| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Friday, July 9, 2004
4:00pm ET | |
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| • | NBC Takes Over NASCAR Coverage From Fox With Sunday’s Tropicana 400 |
| • | Action Performance Today Expands Licensing Deal With Hendrick Motorsports |
| • | U.S. Security Agents Will Accompany American Athletes To Greece |
| • | Drive Headwear Becomes Official Headwear Supplier Of The LPGA |
| • | Critics Weigh In: “Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy” & “King Arthur” |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
NBC TAKES OVER NASCARCOVERAGE FROM FOX WITH SUNDAY’S RACE
NBCtakes over this NASCAR broadcasts from Fox with Sunday’s Nextel Cup Tropicana400 from Chicagoland Speedway. The TAMPATRIBUNE notes that NBC will air 11 of the final 19 races, including the finaleight in the ten-race “Chase for the Championship.” TNT will air the remaining races (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 7/9).
TheFLORIDA TIMES-UNION reports that NBC will introduce “Inside the Field,” whichfeatures profiles of drivers not in the top-20 of the Nextel Cup pointsstandings (FLORIDATIMES-UNION, 7/9).
Whilediscussing complaints about commercials interrupting the flow of races, “NASCARon NBC” Producer Sam Flood said, “Ifsomething happens on the race track we think is important enough, we will breakout of a commercial [immediately]. Thatshows how much we care about our audience” (RICHMONDTIMES-DISPATCH, 7/8).
Flood,in a “subtle dig at Fox, whose DarrellWaltrip-led crew is more out-front than NBC’s” broadcasters, said, “To us,the stars are the people in the race cars” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/9).
NEXTEL GIVING AWAY CUBS DIE-CASTS TOPROMOTE TROPICANA 400
Nexteltoday launched a promotion around Sunday’s race, where customers who buy andactivate an i830, i730, i736 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Driver phone or an i205NASCAR-themed phone at a Chicago-area store will receive a limited edition Cubsdie-cast collectible car. The promotionruns through August 13 and the cars have a suggested retail price of $75 (Nextel).
ACTION PERFORMANCE INKS FIVE-YEARLICENSING DEAL WITH HENDRICK
ActionPerformance today announced a five-year licensing agreement with Hendrick Motorsportsbeginning in ’06. The partnershiplengthens Action Performance’s deal with drivers Jeff Gordon and JimmieJohnson, while extending the license rights to the remaining drivers onHendrick’s team – Terry Labonte, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch (ActionPerformance).
U.S.AGENTS, SOME ARMED, WILL ACCOMPANY ATHLETES TO GREECE
The AP reports that a seniorGreek security official today said that "at least 45 U.S. agents will accompany the American athletesand support staff" to a pre-Olympic camp on the island of Cretein August, and "about 24 of them will have a permit by Greek authoritiesto carry weapons." Allowing the armed escorts "could mark a possiblegray area in Greece'sOlympic security policies, which permit only domestic forces to have weapons” (AP, 7/9).
DRIVE HEADWEAR BECOMES OFFICIAL HEADWEAR PROVIDER OF LPGA
The LPGA announced asponsorship deal with Drive Headwear, making the company the official headwearprovider of the LPGA. Under the deal, DriveHeadwear will develop a line of hats complementing The LPGA Collection. Drive alreadyhas an existing program that outfits more than 20 LPGA Tour players, including Beth Daniel, Karen Stupples, Becky Morganand Wendy Doolan, with customheadwear (LPGA).
TAX FOUNDATION RELEASESSTUDY ON STATES WITH JOCK TAXES
TheTax Foundation today released a study showing that 20 of the 24 states withprofessional sports teams, as well as six cities, have enacted a “jock tax” torequire traveling pro athletes and other team employees to pay income taxes inthe state where a game is played. Texas, site of nextweek’s MLB All-Star Game, does not have a jock tax, as the state does not havean income tax (Tax Foundation).
TOURING HOUSTONWITH SOME OF HOUSTON’STOP SPORTS EXECS
With the sports businessindustry descending upon Houston this weekend for the MLB All-Star Game, correspondentJoe Oliver spoke earlier this year with Texans Senior VP and Chief Sales andMarketing Officer JAMEY ROOTES, CBS Sports' JIM NANTZ and HarrisCounty-Houston Sports Authority CEO OLIVER LUCK, among many otherprominent Houstonians, to determine the best that Space City USA has to offer:
View the guide here.
