AT&T'S POWER PLAY: AT&T "stunned the cable industry
Thursday" in offering $58B in cash and stock for MediaOne --
"potentially unraveling" Comcast's $44.9B all-stock pact to
buy the No. 4 cable operator. If the deal goes through,
AT&T would "become by far the biggest cable operator" (USA
TODAY, 4/23)....In Atlanta, Prentis Rogers writes that
MediaOne upset some viewers in the Atlanta area in losing
coverage of Wednesday's Braves game on Fox Sports South.
Because FSS shares channel space with C-Span2 in "several
areas, an automatic switch at 2:30am wiped out most" of the
Braves seven-run 12th inning rally against the Dodgers
Wednesday night (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/23).
SAME KEITH, TOO MANY ADS? On Long Island, Steve Zipay
writes on Fox Sports' promotional campaign around Keith
Olbermann: "Irritating on TV (Jeez, there he is again!) and
downright ridiculous when his giant face appears on an
outfield fence. We like Olbermann's depth and twisted
style, but this Fox hype is suffocating" (NEWSDAY, 4/23).
PEOPLE: SI Presents has published a special issue
commemorating the career of Wayne Gretzky with a limited
press run of over 340,000 copies. The 100-page edition will
be sold throughout the U.S. and Canada for $6.95 (C$8.95)
beginning today (SI)....NBC and The Sporting News are co-
producing a 90-minute TV special entitled, "Baseball's 100
Greatest Players" that will air tomorrow at 4:30pm ET hosted
by Bob Costas. Features on the special are also available on
www.sportingnews.com and www.msnbc.com and are sponsored by
Kodak, Honda and Konami (MEDIA CENTRAL, 4/21).
HBO: USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand writes that, "as HBO
continues to replay" "Real Sports," NASCAR "keeps taking it
on the chin." While a segment "explores the idea that
NASCAR's culture is inhospitable to blacks," Hiestand writes
that the "evidence presented is ancedotal and seems trying
to make a case rather than stick to any formulaic balance.
So the case isn't made completely: But it's compelling."
NASCAR's John Griffin, on the report: "It's not worth
getting into" (USA TODAY, 4/23)....In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley
notes "Real Sports" won a Sports Emmy on Wednesday, and
writes, "HBO has found a nice rhythm and a good form with
`Real Sports.' The show's mix of stories, its menu, is a
consistent strength" (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/22).
