Lifetime will telecast the first-ever WNBA Mystics home
game tonight at 8:00pm ET in what marks analyst Reggie
Miller's return to the booth for his second season. In
addition, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna
Shalala will appear as a special guest during halftime
(Lifetime). Lifetime President/CEO Doug McCormick said that
he is "looking for" WNBA ratings to improve by 20% this
summer on Lifetime. Last year, the network averaged a 0.6
rating for 10 regular season games and two playoff games,
which were simulcast with ESPN (CABLE WORLD, 6/15).
ENOUGH FOR A LIFETIME: McCormick told the WASHINGTON
POST's Leonard Shapiro that the network "soon will be
announcing" plans to cover other women's sports, "likely"
including golf, tennis and expanded college basketball
coverage. McCormick, on Lifetime's sports involvement: "We
feel that it fulfills some of our charter -- to provide TV
for women. A lot of these sports are not going to get into
prime time unless someone like us does it. ... Would we get
better ratings with a movie? Probably. But that's not what
this is about" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/19).
