Fang's Bites

SiriusXM To Air Radio Play-by-Play Coverage of 2012 Olympics

After not being able to air the Olympics for its subscribers, SiriusXM has come to an agreement with NBC and Dial Global Radio to air audio coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games from London. SiriusXM will devote a channel completely to the Olympics called “Summer Games Radio”.

The channel will pick up Dial Global play-by-play broadcasts of all US Men’s Basketball games, US Women’s Basketball medal round games, men’s soccer medal round games and US women’s soccer medal round games.

In addition, SiriusXM will produce live talk shows from London hosted by Steve Schlanger who is calling several events for NBC. 1992 swimming gold medalist Summer Sanders will be an analyst for SiriusXM.

We have the full details of SiriusXM’s plans for the Summer Olympics below.

SiriusXM to Offer Daily Satellite Radio Coverage of London 2012 Olympic Games

SiriusXM, in association with Dial Global and NBC Olympics, will provide subscribers up to the moment news and highlights, live reports from London, interviews and play-by-play of Olympic events
From July 27 through August 12, around-the-clock coverage on “Summer Games Radio,” Sirius channel 93 & XM channel 209
Listeners will hear from 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” member Christian Laettner; former U.S. Soccer team member John Harkes; plus SiriusXM’s experts on basketball, soccer, boxing, wrestling and more

NEW YORK – July 25, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that it will offer subscribers nationwide extensive daily coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games, dedicating Sirius channel 93 and XM channel 209 to Olympic programming from July 27 through August 12.

SiriusXM’s Summer Games Radio channel will serve listeners nationwide as a daily destination for Olympic news and will be presented in association with Dial Global which, in partnership with U.S. Olympic rightsholder NBC Universal, is providing live radio coverage of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Coverage on the channel will include event highlights and live play-by-play, as well as interviews and daily reports from London from a team of correspondents that will include two-time Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders and Steve Schlanger, who is also calling Olympic cycling, triathlon and open water swimming for NBC.

SiriusXM subscribers will get live play-by-play broadcasts of Men’s Basketball games, featuring every game played by Team USA plus the gold medal game, the Men’s Soccer semifinal and gold medal games, the Women’s Basketball gold or bronze medal game, and the Women’s Soccer gold or bronze medal match should the U.S. team advance to that stage in either sport. All matches and games will air live and some will also be replayed in afternoon and primetime hours to give listeners extra chances to hear them. All play-by-play broadcasts will be produced by Dial Global.

Throughout the Games, the channel will also feature contributions from former Olympic athletes as well as SiriusXM’s experts on basketball, soccer, boxing and wrestling who will provide timely analysis and reaction to key events.

Listeners will hear regular reports from 1992 “Dream Team” member and gold medal-winning basketball star Christian Laettner; former U.S. Soccer team member John Harkes and former University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

The daily programming will begin at 7:00am ET with programming hosted by SiriusXM’s Andrew Bogusch and Justin Termine. The hosts will provide listeners with a recap of the previous day’s results and a look ahead to upcoming events.

At 1:00 pm ET daily, Schlanger will host live from London, providing the latest news from Olympic venues and interviews with athletes, coaches and others. Schlanger will be followed by Lance Medow and Justin Termine at 3:00 pm ET.

At 9:00 pm ET, SiriusXM listeners will hear Dial Global’s Late Night in London, a two-hour nightly wrap up show that will provide a comprehensive recap of the day in London.

Show times may shift occasionally to accommodate live event broadcasts.

That’s it. More stuff is coming up.

FI-YAH!!! Nick DiPaolo & Artie Lange’s Radio Show Available To All Sirius XM Subscribers

If you’re a Howard Stern fan, then you’ll know the big part Artie Lange played on the show when it moved from CBS Radio to Sirius XM. And of course, one of Artie’s signatures during that period was his AC/DC “FI-YAH!” yell.

And if you’ve followed Artie’s career, you know about his suicide attempt, his subsequent departure from the Stern Show, then his comeback to where he and fellow comedian Nick DiPaolo have a syndicated radio show that is supposed to be about sports, but is all over the place.

The show is syndicated via the Premiere Radio Networks which also handles Dan Patrick and Jim Rome. It’s owned by DirecTV and will be simulcast on the service’s Audience Network just as the Dan Patrick Show is.

Sirius XM has announced that The Nick & Artie Show will be made available to all of Sirius XM’s subscribers starting Thursday and will be heard on Sirius channel 94 and XM 208. Here’s the announcement.

SiriusXM Adds Nick & Artie Show to Sports Talk Lineup

Popular show hosted by comics Artie Lange and Nick DiPaolo will be heard daily on Sirius channel 94 and XM channel 208
Nick & Artie make their SiriusXM debut July 19 with a special show in front of fans at Hard Rock Café at SiriusXM Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft event

NEW YORK – July 17, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio today announced that it has added The Nick & Artie Show, hosted by comedians Artie Lange and Nick DiPaolo and produced by DIRECTV Entertainment, to its sports talk lineup. The show will be available to SiriusXM listeners daily on Sirius channel 94 and XM channel 208 starting July 19.

The Nick & Artie Show airs weeknights (10:00 pm – 1:00 am ET) and features comedians Lange and DiPaolo teaming up for a comically irreverent and unfiltered approach to sports talk. Lange is best known for his decade on The Howard Stern Show and his successful stand-up comedy career. He co-wrote, produced and starred in the film Beer League and his first book, Too Fat To Fish, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.

An All-County third baseman in high school, sports has been a major theme in Lange’s life and comedy career. DiPaolo’s career as a stand-up comedian dates back to the late 1980′s and he played football for University of Maine. He is known for his seething, sarcastic style and his outspoken disdain for “political correctness.” He is a regular on Comedy Central and has been featured on The Howard Stern Show, The Opie & Anthony Show and numerous late night talk shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Late Show with David Letterman. He was twice nominated for an Emmy for his writing on The Chris Rock Show.

Lange and DiPaolo will make their SiriusXM debut on July 19 with a special show in front of a live audience at the Hard Rock Café in New York. They will host from 8:00 to 10:00 am ET to kickoff SiriusXM’s annual Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft at the Hard Rock.  This marks the first time the show will be available to all SiriusXM listeners. The show aired previously only on XM (Extreme Talk, XM channel 165). The Nick & Artie Show will start airing in its regular timeslot (weeknights at 10:00 pm ET) on Sirius channel 94 and XM channel 208 on July 19.

The Nick & Artie Show is produced and syndicated by DIRECTV Entertainment/LABC Radio Group.

For more info visit www.siriusxm.com.

That is all.

Sirius XM Expands MLB Radio Broadcasts To Subscribers

Starting Tuesday, Sirius XM will expand its MLB radio offerings to its subscribers by providing both the home and away broadcasts. Now this will be for the online apps only and not on radio receivers.

On May 8, there will be 30 new dedicated channels for MLB broadcasts to provide listeners with all broadcasts. Previously, XM subscribers could only hear the home broadcasts for each game. Now, with all subscribers on both the Sirius and XM side being able to access all broadcasts, MLB fans get the full listening experience.

This will be available on smartphones, tablets and through the Sirius XM website. We have the joint announcement from MLB and Sirius below.

SiriusXM Expands MLB Play-by-Play Radio Broadcasts Online

30 new MLB team-branded channels will be available to all SiriusXM subscribers on SiriusXM App and online starting May 8
For the first time, subscribers get both home and visiting team radio broadcasts for every MLB game

NEW YORK – May 7, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), the Official Internet Radio Partner of MLB.com, today announced that it will launch on May 8 a new expanded suite of 30 play-by-play channels dedicated to streaming the official radio broadcasts of every MLB team on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

On Opening Day, SiriusXM began streaming live radio broadcasts of every MLB game on smartphones, mobile devices and online for SiriusXM subscribers nationwide through its multi-year agreement with MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball.

The 30 new channels, each of which will be branded with the respective MLB team logo, will showcase that team’s radio announcers throughout the season, enhancing the number of play-by-play broadcasts SiriusXM can deliver to subscribers. For the first time, SiriusXM subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online will have access to both the home and visiting team broadcasts for every MLB game, allowing them to hear their favorite team’s announcers all season long.

“Baseball fans have a special connection with their team’s radio voices,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s SVP of Sports Programming. “Whether it’s Yankees vs. Red Sox, Cardinals vs. Cubs, Giants vs. Dodgers, or any other game, fans want to hear their team’s radio call when they tune in. Our new channels on the SiriusXM App and online create an enhanced listening experience for our subscribers, giving them access to any MLB team’s radio broadcast, whether they are playing at home or on the road, on the same dedicated channel all season long.  And they get it all in digital quality audio.”

The SiriusXM Internet Radio App is now the ultimate app for sports fans, offering listeners live play-by-play – with no blackouts – from the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NASCAR and more.

SiriusXM’s All-Access subscription package gives subscribers access to every channel on their satellite radio, plus SiriusXM Internet Radio, at a cost of $199 for the year, a $58 savings versus purchasing monthly.

For more info, and for a 7-day free trial of SiriusXM Internet Radio, visit www.siriusxm.com/baseball.

That’s it.

