SPORTSCHANNEL TO OFFER STAKE IN NETWORK FOR LIGHTNING?

     SportsChannel Florida is seeking the cable rights to the
Lightning, and wants them "so much so that it will offer the team
a stake in the channel," according to Michael Katz in this week's
BROADCASTING & CABLE.  SportsChannel FL GM Richard Bradley: "It
would give them better control over their destiny and it would
give us a certain understanding of what the needs of a team are."
Katz reports the team has one year remaining on a deal with the
Sunshine Network and are "looking to break with the status quo."
Sunshine GM Jim Liberatore: "The Lightning are looking for some
different things than four years ago.  They are looking to take
representation of their own inventory, and they want to revert
some of the control back to the team."  Liberatore is "confident"
Sunshine can retain the Lightning's rights (BROADCASTING & CABLE,
4/8 issue).