The U.S. Justice Department is said to be preparing an
antitrust suit against Microsoft to block the company from
linking its online service to its new Windows 95 operating system
(BOSTON GLOBE, 7/29)....In Baltimore, Milton Kent examines the
"Cal Compromise of 1995," in which Baltimore's Channel 13 and
DC's Channel 50 will get a waiver from ESPN's Wednesday night
exclusivity for Cal Ripken's record-breaking September 6th game.
The two local stations will pick up ESPN's feed, including all
ESPN commercials (Baltimore SUN, 7/31)....Troy Aikman, from HBO's
"Real Sports": "The league doesn't want the NFL to be seen as a
violent sport, yet I've seen the commercials, I see what they're
advertising. They sell videos on big hits. That's what the
public wants to see. ... Heck, behind closed doors, they're
saying we hope we knock out a few more this week" (HBO,
7/30)....Cable companies Comcast Corp. and Continental
Cablevision will each invest $45M in a programming venture with
Cox and Times Mirror, essentially buying 40% of Times Mirror's
50% stake. The venture will soon launch two cable channels, the
Outdoor Channel and Speedvision (PHILA. INQUIRER, 7/29)....In an
extended piece on the Detroit newspaper strike, the WASHINGTON
POST's Frank Ahrens notes that Lions and Tigers players are not
honoring the strike and are talking to nonunion reporters. In
addition, the Tigers are advertising in the strike editions
(WASHINGTON POST, 7/30)....The National In-Line Hockey
Association has partnered with Tricom Pictures to develop a
special edition of "American Lifetsyles: SportsTime" on in-line
sports. The series will air on various cable channels prior to
the holidays (NIHA).