Dropping A Few Tuesday Links

Let’s provide a few links here. Don’t think I can do a full set, but I’ll try.

In Sports Business Journal, John Ourand says MLB and Sirius XM have come to terms on streaming audio of live baseball games and will eventually be able to provide both home and away feeds starting next month.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age reports NBC is seeking close to $1 million per 30-second spot for its first-ever Thanksgiving Night NFL game.

Mike McCarthy at USA Today notes that the NFL has signed Tide as its official laundry detergent.

Marlen Garcia at USA Today’s Campus Rivalry blog writes that ESPN is interested in hiring former Virginia Tech basketball coach Seth Greenberg as an analyst.

Bryan Armen Graham of Sports Illustrated talks with rapper Nas about ESPN using one of his songs for the NFL Draft and Jeremy Lin.

Ed Sherman says the latest ESPN promo featuring a man named Michael Jordan has gone viral.

Todd Spangler at Multichannel News reports that Microsoft is bringing both ESPN and CBS Interactive as advertisers to its Xbox 360 platform.

Tim Baysinger of Multichannel says Fox Sports Media Group will air fights from Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Most of them will be on Fox Deportes.

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk says the NFL has reminded teams not to leak their draft picks before Commish Roger Goodell makes the official announcement on ESPN and NFL Network.

Mike Florio of PFT says you won’t see Warren Sapp on NFL Network during the draft.

Florio looks at some potential ESPN-on-ESPN crime between reporter John Barr and analyst Bill Polian.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life writes that the NBA’s TV partners are on pace for another ratings record.

John Plunkett of the London (UK) Guardian looks at a new landmark radio deal with the English Premier League that an upstart British company could sublicense to the States.

MediaRantz says the NFL Network completely ignored the Mickey Loomis-New Orleans Saints eavesdropping story that was first reported by ESPN.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says notorious cheating website AshleyMadison.com will reportedly pay a woman $1 million for schtupping Tim Tebow.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the dying art of the newspaper sports cartoon.

Gary Myers of the New York Daily News says the Saints are vehemently denying ESPN’s reports that GM Mickey Loomis eavesdropped on gameday radio transmissions.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has ESPN’s Big Ten Football primetime schedule.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes a local record rating for Sunday’s Game 6 of the Bruins-Capitals OT game.

The Dallas Morning News reports on a domestic dispute that turned ugly between NFL Network’s Deion Sanders and his estranged wife. Deion tweeted what happened as the drama unfolded.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman writes that Sunday’s Thunder-Lakers game on ABC set a local ratings record.

Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that it appears that Time Warner Cable may not pick up Fox Sports San Diego at all shutting out Padres fans this season.

Steve Donohue of Fierce Cable reports on one TV industry giant telling a Senate committee that ESPN and other cable TV companies should not be allowed to sell their programming directly to viewers.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing notes that Captain Blowhard is bitterly whining once again about not getting a Grantland writer credentialed.

Ryan Yoder of AA says ESPN is swinging the axe over a critique questioning its relationship with the Poynter Review Project.

Matt Yoder of AA notes that Jose Canseco has apparently deleted his Twitter account. Good riddance, Steroids Boy.

Sports Media Watch says NASCAR on Fox saw a drop in its overnight ratings for the Kansas Sprint Cup race on Sunday.

SMW says the NBA’s TV partners do well when they carry the Miami Heat.

Beau Denison of Sports Page Magazine asks of boxing fans if they should be angry at HBO and Top Rank promoters for the way they handle the Sweet Science.

San Diego Padres fan blog Gaslamp Ball says if Time Warner Cable won’t pick up Fox Sports San Diego, then why should Friar fans keep the cable provider?

And we’re going to leave it there for today.

Sirius XM Becomes Official Internet Radio Partner of MLB

This was announced yesterday by MLB, but the official press release just arrived in the Fang’s Bites inbox.

It’s great news for subscribers of SiriusXM Radio who also access the platform through online and mobile. All MLB games will be made available on SiriusXM.com or through the SiriusXM mobile and tablet apps. This means that those who subscribed through Sirius can now listen via the internet. Previously, only those on the XM side could listen to MLB games through their satellite radio receivers and this remains the case.

But Sirius subscribers are no longer shut out of MLB games and they’ll be able to listen to games immediately all the way through the World Series.

We have the official SiriusXM/MLB press release.

SiriusXM Becomes the Official Internet Radio Partner of MLB.com

SiriusXM signs multi-year deal with MLB Advanced Media to stream all Major League Baseball games on SiriusXM App and online
All SiriusXM subscribers will have access to live radio broadcasts of every MLB game on smartphones, mobile devices and online; Games will continue to air on XM satellite radios
Listeners get all regular season games, the All-Star Game and every Postseason game

NEW YORK – April 5, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced a multi-year agreement with MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, to stream live radio broadcasts of every Major League Baseball game on smartphones, mobile devices and online for SiriusXM subscribers nationwide. With this agreement, SiriusXM becomes the Official Internet Radio Partner of MLB.com.

Available immediately, SiriusXM subscribers can listen to live broadcasts of every MLB game through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at siriusxm.com. Listeners get all regular season games, the All-Star Game and every Postseason game. Spring Training games will be available starting next year. Select Spanish-language broadcasts are also available.

MLB games will continue to be available on satellite radios for XM subscribers. Listeners can find channel assignments for games at www.siriusxm.com/mlbschedule.

“We’re thrilled to be able to deliver every MLB game to all of our SiriusXM subscribers,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer.  “Throughout the sport’s history, fans have connected with America’s pastime through radio calls. With those broadcasts now available on SiriusXM Internet Radio, coupled with the satellite radio broadcasts on XM, SiriusXM subscribers across the country have the most extensive audio listening experience with which to follow any MLB team from their cars, homes or anywhere.”

“SiriusXM has been a valuable partner in connecting its subscribers with the tradition of baseball on the radio and this agreement adds an important distribution platform, alongside our own products including Gameday Audio and At Bat, for fans to enjoy listening to the radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball games via the Internet,” said Kenny Gersh, Senior Vice President, Business Development, MLBAM.

That is all.

Attempting A Friday Megalink Post

This week has been hellish for me and I apologize for not being able to post as much as I would like. I’ve been away from my computer for most of the day and by the time I get home, I’m tired and don’t want to update the blog.

Well, with me already done my errands for today, I’ll give you some linkage that has been seriously lacking this week.

Of course, there’s the Weekend Viewing Picks which you can peruse.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says Jim Rome is hoping to make a splash as he prepares to launch his new daily show on CBS Sports Network.

Reid Cherner of USA Today’s Game On! blog says perpetually angry ESPN college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb is throwing his hat into the Kansas State coaching ring.

The Associated Press was on hand to witness Root Sports Northwest’s production of the Seattle Mariners-Oakland A’s regular season openers in Japan without actually traveling to the Far East.

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim has more thoughts on the numerous conflicts of interest in tennis broadcasting.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand has Fox Sports’ statement on its carriage dispute with Time Warner Cable over Fox Sports San Diego.

John profiles legendary sports television producer Don Ohlmeyer.

Around the Rings has the press release regarding the European Broadcasting Union obtaining the rights to the World Cups in 2018 and 2022.

ESPN Ombudsman Jason Fry of the Poynter Institute says college basketball analyst Bob Knight should not be allowed to live by his own rules when he’s on TV.

Scott Soshnick and Steven Church of Bloomberg Businessweek says the Los Angeles Dodgers sale was sparked by media rights.

Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter says former Sony Pictures head Peter Gruber who’s part of the new Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group could bring a new attitude towards marketing the team.

Jon Lafayette of Broadcasting & Cable has Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott calling rights fees for college football are undervalued.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says NESN National is being launched in Indianapolis.

Tim Nudd at Adweek says Chrysler is unveiling four new follow ups to its “Halftime in America” Super Bowl spots during various events this weekend including the NCAA Final Four and Mad Men.

Adweek’s Mike Shields writes ESPN.com is partaking in Facebook’s Open Graph, but with some restrictions.

Jason Del Ray at Advertising Age notes that CBS/Turner brought in its highest sales revenue ever for March Madness Live.

Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says March Madness has been enhanced by social media and the digital experience.

The Brothers Yoder at Awful Announcing cast the upcoming Anchorman sequel using ESPN’ers. This is good.

Ben Koo at AA is not a huge fan of the overhead shots employed by CBS/Turner for the NCAA Tournament.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid says the Los Angeles Times feels there’s one person who could spoil the new ownership for the Dodgers.

Ahmed Yussuf at EPL Talk gives a first-hand account of following the English Premier League from Australia.

Sports Media Watch says last weekend’s rain-shortened NASCAR on Fox event did not do well in the ratings.

Joe Favorito asks if ‘The Hunger Games” could give archery a boost in time for this summer’s Olympics.

Jason McIntyre at The Big Lead reports that Joe Posnanski is leaving Sports Illustrated.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead says the potential Fox cable sports network may not knock down ESPN, but could give it a run for its money.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks about two rival Hollywood agencies representing Tim Tebow simultaneously.

