MEDIA NOTES
WEEKEND TV RATINGS: The PGA Tour's Western Open on
Sunday on CBS, won by Tiger Woods, drew a 6.5 overnight TV
rating, up 124% from '96. Meanwhile, the Wimbledon men's
singles final Sunday on NBC drew a 3.4 overnight, down 21%
from last year (USA TODAY, 7/8). On Saturday, the women's
singles final at Wimbledon drew a 4.1 rating, down from a
4.4 in '96. NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay reports that ratings for
HBO's hour-long Wimbledon highlights show on eight
weeknights were up 12%, and daytime coverage, "factoring out
three full days of rain," was even with a year ago (NEWSDAY,
7/8). Saturday's "WNBA on NBC" coverage of the Sparks-Sting
game drew a preliminary overnight of a 2.3/7 (THE DAILY).
OTHER NOTES: In New York, Keith Kelly reported that
Mike Lupica "has given up his 10-year gig as the Sporting
Life scribe for Esquire." Charles Pierce, whose contract at
GQ was not renewed, "has already agreed to a new six-figure
deal at Esquire" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/4)....Fox Sports
VP/Media Relations Vince Wladika, on reports that News Corp.
would purchase Westinghouse/CBS-owned RSN Home Team Sports:
"Right now we have an affiliation agreement with HTS that's
working out very well. They're taking the Fox programming
and news and it is working out real well with us"
(ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 7/7)....SportsTicker will launch
individual game-by-game MLB player and pitcher statistical
logs for its 9600 baud network (SportsTicker).
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