Media Notes

FS Carolinas Broadcast Goes Out For About 20 Minutes During Devils-Hurricanes Game

In Raleigh, Luke DeCock reports Time Warner Cable customers "missed the final few minutes of the first period" of last night's Devils-Hurricanes Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game Six "after the standard-definition FS Carolinas broadcast was replaced by color bars." At approximately 8:10pm ET, the channel "went out for about 20 minutes." The broadcast was "restored late in the first intermission," and there were "no further interruptions." The HD feed "was uninterrupted" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 4/27).

PLAYOFF RATINGS NOTES: CSN Bay Area's telecast of Thursday's Sharks-Ducks Game Four delivered an average 3.2 local rating, with more than 77,400 HHs in the S.F./San Jose market watching the game. Sharks playoff games on the net are averaging a 3.7 rating, up 164% from the 1.4 regular-season average (CSN)....In Dallas, Barry Horn reported the Spurs-Mavericks first-round Western Conference playoff series is "averaging a 10.0 rating locally" in the Dallas market. The series is averaging a 16.5 rating in San Antonio (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/25).

PAY TO PLAY: In L.A., Jill Painter writes Lakers G Kobe Bryant's Web site, KB24.com, is "one of the premier athlete sites around." As a member of Bryant's fan club, you can "win a meet-and-greet" with Bryant or "design a pair of his shoes." There is a "blog, forum and all sorts of good stuff." Bryant also "will post at least once every couple of weeks" on the site. Fans can use these features "all for $49.95," as the "premium content is for paying customers only." Painter: "Wouldn't it be nice if those making millions recognized there are many who can't afford these luxuries anymore" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 4/27).