Bob’s Blitz says WFAN’s Craig Carton browbeat former Tiger Woods swing coach Hank Haney to the point where he hung up.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group says CBS returns to New Orleans where it began its Final Four journey 30 years ago.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says ESPN MLB analyst Curt Schilling is facing hypocrisy calls after he criticized his former Red Sox team this week.

Chad adds some thoughts on Schilling and on NESN’s Jenny Dell that didn’t make his column.

Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch writes in SB Nation that a Tiger Woods in contention is good for The Masters^® and its TV partners.

Bob Tedeschi of the New York Times reviews this year’s edition of the MLB At-Bat app.

Richard Sandomir from the Times examines the Dodgers sale.

Anthony Riemer of Newsday looks at Jeremy Lin’s lunch with the sacked ESPN.com editor who unwittingly made a racial slur last month.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post feels Fox Sports’ Jimmy Johnson should not be advocating violence. I don’t think he did, Phil, but continue to hate everything, ok?

Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for former Tennessee and current Sirius XM analyst Bruce Pearl on the Final Four.

The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty has the ESPN MAC football schedule.

Pete has CBS excited about this year’s Final Four.

Jane Kwiatkowski of the Buffalo News says this is a tough time for the local TV sportscast.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call looks at a local PBS documentary on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Laura Nachman says Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia is ready for Phillies baseball.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the Fox sitcom “Raising Hope” gave another of many Capitals references.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with MLB Network’s Mitch “Wildi Thing” Williams.

South

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle writes that the Houston Open should be helped by a lot of interesting storylines.

David says Jim Rome is getting ready for his CBS Sports Network closeup.

David writes that Texans running back Arian Foster is taking his show to the team’s radio flagship station.

In The Oklahoman, Mel Bracht has ESPN’s MLB analysts predicting the upcoming season.

Mel says there will be plenty of baseball available in the Oklahoma City market.

Mel reports a local radio station has flipped to being a full-time ESPN Radio affiliate.

Mel writes that a local radio sports director has been laid off thanks to Clear Channel.

Midwest

Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer says New Orleans has provided CBS with plenty of Final Four excitement.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says a local TV station plans to ride the Kentucky train for as long as possible.

John says a couple of long-time local radio veterans got the ax due to Clear Channel cost cutting.

John writes that a radio documentary on late Cincinnati Reds voice Waite Hoyt airs this weekend.

The Indianapolis Star says Butler coach Brad Stevens will be a guest analyst for CBS on the Final Four.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes the Brewers have extended their radio rights deal with their long-time flagship station.

Bob says a local sportscaster is back to work after a long illness.

Bob tells us that Marquette coach Buzz Williams will also be a guest analyst on CBS this weekend.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes that CBS loves New Orleans at Final Four time.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says 20 Cardinals games won’t be seen by AT&T U-Verse subscribers this season.

Dan writes that the defending champions Cardinals will be in the national spotlight quite a few times this season.

West

Jay Posner at the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Fox Sports San Diego is not optimistic of getting a deal with two cable providers in time for Padres opening day.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star has ESPN’s MLB analysts praising Magic Johnson’s presence with the Dodgers.

Jim was surprised that Kentucky-Louisville wasn’t the nightcap for the Final Four.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Lakers fans are enjoying having guest analysts on radio broadcasts this season.

Tom talks with Jim Rome about his CBS Sports Network show.

Tom has more on Rome in his blog.

Canada

The usually uninformed Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says CBC Sports appears to be rudderless as it heads into a new NHL negotiation.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has the viewership numbers for Canadian sports television from last week.

And that will conclude the megalinks.

Quick Monday Linkage

Don’t have much time today. I’ll do a few links for you here while I can.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand has CBS/Turner’s Clark Kellogg saying he wouldn’t be surprised if Kentucky lost in the Final Four this weekend.

Mr. College Football, Tony Barnhart of CBS Sports, remembers his former colleague at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Furman Bisher.

Tim Wood at the Bleacher Report announces some new hirings. BR has been on a hiring binge lately.

ESPN2 aired the Jets/Tim Tebow press conference today with a twist. Can you believe showing Skippy Bayless on his laptop, live tweeting the event? Yes indeed. Very bad television.

Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid notes that a SiriusXM Radio host decided to use his satellite radio show to criticize the Miami Heat for the famous picture of the entire team wearing hoodies in support of Trayvon Martin.

Doug Farrar at Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner says Fox Sports is considering using suspended New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton as an analyst this season.

To Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk who says don’t expect the NFL to give the public a partial 2012 regular season schedule release this week.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal catches up with CBS Sports Network/Dial Global Radio announcer Dave Ryan who’s calling the NCAA Women’s Tournament on radio this week.

Ken Kerschbaumer at Sports Video Group notes that Longhorn Network uses fiber optics rather than satellite trucks to transmit game action from University of Texas campus back to its broadcast facility.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life says a NCAA Tournament overrun helped CBS win the Sunday night primetime ratings.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age says the NFL and Nike are hyping their new partnership which both companies say will revolutionize the league’s apparel.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Tiger Woods’ win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend might have helped his popularity.

Yesterday, we learned that legendary boxing writer and historian Bert Sugar died at the age of 75. Sugar was one of the most popular figures covering the sweet science. But in addition to covering boxing, Sugar wrote about baseball and was good at it. When I hosted a one-hour radio sports show in Groton, CT, Bert gave me one of the best interviews I ever had. He was witty, funny, brilliant and put everything into its proper perspective. And he sent me a book that he had written about boxing. One of the nicest men in the sports media you’ll ever have the chance to meet. And unfortunately, he’s gone.

Tim Smith of the New York Daily News says Sugar had been suffering from lung cancer, but typical of Bert, he kept it quiet from most of his friends.

Dan Rafael of ESPN.com says Bert will be missed.

Michael Woods of ESPN New York has an appreciation of Sugar.

Bob Velin of USA Today also has an obituary for Sugar.

Gary Mihoces of USA Today says Sugar was definitely a colorful character.

Lem Satterfield of The Ring, the digital home of Ring Magazine where Sugar once worked, has reaction to his death.

Promoter Jackie Kallen in Boxing Insider bids farewell to her friend.

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun has a couple of memories of Bert Sugar.

I’ll do some more linkage tonight.

NASCAR Races To Be Streamed on Sirius XM Online

One of the major pet peeves of Sirius XM subscribers has been the inability to listen to Sirius XM NASCAR Radio online through computers, mobiles and tablet.  The only way to listen to NASCAR programming and the extensive live race broadcasts with dedicated racer channels was through the actual Sirius XM receivers. And all this was despite other sports programming making the trek online on Sirius XM.

NASCAR and Sirius XM have announced that starting Thursday, all Sirius XM NASCAR Radio will be available through all Sirius XM online platforms including mobile and tablet apps.  This includes all live races in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series.

This has been a long time coming for NASCAR fans. We have the joint announcement from NASCAR and Sirius XM.

SiriusXM and NASCAR to Broadcast Races Online and on SiriusXM App

For the first time, SiriusXM will simulcast the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel’s programming – including all live NASCAR races – online and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App
SiriusXM broadcasts every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race nationwide
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel offers fans 24/7 NASCAR talk, news and analysis

NEW YORK –- March 21, 2012 –- Sirius XM Radio and NASCAR announced today an agreement to simulcast the programming on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel in its entirety – which includes live broadcasts of every national series race, plus daily NASCAR talk – online for SiriusXM subscribers nationwide.

Starting with this weekend’s races in Fontana, CA (March 24-25), subscribers who have SiriusXM Internet Radio access can listen to live broadcasts of every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the SiriusXM NASCAR radio channel through their computers at siriusxm.com and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphone and wireless devices.

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, is available to Sirius subscribers, XM Premier (formerly known as “The Best of Sirius”) and SiriusXM Premier subscribers.

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio is the only radio channel dedicated to NASCAR racing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The channel’s daily talk programming will begin simulcasting online on Thursday, March 22. Throughout the season, NASCAR fans get a daily lineup of call-in talk shows that feature up-to-the-moment news, expert analysis and interviews with the biggest names in the sport, plus specials hosted by three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

“Extending our broadcasting agreement with SiriusXM was a big offseason move for the sport,” said Brian France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR. “A dedicated NASCAR channel is important for our teams, tracks, drivers and sponsors and is crucial for fan engagement and audience growth. Being able to simulcast SiriusXM NASCAR Radio online to subscribers nationwide will allow us additional opportunities to take our product to new fans in new places.”

“SiriusXM NASCAR Radio has become a part of many NASCAR fans’ daily lives and with so many fans now connecting to their sport through handheld devices, we want to give them an easy way to access the sport they love online and in mobile settings,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer.  “NASCAR is an excellent partner and its programming continues to be a key element in the SiriusXM lineup.  We’re very pleased to now deliver to our subscribers live coverage of every race broadcast, plus our unparalleled daily talk and analysis, through their computers and mobile devices in addition to their satellite radios.”

SiriusXM and NASCAR recently agreed to a five-year extension of their satellite broadcasting agreement.  SiriusXM will continue to broadcast every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race live nationwide through 2016.  Listeners also get daily NASCAR talk and expert analysis 365 days a year on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

For more info visit www.siriusxm.com or www.nascar.com.  Follow us on Twitter at @SiriusXMNASCAR and @NASCAR.

