OVER-THE-AIR CARRIERS NOT EXACTLY JUMPING OVER NUGGETS GAMES

          Nuggets games won't return to KWGN-TV this season,
     according to Mike Monroe of the DENVER POST.  KWGN, which
     has televised the Nuggets for all but two of the past 20
     years, "sought significantly higher fees for air time for
     Nuggets broadcasts than it was paid in previous deals
     because ratings have declined nearly" 60% over the past
     three seasons.  Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, which recently
     paid $100M over seven years for broadcast rights to Nuggets
     and Avs games, could not reach an agreement with KWGN on the
     price of air time on the station.  If the Nuggets are to be
     seen on an over-the-air station, it "appears" they will be
     on UPN's KTVD or home shopping channel KDEN, "neither of
     which has as strong a signal" as KWGN (DENVER POST, 8/26).  
     In Denver, Mark Kiszla writes "our local hoopsters are so
     bad, they are having trouble finding any broadcast executive
     in Denver who wants to put their games on free TV.  This is
     a major-league embarrassment for [a] team that has made a
     recent habit of looking silly" (DENVER POST, 8/26).