Meanwhile, Seven Mary Threewill perform “Settle Up” and “Bark No Bite” between MLB’s New York MercantileExchange All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends &Celebrity Softball Game as part of Taco Bell All-Star Sunday at Minute Maid Park.
BUZZER BEATERS
Outgoing TOP sponsor Xeroxhas created a six-story Olympic banner in Athensout of the individual portraits of more than 27,000 Xerox employees to displaya "Welcome Home" message in both English and Greek. The banner coversnearly three sides of Xerox's office building in central Athens and will remain in place throughoutthe fall (Xerox).
TheN.Y. POST reports that Fox is considering Mets P Al Leiter and recently fired D’Backs manager Bob Brenly for the net’s postseason MLB coverage. Leiter served as an analyst for Fox duringlast year’s postseason (N.Y. POST, 7/9).
TheCHARLOTTE OBSERVER reports that former NFL QB Steve Beuerlein is “close to signing an agreement with [WBTV-CBS]that will allow him to broadcast eight NFL games this season as a coloranalyst” (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER, 7/9).
TheINDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that the addition of a Champ Car race at Las VegasMotor Speedway does not “mean the IRL won’t race there next year.” IRL VP/PR John Griffin said LVMS GM ChrisPowell “made us aware of his plans, and we continue to talk (regarding)2005 and beyond” (INDIANAPOLISSTAR, 7/9).
Facilities& Event Management magazine has named The Palace of Auburn Hills and St.Pete Times Forum, both Palace Sports & Entertainment properties, as 2004Prime Site Award winners (Palace Sports& Ent.).
TheST. PETERSBURG TIMES notes that WQYK-AM will “no longer carry sports talk,”moving to new call letters, WBZZ, and a lineup of “entertainment talk” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 7/9).
Boston-basedconsulting firm G2, which was recently launched by former Trail BlazersPresident Marshall Glickman, todayannounced a deal with Russian basketball team CSKA Moscow (G2).
WEEKEND EVENTS
Friday
Singer/songwriterTerry Cashman will perform his newtribute song, “Talkin’ Marlins Baseball,” during the club’s 7:35pm ET gameagainst the Mets at Pro Player Stadium.
TheAVP will host an Olympic Reception for fans to meet and greet tour playersparticipating in the Athens Olympics at 6:00pm ET at the Beaches at Belmar.
TheWNBA Lynx, in conjunction with Bud Light, will host a silent auction for a tripto the WNBA All-Star Game during the team’s 7:00pm CT game against the Mercuryat Target Center. Proceeds will benefit the Minnesota Lynx Community Foundation.
Saturday
Twins President Dave St. Peterand C Joe Mauer will officially kickoff the team’s “Play Ball Minnesota!” projectat Dunning Field in St. Paul.
TheEagles will open their first retail outlet store at Rockvale Square.
RavensLB Ray Lewis, Panthers QB Jake Delhomme, Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and Kings LW Luc Robitaille will be among theathletes appearing at the 38th Annual Victor Sports Awards at theLas Vegas Hilton.
TheYankees will host their 58th annual Old-Timers Day prior to theteam’s 4:05pm ET game against the Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium. Yankees partner Fuji is sponsoring the promotion (N.Y. TIMES,7/9).
76ersG Allen Iverson will host his Celebrity Softball Classic at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, MD. NBAers CarmeloAnthony, Steve Francis, Kevin Garnett, Richard Hamilton and LeBronJames, NFLers Donovan McNabb andRandy Moss and boxer Roy Jones Jr. are expected to attend.
Sunday
MLS New EnglandRevolution-Chicago Fire will be preceded by a Poland-U.S. men’s exhibitionmatch at Soldier Field. Fire GM Peter Wilt expects attendance near40,000 for the doubleheader (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 7/6).
The Devil Rays will host theReviving Baseball in Inner Cities Southeast/Florida Regional finals at 9:00amET at Tropicana Field.
CHANNELSURFING
Friday
USA Network will air second-round coverage of thePGA Tour John Deere Classic at4:00pm ET.
Don King will appear on FSN’s “I,Max” at 6:00pm local time.
ESPNwill air Braves-Phillies at 7:00pmET.
NBC will air coverage of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials at 8:00pm ET.
NBA TVwill air WNBA Mercury-Lynx at 8:00pmET.
Lakers Fs Luke Walton and Kareem Rush, pro wrestler Hulk Hogan, actor Jay Mohr and poker playerDaniel Negreanu are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”
USA Network will air coverage of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at 11:00pm ET.
