Wednesday's Bulls-Magic game on TBS received a 3.9 rating,
No. 6 all-time in Turner's 12 years of covering the NBA, with the
"second highest audience." Total ratings are up 44%. (USA TODAY,
12/15)....Fox's Jerry Glanville says Jerry Jones "is killing the
Cowboys by doing those commercials with Deion (Sanders). How
would you like to be Troy Aikman and Nate Newton with Cowboys
Super Bowl rings and see Deion doing commercials with the owner?"
(USA TODAY, 12/15)....Turner Sports President Harvey Schiller
believes NBC's Olympic deals will help all major sports
organizations because "other networks will refocus their efforts
on quality sports events and the prices for entities such as the
NBA and NFL will go higher." Schiller: "It makes the
rightsholder position so much stronger" (WASHINGTON POST,
12/15)....Robert Lipsyte of the N.Y. TIMES writes on the protest
by NOW and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
against CBS golf analyst Ben Wright (N.Y. TIMES, 12/15)....Bill
Webb, the "highly regarded" director currently under contract to
MSG and ABC, will reportedly sign a deal with Fox to direct
baseball (Phil Mushnick, N.Y. POST, 12/15)....Boomer Esiason
joins CBS as an studio analysts for college football telecasts
(CBS Sports).