Chicago's WBBM-CBS "guaranteed a sell out" of Sunday's
Ravens-Bears game, "ensuring" that it will be televised.
The station "agreed to purchase any unsold tickets," which
"could cost" it up to $100,000 (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/18).
PAYING THE BILLS: A CBS spokesperson "declined to
comment" on the net's plans for the potential conflict
between Saturday's Jets-Bills game and the House of
Representatives' vote on the impeachment of President
Clinton. In L.A., Stephen Battaglio: "One scenario has the
network sticking with the game while providing updates on
the vote" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 12/18)....Bills Owner Ralph
Wilson bought an "undisclosed amount of remaining tickets,
believed to be a couple of thousand" yesterday, to assure
that Saturday's game won't be blacked-out in the Buffalo
area (Rochester DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 12/18).
FROM THE SIDELINES: ABC Dir of Media Relations Mark
Mandel said that the net will use "an electronic first-down
line" during the January 4 Fiesta Bowl telecast, but it "has
no plans" to use it for "MNF" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/18)
....Fox Exec Producer Ed Goren, on the net's Super Bowl
coverage beginning at 11:00am ET, "more than" seven hours
before kickoff: "Why are we going to a seven-hour pre-game
show? It's very simple. If the sales department can sell
it, we can produce it." Goren also said that Fox will
"employ a computerized first-down marker ... on selected
playoff games." USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke puts Fox's Super
Bowl ad revenue at "a record" $140M (USA TODAY, 12/18).
