In New York, Richard Sandomir calls "NFL on NBC's" extensive
piece on free agency on Sunday "one of the program's best efforts
ever" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/12). Ratings for the NBC pregame show drew
a 4.1 overnight, down from 4.5 last year (USA TODAY,
12/12)....The Nielsen Home Video Index reports that ESPN2 has
added more than 18 millon homes from January '94 through December
'95. ESPN2 currently reaches 26.7 million homes and has seen one
of the largest jumps of any cable network (ESPN2)....In
Baltimore, Milton Kent writes to look for a package of Fox
baseball promos featuring Cal Ripken Jr. during NFL playoff
coverage next month. Ripken shot three Fox promos while in L.A.
last week. The spots include one PSA, as well as two humorous
pieces: one with Ripken at home and another where "heretofore
unknown twin brother 'Hal' emerges from obscurity" (Baltimore
SUN, 12/12)....Terry Donahue resigned after 20 years of coaching
UCLA football. He will join CBS Sports as an analyst and make
his broadcast debut December 29 at the Sun Bowl (CBS
Sports)....Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. and Yahoo Corp. are expected
to announced a new internet magazine in print, CD-ROM and on-
line. The magazine, Yahoo! Internet Life, will focus on issues
relating to the World Wide Web, and will be published first on
the Web and then in print and CD-Rom versions (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 12/12).
