Fox Sports will not use the $50,000-per-game FoxTrax
glowing puck in its final season of NHL coverage (USA TODAY,
11/27). In addition, Jim Abbott reported in Orlando that
Fox Sports will not use any "virtual first-down markers"
during its NFL coverage this season. Fox Sports Senior
VP/Media Relations Vince Wladika said the first down markers
cost "about $25,000 a game to use. Since we would be doing
up to eight NFL games on any given Sunday, that would become
a fairly large expense" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/26).
FROM THE FOX HOLE: CBS SportsLine's Bob Keisser looked
at the NBA lockout's effect on TV, and wrote that Fox Sports
Net "is feeling the hits most right now." Keisser: "The
peripheral effect on the ratings of Fox Sports News, its
SportsCenter wannabe, will be serious. The show depends on
live games in local markets to gain and keep an audience,
and the lockout coincides with FSN's attempt at a makeover,"
with the upcoming arrivals of Keith Olbermann and Chris
Myers (CBS SportsLine, 11/26)....In N.Y., Joe Lapointe noted
that last week's Devils-Stars game was not seen on Fox
Sports NY, as Cablevision "refuses to allow more than two
games to air in the market." Lapointe wrote that as long as
Devils Owner John McMullen "is getting his Cablevision
money," he "does not publicly protest as his team's fans are
being short-changed by the company that owns [MSG] and his
team's biggest rival. If he will not act on behalf of the
hockey consumer, perhaps the N.H.L. should take action
before the antitrust odor attracts attention from public
authorities outside the hockey business" (N.Y. TIMES,
11/29)....In Denver, Terry Frei wrote that CO sports fans
"were treated shabbily Saturday night" as the Avalanche-
Devils game was "shoved aside" on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain
for the WAC volleyball championship game, and coverage began
40 minutes after faceoff. Avalanche VP/Broadcasting Lou
Personnet: "Fox Sports thought it was important for their
viewers to see the end of the volleyball. I think I could
have said, 'We don't want to do that.' But I also think it
was important for Fox Sports viewers to finish watching
something like that" (DENVER POST, 11/29).