U.S.soccer players Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy will appear on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” at 11:35pm ET.
Saturday
OLN willair live coverage of the Tour de France:Stage 7 at 9:00am ET.
Fox willair MLB regional coverage: Cubs-Cardinals(58% of the country) or Braves-Phillies(20%) at 1:00pm ET, or Astros-Dodgers(17%) or Rockies-Padres (3%) at4:00pm ET.
ABC willair third-round coverage of the PGA Tour JohnDeere Classic at 2:00pm ET.
NBC will air the NASCAR BuschSeries Twister 300 at 2:00pm ET.
ABC willair WNBA Storm-Shock at 4:00pm ET.
CBS willair third-round coverage of the Ford SeniorPlayers Championship at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN2will air MLS Earthquakes-MetroStars at4:00pm ET.
NBC will air the AVP Belmar Open at 4:30pm ET.
NBA TVwill air WNBA Mystics-Sting at6:00pm ET.
The History Channel will air“Guts & Bolts: Implosion of VeteransStadium” at 6:30pm ET.
NBC will air coverage of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN2will air horse racing’s Hollywood GoldCup and Swaps Stakes at 8:00pmET.
HDNet will air MLS United-Wizards at 8:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air WNBA Sparks-Comets at 9:00pm ET.
Sunday
SpeedChannel will air the British Grand Prix at7:30am ET.
OLN willair live coverage of the Tour de France:Stage 8 at 9:00am ET and CBS will air highlights at 3:00pm ET.
HDNetwill air the Champ Car World Series MolsonIndy Toronto at 1:00pm ET.
TheTennis Channel will air the Int’l Tennis HOF induction ceremony from Newport, RI,where Steffi Graf, Stefan Edberg and Dorothy Cheney will be enshrined.
ABC willair final-round coverage of the PGA Tour JohnDeere Classic at 2:00pm ET.
ESPN2will air WNBA Mercury-Liberty at2:00pm ET.
NBCwill air the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Tropicana400 at 3:30pm ET.
CBS willair final-round coverage of the Ford SeniorPlayers Championship at 4:00pm ET.
ESPN2will air the MLB All-Star Futures Game at 4:00pm ET.
NBC will air coverage of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at 7:00pm ET, followed bycoverage of the U.S. Olympic SwimmingTrials at 8:00pm.
ESPN2will air soccer: Poland-U.S. NationalTeam at 7:00pm ET.
ESPNwill air Cubs-Cardinals at 8:00pmET.
FSN’s “Beyond the Glory” will profile former MLBer Denny McClain at 8:00pm local time.
TODAY’S TEASER…
General: After Andrew Jackson defeated JohnQuincy Adams in the 1828 Presidential election, what New Hampshire town changed its name to “Jackson” in honor of the new President?
THE DAILY STAT: PERCENTAGE OF TV ADS THAT AREIGNORED
Thefollowing presents a CNW Marketing Research study of the percentage of TV adsthat are ignored or skipped using a personal video recorder. The study was performed in the 15 largestU.S. TV markets (BUSINESS WEEK, 7/12issue):
| | Actively Ignored On TV | Skipped Using Video Recorder |
| Beer | 4.8% | 31.9% |
| Movie trailers | 11.6% | 44.1% |
| Soft drinks | 21.6% | 82.7% |
| Drug | 32.3% | 45.6% |
| Specialty clothing | 33.4% | 62.4% |
| Home products | 41.6% | 90.3% |
| Fast food | 45.1% | 95.7% |
| Cars (national) | 52.8% | 68.8% |
| Pet-related | 55.5% | 81.5% |
| Credit cards | 62.7% | 94.2% |
| Mortgage financing | 74.1% | 94.7% |
| Upcoming program | 75.3% | 94.4% |
|
| Unweighted Average | 43.1% | 71.6% |
CRITICS WEIGH IN:
Will Ferrellstars in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” as a popular ‘70s newsman whois challenged by an attractive and capable female reporter, played by Christina Applegate. CliveOwen stars as the once and future king in “King Arthur,” a new version ofthe famed story.
| | ——————Movie—————— |
| | “Anchorman” | “King Arthur” |
| Chicago Sun-Times | 
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| Hollywood Reporter |
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| N.Y. Times | 
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| USA Today |
| Not Reviewed |
…TODAY’SANSWER
Adams, New Hampshire, changed its name to Jackson. The town had been named in 1800 tohonor the election of John Adams.
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