In Dallas, Barry Horn writes this morning, "Imagine
life without a baseball Game of the Week on network
television. ... The numbers say that more than 97 out of
every 100 are ignoring the Saturday afternoon staple that
looks like it is going the way of the late Pro Bowlers tour
on ABC." Fox's MLB Saturday coverage is "limping along"
with a 2.7 average rating, and "that news comes in the wake
of the disastrous ratings for Tuesday's All-Star game."
Horn: "And it's not like Fox isn't trying. The network has
feverishly promoted the sport. It has introduced enough
trinkets to fill any techno-geek's wildest imagination."
Fox Sports Exec Producer Ed Goren said he told White Sox
Chair Jerry Reinsdorf that if the Game of the Week ratings
don't improve, then "none of the four major networks would
bid for the package when Fox's contract expires after the
2000 season." Horn: "Reinsdorf's response was that some
owners couldn't care less, Goren reported Thursday. They
believe baseball is best suited for local television and
they would rather sell their own games to their own local
cable and over-the-air stations." Goren said that Fox could
increase interest in MLB with "a little cooperation" from
MLB. Goren: "We would do better if baseball works with us
to help make the Game of the Week an event. Until it
cooperates, we are just another in the multiple universe of
regional cable broadcasts" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/11).
POST-MORTEMS: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes that
even "more disturbing" than the 11.8 All-Star rating is a
23% ratings drop among men 55+, the "largest component" of
the All-Star audience. The 55+ male demo made up "only" 35%
of the game's total viewership, down from 40 % in '96.
Sandomir adds that Fox "is gleeful that ratings rose" 37%
among teen-agers and 13% among kids 2-11. Sandomir: "It is
a mixed bag, especially with Fox knowing no reason why older
men should be deserting baseball. But there is joy over
attracting more kids" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/11). The Marquee
Group's Mike Trager, who put together The Baseball Network,
called the 11.8 "terrific for Fox. They're just up against
the three strongest Tuesday line-ups" (USA TODAY, 7/11).
CATCHER CAM FEVER, CATCH IT: Reax to Fox's debut of
Catcher Cam on Tuesday's telecast, both from L.A. The DAILY
NEWS' Tom Hoffarth: "[I]'ll take a somewhat hazy view of a
Randy Johnson fastball from this angle any day" (L.A. DAILY
NEWS, 7/11). The TIMES' Larry Stewart writes that the
camera "shows potential" (L.A. TIMES, 7/11).
OTHER MLB NOTES: In Canada, TSN's Blue Jays' ratings
are up 8% from '96, and Rob Longley writes, "So far, the
increases can be attributed almost totally to interleague
play" (TORONTO SUN, 7/11)....In CA, SportsChannel's MLB
ratings "have skyrocketed since the station's move to basic
cable in June," according to Susan Slusser of the S.F.
CHRONICLE. A's ratings are up 133% and the Giants are up
182% (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/11).
