TV MONITOR: For the second consecutive night, last
night's 11:00pm ET editions of CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight,"
FSN's "Primetime" (Fox Sports Net NY) and ESPN's
"SportsCenter" all led with A's-Red Sox and followed with
Mariners-Blue Jays. The first non-MLB story on "Sports
Tonight," at 6:27 into the broadcast, was an update on the
condition of NFL Cardinals OL Ernest Dye, who was injured in
a car accident Monday. The first non-MLB story on
"SportsCenter," at 6:33 into the broadcast, was Browns QB
Tim Couch getting the start for the team's pre-season home
opener against the Vikings on Saturday. The first non-MLB
story on "Primetime," at 8:00 into the broadcast, was an
update on the condition of Spurs F Sean Elliott (THE DAILY).
USA GETS SET TO SERVE: BROADCASTING & CABLE's Deborah
McAdams profiles USA Network's upcoming coverage of tennis'
U.S. Open and writes that the "aim is to grab viewers not
usually found watching USA: $100,000-plus income
households." Sources "estimate" that USA's six-year
contract with the USTA is for "around" $17M a year. One
source tells McAdams: "Even with premium advertising rates,
the network probably only breaks even on coverage. You can
look at it as just a giant marketing cost" (B&C, 8/16).
TOUCHDOWN FOR ABC: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Lynette
Rice reports that last week's NFL Hall of Fame Game on ABC,
featuring the Cowboys-Browns, averaged a 3.5/12 rating among
18-49, making it No. 1 in that "key demographic," as well as
among men 18-49 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/18). The game, the
highest-rated show all week, delivered 14.8 million viewers.
In DC, Lisa de Moraes points out to the networks that "you
can do February-sweeps-like numbers in the dead of summer if
you just put on something people want to watch" (WASHINGTON
POST, 8/18)....USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that ABC's
"MNF" halftime highlight show, hosted by Chris Berman, will
be broadcast from N.Y.'s new ESPN Zone (USA TODAY, 8/18).
MORE NOTES: NASCAR's Kyle Petty will take a "behind-
the-scenes look at the finer points of tailgating" on The
Food Network's upcoming special "Kyle Petty: Racetrack
Cuisine." The show airs September 6 at 9:00pm ET (USA
TODAY, 8/18)....In L.A., Larry Stewart wrote on Fantasy
Football on the Web and noted that it has gotten so big that
ESPN has added Sprint as the title sponsor this year (L.A.
TIMES, 8/17)....Bally Total Fitness was "expected to
announce" yesterday an online and in-club marketing
partnership with eFit, a start-up Internet health and
fitness network. Bally "plans to use original content" from
eFit to "bolster the information portion of its own Web
site, where Bally sells memberships and nutritional
supplements" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/17).
