Danny Ainge has signed a multi-year agreement with Turner
Sports to be an NBA analyst for TNT and TBS (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 9/18)....BET will premiere a new half-hour show on
October 6 called "The Players Network" -- designed to show pro
athletes' lives off the field (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
9/18)....ESPN and Churchill Downs Inc. have announced a multi-
year deal to expand the cable network's coverage of the Kentucky
Derby. Beginning in '96, ESPN and ESPN2 will air 15 hours of
live Derby coverage over four days, May 1-4. The race will still
be aired on ABC (ESPN). ....Cheryl Miller has quit as coach of
USC Women's hoops, with one source saying she is close to a deal
with an unnamed TV network. Miller was a color commentator on
ABC and ESPN before returning to USC as coach (S.F. CHRONICLE,
9/16).... The Professional Bowlers Assoc. and ABC have negotiated
a new contract with significant changes for '96. ABC will begin
its coverage in March and extend it through June, with ESPN
televising the tour's first six events on Friday nights from
January 26-March 1 (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/15).