That is all.

Quick Sunday Linkage

While I have a moment, let’s provide some rare Sunday links.

The lovely Nicole Auerbach of USA Today notes that ESPN’s Bob Knight won’t mention Kentucky by name on the air. ESPN allows Knight to wear sweaters on the air instead of a suit and tie and now this. I don’t understand it.

The Associated Press reports that Hall of Fame Los Angeles Dodgers voice Vin Scully is cutting back on his schedule even further this upcoming season.

The Biz of Baseball’s Maury Brown writes that the Dodgers have released their 2012 radio and TV schedule with the news about Scully buried deep in the press release.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says Friday’s historic upsets in the NCAA Tournament gave CBS/Turner record ratings.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel notes that HBO has set the date for its next pay per view boxing event.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid wonders exactly what CBS/Turner’s Bill Raftery said during last night’s Iowa State-Kentucky game.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group writes that Ball State students are helping Turner Sports drive its social media engine for the NCAA Tournament.

Sox & Dawgs has the funny video of UConn’s Stefanie Dolson taking a knee to the groin, but what’s makes it funny is that ESPN2′s Rebecca Lobo is laughing when she sees the replay.

Phil Swann at TVPredictions says DirecTV aired last night’s launch of Fox Sports San Diego in HD.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick can’t stand ESPN’s Stephen A. “A is for Anti-Asian” Smith kissing up to certain New York Knicks players.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes the higher ratings for the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Greg Connors of the Buffalo News says the Bills’ courting of Mario Williams stretched the Western New York media to all corners of the region.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with Sirius XM NFL Radio host Ross Tucker about the DC NFL Team.

Tom Jones from the Tampa Bay Times profiles NBC/Golf Channel’s on-course reporter Dottie Pepper.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says ratings for the first true day of the NCAA Tournament were up.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has writers analyzing the Brewers by each position.

Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres got their official launch on Fox Sports last night.

Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times writes about Vin Scully cutting back on his schedule this season.

Sports Media Watch notes the increased ratings for the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

SMW says the NBA drew strong numbers for ESPN/ABC.

And that will complete the links for today.

Sirius XM To Air Entire NCAA Tournament

Continuing the College Basketball theme today, we have this press release from Sirius XM stating that the official satellite provider of the NCAA Tournament will carry all 67 games of March Madness on both Sirius and XM platforms.

Games will be aired on five dedicated channels on Sirius and XM receivers. All games will provided and produced by Dial Global radio.

They won’t be streamed on the Sirius XM app as those rights are with Turner Sports’ March Madness app.

In addition to all 67 games of the men’s tournament, Sirius XM will provide the radio broadcasts from the women’s tournament starting with the regional finals through to the Final Four in Denver.

We have the press release from Sirius XM.

SiriusXM Offers Every Game Of The 2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

Subscribers nationwide get every minute of every game
SiriusXM College Sports Nation and Mad Dog Radio channels offer daily analysis, interviews with coaches and players, and fan reactions

NEW YORK – March 8, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will broadcast every game of the 2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, offering subscribers nationwide uninterrupted access to play-by-play of every match-up from the First Four® on March 13 and 14 through the Final Four® and National Championship game in New Orleans on March 31 and April 2.

All tournament games will be available to SiriusXM listeners in their entirety, with no blackouts, on Sirius channels 91, 92, 93, 94 and 85 and XM channels 91, 190, 191, 192 and 193. Tournament match-ups and Sirius and XM channel assignments will be available at www.siriusxm.com/collegesports starting Monday, March 12.

On Selection Sunday, March 11, SiriusXM will offer an evening of selection show specials that will give listeners live updates as tournament teams and match-ups are announced. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Steve Torre will host live from 5:00 to 9:00 pm ET on Mad Dog Radio (channel 86). Then from 9:00 pm to midnight ET, listeners can tune into continued coverage on SiriusXM College Sports Nation (channel 91). The shows will feature interviews with special guests, including team coaches and selection committee chair Jeff Hathaway, and give fans a place to call in and share their reactions and opinions as the field is revealed.

Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, will continue to host his weekly talk show, Basketball and Beyond with Coach K, throughout the tournament. Listeners can hear the show Wednesdays (7:00 pm ET) on Mad Dog Radio with replays on SiriusXM College Sports Nation.

Fans can also follow everything happening throughout the tournament on SiriusXM College Sports Nation, SiriusXM’s all-college sports channel.  Listeners will hear live play-by-play of tournament games plus daily talk and analysis from a roster of hosts that includes former Villanova University and University of Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas, former University of Vermont coach Tom Brennan, 1992 UPI Player of the Year Jimmy Jackson, and college basketball experts Mark Packer, Jeff Goodman, Jon Rothstein, Jason Horowitz and Chris Childers.

SiriusXM College Sports Nation hosts will be in New Orleans broadcasting live from Friday, March 30, through Tuesday, April 3, delivering fans all the latest news and talk from the Final Four.

SiriusXM will also offer coverage of the NCAA® Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, providing listeners from coast to coast with full coverage of every regional final, the Women’s Final Four® and championship game.

All NCAA Tournament broadcasts are provided to SiriusXM by Dial Global.

That will do it.

SiriusXM NFL Radio To Air Madonna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

If you’ve listened to the Super Bowl on Westwood One Radio in the past, you’ll know that it’s rarely aired the halftime concert, choosing to analyze the game with their studio crew.

SiriusXM’s NFL Radio will air the Dial Global/Westwood One feed today, but will also air Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show. The concert will air in its entirety for SiriusXM subscribers.

Madonna’s Performance During the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show to Air Live on SiriusXM

Multi Grammy Award®-winning artist’s performance from Super Bowl to air live on SiriusXM NFL Radio

NEW YORK–February 4, 2012– Sirius XM Radio will air Madonna’s halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVI live on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Sunday, February 5.

The performance will air live on SiriusXM NFL Radio, channel 88 on Sirius and XM Premier (formerly known as “The Best of Sirius”). SiriusXM, the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, will broadcast Super Bowl XLVI in 10 languages, offering listeners 13 different live broadcasts.

SiriusXM broadcasts every NFL game live nationwide, from the preseason through the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.

That will do it.

Super Bowl XLVI Viewing Picks

All Times Eastern

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Sunday NFL Countdown — ESPN, 10 a.m.
Road to the Super Bowl — NBC, noon
Super Bowl XLVI Pregame — NBC, 1 p.m.
SportsNet Central Extra: Super Bowl Pregame — Comcast SportsNet New England, 3 p.m.
Super Bowl Pre-Kick Show — NBC, 6 p.m.

Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots — NBC, 6:30 p.m.
Announcers: NBC — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya; Dial Global — Kevin Harlan/Boomer Esiason/James Lofton/Mark Malone

SportsNet Central Extra: Super Bowl Postgame — Comcast SportsNet New England, 10 p.m.
SportsNite: Big Blue Live — SNY, 10 p.m.
NFL PrimeTime — ESPN, 10:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, 10:30 p.m.

Sirius XM Super Bowl Channel Assignments

The Mighty Monday Links

I don’t know why they’re mighty, but they’re here. Let’s get to them.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy looks at Super Bowl Media Day which will be covered from all angles on both ESPN and NFL Network.

Preston Bounds from Sports Business Daily lists the top 11 most marketable NFL players. Your humble blogger is quoted in the story.

At the Poynter Institute, Kelly McBride takes both the New York Times and Yale Daily News to task for their handling of the Patrick Witt alleged sexual assault story.

Michael O’Connell of the Hollywood Reporter writes that the NFL Pro Bowl gave NBC a Sunday primetime win over weak competition.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek notes that marketers and star players are for the most part, a winning combination.

Tim Nudd from Adweek looks at the advertiser rundown for Sunday’s Super Bowl on NBC.

Tim loves the extended Honda Ferris Bueller-themed Super Bowl ad.

Back to Crupi who delves into the April launch of Univision Deportes.

Adweek talks with Jim Rome about his move from ESPN to CBS.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says social media campaigns can enhance and also detract from the Super Bowl viewing experience.

The Nielsen Wire blog looks at the spending trends for Super Bowl ads over the last five years.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group notes that NFL Network is gearing up for a very busy Super Bowl Week.

Patrick Burns of Deadspin breaks down ESPN SportsCenter’s coverage from last week.

At All Things Digital, Peter Kafka says it’s ESPN that’s weighing down your cable bill.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes that NESN has made additions to its Red Sox broadcast team.

Here’s a rarity, Phil Mushnick of the New York Post giving praise and today he’s dishing it out to Knicks radio voice Spero Dedes.

Bob’s Blitz has caught WFAN’s Mike Francesa in a lie regarding his Super Bowl XLVII prediction.

From the Albany Times Union, Pete Dougherty notes that former Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian has signed with SiriusXM to co-host some radio shows.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times looks back at the weekend in sports television.

Cleveland Plain-Dealer ombudsman Ted Diadun discusses the reassignment of Browns beat writer Tony Grossi after a private tweet about Browns owner Randy Lerner went public.

The Waiting for Next Year blog looks at the Plain-Dealer decision.

Also from the Plain-Dealer, Bill Lubinger writes about how local TV rights money is playing a huge role in baseball free agency signings.

