ABC will debut its four-part woman's sports series -- "A
Passion to Play" -- on Sunday at 3:00pm EDT. Nike, State Farm
and Tampax are all helping underwrite the series. Sunday's
episode features Eastern European champions Nadia Comaneci and
Katarina Witt "evolving from state-supported athletes, used as
ads for socialism, into world-class capitalists" (Michael
Hiestand, USA TODAY, 4/14). The second episode looks at African-
American women in sports, the third examines women's involvement
in extreme sports such as rock climbing and kayaking, and the
last episode will look at motherhood and sports (Terry Blount,
HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/14). ESPN/ABC's Robin Roberts, who hosts
the show, was interviewed with Nadia Comaneci on "Good Morning
America." Roberts: "It takes putting something on consecutively
every weekend on ABC to see these women in this role." Noting
UConn's win, Roberts added: "It's a perfect time to glorify
women in sports" (ABC, 4/14).
HEY, MEDIA JUNKIES: C-SPAN will air a panel discussion on
the future of TV tomorrow at 11am EDT, featuring top industry
execs. The April 4 program was taped in New York. Panelists
include: Cap Cities/ABC COO Robert Iger, Viacom CEO Frank
Biondi, HBO CEO Michael Fuchs, Comcast President Brian Roberts,
NBC CEO Robert Wright, New Media Co. CEO Howard Stringer and New
World Entertainment Chair Brandon Tartikoff (John Carmody,
WASHINGTON POST, 4/14).
