| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, January 15, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| • | After 24 Years Of Service, SI Managing Editor Bill Colson To Step Down |
| • | Surf's Up: FOXSPORTS.com, Lycos Enter Content-Sharing Alliance For Web |
| • | Olympic Hockey Coach Herb Brooks Honored With Distinctive Award |
| • | Widening Differences In Football Spending A Concern At NCAA Convention |
| • | Ventura Continues To Speak Out Against MN's Olympic Torch Snub |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/TV Monitor/Laugh Track/Final Jeopardy! |
SI EDITOR COLSON TO RESIGN FOLLOWING WINTER GAMES
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that Sports Illustrated Managing Editor Bill Colson "stepped down after running into disagreements with the company's top brass about the magazine's future direction." Colson, 51, will resign "at the end of the Winter Olympics late next month. He has been Sports Illustrated's top editor since 1996 and has worked for the magazine for 24 years" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/15).
FOXSPORTS.COM ENTERS MARKETING AGREEMENT WITH LYCOS
The BOSTON GLOBE reports Waltham, MA-based Terra Lycos and FOXSPORTS.com "will announce today an alliance that integrates their content, sales and marketing resources." The deal means FoxSports.com "becomes part of the Lycos.com home page, and its content will be integrated throughout the Lycos Network." Lycos VP/Marketing Steve Fund, on the partnership: "We really think this combination will help users break through the clutter and make Terra Lycos the premier sports destination on the Web" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/15).
OLYMPIC COACH BROOKS TO JOIN HOCKEY'S ELITE AT LUNCHEON
The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports that U.S. Olympic men's hockey coach Herb Brooks is one of this year's Lester Patrick Award winners, and he "joins Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe among previous Patrick winners at a sold-out $125-a-plate luncheon today at RiverCentre" in St. Paul. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is also scheduled to attend the luncheon (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/15).
NCAA CONVENTION WRAPS, DATA SHOWS FOOTBALL GAP WIDENING
The NCAA's 96th annual convention concluded yesterday in Indianapolis, and the INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that figures distributed yesterday from '99 show "enormous differences in revenues and spending between the top and bottom" of Div. I-A football programs. Schools in the top quartile averaged $21.52M in football revenues and $10.23M in expenses, compared to $1.58M in revenue and $2.36M in expenses for the bottom. Univ. of TX AD/Football Issues Committee Chair DeLoss Dodds: "It appears that the gap is widening" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/15).
GOV. VENTURA STILL ASKING WHY OLYMPIC TORCH AVOIDED MN
MN Gov. Jesse Ventura appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" last night, and discussed the Olympic torch not passing through his state: "I don't like it all, because it would be one thing, maybe, if it was the Summer Olympics. But why does the torch need to go through (TX), southern (CA), (FL), (AL) and all of these states for the Winter Olympics, and yet you would skip (MN). ... Imagine if (MN) athletes decided to skip the Winter Olympics for the same reason." Ventura wrote an "official letter" to the USOC and received "a nice little standard conciliatory form letter back that told me how important (MN) was ... but it didn't do anything for our ego up here" ("Larry King Live," CNN, 1/14).
CUBAN FOLLOWS THROUGH ON PROMISE, TO WORK AT DAIRY QUEEN
ESPN.com reported that Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban is "scheduled to be behind the counter of the Coppell, Texas, Dairy Queen for 90 minutes on Wednesday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT." Prior to his counter work, Cuban will undergo "a quick, crash-course training session before taking orders for fast food and frozen treats during the store's lunch-time crunch." In a show of support for Cuban, "the 15 employees of the store will be wearing Dallas Mavericks shirts and hats," but Cuban will wear "a Dairy Queen shirt with the name 'Tony' embroidered on it" (ESPN.com, 1/14).
FILM DIRECTOR DEMME DIES DURING NBA ENTERTAIMENT GAME
Director/Producer Ted Demme ("Blow," "Yo! MTV Raps") "died Sunday afternoon after collapsing during a charity basketball game." He was 38. Demme was "rushed to Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center after collapsing during the NBA Entertainment League celebrity game." The cause of death has not been determined (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 1/15).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The N.Y. DAILY NEWS' Mike Lupica, on the NBA's relatively-tame three-game suspension of Lakers C Shaquille O'Neal for fighting with Bulls C Brad Miller on Saturday night: "David Stern is a great sports commissioner, no one would even argue that. But just about every time he turns into Law 'N Order Stern, he turns into a sitcom sherrif. … The real message here is that when it comes to right and wrong in pro basketball, it sure doesn't hurt to be the best player in the league, on the best team" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/15).
