CBS is hoping its telecast of the Fiesta Bowl will "jump
start its moribund prime-time lineup and reestablish its
credentials as a major player in sports programming." CBS
VP/Programming Len Deluca: "The rumors of our death were
extremely premature. From Thanksgiving until Easter, we will
have more sports hours and more championships than Fox, NBC, and
ABC" (AP/Baltimore SUN, 1/3).
NETWORK NEWS: Westinghouse Chair Michael Jordan has "adopted
a 'poison pill' defense strategy" as a way of heading off anyone
seeking to buy more than 15% of the company. Some analysts
speculate Westinghouse could be the target of a takeover attempt
after its $5.4B buyout of CBS (N.Y. POST, 12/30). BUSINESS WEEK
looks at the upcoming year for media in '96 and speculates that
Westinghouse could "strike an alliance with a Hollywood studio."
Ronald Grover writes "coming attractions may included a juicy
bidding war over Sony's Hollywood studios. Could Jack Welch or
Rupert Murdoch play starring roles?" (BUSINESS WEEK, 1/8).
FORBES notes the trend of "marrying content with distribution" is
not over. Hughes Electronic's and News Corp.'s "growing network
of satellite broadcasting systems and even the Internet are among
the latest distribution channels hungry for information" (Peter
Newcomb, FORBES, 1/1 issue).
