GIVING BACK FUND: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Langdon
Brockinton writes that the NFL has given its clubs "local
broadcast sales rights to their respective team highlights
shows." The new "revenue-generating opportunity" will allow
clubs to sell its annual highlights shows to a TV station in
its market or buy programming time for the show from a local
station and "in turn, control the program's advertising
inventory" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/29 issue).
CRITICS CORNER: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick notes NBC golf
analyst Johnny Miller calling a club used by Tiger Woods
after a long drive a "gorilla iron." Mushnick: "Miller's
laudatory comment should and must be condemned as racially
insensitive ... Miller and NBC owe Woods and all African-
Americans an apology" (N.Y. POST, 3/29)....In D.C., Lisa de
Moraes writes that NBC viewers "are stuck with" the Olympic
logo on NBC programming "for the next decade, though
marketing honchos at other networks are still hoping a
viewer uprising will force NBC to take it off." One
industry exec: "Everyone enjoys Christmas, but we don't want
the tree up in our house all year long" (WASHINGTON POST,
3/29)....In DC, Leonard Shapiro on SI's Rick Reilly in a
Miller ad: "What amazes me is that Reilly apparently had
permission from his superiors to do the commercial. ...
Working journalists don't pitch products" (W. POST, 3/27).
