MULTICHANNEL NEWS' R. Thomas Umstead reports that
Adelphia Communications Corp. is working on a "state-of-the-
art" building to be located in Buffalo, NY, which would
include its Empire Sports Network and the Sabres, which
Adelphia owns. This mirrors the Cablevision/Devils
development plan in Hoboken, which includes "an advanced
sports, communications and entertainment center"
(MULTICHANNEL NEWS, 5/24 issue)....CBS hired analyst Todd
Blackledge "away from ABC and ESPN," and Blackledge will be
paired with Sean McDonough on CBS' No. 1 college football
team (USA TODAY, 5/26)....ABC will use Panasonic's high-
definition equipment to broadcast 17 "MNF" games this
season, along with a Wild Card game and the Super Bowl. In
exchange, Panasonic will receive an on-screen message during
each game as well as free advertising time during the high-
definition programming (N.Y. TIMES, 5/26).
NBA: In L.A., Scott Moe reviewed NBA playoff coverage
on NBA.com and wrote that the site offers a "lot more than
just information." Moe wrote that "the great thing" is that
NBA players "not only answer selected e-mails, but the names
of those who asked the question are also shown" (L.A. TIMES,
5/25)....In Portland, Dwight Jaynes wrote under the header,
"Is It Time For Blazers To End TV Blackouts?" Jaynes: "If
the Blazers are the second-richest team in pro basketball,
as a recent study indicated, why wouldn't they bow to the
continuing pressure and just put the game on? Just about
all the teams these days are doing it. I'm getting tired of
the whining about it, either way" (OREGONIAN, 5/25)....In
Denver, Woody Paige writes, "The NBA playoffs are not
fantastic. Since the [lockout], the league has become a
boring pickup game with stiffs and slugs." Paige is hoping
for a Pacers-Spurs final: "NBC deserves that matchup. Can
there be minus TV ratings?" (DENVER POST, 5/26).
