E! Network yesterday said that Gold Medal-winning U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte will “get his own reality television series as he trains with one eye on the 2016 Summer Games and another looking for love.” The net's “What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" will premiere in April and document Lochte's "late nights clubbing and early mornings training in the pool all while building a fashion line” (REUTERS, 1/7).
PLAYOFF PAYOFF: TOM TAYLOR NOW wrote the NHL “certainly overexpanded and is stuck with franchises that lose money and just don’t make economic sense.” But hockey “still moves the needle" on radio stations in some local markets "like Detroit and Buffalo.” The “really important thing, short-term, is that there will be a post-season.” For many radio stations, “that’s the real money maker” (TOM TAYLOR NOW, 1/7 issue).
SOCIAL MAMBA: USA TODAY’s David Leon Moore noted by Lakers G Kobe Bryant’s fourth day on Twitter, he “already had more than 588,000 followers,” which amounts to “almost 40,000 followers for each of Bryant’s tweets.” Lakers VP/PR John Black said that the team had “nothing to do with Bryant joining up." Bryant yesterday said that he "just felt it was time he got more social.” Bryant: “I think it's a fun platform to be a part of where you don't have any filter. You can respond to fans and communicate with them directly.” Bryant said that “it’s not an aide doing his tweeting” (USATODAY.com, 1/7).
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A...: In Boston, Shanahan & Goldstein note Texans RB Arian Foster “apparently didn’t like what Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote Sunday about the Patriots’ next opponent.” Shaughnessy wrote in part, “The planets are aligned and the tomato cans are in place. The fraudulent Houston Texans are the only team standing between the New England Patriots and a trip to the AFC Championship game. All the Patriots have to do is beat the terrible Texans.” Foster in response “made the column his Twitter profile photo.” Shaughnessy yesterday wrote on his Twitter feed, “hey @arianfoster -- Loving the avatar. Bring your A game to Foxboro on Sunday” (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/8).
