MADDEN TO MNF? USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that
     Fox NFL analyst John Madden, whose contract expires after
     Sunday's NFC Championship game, "appears headed" to ABC's
     Monday Night Football.  Martzke writes that Madden "probably
     would accept a decrease" in his $8M annual salary, down to
     "about" $5M, to move to ABC.  If Madden goes to ABC, Martzke
     notes that Dan Dierdorf and Frank Gifford "figure to be out"
     as ABC "likely would go with a two-man booth" of Madden and
     Al Michaels.  Madden, on speculation of a move: "Anyone who
     says he knows what's going to happen is wrong."  Gifford,
     when asked to comment: "This (Monday night issue) is so
     incredibly small compared to what I'm dealing with for my
     daughter, Vicky, and our grandchildren.  I don't have a
     clue, and frankly, I'm not interested" (USA TODAY, 1/7).
          WEB: The A's have selected CA-based Silicon Graphics to
     enhance their Web site.  The site, www.oaklandathletics.
     com, now includes a Push Channel, where customers can be
     sent trivia, information, merchandise and tickets specials
     among other things (A's)....The Angels relaunched their site
     at www.angelsbaseball.com.  In L.A., Bill Shaikin reviewed
     the site and noted that the team "couldn't call their site
     angels.com because that name was already reserved for a
     network of disaster response volunteers" (L.A. TIMES, 1/6).
          

          CNN/SI will become part of an expanded basic package on
     Paragon Cable in Minneapolis, adding 87,000 homes
     (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/30)....Classic Sports Network
     will soon be available as part of MediaOne's expanded basic
     cable package in all of the MSO's nearly one million homes
     in MA and NH (Classic Sports Network)....SportsChannel OH
     announced a deal with TCI Cable in Warren, OH, where the RSN
     will be converted to basic cable, making it available to
     about 45,000 more homes (SportsChannel Ohio)....TCI
     Brookhaven, NY, repositioned SportsChannel NY from a premium
     service to expanded basic, joining two other affils in the
     NY area that moved MSG Network and SportsChannel NY in
     recent months.  In total, over 540,000 subscribers will now
     see both networks on basic cable (SCNY).

          NBC "has begun approaching automakers and athletic shoe
     companies," seeking four-year NBA ad packages that would
     extend from '98-99 through 2001-02, according to Langdon
     Brockinton of MEDIAWEEK.  The "asking price" for a one-
     eighth automotive sponsorship consisting of four 30-second
     spots every other telecast "is likely to reach almost" $90M. 
     Currently, the same sponsorship costs $55-60M over four
     years.  As for the athletic shoe category, Brockinton's
     sources say NBC "will try to expand the inventory load from
     the current four :30s per telecast to six or seven spots." 
     Nike and Reebok currently share the category, bringing in
     "about" $110-120M.  Sources say that if NBC "has its way," a
     third company could be brought in and NBC could earn "about"
     $270M over the next four years (MEDIAWEEK, 1/5 issue).   
          LIGHT ON FIGHTS: Brockinton adds that ABC is the only
     broadcast network that plans to televise boxing in '98, and
     the net is reducing its programming from nine cards in '97
     to three in '98.  CBS was the only other broadcast network
     to televise boxing in '97, and it announced a few weeks ago
     that the sport "is not likely to be part of its programming
     plans this year" (Langdon Brockinton, MEDIAWEEK, 1/5 issue).