The PGA Tour announced today a four-year agreement with
CNBC to televise 33 Senior PGA Tour events domestically
beginning in 2001. All "Senior PGA Tour on CNBC" events
will air either live or taped on Saturdays and Sundays from
6:00-8:00pm ET and will be produced by PGA Tour Productions
in association with NBC Sports. Also, PAX TV will carry
early-round coverage on Fridays, from 1:00-3:00pm ET for
tournament play in the ET time zone, and from 2:00-4:00pm ET
when originating in other time zones (CNBC). USA TODAY's
Rudy Martzke reports that ESPN, which has televised the Tour
since '82, has averaged a 0.5 rating this year, down from a
1.4 rating in '90 (USA TODAY, 4/25).
PROFIT AT OUTDOOR: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Steven
Stark reports that the Outdoor Life Network and Speedvision
"will each chalk up" $2-3M in operating profit this year and
$15-20M in 2001. The networks' Founder & CEO Roger Werner
noted that original projections had the networks breaking
even by their fifth year, "and that's exactly what
happened." Last year, both networks lost "about" $15M, down
from twice that the year before. Werner "hopes expanded
programming will enhance" the networks' bottom line and
added that Speedvision "will start publishing Nielsen
ratings by the fourth quarter" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/25).
NEWHART LEAVES VT: In N.Y., Michael Starr reports that
Fox Sports' James Brown will join actors Kelsey Grammer and
Bob Newhart on a "sports-oriented series" called "The Sports
Page" on Showtime set for later this year (N.Y. POST, 4/25).
