TV MONITOR: Last night's 11:00pm ET edition of ESPN's
"SportsCenter" led with the Brewers-Indians, followed by
A's-Padres. "SportsCenter" reported on Game Two of the
Sabres-Stars (in progress) 16 minutes into the broadcast.
FSN's "FSN Primetime" (Fox Sports South) led with Brewers-
Indians, followed by A's-Padres. FSN "Primetime" noted the
Sabres-Stars score three minutes into the broadcast.
CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight" led with Brewers-Indians, followed
by A's-Padres. "Sports Tonight" reported on the Sabres-
Stars game 19 minutes into its broadcast (THE DAILY).
THE TIDE IS TURNER: ESPN college football analyst Lee
Corso said that the NBC/Turner pro football league, with a
"working name of Fans Football League," is "far from dead."
Corso: "Now that NBC isn't for sale, we're told it's moving
along faster" (USA TODAY, 6/11). Turner is set to launch a
yet-to-be-named cable channel "early next year" aimed at
women. The channel will feature news, information and how-
to shows based partly on Time Warner publications In Style,
Parenting and Cooking Light and will "also draw" on its
partnership with Conde Nast (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/11).
NCAA: Jefferson-Pilot Sports has extended its TV deal
with the SEC through the '08-09 academic year for football
and basketball (JP). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes that
ESPN's extension with the SEC was an eight-year, $130M deal.
Martkze adds that ISL, bidding for the rights to a 16-team
NCAA football playoff, "also has expressed an interest" in
the NCAA men's basketball tournament (USA TODAY, 6/11).
NOTES: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports that ESPN
Classic is "planning a weeknight series similar" to A&E's
"Biography" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/11)....SPEEDNET's Bill Koenig
writes that "even though" Fox Sports Net is a "lame duck" in
its IRL deal, FSN Midwest plans to market the IRL "heavily"
and show "at least" four IRL races live. FSNMW spokesperson
Greg Phillips: "It's not going to change our stance. We
know how important it (IRL) is" (SPEEDNET, 6/11)....In CABLE
WORLD, Mike Reynolds examines NASCAR consolidating its TV
rights package and forecasts what the market could bring.
NASCAR "anticipates laying the whole schematic" of what will
be offered to networks by August, and NASCAR execs hope to
have a deal by April or May of 2000. Reynolds writes that
one "wild card" to consider is the legal dispute between
ESPN and MLB. If that deal is terminated, it could "lead to
a revved-up bid from the ESPN/ABC team" (CABLE WORLD, 6/7).
..The NFL and PolyGram Video announced a new long-term deal
granting PolyGram Video exclusive rights to NFL home video
programming within the US and Canada (PolyGram Video)..
...ESPN Magazine was awarded the "Gold Circulation
Excellence Award" for '98 consumer magazine launches by the
industry magazine Circulation Management. Circulation execs
from top publishing companies judged the awards (ESPN).