TV MONITOR: Last night's 11:00pm ET edition of CNN/SI's
"Sports Tonight" and the 12:00am edition of ESPN's
"SportsCenter" both led with Pistons-76ers, followed by
Lakers-Celtics. The first non-NBA story on "Sports
Tonight," at 6:08 into the broadcast, was a report on the
controversy surrounding Browns OT Orlando Brown. The first
NHL story, at 13:07, was Sabres G Dominik Hasek
reconsidering retirement. The first non-NBA story on
"SportsCenter," at 8:18, was Maple Leafs-Panthers. FSN's
"Primetime" led with Pistons-76ers, followed by Jazz-Magic.
The first non-NBA story, at 6:44, was an update on Brown.
The first NHL story, at 17:25, was Hasek (THE DAILY).
NBC INKS CABLE DEALS: NBC Cable Networks said that it
has "completed a slew of new long-term affiliation deals"
for CNBC and MSNBC that it "anticipates could bring in more
than" $1.5B in subscriber fees over the next ten years.
MSNBC is "expected to see its reach" increase to almost 70
million homes by 2003 "from its current" 52 million homes.
Much of the revenue will help NBC "cover" the $3.5B it spent
on Olympic TV rights through 2008. Cable operators will
receive three minutes of ad time to sell per hour in both
CNBC and MSNBC's Olympic coverage (WALL ST JOURNAL, 12/21).
NOTES: In a unanimous vote, MLB teams formally approved
the new six-year regular season TV rights deal with ESPN
(MLB)...The NATIONAL POST's Chris Cobb, on the "NFL on Fox"
pregame show's on-air talent: "They like to say dumb things,
crack dumb jokes and slam their pens down on the studio desk
to emphasize a guffaw" (NATIONAL POST, 12/20)....In
Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes that ABC "MNF" analyst Boomer
Esiason "needs to get [his] act together" and offers
suggestions for improvement before ABC's Super Bowl
broadcast on January 30, including, "Don't open your mouth
unless you have something significant to say. ... Silence is
better than banality" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/21).
...In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich profiles the most recent
issue of ESPN Magazine, which "is devoted to the future and
features the up-and-coming stars in a variety of sports."
While Zelkovich notes the magazine "has been knocked as
nothing but a new-wave house organ for ESPN," issues "like
this one prove that few sports magazines today can match its
innovative approach to sports journalism" (T. STAR, 12/21).
