ESPN's Bob Ley has reportedly agreed to a contract extension
(N.Y. POST, 8/19)...."Tin Cup" won the weekend at the box office,
bringing in an estimated $10.1M. The Fan opened at No. 4 with
around $6.2M (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/19)....Lifetime President &
COO Doug McCormick is interviewed in INSIDE MEDIA. McCormick, on
their recent deal to carry the WNBA: "It's not going to do a 2.0
rating. But it's all not about ratings points all the time." On
carrying other women's sports: "Tell me what the women's
professional sports franchises are, and I'm there. It's not that
we don't want them, it's because they haven't been made
available" (INSIDE MEDIA, 8/17 issue)....Geoff Mason, Exec
Producer for ESPN Int'l, has been named Exec Producer for ABC and
ESPN's coverage of the '98 World Cup (BOSTON GLOBE,
8/18)....Miami-based Paxson Communications will acquire or assume
operations of ten TV stations and six radio stations for around
$170M. To raise capital, the company will sell $150M of
cumulative exchangeable preferred stock. Paxson's TV network will
now include 41 owned, operated or affiliated stations (WALL
STREET JOURNAL, 8/19).
