The Red Sox's switch from Boston's WSBK to WABU had
threatened to shut out many fans in Western MA, as WABU is not
carried on most cable systems. But the team is expected to
announce today that WABU -- and its 75 Sox games -- will be
carried on basic cable in Berkshire County (BOSTON GLOBE,
3/25)....The "biggest debt issue ever" in the corporate bond
market took place Friday, as Walt Disney sold a record $2.6B in
bonds. The company will use the money to finance its $19B
purchase of Cap Cities/ABC. The demand was so strong that Disney
increased the offering by $600M. Paine Webber analyst
Christopher Dixon: "The success of this bond offering is really
a testament to the strength of Disney's core franchises"
("Moneyline," CNN, 3/22). The previous highest investment-grade
offering was for IBM's $1.2B in '93 (N.Y. TIMES,
3/23)....Sunday's N.Y. TIMES profiled ESPN2's evolution from
coverage of extreme sports to a niche audience of fans who are
"dedicated to particular traditional sports but have trouble
finding enough coverage of them on other channels." Edward
Lewine profiled "NHL 2Night" and noted ESPN2's future could
include ESPN3, 4 and 5 -- all covering single sports (N.Y. TIMES,
3/24)....In Boston, Will McDonough reflected on the 16-year
partnership between Hank Stram and Jack Buck on CBS Radio's NFL
coverage. The two were replaced last week by Matt Millen and
Howard David. McDonough reports Stram will continue to work for
CBS radio and will have an announcement in the next few weeks
(BOSTON GLOBE, 3/24)....In Philadelphia, Michael Roznsky writes
the most "likely possibilities" for Comcast's Flyers and Sixers
purchase: 1) Form its own channel around the teams once rights
with Prism and SportsChannel expire; 2) Acquire the two channels;
3) Continue to cooperate (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/24)....ABC
opens NFL coverage with Chiefs-Cowboys August 5 in Monterrey,
Mexico (K.C. STAR, 3/22)....Testimony ended Friday in the Time
Warner-US West legal fight with a ruling expected by June 15.
The judge urged both sides to work to settle their differences.
US West seeks to block Time Warner's acquisition of Turner
Broadcasting (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/25)....The Golf Channel, now
"off life-support" with two million subscribers, is "talking
expansion." An official said they consider Japan the "next
frontier" (GOLFWORLD, 3/22 issue).
