TV MONITOR: Last night's 11:00pm ET editions of ESPN's
"SportsCenter," FSN's "Primetime" (Fox Sports Net South) and
CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight" all led with A's-Red Sox followed
by Mariners-Blue Jays. The first non-MLB story on both
"Primetime," 6:58 into the broadcast, and "Sports Tonight,"
7:00 into the broadcast, was Spurs F Sean Elliott receiving
a kidney transplant from his brother. The first non-MLB
story on "SportsCenter," 7:30 into the broadcast, was a car
accident involving three NFL Cardinals (THE DAILY).
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS: CBS earned a 3.7/10 overnight
Nielsen rating during its first half-hour coverage of
Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship. By the final
half-hour, CBS earned an 11.7/25 (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/17). In
Chicago, Ron Rapoport reports that the event pulled a
10.1/25 overnight rating in Chicago (SUN TIMES, 8/17).
NIELSEN PURCHASE: In Tampa, Ted Jackovics writes that
after being acquired by Netherlands-based VNU, Nielsen Media
Research is expected to "broaden its efforts to measure
Internet usage, looking ahead to the convergence of TV and
Internet usage" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 8/17). Meanwhile, the WALL
STREET JOURNAL's Kyle Pope writes that network TV execs
"have noticed an improvement in their dealings with Nielsen
in recent months," and said that they "hoped the progress
would continue under VNU." NBC President/Research & Media
Development Alan Wurtzel: "I had seen some real attempts to
improve the level of service" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/17)
CRITICS CORNER: BRILL'S CONTENT's Michael Hirschorn
bemoans the lack of soccer int'l programming on U.S. sports
networks. He writes that Fox Sports Net's weekly "English
Premier League Soccer" show is "the best soccer show on
television because, more or less, it's the only soccer show
on television." Hirschorn: "There must be sufficient room
in this immigrant-rich nation for reasonable coverage of
world soccer. The audience may not be huge, but it is
passionate and loyal" (BRILL'S CONTENT, 9/99)....In Denver,
Vicki Michaelis writes on the challenges female sports
journalists face for respect: "The effort toward being
treated and viewed as professionals is a collective one. It
can't be partial. Every Samantha Stevenson story, even if
it's two decades old, is a setback. We'd like to think
we're past the point where the actions of one reflect on the
whole, but we're not. We may never be" (DENVER POST, 8/17).
NOTES: CBS purchased a 22% stake in auto parts e-tailer
Wrenchead.com for $33M worth of advertising over CBS' media
holdings during the next four years. CBS Cable and
Wrenchead.com will "explore the development of programming
aimed at auto enthusiasts to air" on TNN (HOLLYWOOD
REPORTER, 8/17)....St. Louis' KPLR-WB will "reduce its
coverage" of MLB Cardinals games from 55 to 45 next season
"in order to accommodate its WB Network programming" (DAILY
SOUTHTOWN, 8/16)....In Baltimore, Milton Kent reports that
the Orioles "reportedly are seeking an annual" radio
broadcast rights agreement in the $4M "ballpark, and all
indications, from local industry observers, are that they
will get it, even with the team's decided downturn over the
past two seasons." The team's current rights holder, WBAL-
AM, pays a "reported" $3.5M (Baltimore SUN, 8/17).