| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, August 5, 2004
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | X Games X Begins Today In L.A.; ESPN And ABC Set For 14 Hours Of Coverage |
| • | NASCAR Today Releasing '05 Busch Series Schedule With International Flavor |
| • | DirecTV Joining The Time Warner Cable-Cablevision Fray With Ad Campaign |
| • | NYC2012 Today Unveiling Final Olympic Bid Venue Plan As Basis For Bid Book |
| • | FCC Approves TiVo Service Enabling Programming Sharing Over The Internet |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
TONY HAWK CALLING SKATEBOARDING ACTION FOR X GAMES X
ESPN’s X Games X begins today in L.A. with Sal Masekela hosting 14 hours of coverage on ESPN and ABC. Tony Hawk will call skateboarding events. ESPN will air coverage Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00pm-12:00am ET, as well as a 2:00-4:00pm telecast Saturday. ABC will broadcast coverage Saturday and Sunday from 4:00-6:00pm. ESPN2 will provide daily highlight shows at midnight. Linda Cohn will present live daily reports on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” (ESPN).
MEDIA POST noted that the X games “seem to have become an established media vehicle for marketers eager to reach young males ages 18 to 34.” Deutsch Senior VP Larry Novenstern said, “It appeals to certain advertisers. It fills a void. It's come a long way since 1995” (MEDIA POST, 8/4).
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES WILL RACE IN MEXICO CITY NEXT SPRING
NASCAR will release the ’05 Busch Series schedule today, and the AP reports that NASCAR will “stage its first points-paying event outside the [U.S.] in a half-century” with a spring race at the AutodromoHermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City. The Champ Car World Series currently hosts an event at the track (AP, 8/5).
COMCAST GETS IN THE GAME WITH EA SPORTS’ FANTASY FOOTBALL
The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER reports that Comcast and EA Sports today will announce a partnership, under which EA Sports will “provide a fantasy-football-league service to Comcast’s Internet subscribers.” The service costs $10 for a public league of up to 11 teams, or $100 for a “commissioner” league (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/5).
DIRECTV JOINING THE TIME WARNER CABLE-CABLEVISION FRAY
DirecTV today runs an ad targeting Mets fans who are Time Warner Cable customers. The campaign features the tagline, “Mets vs Brewers – Zambrano Debuts, Read About It Tomorrow Because You Won’t See It On Time Warner Cable!” DirecTV ran similar campaigns during the Cablevision/YES dispute in ’02, and saw a 186% increase in customer activations in Cablevision zip codes (DirecTV).
NYC2012 UNVEILING FINAL OLYMPIC BID VENUE PLAN TODAY
N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor & NYC2012 Founder Daniel Doctoroff and other NYC2012 execs today will unveil the city’s final Olympic Bid venue plan during a 1:00pm ET news conference at the Queens Museum of Art. The plan is the basis for the city’s bid book due to the IOC November 15 (NYC2012).
NCAA BOD REVIEWING TASK FORCE’S PROPOSED RECRUITING RULES
The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that the NCAA BOD today will vote on the six rules recommended by the NCAA Task Force on Recruiting. One of the “most far-reaching proposals – banning the use of private planes and chartered flights for recruits – might be up for more discussion than a simple yea-or-nay vote” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/5).
Meanwhile, the NCAA Exec Committee today will “decide on penalties for schools that don’t meet the governing body’s requirements to remain” in Division I for football. In addition to the 15,000 attendance average, “schools are also required to offer 200 athletic scholarships and participate in 16 sports” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 8/4).
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL ACQUIRES NAMING RIGHTS TO IOWA PARK
The DES MOINES REGISTER reports that the Triple-A PCL Iowa Cubs today will announce a naming-rights deal with Principal Financial Group for Sec Taylor Stadium, which now becomes Principal Park. Under the deal, Principal will donate $2.5M to Des Moines to “spruce up the ballpark” as part of the $26.5M Principal Riverwalk being built downtown (DES MOINES REGISTER, 8/5).
MORNING BRIEFS
Discussions yesterday between the NHL and NHLPA “produced no movement toward a new labor deal.” NHL Exec VP & CLO Bill Daly: “We’re stuck” (L.A. TIMES, 8/5).
The FCC yesterday approved TiVoToGo, which allows TiVo users to “record and send programming to nine other TiVo boxes or computers via the Internet.” The NFL, MLB and the MPAA have argued against the product (DAILY VARIETY, 8/5).
After a discussion between WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott and several players yesterday in Montreal, the controversy surrounding two German tennis players not selected for the Athens Games “appears no closer to a resolution.” Scott said that he “counseled them not to withdraw” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 8/5).
The Big Ten yesterday unveiled plans to adopt instant replay for its football games. The conference will use the ABC/ESPN feed, and if the net does not show a replay, TiVo will be used (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 8/5).
