This week's GOLF WORLD reports that during "at least two
occasions in the last month, CBS announcer Ben Wright has told a
tableful of dinner companions that contrary to the passionate
denials he and his network made at the McDonalds LPGA
Championship, he did utter all the statements about LPGA golfers
and lesbians attributed to him" by the WILMINGTON NEWS JOURNAL.
Wright's excuse "now is that he was speaking off the record"
(GOLF WORLD, 6/30)....The CBC's audience for the Stanley Cup
Finals was "down significantly from last year," according to the
Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. William Houston says the first three games
of the 1995 final averaged 1.47, 1.5, and 1.36 million --
compared to 2.6, 2.5, and 2.8 million for last year (GLOBE &
MAIL, 6/29).... SITV's prime time Summer Olympics special has
sold out in just six weeks (SITV)....NBC has hit $615M in Olympic
ad sales (ATLANTA JOURNAL/CONSTITUTION, 6/29)....As expected,
ESPN announced yesterday that Sterling Sharpe has signed-on as a
studio analyst for "NFL GameDay" and "NFL PrimeMonday" (BOSTON
HERALD, 6/29). Paul Maguire, Phil Simms, and Dick Enberg will
serve as NBC's top NFL team this season (NBC). Bob Trumpy moves
down to a pairing with Tom Hammond, while Chris Collinsworth
takes Maguire's spot on the No. 2 NBC team with Marv Albert
(Larry Stewart, L.A. TIMES, 6/29).... With backing from the
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Liberty Media, Alliance
Communications looks like "the front-runner in the race to bid
for John Labatt Ltd.'s broadcast assets" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL,
6/29).
