Media Notes

Ohio State Attempting To Determine Value Of Its Marketing And Media Rights

SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Michael Smith reports Ohio State Univ. (OSU) is working with Navigate Marketing, Chicago, to determine a value for the school's marketing and media rights, which "could be out-sourced through a request for proposal later this year." Not all of OSU's media would be included "because their radio rights are held by the Columbus-based Dispatch Broadcast Group for another seven years," and the Big Ten Network owns the school's local TV rights. OSU's rights are "believed to be among the most valuable in the country, even without the radio and local TV rights" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/28 issue).

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: With Cablevision Systems Corp. yesterday completing its $650M acquisition of Newsday Media Group from the Tribune Co., Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge said that Newsday "will maintain its editorial independence ... including in its coverage of Cablevision." Rutledge said of the notion of the paper critically covering Cablevision and its sports properties, "We'll have to get used to it" (NEWSDAY, 7/30).

DEAD AIR: In Denver, Dusty Saunders notes the five-year deal between Altitude Sports & Entertainment, owned by Kroenke Sports Enterprises Owner Stan Kroenke, and the Lincoln Financial Sports Group, which operates KKFN-FM, expired in the spring, leaving the Nuggets and Avalanche without local radio coverage. Lincoln Local VP & GM Bob Call yesterday said that early negotiations "ended after Altitude executives indicated they wanted to pursue deals to buy a radio station." Saunders notes Kroenke reportedly "wants to buy and operate one or two radio stations in the Denver market" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/30).

PASS INTERFERENCE: In South Carolina, Emerson & Strelow report Univ. of South Carolina (USC) football coach Steve Spurrier yesterday said that someone working for a Clemson Univ. fan Web site "has been mailing recruits and sending them articles about [USC] players having brushes with the law." Spurrier "didn't name the site"; TigerIllustrated.com Publisher Cris Ard and CUTigers.com Publisher Roy Philpott both denied involvement (Columbia STATE, 7/30).