TV DEALS: USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand examines the
upcoming TV rights negotiations for the NFL and NBA in
today's "In Focus" section (USA TODAY, 10/16)....In TX,
Wendell Barnhouse reports that the Big 12 Conference "is
seeking extensions and rights fee increases" of its football
contracts with ABC Sports, while the WAC is looking to do
the same with ESPN and ABC. Barnhouse adds that ABC "is
willing to talk" to both, but "neither league has the same
kind of leverage that the Big Ten and Pac-10 used to fatten
their bottom lines this past summer" (STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/16).
.....The Hornets signed a three-year extension with Fox
Sports South (Charlotte BUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/13 issue).
....Comcast SportsNet (CSN) "will not carry" Fox Sports
Net's full 16-game Sunday night package of ABL games. CSN
carries 20 hours of FSN programming a week, "most of that
being taken up by Fox Sports News." CSN will show three
Rage games in '97-98 (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 10/16).
PERSONALITIES: Gus Johnson was named the new radio
voice of the Knicks on WFAN-AM, replacing Mike Breen, who
took over TV duties on MSG Network following Marv Albert's
departure (N.Y. TIMES, 10/16)....In Toronto, William Houston
reports that former Spurs coach Bob Hill has been hired by
TSN to be its NBA analyst (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/16).
