NETWORK TV: ABC Entertainment Chair Stu Bloomberg, Fox
TV President David Hill, CBS TV President Les Moonves and
NBC West Coast President Don Ohlmeyer discussed the state of
network TV with the L.A. TIMES' Brian Lowry. Moonves, on
network TV: "We're still the best game in town. Nowhere
else can you get a Super Bowl, Academy Awards, 'Merlin' or
'60 Minutes,' which beat the heck out of cable week after
week, and yet all they're writing about is erosion and lack
of creativity, which is pure bunk" (L.A. TIMES, 8/30). In
his farewell column, Washington Post TV columnist John
Carmody offers his critique of network TV, writing that it
"has run out of ideas, for several reasons, probably because
there is not enough creative talent to handle so much
demand. ... The networks have allowed themselves to be
frozen into a political rectitude that blunts creativity and
certainly hasn't mollified or honestly explained the
contentious U.S. society" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/31).
NOTES: In N.Y., Mike Lupica called it "interesting"
that SI, "which broke ... an important story about hockey
players getting a boost from Sudafed, decided to reduce
cover-boy McGwire's use of andro into a triviality" (N.Y.
DAILY NEWS, 8/30)....In Boston, Howard Manly looked at The
Football Network, noting that founder Jantonio Turner "is
gleefully walking into some very deep waters." Turner: "We
want to be the No. 1 source for football information in the
world." Manly wrote that the "key" to the net's success is
hitting the 5 million subscriber base (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/30).
...Chicago Tribune sports media columnist Michael Hirsley,
who will move to features, writes his final media piece
today. Ed Sherman will take over (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/31).
