How are the Raiders and Rams doing in their former home?
KTTV, L.A.'s Fox affiliate, has asked fans to call in and vote
for the game they want to see on Sunday -- 49ers-Saints or Rams-
Packers. Fox spokesperson Lou Dermilio said the vote is running
70-30 in favor of the 49ers. An NBC spokesperson said the
Raiders will "see a fair share of air time" in L.A. this year
(L.A. TIMES, 8/31)....In Boston, Jim Baker reports that Fox is in
the best position to bring about the return of a Saturday MLB
Game of the Week, and that a source at The Baseball Network said
that officials at MLB and CBS still have a "bad taste in their
mouth" over the old CBS deal. Baker writes to expect Fox and
ABC-ESPN to prevail. On the local front, Boston's WABU-TV
(Channel 68) is reportedly "close" to a rights fee deal with the
Red Sox, although incumbent WSBK-TV is still in the running. Ray
Rajewski, broadcast head at Paramount, WSBK's parent company,
would not comment on reports that Paramount would not authorize a
bid above $8M due to baseball losses (BOSTON HERALD,
8/31)....Some different takes on preseason NFL network ratings.
VARIETY's Stu Miller notes that ABC's first three NFL games not
only fell below last year's average (which spiked due to the
baseball strike), but also below the '93 numbers (VARIETY, 9/3
issue). However, A release from Turner broadcasting reports that
TNT's NFL coverage generated the highest basic cable ratings for
August (Turner)....Announcer Kenny Albert's move from HTS to MSG
is "all but official" (Baltimore SUN, 8/31).
