In a conference call yesterday, Fox Sports President David
Hill and Exec Producer Ed Goren discussed their plans for Fox's
inaugural MLB season. Hill was asked again about statements he
made regarding the mention of "dead guys": "What we wanted to
get at was: Use history to put the present in perspective. ...
If you are going to talk about a player in the past, please tell
me a little bit more about him than his name." Fox will use
actual footage of former MLB greats to help viewers identify with
the history. Goren noted their focus is to "celebrate the
greatest collection of young talent the game has seen in years."
CHANGES: On proposed technological changes, Hill said Fox
had experimented with in-base microphones in Baltimore, but the
roar of the crowd negated any sound they got from the
microphones. With the players going over the bag, Hill said all
that was heard was a "dinosaur-type thud." Fox will continue to
experiment with the idea in the lab. Fox will also bypass a two
and a-half minute information-type segment in pre-game, as both
Hill and Goren said fans get enough "inside" information during
the weekly news shows.
RATINGS: Hill said they are hoping for a rating in the
vicinity of CBS' final year -- a 3.8 average. But they added
that ratings could be higher without local cable competition on
Saturday afternoons (THE DAILY).
