NBC's "Meet the Press" edition on the NBA during the
All-Star Weekend was featured by John McManus in his column
in BRANDWEEK. NBC's Bob Costas and Tim Russert hosted NBA
Commissioner David Stern, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan
and Grant Hill. McManus: "NBC News' judgement was that the
biggest impact story of the week centered on these four
fellows? .... More than a few people I know in the TV
business were offended. To them, using 'Meet the Press' as
a promotional platform for the All-Star game telecast was a
flagrant foul, lacking in both judgement and programming
ethics" (BRANDWEEK, 2/24 issue).
SUNS' SETTING PPV: Cox Communications estimates that
Suns games on PPV will average "about 8,000 per game this
season." That would be down about 4,000 from '95-96, when
the Suns averaged "nearly 12,000" buys for 12 games. There
are 18 Suns games on PPV this year (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/25).
OH, NO, MJ'S ANGRY: Michael Jordan refused to meet with
the media following Monday night's game against the Blazers.
Terry Armour of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports "it seems
several national media members have been complaining to the
league office" that the Bulls don't open their locker room
ten minutes after each game, as NBA rules mandate. The
Bulls "routinely take 20 to 25 minutes." When Jordan heard
about the change in procedure, a source said "he was
angered." The Bulls could be fined if the team doesn't
adhere to the 10-minute rule (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/25)...
.NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay notes that NBC didn't mention the
indictments of three NBA refs last week for tax evasion
during its doubleheader coverage on Sunday. Zipay: "If the
matter worsens, could it affect the playoffs because there
might be less experienced refs working the games?" He
concludes that the "cynical view" is that the NBA's rights-
holder "decided to avoid the topic" (NEWSDAY, 2/25).
