Media Notes

Media analysts believe that the Big East "may get as much as $460 million for multiyear television contracts to its college basketball and football games." The Big East's six-year, $200M contract with ESPN "runs through the end of the 2012 season." RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank said that the conference "may get an increase close" to the 230% the ACC received when Fox and ESPN "got in a bidding war" last year. In the end, the ACC increased its annual rights fee from almost $67M to $155M under a new deal with ESPN (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/9).

THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Outdoor Channel picked up the re-air rights to "The Bassmasters," which includes the "Bassmaster Classic" and "Bassmaster Elite Series" tournaments. Episodes will debut on March 28, about 30 days after they originally are telecast on ESPN2. Outdoor Channel is committed to run 26 weeks of programming from this deal, which also includes episodes from last year (John Ourand, THE DAILY).

MEDIA BLACKOUT: Heat G Dwyane Wade and his teammates have "avoided the airwaves with the Heat being such a hot topic" since coach Erik Spoelstra revealed to the media that some players cried after losing to the Bulls on Sunday. Wade said that he "hasn't watched any sports channels or read newspapers since Sunday," adding he "went as far as telling anyone at his house to avoid turning the television to ESPN." Wade: "The only thing I found out was Chris Paul got injured the other night and I reached out to my friend. Besides that, I totally have not watched anything" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 3/9).

RADIO PERSONALITY SUSPENDED: In Chicago, Lewis Lazare cites sources as saying that Harry Teinowitz has been "suspended for the rest of the week" at ESPN Radio 1000 Chicago. Teinowitz on Friday night was "charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/10).