Dusty Saunders from the Denver Post notes that MLB Network has plucked Root Sports’ Alana Rizzo for a national gig.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.

Friend of Fang’s Bites Jackie Pepper is heading to the Super Bowl.

John Daly of the Daly Planet looks at NASCAR taking over operation of its website from Turner Sports.

John also looks at the future of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series on ESPN.

Sports Media Watch has the overnight ratings of the NHL All-Star Game and Australian Open finals.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing says UFC on Fox’s ratings may have gone down from its November debut, but they’re still good in the desired demographic.

That will do it.

SiriusXM To Air 13 Different Super Bowl Feeds in 10 Languages

SiriusXM, the satellite radio partner for the National Football League, will air Super Bowl XLVI in ten languages including Chinese, French, Hungarian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. English language feeds will include the local radio broadcasts from Boston and New York, plus the Dial Global national feed as called by Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason and the BBC Radio feed as well. The feeds can be accessed on both the Sirius and XM satellite platforms as well as online.

We have the SiriusXM press release that lists the feeds as well what the satellite radio provider has in store for its live programming from Indianapolis for Super Bowl week. Check it out.

SiriusXM Announces Wide-Ranging Programming Plans for Super Bowl

Listeners get 13 individual broadcasts of Super Bowl XLVI in 10 languages
Super Bowl Week programming features unparalleled mix of sports, entertainment and music
Live shows from SiriusXM NFL Radio, Rosie O’Donnell, Mad Dog Radio, Larry the Cable Guy, Sway Calloway, Maurice Jones-Drew, Fran Tarkenton and others

NEW YORK – January 30, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, announced today that it will broadcast Super Bowl XLVI in 10 languages, offering listeners 13 different live broadcasts plus a wide mix of sports and entertainment programming from Indianapolis throughout Super Bowl Week.

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 5 (6:00 pm ET), SiriusXM will offer the most extensive lineup of play-by-play broadcasts live from Lucas Oil Stadium to SiriusXM subscribers*.  Subscribers who have SiriusXM Internet Radio access in addition to their satellite radio subscription can also listen to the game online through their computers and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphone and wireless devices.

• New England Patriots broadcast – Sirius 86/XM 226/Online 879
• New York Giants broadcast – Sirius 92/XM 225/Online 881
• National radio broadcast – Sirius 88/XM 88/Online 88
• Spanish broadcast – Sirius 149/XM 234/Online 870 **
• BBC Radio broadcast – Sirius 93/XM 227/Online 861
• Chinese broadcast – Sirius 139/XM 231/Online 866
• Japanese broadcast – Sirius 94/XM 228/Online 862
• German broadcast – Sirius 138/XM 233/Online 865
• Hungarian broadcast – Sirius 113/XM 235/Online 869
• Portuguese broadcast – Sirius 137/XM 230/Online 864
• Russian broadcast – Sirius 117/XM 236/Online 868
• Dutch broadcast – Sirius 134/XM 229/Online 863
• French broadcast – Sirius 136/XM 232/Online 867

* NFL programming is available to Sirius subscribers, XM Premier (formerly known as “The Best of Sirius”) and SiriusXM Premier subscribers.  (Visit www.siriusxm.com/subscriptions for info.)

** The Spanish-language broadcast of the Super Bowl will also air on SiriusXM Latino, the new suite of Spanish-language channels available via satellite on SiriusXM Edge and Lynx radios and online.  Subscribers will find the broadcast on XM channel 550 and online on channel 950.

Starting Monday, January 30, SiriusXM NFL Radio will broadcast live every day from the NFL’s Radio Row in Indianapolis, offering listeners the latest news and expert analysis leading up to the biggest game of the year, plus dozens of interviews with players, coaches, league executives and celebrities in town for the event.  Available on channel 88 on Sirius and XM Premier, SiriusXM NFL Radio features a lineup of expert hosts that includes Gil Brandt, Derrick Brooks, Rich Gannon, Pat Kirwan, Jim Miller, Bob Papa, Tim Ryan, Solomon Wilcots, Adam Schein and others.

SiriusXM NFL Radio will broadcast live from Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday, January 31, offering one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from the Patriots and Giants.  On Saturday, February 4 at 5:00 pm ET, SiriusXM NFL Radio will provide live coverage as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012 is announced, plus interviews with the newly elected Hall of Famers.  The channel will also have live coverage from Lucas Oil Stadium after the game on Sunday, featuring interviews with the Super Bowl XLVI MVP, the winning head coach and other players.

In addition to SiriusXM NFL Radio’s comprehensive coverage, SiriusXM will offer a myriad of programming options throughout Super Bowl Week from the worlds of sports, entertainment and music.

Rosie O’Donnell will host a special edition of SiriusXM’s Rosie Radio, featuring celebrity guests, live from Radio Row in Indianapolis on Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Stars (channel 107).

SiriusXM’s Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will be in Indianapolis all week to host his daily show, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from Radio Row from 2:00 to 7:00 pm ET.  The show is the anchor program for SiriusXM’s all-sports talk channel, Mad Dog Radio (channel 86).

Mad Dog Radio’s Dino Costa will host The Dino Costa Show live from 7:00 to 11:00pm ET from multiple locations around Indianapolis throughout the week including Radio Row (Mon.), Nicky Blaine’s Cocktail Lounge (Tue.), the NFL Experience (Wed.), Buffalo Wild Wings (Thurs.), and the High Velocity Bar at the JW Marriott (Fri.).  Costa will also host live from Radio Row on Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm ET.

Evan Cohen, of Mad Dog Radio’s Evan & Phillips in the Morning, will host the show from Radio Row on Thursday and Friday from 6:00 to 10:00 am ET.

Comedian Larry the Cable Guy will be featured on a Blue Collar Radio special airing live from Radio Row on Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET (channel 97).

Sway Calloway will host Sway in the Morning, his live weekday show on Eminem’s Shade 45 channel, live from Radio Row on Thursday and Friday at 8:00 am ET (channel 45).

On Thursday, Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will be on Radio Row to host his SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio show, Runnin’ with MJD, live from 4:00 to 6:00 pm ET (channel 87 on XM and channel 210 on Sirius Premier).

Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton will host a special broadcast from Radio Row on Friday at 3:00 pm ET.  The show will air on SiriusXM Stars Too (channel 104) on Friday at 10:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 8:00 am ET.

SiriusXM’s Covino & Rich, hosted by Steve Covino and Rich Davis on SiriusXM Stars Too (channel 104, weekdays at 11:00 am ET), will broadcast from spots around Indianapolis, including the Maxim Party and Radio Row.

Additionally, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, SiriusXM listeners can tune in for regular traffic and weather reports for the Indianapolis area on SiriusXM channel 145.

As the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, SiriusXM broadcasts every NFL game live nationwide, from the preseason through the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.

Visit www.siriusxm.com/superbowl for more information.

That’s all.

NFL Viewing Picks For Conference Championship Sunday, 01/22/2012, All Times Eastern

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
NFL Championship Chase — CBS, 1 p.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, 2 p.m.

3 p.m.
AFC Championship, Foxboro, MA
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots — CBS, Jim Nantz/Phil Simms/Steve Tasker; Dial Global Radio, Dave Sims/James Lofton/Tony Boselli

6 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, 6 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 6 p.m.

6:30 p.m.
NFC Championship, San Francisco, CA
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers — Fox, Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver/Chris Myers; Dial Global Radio, Kevin Harlan/Dan Fouts/Mark Malone

9:30 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday Postgame — Fox

10:30 p.m.
NFL Primetime — ESPN
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

Sirius XM Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 17, 01/01/12, All Times Eastern

NFL TV Coverage Maps (the506.com)

Blackouts: None

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Buffalo at New England — Don Criqui/Randy Cross
Indianapolis at Jacksonville — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein
New York Jets at Miami — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Tennessee at Houston — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker

FOX
Carolina at New Orleans — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
Chicago at Minnesota — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Detroit at Green Bay — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
San Francisco at St. Louis — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jennifer Hale
Washington at Philadelphia — Ron Pitts/Charles Davis/Drea Avent

4:15 p.m.
CBS
Baltimore at Cincinnati — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” and “The Beard)
Kansas City at Denver — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Pittsburgh at Cleveland — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
San Diego at Oakland — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon

FOX
Seattle at Arizona — Sam Rosen/Chad Pennington/Jody Jackson
Tampa Bay at Atlanta — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jaime Maggio!!!

