ABC will have "more than 26 manned cameras" and the
     ability to shoot from 75 positions at Churchill Downs for
     its coverage of Saturday's Kentucky Derby, according to
     Prentis Rogers of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION.  Event Producer
     Curt Gowdy Jr. said the net "will attempt to have a jockey-
     cam" if it can obtain permission (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
     5/1).  Gowdy also hopes to have wireless mikes on "as many
     as" four riders (Michael Hirsley, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1).
          DRAWING FLAWS? Wednesday's Derby draw mix-up on ESPN is
     still in the news.  In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes that the
     "ESPN-aided butchering" of the draw is "more evidence of
     sports TV's misguided, arrogant desire to both cover and
     conduct a news event" (N.Y. POST, 5/1).  Also in N.Y., Bob
     Raissman writes that Churchill Downs President Tom Meeker
     "never should have given ESPN the opportunity to run the
     draw. ... TV has too much control over sports already" (N.Y.
     DAILY NEWS, 5/1).  In St. Pete, Ernest Hooper faults ESPN
     for becoming "part of a story it simply was supposed to
     cover" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/1).  In San Antonio, Tim
     Price called it a "made-for-TV mess" (EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/1).  

          Cable operators are ready to "vent their frustration"
     to ESPN execs at next week's NCTA Cable '98 Show in Atlanta
     over the net's proposed 20% rate increase following its
     $4.8B NFL deal, according to Scott Hettrick of the HOLLYWOOD
     REPORTER.  Operators "are ready to exact their pound of
     flesh" from ESPN and Disney, and "cite several points of
     leverage at their disposal," including "stonewalling the
     launch" of ESPNEWS, ESPN West, Classic Sports Network, and
     "even" Toon Disney.  Hettrick adds that the "repercussions"
     may even affect the Disney Channel's ongoing efforts to
     convert to a basic service, and that some "major" cable
     companies "have warned ESPN to tread carefully" in the realm
     of rate increases as cable costs "are again drawing the ears
     of legislators."  An ESPN spokesperson said that the net is
     "responding" to the concerns and "has instituted new
     incentives and adjusted packaging discounts," among them
     "flexibility in subscriber count."  ESPN also offers
     discounts for positioning their channels side-by-side and
     for lower channel placement (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/1).
          TOO MANY ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD: In Philadelphia, Lynn
     Zinser writes that ESPN is providing its viewers with "such
     a steady diet" of Angels telecasts, "they are close to
     qualifying as a food group."  Although over the years ESPN
     has "done a better job than any other network at maintaining
     its credibility," the net "runs headlong into image
     problems" with its Angels coverage.  Zinser: "[I]t can't
     erase the perception that it's doing Disney's bidding when
     it floods the airwaves with Disney's team."  Fox, which also
     broadcasts MLB games and recently purchased the Dodgers, has
     a "built-in buffer" regarding conflicts of interests,
     because its MLB contract limits any team's number of
     appearances to nine.  Fox Senior VP/Communications Vince
     Wladika: "That's there to prevent us from doing what it
     appears ESPN is doing."  Zinser adds that ESPN "also has a
     limit" on how many times a team can appear, but the net
     "won't say what it is" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/1).  

          At least five affils of the Trail Blazers radio network
     "are considering reducing or eliminating game coverage
     because of Bill Schonely's pending departure as the team's
     play-by-play announcer," according to Jeff Manning of the
     Portland OREGONIAN.  More than 20 of the 31 stations in the
     radio network "have written letters" to the team "protesting
     its decision to replace Schonely."  Manning wrote that the
     Blazers "are learning firsthand about the unique emotional
     bond that a longtime announcer has with fans," and that in a
     league where players consistently change teams, Schonely "is
     the Blazers."  Last year, Blazers Senior VP/Marketing
     Operations Harry Hutt signed Schonely to a three-year deal
     which called for him to do play-by-play in only the first
     year.  Hutt's logic was to give Schonely one "triumphal
     year" and then "move him out," but the plan "backfired" when
     Schonely "went public with his unhappiness about the pending
     reassignment."  Hutt: "Unfortunately, due to a lot of
     misconceptions, things got contentious."  Manning reported
     that one of those "misconceptions" is that after this year,
     Schonely will be out of broadcasting.  Schonely will be used
     in specials and halftime shows (OREGONIAN, 4/30).

          Disney has exercised its option to purchase Paul
     Allen's remaining interest in Starwave Corporation.  Last
     year, Disney made an initial investment in Seattle-based
     Starwave and formed two joint-venture Web sites, ESPN
     SportsZone and ABCNews.com.  Starwave and the two sites will
     now become part of Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG),
     Disney's Internet initiative arm.  As part of BVIG, all
     existing Starwave sites will continue and Starwave's offices
     will serve as the core technology developers for all of
     BVIG.  Starwave Chair & CEO Mike Slade will become BVIG
     President, while Patrick Naughton will serve as Chief
     Technology Officer, and Tom Phillips will run the ESPN
     sports group (Walt Disney Co.).  BVIG Chair Jake Winebaum
     will continue in that role (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/1). 
          DETAILS: In L.A., Martin Peers reports that Disney had
     owned 30% of Starwave, and its acquisition of the remaining
     70% is "believed to value" Starwave at "more than" $300M. 
     Although terms were not disclosed, Allen was believed to
     have held about 56% of Starwave before yesterday's deal, and
     "likely walked away" with more than $150M.  Peers writes
     that the pact gives Disney the "ability to group its sites
     together and offer advertising space in packages across a
     range of sites" (DAILY VARIETY, 5/1).  On Tuesday, before
     the Starwave deal was announced, Disney Chair Michael Eisner
     spoke at the Society of American Business Editors and
     Writers conference and said that his company wants to be "an
     aggressive competitor on the Internet."  Eisner:
     "Eventually, content will prevail on the Internet just like
     it's prevailing now on cable [TV]" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 4/30).

