Media Notes
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Will ESPN's 15-Year, $2.25B Deal With SEC
Football Change Its Coverage Of League? |
FANHOUSE.com's Clay Travis wrote ESPN's 15-year, $2.25B deal with the SEC for the conference's TV rights is a "deal of tremendous implications that catapults SEC sports coverage into the realm of professional sports." But what has been "left unexamined is how this will change ESPN's news coverage of the league, and how that resulting coverage is going to make the SEC the de facto national college league of college." Travis: "Why? Because ESPN has spent so much money on the rights packages, the SEC has to be front and center. ... It's already happening. Just take a look at Tennessee football and Kentucky basketball." Travis wrote ESPN has "decided that Kiffin as a lightning rod of controversey sells really well," and the "same is true" of new Univ. of Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari (FANHOUSE.com, 6/9).
FRANKLY SPEAKING: CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS' Ed Sherman reported former MLBer Frank Thomas, who played with the White Sox from '90-'05, will "return as a special analyst" for the team's upcoming two series against the Cubs beginning June 16. Thomas will "work the extended pre-game and post-game reports" for CSN Chicago's coverage of five of the six games between the two teams. He will be "live from the ballpark for the pregame shows and either at the ballpark or in studio for the post-game shows." However, it "remains to be seen if Mr. Thomas will do more work for CSN beyond the Cubs-Sox games" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 6/9). Thomas served as a studio analyst for TBS during the net's '07 MLB Playoffs coverage (THE DAILY).
CHANGING ITS STRIPES: In DC, Paul Farhi cites sources as saying that CBS Radio “plans to take on” Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder's Red Zebra Broadcasting radio stations in July by switching WJFK-FM from its “guy-centric talk programs to sports talk.” Red Zebra Broadcasting CEO Bruce Gilbert said that he “welcomed a direct challenge from CBS.” Gilbert: “Anytime there’s competition in radio, it usually means there will be more listeners. More people doing what we’re doing exposes more people to sports radio” (WASHINGTON POST, 6/10).
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