MCANDREWS OUT AT ABC: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes
that ABC Sports Exec VP/GM Brian McAndrews "is out," and an
ABC/ESPN exec is "expected to be named president of ABC
Sports." Among the candidates: ESPN's Howard Katz, Steve
Anderson, John Walsh and Jeff Ruhe (USA TODAY, 3/24).
A RATINGS GOAL? MLS's MetroStars-Fusion season opener
on ESPN2 drew a .4 Nielsen rating. MLS Commissioner Doug
Logan said the rating is the same as last year's opener: "It
is a 7 percent increase in the number of households, which
increased about 16,000. It is almost identical to the
opening game for the NHL on ESPN2, which was a Boston at
Colorado game on Oct. 14" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 3/24).
NOTES: ESPN and the GO Network will produce
"Sportsfigures," a series of videotapes which will teach
math and physics to high school students using sports themes
and personalities (WASHINGTON POST, 3/24). ESPN will
distribute the series to all 18,000 high schools across the
country and will also air the series commercial-free on
ESPN2 (USA TODAY)....ESPN runs a full page ad in USA TODAY
promoting its inaugural coverage on Saturday of the
"Wheaties Open," which was the second stop on the '99
WalMart FLW Tour and was taped back in February (THE DAILY).
