Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh (FSNP) "has offered to put up
a considerable amount of money in an attempt to join forces"
with Mario Lemieux in his bid to lead the Penguins out of
bankruptcy, according to Zurawsky & Brown of the Pittsburgh
TRIBUNE-REVIEW. FSPN reps met with Lemieux and a court-
appointed mediator yesterday to try and reach a deal that
would "preserve the company's contract with the team." Any
deal "would signal a dramatic turnaround from events earlier
in the day," as Lemieux's most recent reorganization plan
proposed to end the team's TV deal with FSNP. Meanwhile,
FSNP filed an action in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court
seeking an injunction "against a cable company that
reportedly is talking with Lemieux about joining his
investment team." The motion names Armstrong Utilities,
Armstrong Holdings, Armstrong Cable and William Craig. The
motion "specifically" asks that Craig, a former FSNP exec,
be "enjoined from providing confidential information to the
cable company." The motion also "seeks to prevent the cable
company from bidding for the contract to televise Penguins
games based on such information." In other news yesterday,
Bank of America -- "which holds secured claims of more than"
$18.5M -- filed an objection in bankruptcy court against the
Fox/SMG plan, calling it "nothing more than a paper monument
to a failed negotiation strategy" (TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 6/22).
SMG FILES APPEAL: SMG appealed U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Judge Bernard Markovitz's ruling on Friday that said the
"firm never had a lease" with the Penguins and, instead, had
"loaned the franchise" $24M nine years ago (PITTSBURGH POST-
GAZETTE, 6/22).....Also in Pittsburgh, Barbara Vancheri
offers an analysis of what would happen if Penguins games
were taken off FSNP for a local TV carrier, possibly
Armstrong Cable Services. Vancheri wonders, "Who would see
the games?" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/22).
