TV MONITOR: Last night's 11:00pm ET editions of
CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight," ESPN's "SportsCenter" and FSN's
"Primetime" (Fox Sports Net South) all led with Reds-Astros,
followed by Braves-Mets. The first non-MLB story on "Sports
Tonight," "SportsCenter" and "Primetime," at 7:03, 10:51 and
10:18 respectively, was an update on 49ers QB Steve Young.
NOTES: ABC named John Davidson as John Saunders' studio
partner for NHL games this season. Gary Thorne and Bill
Clement will be ABC's top NHL broadcast team (Mult., 9/29).
...USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that the $10M-a-year
deal to televise the Triple Crown "no longer will include"
the $2.5-3M contributed by title sponsor Visa, which will
have a separate contract. Pilson Communications President
Neal Pilson "favors" ABC to keep the package because of its
"long relationship" with the event (USA TODAY, 9/29).
..Sunday's Falcons-Rams game drew a 12.9 local rating on
WAGA-Fox in Atlanta, "about half the viewership" of the
team's season opener against the Vikings (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 9/29)....Sunday's Browns-Ravens game earned a
17.3 local rating in Cleveland, which was down from the 23.1
for the Browns-Titans game the previous week. This decrease
was partly "due" to Sunday's Indians-Blue Jays game, which
earned a 7.8, and the Ryder Cup, which earned a 7.0 (PLAIN
DEALER, 9/28)....ESPN2 has "declined to renew its contract"
for the NASCAR Winter Heat series at Tucson Raceway Park.
ESPN2 has televised six Winter Heat races in December and
January each of the last four years (AZ DAILY STAR, 9/29).
