The Padres yesterday "recommitted" to KFMB-AM as their
flagship radio station with a new three-year agreement through
the '99 season, according to Fritz Quindt of the SAN DIEGO UNION-
TRIBUNE. The Padres radio rights were up for bid because KFMB
had optioned out of the third year of its deal as part of recent
TV rights negotiations. Padres CEO Larry Lucchino declined to
give the value of the deal, but did "concede" it's worth more
than KFMB's previously scheduled third year. Lucchino: "It may
not take us out of small-market status but [the deal] helps put
us in a better neighborhood" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/13). On
yesterday's TV deal with Cox Communications, Lucchino said the
reported $1.5M annual rights fee is "inaccurate," but didn't
offer another number (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/13).
DON'T GO CHANGING: Wednesday's format change at Tampa's WFNS
and WSUN will not immediately alter the station's play-by-play
broadcasts of the Lightning, NASCAR, MLS Mutiny or Yankees,
according to the TAMPA TRIBUNE. However, the Magic "are another
matter," as local Cox Broadcasting GM Todd Leiser yesterday asked
Magic officials to begin looking for another Tampa affiliate to
take over the final year of the contract between the team and
WFNS (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 9/13).
TEAM NEWS & NOTES: 75 of the Maple Leafs' 82 regular season
games will be televised in local Toronto this season, with a
majority on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, Global, and TSN
(TORONTO SUN, 9/13)....WCCO-TV's coverage of the Metrodome
festivities last Saturday night honoring Kirby Puckett received a
25.7/49 share, which was the highest in franchise history
(Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE, 9/13). ...Mindscape Online Publishing
has launched two new team sites in the "Total Baseball Online"
World Wide Website, located at http://www.total baseball.com.
"Total Giants" can be found at http://www.totalgiants.com, while
"Total White Sox" is located at http://totalwhitesox.com
(Mindscape).....Jets rookie WR Keyshawn Johnson on criticism from
NFL analysts Bob Trumpy and Joe Theismann: "I don't care what the
Joe Theismanns and Bob Trumpys of the world say. I don't have to
play for those guys." Theismann had called Johnson a "jerk" for
his touchdown celebration during Sunday's game against the Colts
(N.Y. POST, 9/13).
