Last week's settlement between Time Warner and News
Corp. over carriage of the Fox News Channel "eliminates one
of two obstacles that has delayed the conversion" of WTBS
from a superstation to a "conventional cable network,"
according to John Higgins of BROADCASTING & CABLE. News
Corp. "agreed to sign off on Time Warner's plan" to convert
WTBS, which would continue to carry Braves and Hawks games.
But the conversion still requires the consent of Walt Disney
Co.'s ESPN, which shares national MLB TV rights with News
Corp. Higgins: "Now ESPN is the only obstacle." A source
"familiar with the deal" says that ESPN "is seeking greater
carriage of its ESPNews channel in exchange for consent, but
no deal has been worked out." Time Warner and ESPN wouldn't
comment (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 7/28 issue).
GEORGE-BOY: "The George Michael Sports Machine" will
enter the fall '97 season cleared on 140 stations
representing 85% of the country -- "its highest level in 14
years on the air," according to Greg Spring of ELECTRONIC
MEDIA. New advertisers include General Motors and
PrimeStar, with 80% of the show's inventory "sold during the
recent upfront season" (ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 7/28 issue).
CABLE NETS SEEK FCC WAIVER: Speedvision and Outdoor
Life Networks have petitioned the FCC to waive a rule which
prohibits cable networks that are "at least partly owned by
cable MSOs from negotiating exclusive carriage agreements,"
according to Price Colman of BROADCASTING & CABLE. The two
asked the FCC to waive the "exclusivity prohibitions for
four years in 17 designated market areas (DMAs) to help the
two nets reach break-even" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 7/28).