The N.Y. POST's Peter Vecsey, on O'Neal's suspension: "A failure to connect is immaterial; Shaq deserved at minimum a 10-game suspension. Attempted murder is attempted murder. As for Stern, he deserves to be reprimanded, fined and suspended for allowing his league's Maim Game to get out of control years and years ago and stay out of control" (N.Y. POST, 1/15).
NBC's Jay Leno, on O'Neal's suspension: "Because the NBA player he was trying to hit was white, he was charged with attacking an endangered species" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 1/14).
The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation awarded $510,000 to 23 local non-profit agencies during halftime of the Mavericks-Magic game last night (THE DAILY).
Bill Parcells, on reports that he will replace Tony Dungy as coach of the Buccaneers: "I've had at least two inquiries and a couple of college inquiries, but nothing is imminent. Nothing is in place. The TV reports are so far ahead of the facts, it's ridiculous" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/15).
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reports crews at Mile High Stadium today "will be cutting, smashing and removing part of the stadium and planning how to safely and efficiently send the stands tumbling to the ground." Unlike most demolitions, the stadium "won't be imploded with dynamite" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 1/15).
TODAY'S EVENTS
WNBA Mystics F Chamique Holdsclaw and Wizards Assistant GM Rod Higgins will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday by hosting 50 students from the elementary school named in King's honor at the MCI Center for a special day of reading and reflection on the life of the civil-rights activist. The event will take place beginning at 11:30am ET (THE DAILY).
The Redskins will hold a news conference at 6:00pm ET to introduce Steve Spurrier as the team's new coach (WASHINGTON POST, 1/15).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The L.A. TIMES reports some of the nation's largest corporate advertisers, "seeking greater control over television, are proposing to create their own shows to air on the major broadcast networks." For example, Coca-Cola is developing an hour-long drama, "Stepping Stones," starring Gregory Hines for NBC's upcoming summer season (L.A. TIMES, 1/15).
The Interactive Advertising Bureau "will release a set of guidelines today for measuring online advertising campaigns." The trade group "developed the voluntary guidelines in collaboration with eight prominent Web publishers and two advertising technology firms." The Ad Campaign Measurement and Audit Guidelines are "intended to make uniform the various incompatible systems that evaluate the viewing (and clicking) of Internet advertisements" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/15).
The L.A. TIMES reports that MGM "has put itself up for sale and hired investment banking firm Goldman Sachs to solicit bids that are due this week, according to sources with knowledge of the auction." MGM, which is controlled by Kirk Kerkorian, "is looking for a price" of $7B or more for the legendary studio, which is valued on Wall Street at about $5B (L.A. TIMES, 1/15).
The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that DDB Chicago is "the latest agency to cut jobs, firing 38 people Monday." An agency spokesperson said, "We're aligning our staff with current client needs" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/15).
The N.Y. POST reports that talk-show host Larry King "has become one of the highest-paid personalities on TV," with the signing of a multiyear contract with CNN worth an estimated $56M, "plus perks" (N.Y. POST, 1/15).
ABC has "laid off a number of New York-based staffers" from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" while the show is on hiatus (N.Y. POST, 1/15).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Awards."
"This food company sponsors the 'Very Best In Youth' award."
LAUGH TRACK
NBC's Jay Leno, on George O'Leary being hired as a Vikings assistant coach: "It was either that or go back to his old job, writing financial reports for the Enron Corporation" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 1/14).
Last night's "Top Ten" list was "Top Ten Ways Oprah Can Improve Her Show" ("Late Show," CBS, 1/14).
| 10) | "Increase use of 'You go, girl!' by at least 40%." |
| 9) | "Instead of book club, read letters to Penthouse." |
| 8) | "More shows about cool things, like fireworks and dirt bikes." |
| 7) | "Every episode, a different world leader chokes on a pretzel." |
| 6) | "Get the guests liquored up and tell them to beat each other senseless." |
| 5) | "From now on, Wednesday is 'Crazy Hat Day!'" |
| 4) | "Oprah battles giant 40-foot squid on the ocean floor." |
| 3) | "How about just once putting someone else on the cover of 'O' magazine." |
| 2) | "Instead of kissing up to celebrities, say, 'Your movie sucked, and I think you're still on drugs.'" |
| 1) | "I think we all know what she should do (Letterman showed a picture with himself super-imposed on Oprah's TV set)." |
MONDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR
FSN's 10:30pm ET "National Sports Report" led with the Buccaneers firing coach Tony Dungy.
ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Barry Bonds signing a five-year contract with the MLB Giants.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What is Nestle's?"
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