Comcast Corp. yesterday "defended its refusal to put
     its new" RSN, Comcast SportsNet, on satellite TV, according
     to Michael Rozansky of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER.  Comcast
     spokesperson Joe Waz said the move is "about competition,"
     and added that SportsNet could help cable TV "distinguish
     itself from satellite rivals."  Waz said that while DirecTV
     "has invested zero in improving the quality of programming
     available to greater Philadelphia," it wants to "profit"
     from a channel that Comcast has invested a great deal in,
     which "isn't fair."  DirecTV's Bob Marsocci said Comcast is
     trying "to deflect attention from their own anticompetitive
     behavior."  DirecTV filed a complaint Tuesday with the FCC
     accusing SportsNet of unfair competition because SportsNet
     will not be available on DBS systems.  Meanwhile, yesterday,
     Wade Cable in Philadelphia, Lower Bucks Cablevision and
     Warner Cable in Avalon, NJ, said they would run SportsNet as
     a basic-level channel (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/26).

          PERSONALITIES: SI's Sonja Steptoe has joined CNN/SI
     full-time as the network's National Correspondent.  Steptoe
     will be based in New York (CNN/SI)....Keith Olbermann's "The
     Big Show" on MSNBC debuts at 8:00pm ET Wednesday and will be
     replayed each night at 11:00pm ET, opposite "SportsCenter." 
     In Philadelphia, Bill Fleischman writes, "Don't expect a
     sports program" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/26).
          GENERAL: NJ-based Genesis Direct Inc., a mail order
     company that fills orders for the NBA and NHL, was profiled
     in the Bergen RECORD.  Genesis has expanded from managing
     three catalogs last year to 20 now, including new title
     Competitive Edge Golf (Bergen RECORD, 9/25).

          Some Nuggets games this season "still could be
     broadcast on KWGN," because talks between the station and
     Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (FSRM) have reopened, sources tell
     Vicki Michaelis of the DENVER POST.  KWGN, the Nuggets' home
     for all but two of the past 20 years, "might carry up to 15
     games, alleviating some concern that the Nuggets would be
     aired only on cable this season."  FSRM's talks with KWGN
     "initially broke off because KWGN has asked for
     significantly higher air-time fees" for Nuggets broadcasts
     this season.  Michaelis adds that while "it's unlikely KWGN
     is lowering its demands," FSRM "is believed to be willing
     now to pay the higher price" (DENVER POST, 9/26).  

          The following lists ratings from last weekend's network
     sporting events.  All times are EDT.  "MLB on Fox" games
     were NYM-FL; DET-BAL; COL-LA; and SF-SD.  ABC's NCAA
     Football was NEB-WA; AZ-OSU; FSU-CLEM; and IA-ISU.  The
     numbers were gathered from the networks (THE DAILY).


  
 
    
 
      
EVENT
    
    
 
      
DATE
    
    
 
      
NET
    
    
 
      
TIME
    
    
 
      
RAT/SHR
    
  
  
 
    
"MLB on 
      Fox" (regional games)
    
 
      
9/20
    
    
 
      
FOX
    
    
 
      
1:00-4:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.9/6
    
  
  
 
    
NCAA Football 
      (regional games)
    
 
      
9/20
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
3:30-7:00pm
    
    
 
      
3.7/10
    
  
  
 
    
NCAA Football: 
      Penn St-Louisville
    
 
      
9/20
    
    
 
      
CBS
    
    
 
      
12:10-3:40pm
    
    
 
      
2.4/8
    
  
  
 
    
NCAA Football: 
      Tennessee-Florida
    
 
      
9/20
    
    
 
      
CBS
    
    
 
      
3:40-7:00pm
    
    
 
      
6.1/16
    
  
  
 
    
NCAA Football: 
      Mich St-Notre Dame
    
 
      
9/20
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
2:30-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
2.7/8
    
  
  
 
    
Senior 
      PGA Tour: Comfort Classic
    
 
      
9/20
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
3:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.3/3
    
  
  
 
    
"NFL on 
      NBC" Game 1 (regional)
    
 
      
9/21
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
1:00-4:00pm
    
    
 
