N.Y. Fox-affiliate WNYC "was the only Fox affiliate in
the country not to pick up the national network feed" of the
Redskins-Cowboys game last night at 7:00pm ET. Fox Sports
VP/Media Relations Vince Wladika: "It was a decision that
our New York station made on Friday, and they are the only
one who chose not to go that route" (Baltimore SUN, 11/17).
...USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that ESPN Radio, which
now consists of 16 weekend hours, will add 55 weeknight
hours in January, primarily game-related updates, as well as
15 weekday hours via talk from "The Sports Reporters"
panelist Tony Kornheiser (USA TODAY, 11/17)....Westinghouse
said it will officially change its name and stock symbol to
CBS on December 1. The Pittsburgh-based company sold its
industrial operations and said it will "focus solely on TV
and radio" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/17)....CNBC's "The Edge"
examined the emergence of new women's sports magazines.
Dewitt Media President Gene Dewitt: "The [WNBA] sold out ...
Figure skating commands a premium now on [TV] and does a
very good rating. So there are enough signs to me that
women's sports are becoming more important and that makes
them more important to marketers" (CNBC, 11/14).
The English Premier soccer league has agreed "to a
record-breaking" $170M, three-year deal with a joint venture
involving IMG's Mark McCormack and French pay TV group Canal
Plus for TV rights outside the U.K., according to Juliana
Koranteng of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The deal, which will
"sell international broadcasters matches involving the
league's 20 teams, almost quadruples" the $15.3M paid
annually by previous rights holder CSI since '92. Although
the deal has not been confirmed, the Premier League "is said
to have preferred the offer" from McCormack's TWI and Canal
Plus because "it promised to extend the games' reach from
Europe and Australia to the much-coveted Asian market"
(Juliana Koranteng, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 11/17).