RATINGS: TNT's Jets-Patriots game on Sunday night
earned a 9.2 rating, making it the 8th-highest rated game in
network history. It was watched by an estimated 6.7 million
households, which would be the third most in network history
(THE DAILY). The game's simulcast on N.Y.'s WPIX-TV earned
a 12.3 rating, the highest since a '94 Giants-Cards game
that earned a 15.2 (N.Y. TIMES, 9/16). In Boston, WLVI-TV
earned a 27.7 rating for its simulcast of the game. With
TNT's 14.1 rating, the game earned a 41.8 in Boston, a
record for a regular-season game (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/16).
RADIO: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes that MLB's national
radio deal will be moving from CBS Radio to ESPN Radio for a
reported purchase price of $40M (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/16).
TV/VIDEO: The first live HDTV broadcast of an MLB game
will take place today with the Indians-Orioles. The Harris
Corporation will show the game on digital TV equipment at
Washington, DC's National Press Club (MLB)....BRANDWEEK
reports that MLB "is considering a divorce" from Phoenix
Communications, its video production house and video
library, which handles "This Week in Baseball" and other
league productions (BRANDWEEK, 9/15 issue).
PROFILES: In the AMERICAN JOURNALISM REVIEW, Mark
Lisheron writes a career profile of Keith Olbermann.
Olbermann: "I have never mistaken myself for Coca-Cola or
Pepsi. I'm birch beer or ginger ale or Dr. Pepper. If you
want what's in the middle you don't hire someone like Keith
Olbermann (AJR, 9/97 issue)....Polly Perkins, the new
president of Petersen Publishing's Sport magazine group is
profiled by Ylonda Gault of CRAIN'S N.Y. BUSINESS. Industry
"insiders" say that Perkins "has a fighting chance" to make
Sport "a big hit" (CRAIN'S N.Y. BUSINESS, 9/15 issue).
