It "remained unclear" why NBC and Turner Sports chose
Wednesday night, during halftime of an NBA Conference Finals
game, to announce plans for a new football league, but David
Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that there was
"speculation that the timing could have been arranged to
wreck havoc on efforts by CBS, Fox and ABC/ESPN to negotiate
substantial increases in advertising rates for the NFL"
(HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/29). Pilson Communications President
& former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson: "What that was
intended to do was send a signal to prospective advertisers
of the NFL to not commit their full budget. (It's saying),
'We may have an option for you in one or two years. Don't
make a five-year deal'" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/29). In
N.Y., Steve Zipay writes that Wednesday's NBA game "was a
great prime-time forum to get the word out" (NEWSDAY, 5/29).
KEEPING AN EYE OUT: CBS Chair Michael Jordan was in
L.A. at the CBS affiliates conference, touting "joint
partnerships" and a "mutual business system," as he "tried
to rally affiliates at a time when their money is needed to
pay for NFL broadcast rights," according to Lynette Rice of
the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Jordan spoke of "dramatic changes"
from the erosion of viewers to the lack of revenue growth
from advertising sales. Jordan: "The issue of the NFL ...
has been rocky, but we are progressing with the right kind
of tonality. We will continue a very strong dialogue with
you as change evolves. We will make you partners." CBS has
asked affils to pay "upward of" $45M annually to help pay
for the NFL (Lynette Rice, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/29).
