TIME WARNER'S COVETED SPOTS IN NYC LEAVE OUT ESPN AND TGC

          Time Warner Cable announced yesterday that ten
     "fledgling basic cable channels" would be added to its New
     York systems, according to Stephen Battaglio in the
     HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.  Time Warner's CNN/SI; Classic Sports
     Network; Discovery's Animal Planet; BET on Jazz; Turner
     Classic Movies; CBS Eye on People; the Independent Film
     Channel; Ovation; Nick at Night's TV Land, and WAM! were all
     added.  Time Warner Cable spokesperson Robert Jacobs said
     Time Warner chose CNN/SI over ESPNEWS because it offered
     "more in-depth coverage" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/22).  In
     N.Y., Josef Adalian writes that ESPN "seemed particularly
     peeved" by Time Warner's decision.  ESPN President Steve
     Bornstein: "We find it curious that they chose their own
     service over ours.  We were promised a level playing field,
     and we hope that was the case."  The Golf Channel was also
     not added to Time Warner's N.Y. service (N.Y. POST, 8/22).