Steve Zipay examines the new look of MLB's playoff coverage
on Fox, NBC, and ESPN. The networks will air every postseason
game, despite start times of games left unknown until the day
before a scheduled contest. Fans are "better off" than they were
last year as either Fox, NBC of ESPN will air every postseason
game. Zipay: "In the end, the playoff scenario is a significant
improvement for viewers -- if you're flexible enough. ... On the
other hand, cranking up the VCR is preferable to pay-per-view.
Or nothing at all" (NEWSDAY, 9/13)....Prentis Rogers notes
Atlanta's WSB-TV hoped to switch Saturday's Northwestern-Duke
game with Colorado-Michigan, "but was stopped for no gain by
ABC." Fans who want to see the game in Atlanta will have to "go
the pay-per-view route," but ABC said this was not a factor in
their decision (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/13)....Ratings from last
Saturday's World Cup double overtime semi-final between Canada-
Sweden, seen on CBC, drew an average audience of 1.95 million,
peaking at 2.65 million between midnight and 12:30am (TORONTO
SUN, 9/13)....ESPN's Jimmy Roberts is profiled in today's
WASHINGTON POST by Leonard Shapiro. Roberts recently signed a
four-year contract extension at ESPN, but "came very close to
leaving. ... He had several offers from network news divisions to
report on a variety of subjects, none of them in sports"
(WASHINGTON POST, 9/13)...A Fox spokesperson told THE DAILY this
morning the network has no plans to change its schedule and cover
the World Cup of Hockey finals Game Three Saturday (THE DAILY).
