks have signed anaffiliation agreement with the Coyotes (BIZJOURNALS.com,11/4).

TheAP reports that Red Sox team doctor William Morgan “was arrested on drunken driving charges after police saidhis car was swerving on a highway and they found a nearly empty glass of winein the front seat.”  Morgan was arrestedand released on Sunday night, and arraigned yesterday (AP,11/4).

ACASE OF BAD JUDGEMENT:

• According to Baltimore’s WBAL-NBC, Ravens WR Travis Taylor, and his wife, Rashidah, attended a Halloween party as Kobe Bryant and his alleged victim.  Taylor “sported a gold, No. 8 Lakers jersey and gold warm-up pants.  His wife put on a blond wig and wore a black blazer and black dress similar to what police said the 19-year-old front-desk agent was wearing the night” of the alleged encounter.  Rashidah also “had the words ‘Three Men in 3 Days’ emblazoned on her blazer, a reference to Bryant’s defense attorney’s implication about the accuser’s promiscuity” (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 11/4).

TONIGHT’S EVENTS

TheCALGARY SUN reports that Flames season-ticket holders will be asked theirpreference of mesh safety netting at the Pengrowth Saddledome via exit surveysfollowing home games tonight and Friday. At one end of the ice is white monifilament, and at the other is blackKevlar.  The experiment, designed toimprove the fan experience, “has cost the Flames tens of thousands of dollarsto purchase and erect the netting – and it is all non-refundable” (CALGARY SUN, 11/4).

CHANNEL SURFING

ChiefsTE Tony Gonzalez will be on ESPN’s “Rome is Burning” at 7:00pm ET.

ESPNwill air the tenth episode of “Playmakers”at 9:00pm ET, followed by encore presentations at 10:00pm and midnight.  SnoopDogg guest stars.

ESPN2will air NCAA football: BowlingGreen-Miami (Ohio) at 7:30pm ET.

ESPNClassic’s “SportsCentury” will profile JimThorpe at 8:00pm ET.

NBATV will air Rockets-Nets at 7:30pmET.

PBS’“Nightly Business Report” will airthe first of a three-part series around the NBA.

MarlinsP Dontrelle Willis and CF Juan Pierre, professional bull rider Michael Gaffney and actor EddieGriffin are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

Marlinsmanager Jack McKeon will be on CBS’“Late Show” with David Letterman at 11:35pm ET.

A&E’s“Biography” will profile Charles Mansonat 8:00pm ET.

E!’s “True Hollywood Story”will profile the Douglas Dynasty at8:00pm ET.

HEADLINERS

Hereare tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

TheATLANTA CONSTITUTION’s Tony Wilbert writes of TheHome Depot, “High-profile exposure during sports events is part of theAtlanta-based home improvement retailer’s game plan.  Home Depot’s new marketing philosophy centers on emphasizingbigger events and programs such as the Olympics and ESPN’s ‘College GameDay.’ …At the same time, Home Depot continues to sponsor numerous regional and localvenues and teams” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION).

TheWASHINGTON POST’s Marc Fisher writes, “I wandered the city in search of theghost of Michael Jordan. … It almost seems as if he were never reallyhere. … Still, Jordan’s sojourn here did add sizzle to the District’s emergingEast End. … One day, we’ll look at a thrivingdowntown entertainment district and say, it started back when Jordan cameto town” (WASHINGTON POST).

• USA TODAY Sports cover story examines football’s influence on college sports.
• Q&A with SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.
• Profile of London 2012 Olympic Bid Chair Barbara Cassani.
• Dwindling audience of young men has network execs scratching their heads.

SeeThe Daily Insider’s Articles ofInterest section for more sports business-related links.

TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports& Entertainment: With Andy Roddick set to host the upcoming episode of“Saturday Night Live,” name the only other tennis player to ever host the show.

IN OTHER NEWS……

NBCEntertainment President Jeff Zucker this morning said that while he was“willing to take some blame for the poor quality of some of his network’s newshows, there is also something not right about the Nielsen young demo numbers”(MEDIAWEEK, 11/4).

JamesMurdochtoday resigned from the News Corp. BOD, effective immediately, following hisappointment as BSkyB Chair & CEO (News Corp.).

TheWASHINGTON POST reports that criminal charges against former HealthSouth CEO RichardScrushy were unsealed today in a Birmingham federal court.  Scrushy was charged “in an 85-countindictment with money laundering and securities fraud.  He also faces criminal asset forfeiturecounts” (WASHINGTONPOST.com,11/4).

THE DAILY STAT: TOP SPORTS SITES FOR WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 19

Thefollowing are the top five sports Web sites ranked according to home uniqueaudience for the week ending October 19, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.  Unique Audience = the number of persons inthousands accessing the site or network, with each counted only once.  Average time spent = the average amount oftime a visitor has spent at that property for the week.  This data is based on 37,000 home users withInternet access (Nielsen//NetRatings).

…TODAY’S ANSWER

Chris Evert hosted the show November 11, 1989, with musicalguest Eurythmics.

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

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