Morning Buzz, September 18, 2002

TAGLIABUE TALKS NEW MEDIA WITH THE DAILY'S TERRY LEFTON

The NFL announced yesterday that it has named former ABC, ABC Sports and ESPN President Steve Bornstein to consult on the league's TV and new media negotiations.  Bornstein will play a key role as the league begins talks on its "NFL Sunday Ticket" package after its deal with DirecTV expires at the end of this season.  In an exclusive interview, THE DAILY's Editor-at-Large Terry Lefton asked NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue about the growth of TV revenues at the league, and the following is an excerpt of the full conversation that will be featured in today's issue:

THE DAILY: Would the leading new form of distribution for your TV product be digital cable?

TAGLIABUE: Probably so. We have had discussions with a lot of people in the television business about an NFL channel. We don't want to do that if it just cannibalizes existing channels of distribution. Beyond that, we've been talking about enhanced services, including game telecasts that would have video-on-demand and other interactive features. ... Those kinds of arrangements will be developed in the coming years and we've been looking at that in the context of restructuring the "NFL Sunday Ticket" package (THE DAILY).

SLOC DEBATES HOW TO SPEND $100M PROFITS FROM '02 GAMES

The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE reports that SLOC trustees will hold an 8:00am MT meeting today to discuss how to spend the surplus resulting from the '02 Winter Olympics profits, which are "closing in on $100 million." SLOC President Fraser Bullock, on how the money should be spent: "To perpetuate Salt Lake City – and Utah – as an elite sports capital of the world and to leave a very visible legacy for the people who live and visit here" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/18). The AP reports the UT Athletic Foundation "stands to become the biggest beneficiary of the Olympic profits" (AP, 9/18).

LOCAL NFL STADIUM COMMITTEE TO HEAR $300M DOME PLAN TODAY

The New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE reports that a $300M plan will be presented today to LA's NFL Stadium Advisory Committee to transform the 27-year-old Superdome into a "state-of-the-art National Football League facility – featuring a ribbon of glass around the exterior, suites with French Quarter-style balconies, better seating and plush amenities." The advisory committee, which Gov. Mike Foster created last year, is likely to decide by June '04 "if the state would be best served by renovating the Dome, building a new stadium or doing nothing" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 9/18).

PROPOSED TICKET SURCHARGE WOULD INCREASE FIVE-FOLD

The ST. PETERSBURG TIMES reports that Hillsborough County commissioners will meet today to discuss a "$3.75 surcharge on tickets to concerts, hockey games and other events at the St. Pete Times Forum." A "comfortable majority" of the commissioners support a recommendation "to delay an automatic quintupling of the surcharge," saying they need more information on the arena's financial picture (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 9/18). Meanwhile, Lightning ownership does not support the surcharge (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 9/18).

TITLE IX TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN CHICAGO TO CLOSE TODAY

The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that the U.S. Department of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics today will conclude the second of four town hall meetings on the future of Title IX at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. During yesterday's session, members of the commission "heard impassioned comments … from both sides of the debate on the future of non-discrimination in sports." Commission co-Chair Ted Leland: "The problem for us is you listen to one speaker and appreciate their argument and feel their emotion. Then the next one is the other side of the coin, and you understand their argument and feel their emotion" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/18).

CFL HAMMERS OUT NEW COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that the CFL and its players' association could announce as early as today that they have "reached a tentative contract agreement." The players have been without a CBA since the season began in June (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 9/18).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

This week's cover of Sports Illustrated features an action photo of Johnny Unitas facing Sam Huff and the Redskins with the tagline, "THE BEST THERE EVER WAS … JOHNNY UNITAS 1933-2002" (THE DAILY).

After Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner claimed that his former partner, Red Sox Owner John Henry, predicted the Red Sox would topple the Yankees this season, the BOSTON GLOBE reports Henry "never made such a declaration, at least not in public." Henry, in response to Steinbrenner's remarks: "It must have been John Henry Williams" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/18).

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports the N.Y. Marathon "has received far fewer international applicants this year than usual, forcing organizers to take the unprecedented step of inviting more American runners to this year's race" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/18).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE reports that one day after setting the lowest attendance record in the two-year history of PNC Park, the Pirates yesterday posted their second lowest crowd, as 10,991 fans watched last night's 11-3 win over the Reds (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/18).

TODAY'S EVENTS

Nike will release its Q1 '02 results today. The results will be Webcast live and the complete text of the release and financial statements will be released on First Call and Bloomberg (THE DAILY).

The Pistons will conclude their two-day statewide media tour in Saginaw, MI, today. The DETROIT NEWS reports that the team, who recently traded G Jerry Stackhouse, "did their best to edit" last season's leading scorer "out of the season highlight video they showed to fans, sponsors and media" during day one of the tour yesterday. However, Stackhouse "was the main topic at every stop" (DETROIT NEWS, 9/18).

Predators RW Jordin Tootoo will read to children from the Martha O'Bryan Center in Nashville and share stories from his Inuit culture at 1:45pm CT (THE DAILY).

News Corp. President & COO Peter Chernin will speak at a Town Hall L.A. luncheon at noon PT in the Beverly Hills Hotel (THE DAILY).

The USOC Media and Public Relations Division will host its annual Olympic Public Relations Association (OPRA) Workshop in Colorado Springs, beginning today and running through Saturday. The workshop invites public relations professionals within the Olympic Movement to the Olympic Training Complex for two days of seminars and info sharing on how to better promote and execute Olympic-related activities (THE DAILY).

