"In a case of self-sponsorship," the harness racing
industry is paying $2.5M for ESPN2 to air its American
Championship Harness Series for 18 weeks, according to Peter
Brewington of USA TODAY. Sixty races will be televised,
three a night. All are live, primarily on Friday from
10:30-11:30pm ET. Brewington notes that the project
involved the "entire" industry, as money was pooled from
tracks, owners, breeders, drivers and trainers to buy air
time and pay production costs (USA TODAY, 5/16).
K-III'S DAILY RACING FOR SALE: In N.Y., John Helyar
notes K-III's Communications Corp.'s efforts to sell its
Daily Racing Form, which has lost "as much as half" of its
readership since '91. Helyar notes, "As horse racing revels
in tomorrow's Preakness Stakes ... the lost luster of this
track icon underscores how capricious the seemingly
glamorous business of sports can be." People "familiar with
the situation" say K-III is trying to sell the Racing Form
for "perhaps only half" its estimated purchase price of
$200M. Next week, prospective buyers "must register and
'expression of interest'" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/16).