          In N.Y., Bill Carter writes that NBC has taken the
     "first steps" toward becoming the first broadcast net to
     establish a "regular business in direct marketing to viewers
     through toll-free phone numbers."  Last week, NBC withheld
     two 30-second spots during its miniseries "Merlin" and "used
     them to market the sale of videocassettes of the film."  The
     experiment was "so successful" that the net plans to "begin
     aggressively seeking similar opportunities in other
     programs" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/1)....Fox Sports West 2 and Century
     Communications confirmed their deal putting FSW2 on Century
     systems throughout L.A.  Century said that it "has no plans
     as yet" to add other Fox channels such as Fox Sports World
     or Fox Sports Americas (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/1)....Although
     official numbers were not released, Houston's Warner Cable
     said that PPV orders for Wednesday's Rockets-Jazz Game Three
     were "significantly higher" than a year ago.  Suggested
     retail price for the telecasts is $19.95 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
     5/1)....The Football Network, "a basic cable channel that
     will show nothing but football," is planning a late August
     or early September launch (AP/S.F. EXAMINER, 4/29).
     ...Jefferson Bank will sponsor a new sports business report
     to begin airing on Philadelphia's Comcast SportsNet (CSN)
     today.  The weekly news feature, called "Sport$ense," will
     air during CSN's Friday "SportsNITE" telecast, and again on
     Monday morning's SportsRISE show (CSN)....NBA Video's new
     "NBA Hardwood Heroes" hit stores Tuesday.  The tape focuses
     on 11 of the game's top players and carries a suggested
     retail price of $14.98.  NBA Video also released "NBA Wired
     For Sound," which documents conversations between coaches
     and players on and off the court.  SRP is $14.98 (NBAE).

          The following lists ratings from last weekend's network
     sporting events.  All times are ET.  The numbers are from
     the networks (THE DAILY). 


  
 
    
EVENT
    
DATE
    
NET
    
TIME
    
RAT/SHR
  
  
 
    
MLS: 
      Clash-MetroStars
    
 
      
4/25
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
2:00-4:00pm
    
    
 
      
0.9/3
    
  
  
 
    
NASCAR: 
      Touchstone Energy 300
    
 
      
4/25
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
4:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.9/6
    
  
  
 
    
CBS 
      Sports Spect: Penn Relays
    
 
      
4/25
    
    
 
      
CBS
    
    
 
      
2:00-3:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.1/4
    
  
  
 
    
PGA 
      Tour: Greater Greensboro
    
 
      
4/25
    
    
 
      
CBS
    
    
 
      
3:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
2.3/7
    
  
  
 
    
"NBA 
      on NBC": Cavaliers-Pacers
    
 
      
4/25
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
12:30-3:30pm
    
    
 
      
3.6/13
    
  
  
 
    
"NBA 
      on NBC": Spurs-Suns
    
 
      
4/25
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
3:30-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
4.5/14
    
  
  
 
    
NASCAR: 
      Die Hard 500
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
1:00-5:00pm
    
    
 
      
5.7/15
    
  
  
 
    
Supercross 
      Motorcycles
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
ABC
    
    
 
      
5:00-6:00pm
    
    
 
      
3.5/8
    
  
  
 
    
US 
      Men's Clay Court Championship
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
CBS
    
    
 
      
1:00-4:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.2/3
    
  
  
 
    
PGA 
      Tour: Greater Greensboro
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
CBS
    
    
 
      
4:00-6:30pm
    
    
 
      
3.4/8
    
  
  
 
    
"NHL 
      on Fox": Regional Playoffs
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
FOX
    
    
 
      
2:00-5:00pm
    
    
 
      
1.8/5
    
  
  
 
    
"NBA 
      on NBC": Knicks-Heat
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
12:30-3:00pm
    
    
 
      
4.8/14
    
  
  
 
    
"NBA 
      on NBC": Blazers-Lakers
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
3:00-5:30pm
    
    
 
      
6.0/15
    
  
  
 
    
"NBA 
      on NBC": Nets-Bulls
    
 
      
4/26
    
    
 
      
NBC
    
    
 
      
5:30-8:00pm
    
    
 
      
8.6/18
    
  


          MORE RATINGS: Through Wednesday, the 20 NBA playoff
     game broadcasts on Turner Sports' TNT and TBS have earned a
     2.5 rating, up 9% from the 2.3 it received a year ago (THE
     DAILY).  As of Friday night, Turner will have broadcast a
     record 26 first round NBA playoff games, pushing its total
     for this year's playoffs over 40 games (Turner Sports). 
     Wednesday's Rockets-Jazz game earned a 3.9 TNT rating, tying
     Game One of the Nets-Bulls series for TNT's highest playoff
     numbers this year (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/1).  NBC's five-game
     playoff rating average is 5.5, down 8% from last year's 6.0
     (NEWSDAY, 5/1)....Fox Sports Northwest (FSNW) earned a 5.6
     rating for its "Mariners Warm Up" pregame show on April 22,
     the show's highest ever opening month number.  For April,
     "Mariners Warm Up" averaged a 2.8, a 21% increase from last
     year's average of 2.2 (FSNW).