Heat F Brian Grant and G Eddie Jones will christen and officially open the team's new HEAT Academy location at Riverside Community School in Little Havana at 10:00am ET (THE DAILY).

Churchill Downs Inc. Exec VP & CFO Robert Decker will present a financial update at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas at 9:30am PT (THE DAILY).

The NHL Kings will host their annual golf tournament, the '02 Bud Light Golf Invitational at Robinson Ranch in Santa Clara. There will be a noon PT shotgun start (THE DAILY).

IN OTHER NEWS….

TONY'S WORLD:

• The fourth-season premiere of HBO's "The Sopranos" on Sunday night "attracted 13.4 million viewers, becoming the most-watched show in the history of the cable channel, … the most-watched show on any cable channel this year … and the third-most-watched show on cable television since 1994." Only two NFL games – one in '94 on ESPN and one in '95 on TNT – rated higher (N.Y. TIMES, 9/18).

• "The Sopranos" premiere received a 23.3/31 Nielsen cable rating, "and in New York, it outrated this year's Super Bowl." In the HBO "universe [of] about 33 million households," the show earned a 43.2 in N.Y. (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/18).

• Sundays' premiere "delivered as promised, marking the first time an original cable series bested every broadcast network in total viewers." The show also "dominated among the young adults prized by advertisers, winning 19% of the 18-to-34-year-old audience" (USA TODAY, 9/18).

The N.Y. TIMES reports that the BBC received U.K. government approval to "launch a free-to-air digital channel aimed at the 25 to 34 age group." The channel, known as BBC3, will compete with several commercially run channels (N.Y. TIMES, 9/18).

The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that N.Y.-based Edelman Public Relations Worldwide is buying Headline Group, "one of Atlanta's oldest independent public relations agencies." The combined firm "will carry the Edelman name and have annual billings" of about $5.2M (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/18).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that CNN's "American Morning" is unveiling its new "state-of-the-art digs" today inside the Time Life Building on Sixth Avenue in N.Y. features "high-tech cameras, lighting, movable walls and 2,000 square feet of space" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/18).

AD AGE reports that TV advertising on September 11 "was less than half its normal volume," as advertisers spent $57.8M on TV, 54.6% below the $127.5M average for the five days prior (AD AGE, 9/18).

FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION

Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "State Facts."

"In August 1959, a coin toss helped Hiram L. Fong become this state's senior senator."

LAUGH TRACK

THE MONOLOGUES:

NBC's Jay Leno: "There is a new movie coming out about the life of Saddam Hussein. It's called 'My Big Fat Iraqi Funeral.' You don't want to miss it. ... President Bush also said (yesterday) that he wants some pilots to carry guns on planes, but he said only the planes that have terrorists on them. ... The FBI continues to interrogate those five suspected Al Qaeda members they arrested up there in the Buffalo area. They said they caught these guys when they were using satellite phones with pre-paid minutes on them to disguise their communications. But see, that's what gave them away. Their number was 1-800 JIHAD. ... (VP Dick Cheney's) doctors said his physical went very well. In fact, they said he is as healthy as a hawk. ... Tropical storm Hannah hit parts of (FL) this week. In fact, Cubans were washing up on shore at over 200 (mph). ... Some sad news. Two great seven-footers stepped down (yesterday) -- Patrick Ewing and Janet Reno. ... President Clinton has been running ads looking for interns to work in his office in Harlem. You can pretty much write your own joke there. ... It's a three-step process. First, you fill out the application. Then, of course, the interview and finally, the weigh-in. … Have you seen this ad on TV for something called the Dent King? It's a suction cup device used to get the dents out of your car, and it really works. ... In fact, the other night they used it on (boxer) Fernando Vargas' head. ... During the Eagles-Redskins game (Monday) night, after police used pepper spray to break up a fight in the stands, the pepper spray started to spread and a lot of people started vomiting. People were vomiting in the stands. It looked like they were watching the Detroit Lions game" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 9/17).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

Comedy Central's Jon Stewart: "Ladies and Gentlemen, history was made here at Comedy Central … Battlebots is no more. A peace accord was reached between the robots. … I had a thought. Before we bring democracy to Iraq, or even Afghanistan, for that matter, perhaps it might be prudent to bring it to (FL). We don't have to bring regime change to the entire state; we'll start the bombing in Pensacola and work our way down" ("Daily Show," Comedy Central, 9/17).

CBS' Craig Kilborn: "Today it was reported that the first one thousand gallons of Celine Dion's new perfume were loaded on to trucks. That's great, now they have chemical weapons in Canada. … NBC is planning a new reality show in which ten stand-up comics live together in a house in Hollywood and try to land a development deal. The series will begin shooting as soon as the producers find a house in Hollywood which does not have ten comics trying to get a development deal. … Today the L.A. Times reports that thousands of rats have suddenly appeared in Beverly Hills. There would be even more rats, but in Beverly Hills they can't find a dumpster for under $1.5 million" ("The Late Late Show," CBS, 9/17).

ESPN's Jay Mohr: "In Michael Chang's new book – it's called 'Holding Serve' – the former tennis star reveals that at age 30, he's still a virgin. Good for Michael. But you know what Mike, at 30, maybe it's time you unstring the racquet a little bit. Good God. The book should be called 'Holding Chang'" ("Mohr Sports," ESPN, 9/17).

TUESDAY NIGHT'S TV MONITOR

ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with updates on the AL and NL West division races, followed by Yankees-Devil Rays.

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

"What is Hawaii?"

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