In N.Y., Richard Sandomir examines the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package and notes despite "having increased" the value of the package, "there is no guarantee" CBS will get it again in '15. CBS has averaged 13.4 million viewers for its portion of the four games to date, while NFL Network has added 2.8 million, which "suggests that 6.7 million viewers who watched games on the NFL Network last year have migrated to CBS." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said, "What we’ve done in terms of promotion and branding will be important going forward. So I’m not necessarily looking for a price break, but I think the NFL will factor in being on the No. 1 network and the No. 1 network in prime time" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/9).
DIALING UP WINE & GOLD: In Cleveland, Kevin Kleps reported a "new multiyear contract" between the Cavaliers and iHeart Media will have the team's games "broadcast on both an AM and FM station this season." Cavs games will air on both WTAM-AM and WMMS-FM, making them "one of only five NBA teams" on both AM and FM, joining the Heat, Suns, Trail Blazers and Jazz. Play-by-play broadcaster John Michael "will continue to be teamed with analyst and former Cavalier Jim Chones on the radio broadcasts" (CRAINSCLEVELAND.com, 10/8).
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS: ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported Saturday's Carlos Molina-Cornelius Bundrage boxing match from Cancun will air on ESPN Deportes "thanks to a deal the network made with Molina promoter Leon Margules for the U.S. broadcast rights." An English-language broadcast live-streamed on ESPN3 will "simulcast the broadcast from BoxNation" in the U.K. (ESPN.com, 10/7).
PEOPLE & PERSONALITIES: CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel "will start" as the Indianapolis Star's new sports columnist on Oct. 20 (INDYSTAR.com, 10/8)....Fox NASCAR analyst Steve Byrnes is "taking an indefinite medical leave of absence, effective immediately, to focus on his health after receiving news he has suffered a recurrence of cancer." He was "diagnosed and successfully treated for head-and-neck cancer in late 2013" (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/8)....The Chicago Daily Herald's Blackhawks coverage for the "first time in 26 years" will be without Tim Sassone, who passed away last spring. The beat will be shared by Mike Spellman and John Dietz (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 10/9)....Denver Post Avalanche beat writer Adrian Dater "has been suspended for two weeks without pay for inappropriate language on Twitter." The suspension, "effective immediately, followed a number of exchanges with users on Oct. 4 and 5" (DENVERPOST.com, 10/7).
