MEDIA NOTES

          TV MONITOR: ESPN's "SportsCenter," which aired on ESPN2
     due to an MLB doubleheader on ESPN, led with Astros-Reds,
     followed by Cubs-Pirates.  Last night's 11:00pm ET edition
     of "Fox Sports News Primetime" (Fox Sports Net South) led
     with Expos-Mets, followed by Marlins-Braves.  CNN/SI's
     "Sports Tonight" led with Cardinals P Jose Jimenez pitching
     a two-hit shutout against the D'Backs, followed by Astros-
     Reds (THE DAILY).
          NOTES: ESPN's telecast of last Thursday's Germany-U.S.
     Women's World Cup (WWC) quarterfinal match pulled a 2.19
     rating, the "highest for the tournament so far, and a number
     representing approximately 1.67 million households."  Also,
     ESPN2's broadcast of the U.S.-North Korea match on June 27
     earned a 1.96, making it "the most-watched soccer telecast
     on ESPN2 and the network's fifth most-watched telecast
     behind" a '98 Duke-UNC basketball game and three NASCAR
     events (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/5).  USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand
     reports that 32% of ESPN's viewership for the WWC is women,
     which "isn't far from the" '94 men's World Cup, whose
     audience was 28% female.  Hiestand adds that "getting the
     huge crowds of women to regularly huddle around their TV
     sets for sports will be much trickier" (USA TODAY, 7/6).  In
     Boston, Jim Baker predicted the "popularity" of the WWC
     "will continue to spiral into Saturday's ABC title match
     from the Rose Bowl" (BOSTON HERALD, 7/5).  
          MORE NOTES: In N.Y., Bob Raissman, on NBC Sports Chair
     Dick Ebersol rehiring Marv Albert and making it "clear" that
     Albert "would not be the No. 1 voice of the NBA on NBC": "If
     Ebersol threw out the politics, and judged this thing purely
     on play-by-play performance, he would make Albert NBC's No.
     1 NBA voice.  But in the strange world of network jive and
     double talk, being the best ain't always enough" (N.Y. DAILY
     NEWS, 7/4)....KTLA-WB's broadcasts of Dodgers games in the
     L.A. area are averaging a 4.4 Nielsen rating, compared to
     last year's 3.9.  Meanwhile, Dodgers games on Fox Sports
     West 2 are averaging a 2.4 through 38 games, up from last
     year's 1.7 through 40 games (L.A. BUSINESS JOURNAL,
     7/5)....NBC announcer John McEnroe, on the last-minute
     pullout of mixed-doubles partner Steffi Graf to focus on her
     singles titles appearance: "I felt like it was my first
     marriage.  I was the last to find out" (USA TODAY, 7/6).