IBM has launched the 1995 U.S. Open home page on the World
Wide Web, with a schedule, statistics, and players bios all
available. Address: http://usopen.org (IBM).... The L.A. TIMES
reports that Microsoft's phone support services are overloaded
with calls and complaints about Windows 95 and that customers are
also "having trouble" getting on to the new Microsoft Network
(L.A. TIMES, 8/30). ....Phil Mushnick takes issue with NBC Sports
President Dick Ebersol's contention that The Baseball Network
would have worked if not for the strike. Mushnick notes the
following deficiencies of TBN: Blackouts of games in two-team
markets on TBN nights; the end of Saturday afternoon games; 8:05
starts; not all playoff games available; inflexibility on
schedules (N.Y. POST, 8/30). TBN's Ken Schanzer notes that
playoff games will not be available on DirecTV, since broadcast
ratings "have to be protected" (USA TODAY, 8/30). ....According
to SEC filings, TCI must OK all major decisions regarding Barry
Diller's new TV station group, Silver Co. Code names in the
brief have TCI's Liberty Media as "the Rockies," the new
partnership as "the Dodgers," and Diller as "Lasorda" (USA TODAY,
8/30).... EchoStar and AlphaStar will both launch direct
satellite services between December and February. EchoStar hopes
to offer programming for less than $20 a month and a DBS system
for about $500 (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 8/28 issue)....A BOSTON
GLOBE profile of Time Inc. Editor-In-Chief Norman Pearlstine
notes the Managing Editor "bakeoff" he is conducting at Sports
Illustrated to replace the retiring Mark Mulvoy. While Life
Managing Editor Daniel Okrent and SI Asst Managing Editor Bill
Colson are each getting their three-month runs at running the
magazine, Pearlstine did not rule out adding a third contestant
(BOSTON GLOBE, 8/29)....Fox's NFL coverage will feature 3-D
simulations -- called "Gameations" -- of football plays, with the
O.J. Simpson trial cited as the inspiration (Michael Hiestand,
USA TODAY, 8/30)....Cubs radio and TV play-by-play man Thom
Brennaman will leave WGN instead of being named Harry Caray's
eventual successor. Brennaman reportedly refused to stop working
on Fox NFL broadcasts, as WGN had requested (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES,
8/30).