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:30 p.m.
NBC — Sunday Night Football
Dallas at New York Giants — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

Midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

Westwood One Radio
12:30 p.m.
New York Jets at Miami — Howard David/Tony Boselli

3:45 p.m.
Kansas City at Denver — Kevin Kugler/Mark Malone

7:30 p.m.
Dallas at New York Giants — Dave Sims/James Lofton/Hub Arkush

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Week 17 NFL Schedule
NFL RedZone

NFL Viewing Picks for Week 16, 12/24/2011, All Times Eastern

NFL TV Coverage Maps (the506.com)

Blackouts: Buffalo, Cincinnati

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fox NFL Sunday —  Fox, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Cleveland at Baltimore — Spero Dedes/Rich Gannon
Denver at Buffalo — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Jacksonville at Tennessee — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Miami at New England — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” and “The Beard”)
Oakland at Kansas City — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

FOX
Arizona at Cincinnati — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Minnesota at Washington — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
New York Giants at New York Jets — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
St. Louis at Pittsburgh — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Tampa Bay at Carolina — Sam Rosen/Chad Pennington

4:05 p.m.
CBS
San Diego at Detroit — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

4:15 p.m.
FOX 
Philadelphia at Dallas — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
San Francisco at Seattle — Ron Pitts/Charles Davis/Drea Avent

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

8 p.m.
NFL Primetime — ESPN2

Westwood One Radio
12:30 p.m.: New York Giants at New York Jets — Howard David/Tony Boselli
|3:30 p.m.: San Diego at Detroit — Kevin Kugler/Mark Malone

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM NFL Schedule
NFL RedZone

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 15, 12/18/11, All Times Eastern

NFL Coverage Maps (the506.com)

Blackouts: Buffalo

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Cincinnati at St. Louis — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Miami at Buffalo — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Tennessee at Indianapolis — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” & “The Beard”)

FOX
Carolina at Houston — Ron Pitts/Charles Davis/Drea Avent
Green Bay at Kansas City — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
New Orleans at Minnesota — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Seattle at Chicago — Chris Myers/Tim Lynch/Jaime Maggio!!!
Washington at New York Giants — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

4:05 p.m.
FOX
Detroit at Oakland — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin

4:15 p.m.
CBS
Cleveland at Arizona — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
New England at Denver — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
New York Jets at Philadelphia — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:30 p.m.
NBC
Sunday Night Football
Baltimore at San Diego — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

Westwood One Radio
12:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Minnesota — Mark Champion/Mark Malone

3:45 p.m.
New England at Denver — Howard David/Tony Boselli

7:30 p.m.
Baltimore at San Diego — Dave Sims/James Lofton/Scott Kaplan

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Radio Week 15 Schedule
NFL RedZone

Sirius XM To Air Every Single Bowl Game This Season

Sirius XM Satellite Radio will air all of the college bowl games over a 23 day span starting on Saturday, December 17 and running through January 9 with the BCS National Championship Game. That’s correct, Sirius XM through ESPN Radio will also air the BCS games which are comprised of the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game.

And Sirius XM through ESPN Radio and various radio syndicators air bowls including the Las Vegas, New Orleans, Holiday, Cotton, Sun and others.

We have the entire list of the games plus the start times. Check them all out below in a nice neat package.

SiriusXM To Air Every Bowl Game This College Football Postseason

SiriusXM will be the only broadcaster offering live play-by-play of every bowl game through the BCS National Championship on January 9

NEW YORK – December 15, 2011 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that it will offer listeners, for the first time, live play-by-play of every bowl game during the 2011-12 college football postseason.

Sirius and XM listeners will get access to 35 games, more than any season before, including the BCS National Championship, the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl.

The schedule will begin with the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, December 17(2:00 pm ET, on ESPN Radio, SiriusXM channel 84) and continue through Monday January 9, when #1 ranked LSU faces #2 Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game (8:30 pm ET on ESPN Radio, SiriusXM channel 84). A complete schedule of games and channels appears below.

Fans can stay up to date on everything happening throughout the bowl season with SiriusXM College Sports Nation, channel 91, SiriusXM’s 24/7 college sports channel. From the best games, to the latest news and biggest stories happening around the college football landscape, SiriusXM College Sports Nation covers it all with a daily programming lineup that features 24/7 Sports Radio’s on Campus with Bill King (weekdays, 6:00 am ET); SiriusXM College Sports Today (weekdays, 9:00 am ET), hosted by Mark Packer and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George; SiriusXM College Football Playbook (weekdays, 12:00 pm ET), hosted by veteran college football voice Jack Arute, the acclaimed Paul Finebaum Show (weekdays, 3:00 pm ET), College Football Coast-to-Coast with Chris Childers (weekdays, 7:00 pm ET), plus several college coaches shows.

SiriusXM College Sports Nation will broadcast live from New Orleans, the site of the BCS National Championship game from Thursday, January 5, through game day, January 9.  Hosts Jack Arute, Paul Finebaum, Eddie George, Mark Packer, Bill King and Chris Childers will be live on site where they will interview LSU and Alabama players and coaches, cover pre-game practices and preview the game.

SiriusXM’s College Bowl game schedule: (All times ET)

New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, NM – Temple vs. Wyoming
December 17, 2:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise, ID – Ohio vs. Utah State
December 17, 5:30pm, SiriusXM channel 84

New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, LA – San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
December 17, 9:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

St. Petersburg Bowl, St. Petersburg, FL – Florida International vs. Marshall
December 20, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Poinsettia Bowl, San Diego, CA – TCU vs. Louisiana Tech
December 21, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas, NV – Arizona State vs. Boise State
December 22, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu, HI – Nevada vs. Southern Miss
December 24, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Independence Bowl, Shreveport, LA – Missouri vs. North Carolina
December 26, 5:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Little Caesars Bowl, Detroit, MI – Western Michigan vs. Purdue
December 27, 4:30pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Belk Bowl, Charlotte, NC – Louisville vs. NC State
December 27, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Military Bowl, Washington, D.C. – Air Force vs. Toledo
December 28, 4:30pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Holiday Bowl, San Diego, CA – California vs. Texas
December 28, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Champs Sports Bowl, Orlando, FL – Florida State vs. Notre Dame
December 29, 5:30pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX – Washington vs. Baylor
December 29, 9:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Armed Forces Bowl, Dallas, TX – BYU vs. Tulsa
December 30, 12:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Pinstripe Bowl, Bronx, NY – Rutgers vs. Iowa State
December 30, 3:20pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN – Miss. St. vs. Wake Forest
December 30, 6:40pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Insight Bowl, Tempe, AZ – Iowa vs. Oklahoma
December 30, 10:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, Houston, TX – Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
December 31, 12:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas – Georgia Tech vs. Utah
December 31, 2:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN – Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt
December 31, 3:30pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Fight Hunger Bowl, San Francisco, CA – Illinois vs. UCLA
December 31, 3:30pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Atlanta, GA – Virginia vs. Auburn
December 31, 7:30pm (approx.), SiriusXM channel 84

TicketCity Bowl, Dallas, TX – Houston vs. Penn State
January 2, 12:00pm, SiriusXM channel 85

Outback Bowl, Tampa, FL – Michigan State vs. Georgia
January 2, 1:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, FL – Ohio State vs. Florida
January 2, 1:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

Capital One Bowl, Orlando, FL – Nebraska vs. South Carolina
January 2, 1:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA – Wisconsin vs. Oregon
January 2, 5:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ – Stanford vs. Oklahoma State
January 2, 8:30pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA – Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
January 3, 8:30pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Orange Bowl, Miami, FL – West Virginia vs. Clemson
January 4, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 84

Cotton Bowl, Arlington, TX – Kansas State vs. Arkansas
January 6, 8:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

BBVA Compass Bowl, Birmingham, AL – SMU vs. Pittsburgh
January 7, 1:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

GoDaddy.com Bowl, Mobile, AL – Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
January 8, 9:00pm, SiriusXM channel 91

BCS National Championship, New Orleans, LA – LSU vs. Alabama
January 9, 8:30pm, SiriusXM channel 84

All games airing on SiriusXM channel 84 are ESPN Radio broadcasts.

For more information, please visit www.siriusxm.com/collegesports.

And that does it.

It’s The Linkage! At Long Last and It’s Back!

I think it’s about a week and a half since I’ve been able to do links. Been crazy with me, but you’ve still been visiting and I appreciate that. Time to provide you with sports media news links which is what the site depends on to begin with.

Thanks for your patience during this trying time for me. Onward and let’s do the links.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that NBA analysts aren’t holding back as they get ready for a new truncated season.

Mike Foss of USA Today talks with the new ESPN main soccer analyst Taylor Twellman about tweeting while commentating and concussions.

From earlier this week, Tom Weir of USA Today’s Game On blog notes that “Tebowing” has been officially recognized as a word.

This week’s Sports Business Journal lists the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business for 2011. I’m not in this year’s list (I’m joking).

Terry Lefton of SBJ says the Stadium Formerly Known as San Diego Jack Murphy will have a temporary name for the holiday season.

Dan Shanoff’s Quickish site lists the Best Sportswriting in 2011. Some good choices and good reading throughout.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine says three of the five NFL TV partners are experiencing lower ratings from last season.

From MediaPost, Wayne Friedman writes that smaller market TV revenues played a huge role in the NBA’s nixing of the Chris Paul from New Orleans-to-Los Angeles Lakers trade.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age says hoping to tap into a more health-conscious audience, Dannon Yogurt becomes the first of its kind to advertise on the Super Bowl.

At Adweek, Lucia Moses says Rolling Stone magazine will host its first-ever Super Bowl party in Indianapolis come February.

All Access notes that Milwaukee Brewers radio voice Bob Uecker will be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Chris Chase at Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner has a video that has gone viral in which a Washington, DC news anchor said that if Tom Brady had died, the DC NFL Team might have had a chance to beat the New England Patriots last Sunday.

