VA-based AMF Bowling Worldwide agreed Wednesday to a
three-year, $1.5M sponsorship deal with Strike Ten
Entertainment to sponsor bowling's U.S. Open from '98-2000.
The agreement calls for the U.S. Open to be held at AMF
Centers and be moved from its normal fall date to an April
date. AMF's support will also provide an average prize fund
of $367,625 for the three years and will offer identical
prize funds for men and women for the first time (AMF).
CHANGING THE CHANNEL? In Detroit, Matt Fiorito writes
on negotiations for the PBA's next TV contract: "CBS, which
appeared to have a clear field three months ago before ABC
crept back into the picture, made its final pitch Monday,
and it appears to still have the inside track" (DETROIT FREE
PRESS, 6/13). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports that NY-
based The Marquee Group, which is negotiating with the
networks on behalf of the PBA, "is proposing an hour-long
program that it would produce, with a new format, to replace
the current 90-minute program." Sandomir adds that any
package would exclude ABC announcers Chris Schenkel and
Nelson Burton Jr. (N.Y. TIMES, 6/13).
