Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said that it "looks like CBS will continue broadcasting the C-USA men's basketball championship game" despite the league having a "primary television agreement with Fox Sports Media Group and a secondary agreement with CBS Sports Network." The game is "typically played on a Saturday morning in March, with the NCAA Tournament selection show broadcast the following night." Banowsky also said that the conference "continues to work on enhancing its digital content, with more games and interviews streamed live online." He added that the conference is "working on bolstering its All-Access digital subscription network run by CBS Sports" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 5/19).
NOT FEELING THE HEAT: AD AGE's Nat Ives reported Skyboxx magazine was "betting on 20 pages of monthly Heat coverage to fuel its national growth," but it has found "less success" than the team this year. The Miami-based founders of The Source and Hip Hop Weekly last August "devoted almost the whole first issue" of Skyboxx to Heat F LeBron James, and they "planned to devote major chunks" of subsequent issues to the Heat. But the magazine "didn't get past issue one." Hip Hop Weekly Associate Publisher Judith Mays said, "The first issue didn't do that well, so we decided to hold off on it" (ADAGE.com, 5/17).
SPLITTING UP: In Charlotte, Jim Utter wrote, "Nothing irritates fans more than having the NASCAR broadcast they are watching interrupted by commercials or missing a lead change or wreck because a network is in commercial break when it happens. So, it’s easy to understand why many fans are excited this week with news ESPN will utilize some 'split-screen' technology in the second half of Chase for the Sprint Cup races." It can "make it easier and more entertaining for those trying to follow racing." However, it "doesn’t affect competition, it doesn’t produce surprise race winners and it doesn’t help Dale Earnhardt Jr. end his winless streak" (THATSRACIN.com, 5/18).
KNOCK THREE TIMES: Broncos Exec Dir of Media Relations Patrick Smyth said that the team "can be counted out as a possible candidate to appear on HBO's 'Hard Knocks' this summer." The Buccaneers "turned down the show this week" (ESPN.com, 5/18). ESPN's Darren Woodson said he wanted to see the Steelers on the show because "their training camps are always a struggle." ESPN's Marcellus Wiley suggested the Lions, because "everyone has such expectations of them doing great things this year." Wiley: "And Ndamukong Suh showing Nick Fairley the ropes, I would love to see that" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 5/18).
