The "lure" of Ascent Entertainment Group's On Command
unit "could prompt" EchoStar Communications to top AT&T's
Liberty Media Corp.'s $755M bid for Ascent, according to
analysts cited by Jennifer Beauprez of the DENVER POST.
Analysts said EchoStar is an "ideal suitor" (DENVER POST,
2/26). Meanwhile, the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Kaplan &
Mullen report that Liberty Media "may need to persuade the
NBA and NHL to waive, at least temporarily, their multiple
team ownership prohibitions," which could block Liberty's
purchase. Liberty owns 9% of Time Warner, which owns the
Hawks and Thrashers. In addition, AT&T Corp., which
controls "most" of Liberty Media, owns 46% of the common
stock of Cablevision Systems, the "controlling owner" of the
Knicks and Rangers, and Liberty owns 8% of News Corp., which
through its Fox division owns 40% of Regional Programming
Partners, the subsidiary which directly controls the Knicks
and Rangers (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/28 issue).
THE NEW DON IN DENVER: In Denver, Steve Raabe profiled
new Ascent Sports President Don Elliman, who was brought on
to bring "some stability to a disrupted organization."
Former Ascent Board Member Peter Barton: "The whole place
had been in disarray after [Donald's Sturm's failed] deal.
Budgetary things were being run by amateurs, the players
were grumbling, the GMs were grumbling. But Don's been able
to organize things almost instantly. Everybody's been
showing up for work, and everything's working the way it's
supposed to be." Elliman: "My primary job here is to have
us in a position so that a deal can be done. Then, if a new
owner comes in, and if I like them and they like me, we'll
see what happens" (DENVER POST, 2/27).
