| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
9:00am ET | |
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| • | American Express To Begin U.S. Open Ad Campaign Today In Metro N.Y. Area |
| • | NASCAR Chair Bill France, Jr. To Give Deposition Today In TMS Lawsuit |
| • | Oilers Seek New Arena Naming-Rights Partner After Skyreach Declines Option |
| • | Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) In Early Discussions To Buy Nets As Part Of Group |
| • | Decline In Magazine Newsstand Sales Does Not Affect Sports Illustrated |
| • | Morning Briefs/A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
AMERICAN EXPRESS U.S. OPEN AD FEATURING AGASSI DEBUTS TODAY
A new American Express TV ad featuring Andre Agassibreaks today in the N.Y. metro area to promote the company’s sponsorship of theU.S. Open. The ad, which builds on theongoing umbrella campaign entitled, “The Official Card,” begins airingnationwide on August 25, the first day of the two-week tournament. Momentum is American Express’sports/entertainment agency of record (THE DAILY).
The L.A. TIMESreports that U.S. Open officials "would like to do something to honor" Pete Sampras,who likely played his final U.S. Open last year, and Sampras is “considering”it (L.A.TIMES, 8/19).
FRANCE TO GIVE DEPOSITION ON TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DATES
The DALLAS MORNINGNEWS reported that NASCAR Chair Bill France, Jr. today is “expected togive a deposition … in the lawsuit over a second Winston Cup date” for Texas MotorSpeedway (TMS). The suit, filed by SMI shareholder Francis Ferko, contends thatFrance, Jr. made an “oral promise to [SMI Chair] BrutonSmith to award a second Cup date to TMS. Smith was deposed by NASCAR attorneys in June” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS,8/16).
OILERS TO OPEN ‘03-04 SEASON WITH NEW NAMING-RIGHTS PARTNER
The EDMONTON SUN reports that the Oilers will have a newname on their arena, now known as the Skyreach Centre, when the ’03-04 seasonbegins, as Skyreach Equipment “has not picked up an option to [keep its] name on themarquee.” While no deal is “in place tosign a new company to naming rights, indications are the Oilers are talking toa number of corporations and that the terms being discussed would see a newname on the building for a period of 10 years.” EPCOR and Telus are believed to be candidates (EDMONTON SUN,8/19).
MORNING BRIEFS
The Newark STAR-LEDGER reportsthat Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and real estate magnate Charles Kushner“are in early discussions tolead a group that would buy the Nets” (NewarkSTAR-LEDGER, 8/19).
NEWSDAY cites an Audit Bureau ofCirculations report that shows “awidespread decline during the past six months in newsstand sales” formagazines. However, bucking the trendwas Sports Illustrated, which posted 3.2 million newsstand sales for the sixmonths ending June 30, a 3.5% increase from a year ago (NEWSDAY,8/19).
Sl President Bruce Hallett appeared on Fox News' "Fox News Live" yesterday to discuss the magazine's 50th anniversary, and said, "I think somehow we've become not so much a sports brand, but an American brand" ("Fox News Live," Fox News Channel, 8/18).
The AP reported thatNASCAR driver Jimmy Spencer has been suspended from allNASCAR-sanctioned competition until August 26, and fined $25,000, for “punchingKurt Busch in the garage” at Michigan Int’l Speedway. Additionally, both drivers were placed onprobation through the end of the year (AP,8/18).
The L.A. TIMES reports that ItalianPrime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government today is “expected toissue a decree ruling that sports tribunals, not civil tribunals, have thefinal say in conflicts involving sports teams.” The decree comes after a financial scandal surrounding fourItalian soccer clubs “threatened to force postponement of the season openers” (L.A.TIMES, 8/19).
The N.Y. TIMES reports thatYankees P Roger Clemens yesterday “confirmed a report on theBaseball America Web site that he was seriously considering playing” for theU.S. in the ’04 Olympics in Athens (N.Y.TIMES, 8/19).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
- The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports that a crowd of 65,368 attended last night’s Bucs-Rams preseason game at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, where the Rams defeated the Bucs, 26-16 (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 8/19).
