In Minneapolis, Joe Christensen cited a source as saying that the Twins "have notified Ryan Lefebvre that he won't be replacing John Gordon as the team's radio play-by-play voice." Sources had indicated that Lefebvre was the "favorite to land the job," which he interviewed for last month. Triple-A Int'l League Rochester Red Wings radio voice Josh Whetzel "also has been told that he's out of the running." Other known candidates include current Twins pre- and postgame studio host Kris Atteberry and Brewers broadcaster Cory Provus, but it is "unclear which person the Twins plan to hire" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 11/1).
SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION: In Boston, Chad Finn notes the October Arbitron numbers, covering the period of Sept. 15-Oct. 12, marked WEEI-AM's "first full month of simulcasting on 93.7 FM." WEEI "finished third overall in the October monthly with a 7.5 share among men 25-54, up from a 4.6 (9th) in September." The Sports Hub WBZ-FM "was first (9.9, up from 8.2 last month), with WZLX second (8.4)." The Sports Hub "continued to produce outstanding ratings; its programming finished first in morning drive, middays, and afternoon drive among men 25-54 as well as among men 18-49 and 18-34." But WEEI "was first in the 7 p.m.-midnight window, while the Sports Hub was 10th." And WEEI's ratings "improved significantly from September across the board among men 25-54." Finn writes it is fair to say the outlook is "still excellent for The Sports Hub, while the decision to move to FM is already showing signs of being a tremendously effective one for WEEI" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/2).
MAJOR CUTS: In London, Jonathan Liew reported BBC Sport "has been ordered to trim 15 per cent from its budget, around [US$1.1B], and already the cuts have begun to singe." Liew wrote in hindsight, the BBC’s "decision to purchase exclusive rights to Formula One, made in early 2008, a few months before the start of the economic crisis, looks like hubristic folly of the most counterproductive kind" (London TELEGRAPH, 10/31).
INCREASED EXPOSURE: YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole noted the promotion the UFC "was getting Sunday during Fox’s NFL broadcasts is yet another example of why the deal" with Fox is so important. Iole added, "Expect the UFC to have a huge growth spurt in the second half of 2012 after a couple of events have appeared on Fox" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/1).