Michael Bradley at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says don’t expect journalism from local MLB TV partners as they increasingly fund team’s payrolls.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid wonders if Shaquille O’Neal will upset the apple cart that is TNT’s Inside the NBA postgame studio show.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III of Baylor is setting the world afire with his Superman socks.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing lists the site’s Top 10 Pammies of the Year.

Gabriel Sherman of The New Yorker magazine writes about sports journalism getting into some hard reporting in the wake of various scandals.

Newsday’s Neil Best writes about tonight’s premiere of HBO’s 24/7 Flyers/Rangers.

The New York Daily News’ Dr. Gloom and Doom reports that YES may hire former MLB manager Lou Piniella as an analyst for next season.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union says while CBS won the right to keep Patriots-Broncos in Week 15, viewers in the Capital Region won’t see it.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette notes that DirecTV will air a local college hockey game through Fox College Sports.

Ken McMillen from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says WGN America will pick up 10 Chicago Bulls games this season.

Laura Nachman has a couple of Philadelphia 76ers announcements.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has gotten a hold of Tony Kornheiser’s high school yearbook picture and yes, he had hair.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Golf Channel Morning Drive co-host Gary Williams.

Dwain Price at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram speaks with new Dallas Maverick Lamar Odom about his trade from the Lakers and whether he’ll continue to do the Kardashian television abortion.

The Houston Chronicle reports that ESPN college football analyst Craig James is expected to announce a run for the U.S. Senate, a move that would thrill many fans who can’t stand him on television.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes that the NFL topped the local ratings in the Sooner State.

Mel says the local CBS affiliate will pick up the rest of the Denver Broncos schedule and air plenty of Tim Tebow.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says a local sports talk show host has resigned leaving his station in the lurch.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business talks with “NHL 36″ Executive Producer Ross Greenburg about tonight’s series premiere.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail asks if lightning can strike twice with HBO’s 24/7.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog looks at the effect of media giants Bell Canada and Rogers combining to purchase Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment which would be like ESPN and NBC teaming up to buy the New York Yankees, that’s how big the news is in Canada.

John Daly at The Daly Planet explores the continuing dispute between Sirius XM and Turner Sports over streaming NASCAR on the internet.

Sports Media Watch looks at the final ratings for the SEC on CBS.

And SMW also notes the final ratings of college football on ABC.

SMW says the Heisman Trophy Presentation on ESPN last Saturday did well.

And SMW has some ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says today is a pretty big day for hockey fans.

And the Big Lead notes that Tim Tebow is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated.

That will conclude our linkage today and I hope that the next set of linkage will come tomorrow instead of another 10 days.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 13, 12/04/11, All Times Eastern

NFL Coverage Maps (the 506.com)

Blackouts: Buffalo, Tampa-St. Petersburg

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Indianapolis at New England — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Kansas City at Chicago — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
New York Jets at Washington — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” and “The Beard)
Oakland at Miami — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Tennessee at Buffalo — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein

FOX
Atlanta at Houston — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Carolina at Tampa Bay — Ron Pitts/Jim Mora/Drea Avent
Denver at Minnesota — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin

Westwood One Radio
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh — Howard David/Tony Boselli

4:05 p.m.
CBS
Baltimore at Cleveland — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker

4:15 p.m.
FOX
Dallas at Arizona — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Green Bay at New York Giants — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
St. Louis at San Francisco — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

Westwood One Radio
Green Bay at New York Giants — Kevin Kugler/Mark Malone

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:30 p.m.
NBC: Sunday Night Football
Detroit at New Orleans — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

Westwood One Radio — Dave Sims/James Lofton/Kevin Kiley

midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM NFL Week 13 Schedule
NFL RedZone

Some Quickie Tuesday Links

I’ve been away from the computer again today so it led to minimal blogging. Let’s provide some links now.

We begin with some breaking news from the New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman who reports that TNT will air the NBA season opening game on Christmas Day between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. ESPN/ABC usually airs the Christmas Day games, but TNT has the rights to the league’s first game and Turner Sports apparently won out here.

Jason Lisk at the Big Lead criticizes ESPN for sitting on the Bernie Fine Syracuse story for more than eight years.

Allen Barra of the Daily Beast talks about ESPN and the Syracuse Post-Standard sitting on the Bernie Fine story for way too long.

At ESPN Front Row, Vince Doria, network vice president for news content defends ESPN’s handling of the story.

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart announced on his annual Sirius XM show that the sport has extended its agreement with the satellite radio provider for another five years.

Stewart just announces that NASCAR and SiriusXM Radio have extended their deal for 5 years. #sbjmmf

November 29, 2011 5:14 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SBJSBD

SBJ/SBD

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that YES Network will premiere a new series providing viewers access to Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says CBS/Turner expect big bucks from ad sales in the multiple platforms showing the NCAA Tournament.

David Goetzl of MediaPost says Paramount Pictures will incorporate NHL footage into promos for the latest Mission: Impossible movie on both US and Canadian TV.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid notes that a Tampa-St. Petersburg TV station accidentally showed a man’s schlong during a report from the Buccaneers locker room.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group notes that Big Ten Network has launched a mobile app for the Apple iPhone, iPod and yes, the iPad.

Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant says ESPN has signed a deal with the America East conference for 47 basketball games on the network’s various platforms.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reports on the feud between Los Angeles Dodgers Frank McCourt and Fox Sports over media rights for the team.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner notes the longevity of “Inside the NFL”.

Emily Adamson of NBCMontana says the NCAA is now encouraging ESPN to find a way to air the Division I Football playoff games involving Montana and Montana State in Big Sky country. The games are only available on ESPN3.com which is not readily available in Montana.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic talks with NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner about Tim Tebow.

I’ll try to get some more links later on.

Some Black Friday Sports Media Links

I hope you survived the Black Friday experience if you went out today. If you decided to shop online, better to do that than wait outside in the cold especially in the Northeast where the temperatures dropped below freezing overnight. No fun.

Anyway, I’ll provide the links. The Weekend Viewing Picks are here.

To the linkage.

National

At USA Today, Michael Hiestand and Mike McCarthy debate whether it’s appropriate to mention religion and faith in sports television.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that HBO will give viewers a 12 minute sneak peek on its new NHL-themed 24/7 series tonight.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the picture of Thanksgiving Day in which a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader got the start of her 15 minutes.

Tom Lorenzo at SportsGrid has a funny vidcap of a kid fast asleep during the Miami-Dallas game. Too much turkey, I guess.

Joe Favorito says hockey hopes to fill a void left by the NBA.

Sports Media Watch has the ratings for all NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season.

SMW notes that ESPN’s Monday Night Football saw a ratings increase for Chiefs-Pats.

SMW says NBC’s Sunday Night Football suffered a rare ratings and viewership drop in Week 11.

And SMW writes that last week’s Thursday Night Football gave NFL Network some early Thanksgiving treats.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media has the ratings of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada to date.

The Awful Announcing staff lists the announcers it’s thankful for.

Overseas, BBC Sport, once a UK powerhouse, is now cutting back and it’s only doing half a schedule of one of its signature sports, Formula 1. It explains how it’s covering Formula 1 in 2012.

Owen Gibson of the London (UK) Guardian says BBC has won back the rights to the IAAF World Athletic Championships, an event it lost for the first time this year.

Jackie Pepper writes about a Kansas City Royals MLB.com beat reporter who received a life-saving transplant and then went to cover every single game this past season.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe writes that NBC is looking to carve out a Thanksgiving niche for the NHL with a new Black Friday game.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post actually gives praise today! Stop the presses!

Justin Terranova of the Post has 5 questions for Sirius XM college football analyst Eddie George.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says ex-coaches don’t always make for the best broadcasters.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun thoroughly enjoyed NFL Network’s coverage of last night’s 49ers-Ravens game.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with an NHL official about its new “Thanksgiving Showdown”.

South

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle waxes poetic about losing the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry.

Chris Baldwin at CultureMap Houston says ESPN reminded Texas A&M fans why the school’s rivalry with Texas is ending when it promoted the Longhorn Network.

Midwest

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Ndamukong Suh’s stomp on Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith got plenty of play on Fox yesterday.

Paul Christian of the Rochester Post (MN) Bulletin also writes about the TV reaction to Suh’s stomp.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says embattled Cardinals TV voice Dan McLaughlin might be returning next season after all despite two arrests for DWI.

West

The Salt Lake Tribune’s Brian T. Smith says the Utah Jazz’s glory days can be seen on TV as fill for the NBA Lockout.

John Maffei at the North County Times reports that the San Diego Padres still have yet to sign a TV deal for next season.

Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star notes that LSU is playing another big game today on CBS.

Bill Shaikin from the Los Angeles Times says Fox is asking a judge for the Dodgers to throw in the parking lots in the team’s sale price rather than try to boost it and block its bid for the team’s media rights.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at some of the most dubious moments in sports media this year.