The Saints have "received permission from the NFL to downsize the seating capacity in the Superdome from approximately 68,500 to 64,900 this season. The seats being eliminated are located in the upper terrace in the four corners of the Poydras and Girod Street end zones" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 8/5).
ATTENDANCE WATCH
An Eagles training-camp record crowd of 10,867 attended yesterday’s practice at Lehigh Univ. (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/5).
A crowd of 5,688 attended last night’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals match between the MLS San Jose Earthquakes and the A-League Minnesota Thunder at Griffin Stadium in St. Paul (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/5).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sports covers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
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| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
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| Philadelphia Daily News | Newsday |
TODAY’S EVENTS
Athens hotel workers have set their next strike for today (AP, 7/30).
The WHA Dallas Americans will announce at a 1:00 pm CT press conference that Maple Leafs G Eddie Belfour is joining the organization as part owner and could play for the team if there is an NHL work stoppage. The team also will unveil its logo and jersey during the announcement (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/5).
WHA President of Hockey Operations Peter Young said of teams failing to introduce managers and coaches last week as promised, “All teams have now made their choices and announcements should start (today)” (CP, 8/5).
Lone Star Park begins installation of 38,000 temporary seats that will bring seating for the October 30 Breeders’ Cup to nearly 50,000 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/5).
The Sacramento City Council will “formalize a plan to put [the Kings] arena question on the March 2005 ballot and begin negotiations with Maloof Sports & Entertainment” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 8/4).
The Football Association BOD will officially begin looking for a replacement for former CEO Mark Palios, who was forced to resign after having an affair with a secretary (London GUARDIAN, 8/4).
U.S. Olympic women's basketball team members will participate in the WNBA’s Mind. Body. Spirit. event at Baruch College in N.Y.
The WNBA will unveil a 78-foot banner reading “Bring It Home” at Radio City Music Hall. The banner is part of tonight’s “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Game at Radio City,” featuring the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team against a group of WNBA All-Stars.
MLS Utah expansion franchise Owner Dave Checketts will serve as the keynote speaker for the Economic Development Corp. of Utah’s annual meeting at the Salt Lake City Marriott City Center (DESERET NEWS, 7/27).
Fox NFL analyst Terry Bradshaw will deliver the keynote address for the ’04 Southeast Building Conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
IN OTHER NEWS….
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that former President Bill Clinton’s appearance on CBS’ “Late Show” Tuesday pushed the show to a 5.2/12 overnight Nielsen rating, higher than the 4.8/11 earned by NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” It was the highest rating for “Late Show” since March 29, when it posted a 5.5/12 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/5).
BSkyB yesterday reported “higher fiscal full-year profit and said it would substantially increase investment in a bid to reach 10 million subscribers by 2010. But investors, seeing the sluggish subscriber growth for the fiscal fourth quarter, were skeptical that the ambitious new target can be met," driving the company's shares down 17% (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/5).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Voyagers.”
“In 1497 the four ships under his command included the Berrio and the Sao Rafael.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “You folks seem like a tremendous crowd, but then again I’m basing that on four-year-old intelligence. … New York City is on high alert, we’re on Orange Alert. Great time to be in New York City, don’t you think? … Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said, ‘Get on with your normal day irrespective of the alert.’ … I took him at his word, and I stayed home and watched the Game Show channel and drank vodka. … There was a big trade between the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. What they did was exchange curses. … The Statue of Liberty has reopened. Now here’s the deal: it’s open but you can’t go inside. I believe it’s the same agreement John Kerry has with his wife” (“Late Show,” CBS, 8/4).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “I guess you heard today the White House released a terror warning for the Olympics. Okay, it was the 1980 Olympics. … According to the Wall Street Journal, al Qaeda’s plan is to bring the nation’s big businesses and major corporations to their knees. They want to destroy these companies. Oh, that’s Ralph Nader’s platform. I’m sorry. … Wall Street had so many cops on duty yesterday, out of force of habit, 200 CEO’s turned themselves in. … Political experts continue to be baffled over John Kerry’s failure to get a bump in popularity after the convention. Usually it goes up. He didn’t get anything. Jimmy Carter got a bump in ’76, Reagan got a bump in ’80, Bill Clinton not only got a bump in ’92, he got a bump and a grind. … The case against Kobe Bryant may be dropped. You know what that means? Kobe’s wife has to give the ring back” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 8/4).
LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Cowboys release QB Quincy Carter | USA Basketball; A’s |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Quincy Carter | USA Basketball; Astros P Roger Clemens |
| ESPN | 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” | Quincy Carter | Raiders release WR Tim Brown; A’s-Yankees |
| FSN | “I, Max” | Quincy Carter | USA Basketball; Kobe Bryant case |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Quincy Carter | Bob Knight; Magic Johnson fundraiser |
HOT TOPIC: Last night’s edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with a 6:40 report on Carter, followed by the first commercial break, then another 4:12 report on Carter, with of 23:10 of total NFL coverage.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“Who was Vasco de Gama?”
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