      
6.3/17
    
  
  
 
    
"NFL on 
      NBC" Game 2 (regional)
    
 
      
9/21
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
4:00-7:00pm
    
    
 
      
11.3/25
    
  
  
 
    
"NFL on 
      Fox" (regional)
    
 
      
9/21
    
    
 
      
FOX
    
    
 
      
1:00-7:00pm
    
    
 
      
11.6/30
    
  
  
 
    
Senior 
      PGA Tour Comfort Classic
    
 
      
9/21
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
3:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.3/3
    
  


          
          OTHER RATINGS NEWS: In a release, CBS touts its TN-FL
     game as being the highest rated broadcast on Saturday and up
     7% from '96's national rating of a 5.7/15 (CBS Sports).
     ...Through four weeks, Fox's "NFL Sunday" pregame show is
     averaging a 3.6 rating, up 3% from last year's 3.5 (Fox).
     ...Fox Sports Northwest's coverage of the Angels-Mariners
     game on Tuesday, when the M's clinched the division title,
     recorded a 25.3 rating, the highest rated regionally
     televised MLB game on cable this year.  The rating peaked at
     10:00pm with a 32.3 rating with a 50 share (FSN). 

          The 32nd Ryder Cup gets underway today at Valderrama in
     Sotogrande, Spain.  USA Network covers today's action from
     8:00am to 6:00pm ET, with NBC providing weekend coverage. 
     NBC's coverage, on Saturday from 12:00-6:00pm ET, and on
     Sunday from 8:30am-12:30pm ET, will be produced by Tom Roy
     and directed by Bucky Gunts, with Dick Enberg and Johnny
     Miller in the 18th tower.  The network, which has covered
     the Ryder Cup since '91, currently holds the exclusive U.S.
     TV rights through 2005 (NBC).  NBC's coverage Saturday will
     be tape-delayed, while Sunday's matches will be joined live
     in progress (THE DAILY).
          A GROWING COMMODITY: The following lists ratings since
     NBC began covering the Ryder Cup in '91, broken down by day,
     total average, and hours of coverage in parenthesis: 

        

  
 
    

    
 
      
'91 
        COVERAGE
    
    
 
      
'93 
        COVERAGE
    
    
 
      
'95 
        COVERAGE
    
  
  
 
    
SAT
    
 
      
2.2/7 
        2:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
3.6/10 
        2:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
2.5/10 
        8:00-12:30pm
    
  
  
 
    

    
 
      
—
    
    
 
      
—
    
    
 
      
4.6/12 
        4:28-7:00pm
    
  
  
 
    
SUN
    
 
      
2.8/8 
        11:00-3:38pm
    
    
 
      
3.9/14 
        8:00-12:30pm
    
    
 
      
3.9/12 
        9:00-3:32pm
    
  
  
 
    
TOTAL
    
 
      
2.5/8 
        (8:38)
    
    
 
      
3.8/12 
        (8:30)
    
    
 
      
4.1/12 
        (13:35)
    
  


          ONLINE: Most of the major golf web sites are offering
     extensive coverage of the event, featuring Ryder Cup history
     as well as hole-by-hole guides to Valderrama and profiles of
     competing players.  iGOLF, at igolf.com, has three reporters
     on site at Valderrama and will feature daily diaries from
     U.S. Ryder Cup players and iGOLF-TourGolfClub members Davis
     Love, Justin Leonard, Brad Faxon, and Captain Tom Kite, as
     well as European Team members Lee Westwood and Darren
     Clarke. iGOLF is also offering users the opportunity to
     receive e-mail updates after each round with the latest news
     from Spain....At golfweb.com, GolfWeb Contributing Editor
     Lorne Rubenstein will be filing daily reports from
     Valderrama and users can also sign up for the GolfTicker
     feature, which runs as a separate window on their desktop
     and is updated throughout the day....Golf.com, the NBC/Golf
     Digest site, offers a "virtual tour" of Valderrama and the
     "Golf.com Virtual Online Ryder Cup" where participants get
     to play an online version of the Links LS version of
     Valderrama....IBM's two sites, rydercup. com and 97rydercup.
     com, are the official sites (THE DAILY).