IS MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL THE GRIDIRON OPENING FOR CBS?

     Since executives at new CBS parent Westinghouse have said
they want to return to covering the NFL, the "rumor is that the
battleground will be on 'Monday Night Football,'" according to
Steve Zipay of NEWSDAY.  ABC's NFL rights deal ends in '97, but
the network ABC "won't easily forfeit its showcase, whose ratings
consistently place it in the top 10 of all TV programs and would
bid more" than $1B to keep it.  Sources say it is more likely
that Westinghouse/CBS would "bid for the Sunday night cable
rights shared by ESPN and TNT."  CBS could offer the league "a
hefty increase and a broader reach than the cable networks"
(NEWSDAY, 11/28).