With CBS "not yet agreeing to a significant amount" for its
half of the new baseball TV deal, MLB officials "tried to
convince ABC to step up and join Fox," reports USA TODAY's Rudy
Martzke. But it is unlikely ABC would bid close to CBS'
approximately $80M/year level. According to Martzke, Fox has
agreed to pay more than $100M/year to get three World Series and
18-26 regular season Saturday games for the next five years (USA
TODAY, 10/20). Yesterday's DAILY VARIETY reported that any bid
by Liberty Media (parent of Prime) for the cable playoff package,
might come in tandem with the Fox bid (Joe Flint, VARIETY,
10/19). Most reports note that ESPN and Turner are also
interested.
NEVER SAY NEVER: Both ABC's Al Michaels and NBC's Bob
Costas lamented the likelihood that this would be their last
World Series for awhile. Michaels: "It was very gratifying and
exciting when we got the package back. ... To have it yanked away
again is pretty depressing" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/20). Costas,
who will be doing his first World Series play-by-play, said his
three broadcasts of the '95 Series are three more World Series
games than Ernie Banks saw (Mult., 10/20). ABC's Tim McCarver,
on the possible TV deal: "It seems to me that the increase in the
amounts of money should solve problems, but in baseball, and
maybe baseball alone, the more money the players and owners get,
it generates more problems than it solves" (NEWSDAY, 10/20).
McCarver's agent, Bob Rosen, said it is "wide open" which network
McCarver will be at in '96 (USA TODAY, 10/20). And in New York,
Phil Mushnick pleads to have MLB demand of any TV rights holder
in begin the World Series no later than 7:30pm ET, in order that
kids can watch (N.Y. POST, 10/20).
