ABC Sports presented its talent lineup for "Monday
Night Football" yesterday, with "MNF" Exec Producer Don
Ohlmeyer announcing that comedian Dennis Miller will join
former Chargers QB Dan Fouts and host Al Michaels in the
booth. Miller has previously appeared on NBC's "Saturday
Night Live" and currently hosts HBO's "Dennis Miller Live."
Meanwhile, "MNF" sideline reporters will be ESPN's Melissa
Stark and former NFL RB Eric Dickerson (THE DAILY).
TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED: Ohlmeyer was interviewed
on ESPN about his decision: "What we're trying to do is do a
telecast that's relevant to the hardcore football fan,
accessible to the occasional football fan and unpredictable
to both. We feel like, if we do that, more people hopefully
will tune in and stay tuned longer. I think you have to
start with a good product and hope that the people come and
find it." ESPN's Bob Ley asked Ohlmeyer if ABC plans to
move the "cross-promotion, that commercial clutter, out of
the way" to create "more room" for the three-man booth.
Ohlmeyer: "Yes, we are going to try and streamline, but this
is a commercial broadcast and what pays the NFL rights fees
and all of our salaries are the commercials" (ESPN, 6/22).
Ohlmeyer said that he will "push the booth and sideline
teams to create a more free-flowing telecast, altering the
standard rhythm of a football game." Ohlmeyer called the
team a "work in progress." Ohlmeyer: "You can't manufacture
chemistry. It takes time." Ohlmeyer, on last year's "MNF"
production: "I didn't enjoy watching it last year as a fan.
What I'm trying to do is make sure that regardless of the
score, people want to watch" (THE DAILY).
A STARK COMPARISON: ESPN's Bob Ley noted that ABC
Sports is currently facing an age discrimination lawsuit
from Donna de Varona (see THE DAILY 5/8) and asked Ohlmeyer
if he was "concerned about appearances" in replacing the 46-
year-old Lesley Visser with the 26-year-old Stark.
Ohlmeyer: "No. My mission was to put together the best
broadcast team possible and that included the announcers'
booth and the field reporters. I feel with Eric Dickerson
and Melissa Stark we're going to have the best of a number
of different worlds on the field. I think Lesley is an
accomplished broadcaster and I have a great deal of respect
for her. In mixing and matching the different
responsibilities of the announcers as I saw it, I felt that
this was the best team we could go forward with" (ESPN,
6/22). Ohlmeyer, asked if the Stark-for-Visser move
"smacks of age discrimination," said, "It's hard to disprove
a negative." The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Michele Greppi
reports that Visser "is said to be a couple of weeks away
from deciding whether to stay with ABC Sports, where two
years remain on her contract." ABC Sports President Howard
Katz, on the dropping of Visser: "This does not reflect
negatively on Lesley. I hope and assume she's going to
continue with ABC Sports" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/23). In
Boston, Jim Baker writes that Ohlmeyer gave a "fumbling
reply" to the age discrimination question (BOSTON HERALD,
6/23). Katz: "This does not reflect negatively on Lesley"
(MIAMI HERALD, 6/23). In L.A., Larry Stewart cites an ABC
source as saying that Visser's recent miscue during her
interview of horse Owner Bob and Beverly Lewis at the
Belmont Stakes did not affect her role (L.A. TIMES, 6/23).
STILL MAY RUSH THE BALL: Ohlmeyer said that while radio
talk show host Rush Limbaugh was considered for the post,
Ohlmeyer was concerned about Limbaugh's time commitments.
But Ohlmeyer "didn't rule out" having Limbaugh "doing a
couple of guest appearances" (DAILY VARIETY, 6/23).
