CABLEVISION's R. Thomas Umstead reports that with NBA
games lost to the lockout, networks may "soon have to start
compensating advertisers" scheduled to appear during NBA
telecasts. Although college basketball "could generate
decent ratings in many markets," advertisers "would prefer
inventory" during an NBA game. Fox Sports Chicago VP & GM
Jim Corno: "How do you replace the NBA? There's no
programming that we can develop that can replace it. It's
our Seinfeld" (CABLEVISION, 12/9 issue).
OTHER NOTES: Fox Sports Senior VP/Media Relations Vince
Wladika "apologized" for Wednesday's ad in USA Today that
misspelled Chris Myers' name. Myers: "As long as they spell
it right on the checks." Turner Sports Dir of PR Greg
Hughes: "(Fox) can smell fear, they just can't spell it."
Wladika: "I don't recall Turner and ESPN ever running print
ads promoting their talent" (USA TODAY, 12/11)....Infinity
Broadcasting stock "was received well in its first day of
trading" on the NYSE. The stock closed up 13%, or 2 9/16,
at 23 1/16 (USA TODAY, 12/11). Infinity was "the most
actively traded stock of the day," with 52.9 million shares
being traded (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/11)....In Boston, both
WBZ-TV and WBZ-AM have "been having difficulty of late" in
getting Red Sox GM Dan Duquette or CEO John Harrington on
its Sunday "Sports Page" show, and in Boston, Howard Manly
notes that the non-appearances come after WBZ-TV anchor Bob
Lobel called the two execs "the village idiots" for their
handling of team affairs. The Red Sox deny any intentional
snub (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/11)....A Time Warner cable shuffle in
N.Y. will put four sports channels -- Fox Sports NY, MSG,
ESPN and ESPN2 -- next to each other on the dial (N.Y. POST,
12/11)....The first ESPY Nomination Show will air December
15 at 7:30pm ET on ESPN. Stuart Scott will host along with
Cardinals LF Eric Davis from Baltimore's ESPN Zone (ESPN).
