ESPN was profiled yesterday by Jim Zarroli of NATIONAL
PUBLIC RADIO. Zarroli: "ESPN has become one of the few
indispensable cable channels, one that cable operators can't
afford to be without. And it is very profitable, earning an
estimated half a billion dollars each year." Pilson
Communications President Neil Pilson: "They have really
mined, better than anyone else, the extraordinary depth of
the American interest and love affair with sports." Zarroli:
"But ESPN's dominance of cable sports is no longer as clear-
cut as it was. The number of sports cable channels has
grown a lot, and some of them threaten to become tough
competition for ESPN." ESPN President Steve Bornstein: "We
don't look at it as anything more than more focused
competition. And at the end of the day, we probably like
that, 'cause it tends to keep you hungrier and sharper."
Zarroli: "Still, some analysts predict a shakeout in the
cable sports field. Many cable systems already carry as
many channels as they can accommodate, and ESPN's newest
venture, [ESPNEWS], has been able to gain access to fewer
than 10 million American homes" ("Morning Edition," 9/8).
