TV MONITOR: Last night's 10:00pm ET 60-minute edition
of FSN's "National Sports Report" led with a report that
Spurs F Tim Duncan will remain in San Antonio, followed by
76ers coach Larry Brown and Bucks coach George Karl removing
themselves from consideration for the men's basketball
coaching position at the Univ. of NC. "NSR" reported on
MLB's "Home Run Derby" at 5:18 into the broadcast and "NSR"
had 19:10 of total All-Star coverage. Last night's 11:00pm
ET 30-minute edition of CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight" led with
the "Home Run Derby," followed by a report on Duncan.
"Sports Tonight" had 10:40 of total All-Star coverage. Last
night's 11:00pm ET (late due to the "Home Run Derby") 60-
minute edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter" led with the "Home
Run Derby," followed by Cowboys WR Michael Irvin announcing
his retirement from the NFL. "SportsCenter" had 35:09 of
total All-Star coverage (THE DAILY).
WIMBLEDON: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes that NBC's
5.0 overnight rating for the men's Wimbledon final Sunday,
which had a rain-delay, was "solid," but it was still 11%
below last year's 5.6 overnight Sunday rating, which
included both men's and women's finals, which had been
postponed from Saturday due to rain (USA TODAY, 7/11). The
AP's Howard Fendrich reports that NBC averaged a 3.7
overnight rating for its nine days of Wimbledon coverage, up
12% from last year's 3.3 overnight rating (AP, 7/11).
PEOPLE: HBO execs said that Dennis Miller "will be free
to plug his HBO talk show this fall" in the "MNF" booth.
The "cross-promotional consideration was worked out as a
condition" of HBO "giving its blessing" to ABC hiring
Miller. But an ABC Sports spokesperson said that the
"plugging would [be] confined to identifying Miller as an
HBO personality," which the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER writes is "a
move still likely to raise eyebrows" among ABC's affils
(HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/11)....Boomer Esiason said that he
recently received an offer to return to broadcasting that is
"too good to turn down." Esiason said that a formal
announcement on the job "would be made next week." Esiason:
"It's a high-profile job, and it's something that has to do
with the broadcast of NFL games" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 7/10).
NOTES: In Boston, Jim Baker reports that TNN "managed
only a 1.9" cable rating for Sunday's Thatlook.com 300
(BOSTON HERALD, 7/11)....In Dallas, Barry Horn, noting there
is a segment on FSN's "Regional Sports Report" called "Rip
on a rival": "There is no need for shameless, root-root-
rooting for the home team." Horn adds that the show "is
designed to allow weekday anchors Spencer Tillman and Keith
Lebowitz schmooze between delivering the news. But
chemistry doesn't come out of a bottle nor is it instant.
It needs time to develop" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/11).
