In Denver, Dusty Saunders notes KUSA-NBC "pays the Broncos a hefty fee to cover preseason games, produce interview shows with [QB] Peyton Manning, other players, coaches -- and [Exec VP/Football Operations] John Elway -- and gain 'first interview' access with players and coaches after games throughout the season." But KMGH-ABC "continues to nudge" into KUSA's "territory calling itself a 'proud partner of the Denver Broncos' by producing -- and paying for -- two regular returning weekly series this fall." KMGH on Fridays beginning Sept. 6 will air "The John Fox Show" and KMGH anchor Lionel Bienvenu also will host "Mile High Living" each Friday at 11:30am MT. Last season's "Mile High Living" series often "provided a look at the players' activities away from the football field, including community events" (DENVER POST, 7/8).
REDBIRD NATION: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar noted ESPN has "yanked the Cardinals’ game July 28 in Atlanta away from Fox Sports Midwest and will show it nationally." ESPN in the past has said that "five is the maximum number of times it can claim a team for its showcase slot," but ESPN Communications Manager Ben Cafardo this week said that "after further review that isn’t the case." Cafardo: “We are actually allowed to select teams that we maxed out in 2006 (which was four appearances back then) six times in 2013. So we can actually select St. Louis, New York (Yankees) and Boston six times this season" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/5).
PITCH COUNT: In N.Y., Ken Belson noted "about 150" MLBers are using iPads to access Pitch Review, a software "created by Bloomberg Sports." The players "pay $700 a season" for the subscription, which "tailors baseball’s statistical database and video of every pitch thrown to the needs of each player." Players who downloaded the video using Wi-Fi "viewed 207,000 events, or pitches, in June, 45 percent more than in April." About one-third of the subscribers "are pitchers, 35 percent are front-office staff and coaches, and catchers make up a big part of the rest." Pitch Review games are "often available to download within 20 minutes of their completion." Bloomberg last year "added a function that allows players to download video so they can watch it in places where Wi-Fi is unavailable, like on a plane" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/7).
