The PBA has "canceled its three-year [TV] agreement
with CBS after two years," according to Jason Butler of the
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. SFX Entertainment VP Mike Trager,
whose company represents the PBA, said that ESPN will "take
over the vast majority" of the PBA Tour in 2000. Trager
added "it wasn't CBS that made the decision," but that the
PBA "opted not to continue the arrangement, under which it
bought air time" from CBS "for $150,000 an hour and then
sold its own" ads. PBA Commissioner Mark Gerberich said
that the decision "was based on a drop-off in advertising
revenue" for this year's CBS-televised events. Gerberich:
"We had a shortfall on CBS from a cash standpoint, and we're
looking at all of our options at this point." The 10
Spring/Summer PBA events on CBS averaged a 1.3, down from
last year's 1.6 and '97's 1.9 on ABC. Meanwhile, the Winter
Tour on ESPN averaged a 1.1, "with which the cable network
and the PBA are pleased." Butler adds that "financial
difficulties" have also "given rise to speculation that an
outside party will take over ownership" of the PBA, and "one
entity rumored to be interested" is ESPN. Trager: "I think
they're working toward that, and within reason, it would
appear that it's not unrealistic" (A.B. JOURNAL, 7/14).