- The ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE reports that a seven-day crowd of approximately 213,000 attended the 85th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, NY. The event is “expected to bring in [$35-40M] for the Rochester area” (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 8/19).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The MIAMI HERALDreports that Dolphins DE Jason Taylor, who counts Neutrogena among hisendorsements, yesterday “gave a bag of skin-care products to about 85 playersand coaches. Total worth of each bag:Approximately $50” (MIAMIHERALD, 8/19).
A Princeton Review study to be released today ranks the topparty schools in the country, and the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS notes that the Univ.of CO, which was ranked as the top party school, was “singled out” for the“third-highest usage of marijuana, fourth-highest usage of hard liquor and 11th-highestusage of beer on any campus” (ROCKYMOUNTAIN NEWS, 8/19). Thefollowing details the top ten party schools in the country:
| RK | School | City |
| 1) | University of Colorado | Boulder, CO |
| 2) | University of Wisconsin | Madison, WI |
| 3) | Indiana University | Bloomington, IN |
| 4) | University of Illinois | Urbana-Champaign, IL |
| 5) | Washington & Lee University | Lexington, VA |
| 6) | University of Texas | Austin, TX |
| 7) | The University of the South | Sewanee, TN |
| 8) | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 9) | St. Bonaventure University | Olean, NY |
| 10) | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
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| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
| | |
| Philadelphia Daily News | Philadelphia Daily News |
TODAY’S EVENTS
ESPN will host a12:30pm ET conference call to discuss its original series, “Playmakers,” whichdebuts next Tuesday. ESPN ExecVP/Programming & Production Mark Shapiro, “Playmakers” Creator &Exec Producer John Eisendrath, Exec Producer Orly Adelson andactor Omar Gooding are scheduled to participate.
WUSA will host a3:00pm ET conference call to discuss Founders Cup III, which pits the AtlantaBeat against the Washington Freedom on Sunday at Torero Stadium in SanDiego. Freedom coach Jim Gabarraand F Abby Wambach, as well as Beat coach Tom Stone and F CharmaineHooper are scheduled to participate.
The ATLANTACONSTITUTION reports that Falcons QB Michael Vick today is “scheduled tohave his first news conference since the injury” he sustained Saturday night (ATLANTACONSTITUTION, 8/19).
Baseball HOFer BobFeller will speak at the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, NJ, at 4:00pm ET,followed by an autograph session with Feller and Berra (N.Y. POST,8/17).
INOTHER NEWS….
The WASHINGTON POST reports that the FCC has agreed to“allow America Online to transmit video entertainment over its popular InstantMessenger system, ending a restriction imposed when it approved the merger” ofAOL and Time Warner in ’01. Thedecision is a “victory for struggling AOL Time Warner, which lobbied hard forthe change and hopes to use instant messaging to promote its video content” (WASHINGTONPOST, 8/19).
The L.A. TIMES reports that Liberty Media, GE and aconsortium led by Vivendi Vice Chair Edgar Bronfman yesterday metVivendi’s second round bidding deadline for its entertainment assets, but thecompany would not say “whether they reached its hotly debated minimum askingprice of $14[B].” Liberty Media andBronfman’s group “submitted offers for Universal’s movie studio, theme parksand TV businesses,” while GE “proposed a merger of assets” (L.A. TIMES,8/19).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the concert industry “lostmillions of dollars to the blackout” because Ticketmaster’s server for theregion is located in NY. Included inthe cancellations and postponements was the Kiss/Aerosmith concert Friday atComerica Park in Detroit (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 8/19).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “WorldGeography.”
“The world’s highest city of over one million people sits atabout 12,000 feet in these mountains.”
MONDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” led with a scoring updateon Bucs-Rams, followed by Angels-White Sox and Royals-Yankees.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What are the Andes?” The city is La Paz, Bolivia.
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