Joshua Myers of the Seattle Times notes that NBC is tapping Sounders voice Arlo White to be its MLS announcer.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says a new TSN documentary on the 20th anniversary of the Argonauts winning the CFL Grey Cup shows how far the team has sunk.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog goes inside the numbers of TSN’s coverage of this Sunday’s Grey Cup.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 12, 11/27/2011, All Times Eastern

NFL Coverage Maps (the506.com)

Blackouts: Cincinnati

Byes: None

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Buffalo at New York Jets — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Cleveland at Cincinnati — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Houston at Jacksonville — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

FOX
Arizona at St. Louis — Sam Rosen/Chad Pennington/Tina Cervasio!!! (good luck, Tina)
Carolina at Indianapolis — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan
Minnesota at Atlanta — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Tampa Bay at Tennessee — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:05 p.m.
FOX
Chicago at Oakland — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Washington at Seattle — Ron Pitts/Jim Mora/Drea Avent

4:15 p.m.
Denver at San Diego — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” and “The Beard”)
New England at Philadelphia — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:30 p.m.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football
Pittsburgh at Kansas City — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Satellite Radio NFL Week 12 Schedule
NFL RedZone

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 11, 11/20/2011, All Times Eastern

NFL Coverage Maps (the506.com)

Blackouts: None

Byes: Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Buffalo at Miami — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Cincinnati at Baltimore — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Jacksonville at Cleveland — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Oakland at Minnesota — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

FOX
Carolina at Detroit — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Dallas at Washington — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Tampa Bay at Green Bay — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

4:05 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Seattle at St. Louis — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

4:15 p.m.
CBS
San Diego at Chicago — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Tennessee at Atlanta — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” and “The Beard”)

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:30 p.m. (Listing the actual kickoff time from now on, not the TV listing)
NBC’s Sunday Night Football
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Satellite Radio NFL Schedule
NFL RedZone

Back For Monday’s Linkage

After not being able to provide linkage for a few days, let’s get back to it. I probably won’t be able to do the links as I have to undergo a medical procedure. Nothing serious. I should be back on Wednesday.

Let’s do your links.

Sports Business Daily looks over the reviews of ESPN’s handling of Penn State’s first game since the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke.

Tripp Mickle and John Ourand at Sports Business Journal say YouTube is now entering the sports media rights landscape.

Tripp says Versus will air over 30 hours of action sports programming as NBC Sports retakes ownership of the Dew Tour

Jason Belzer and Darren Heitner of Collegiate Sports Advisors write in Sports Business Journal that colleges and universities should not force a social media blackout on their student-athletes.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy says the NFL pregame show analysts either praised or criticized Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson depending on their former positions.

Mike writes Saturday’s Nebraska-Penn State game got higher ratings for ESPN.

Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable says a quick knockout in Fox’s airing of its first UFC bout wasn’t as bad as originally thought.

At Yahoo! Sports, Maggie Hendricks reviews Fox’s first production of a UFC card.

Dave Meltzer of Yahoo says UFC on Fox delivered a ratings punch.

At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski tells us what the NHL’s hiring of Ross Greenburg, formerly of HBO Sports, will mean for the league.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that Saturday’s Manny Pacquaio-Juan Manuel Marquez might have set up a big payday for the Pacman to fight Floyd Mayweather on pay per view next year.

Mike says NFL Network received the most viewers ever for a Thursday Night Football season opener.

Michael O’Connell of the Hollywood Reporter says Sunday Night Football won the ratings for NBC.

The Reporter notes that several advertisers have pulled their ads from upcoming Penn State football games on ESPN’s networks.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life says sports continues to draw viewers on what normally are dead Saturday nights.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid says Gus Johnson was being Gus when USC pulled off a fake punt during its game against Washington on Saturday.

Sports Video Group says NBC will air the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials later this year.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has what former Penn State coach Joe Paterno should have said last week.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at UFC on Fox’s preliminary ratings.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post feels it’s hard to love college football.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 11 NFL TV schedule for the Capital Region.

Pete says Time Warner Cable will carry all local high school football regional playoff games.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record writes that Versus and HDNet will combine for a Thanksgiving holiday college basketball tournament.

Deborah Ann Tripoldi of the Nutley (NJ) Sun writes that Friend of Fang’s Bites Tina Cervasio was inducted into a local Hall of Fame.

Laura Nachman says a Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reporter is now engaged.

The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News has the remarks of ESPN’s Jon Ritchie about accused child molester Jerry Sandusky. Ritchie grew up near Penn State.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun is still not a fan of CBS’ Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf especially when they call Ravens games.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with an official with NCAA.com about the streaming of over 20 championships.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times says ESPN got the job done for Nebraska-Penn State on Saturday.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle says Texans fans wanting to watch yesterday’s game against the Bucs in the Rio Grande Valley of the Lone Star State were SOL.

Fang’s Bites welcomes back Jerry Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News as we have not linked to him in a very long time. Jerry reports on a sudden switch on the local CBS affiliate that left Cowboys fans angry.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes that the ESPN on ABC crew assigned to Texas Tech-Oklahoma State had plenty of time to fill.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that ESPN’s Monday Night Football open for tonight’s Packers-Vikings game will honor the military.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business writes that the Big Ten Conference has removed Joe Paterno’s name from its championship trophy.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a lengthy conversation with embattled Cardinals TV voice Dan McLaughlin about his two drunken driving arrests.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post talks with a local news anchor who would like to return to his old sports roots.

Sad story out of Reno, NV as KTVN sports anchor JK Metzker died Sunday after being hit by a car. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.

Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal rememebers Metzker as a friend outside of the newsroom.

Lenita Powers of the Gazette-Journal says Metzker was loved in the local market.

Powers writes that KTVN canceled its newscasts on Sunday to grieve over Metzker’s death.

KTVN meteorologist Mike Alger says Metzker was a true friend.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says UFC isn’t leaving the sports landscape anytime soon.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says it’s time for the NHL to have a Red Zone Channel. I agree.

Sports Media Watch says NBA TV will premiere a new roundtable discussion program as the 2011-12 season looks more in doubt.

SMW says ABC’s Saturday Night Football received a record ratings low opposite LSU-Alabama on CBS.

The Big Lead has NBC’s Al Michaels talking the Penn State story with Sirius XM’s Howard Stern.

And we’ll leave it there. Lots of links for you to digest today.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 9, 11/06/2011, All Times Eastern

NFL Coverage Maps

Blackouts: None

Byes: Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville, Minnesota

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Cleveland at Houston — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts (“The Bird” and “The Beard”)
Miami at Kansas City — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
New York Jets at Buffalo — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

Fox
Atlanta at Indianapolis — Ron Pitts/Jim Mora/Drea Avent
San Francisco at Washington — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Dallas — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
Tampa Bay at New Orleans — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:05 p.m.
CBS
Cincinnati at Tennessee — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Denver at Oakland — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

4:15 p.m.
Green Bay at San Diego — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
New York Giants at New England — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
St. Louis at Arizona — Sam Rosen/Chad Pennington/Jody Jackson

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:20 p.m.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football
Baltimore at Pittsburgh — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM NFL Schedule
NFL RedZone

Back With The Friday Megalinks

Due to a crazy schedule for most of this week and then having a medical procedure done yesterday, I have not been able to blog like I’ve wanted to. Links have been scarce, but I’m available to do them now and hopefully, won’t be interrupted.

Your Weekend Viewing Picks have your sports and entertainment programming for Halloween weekend. Let’s get to the links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Tim McCarver has been broadcasting for a very long time and reports that Ron Franklin makes a return to the broadcast booth next week.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter writes that if the NBA loses an entire season, corporate partners Time Warner and Disney would take some hits in the short term, but see moderate profits in the long term.

Philiana Ng of the Reporter says Game 6 of the World Series dominated the primetime ratings on Thursday.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable says DirecTV is crying foul to the FCC about Fox’s ad in their carriage dispute over several networks including FX, 19 Fox Sports Net affiliates, Fox Soccer and Speed.

George Winslow of B&C notes that NASCAR.com has developed the first app for Google TV.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Varsity will stream high school games for co-owned Cablevision subscribers.

Mike says last week’s bidding for US World Cup media rights doesn’t help FIFA’s corrupt reputation.

ESPN Ombudsman Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute delves into ESPN’s role in the college sports realignment game.

Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that baseball’s problems are magnified when a historic moment as in last night’s World Series Game 6 comes so late for East Coast viewers.

Ben Koo from Awful Announcing criticizes MLB.com for its silly policy of not allowing websites like mine to embed certain videos.

Awful Announcing gives praise to Joe Buck for his plagiarized call of David Freese’s walk off home run in last night’s Game 6 World Series.

Deadspin’s AJ Daulerio exchanged e-mails with Buck on his call.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that a Dallas TV station jumped the gun in saying the Texas Rangers won the World Series last night.

Sports Video Group reports that CTV/TSN has won the Canadian rights to the FIFA World Cups from 2015 through 2022.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell explains why we’re suddenly closer to an NBA deal and a complete 82 game season.

Sports Media Watch writes about the World Series Game 6 ratings.

Dave Kohl in the Broadcast Booth looks at the reporting on Dan Wheldon’s death.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe looks at the World Series ratings vs.the NFL this season.

Bill Doyle from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks with Fox 25′s Kristine Leahy.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at MLB Network’s latest Bob Costas special with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

Neil says ESPN2′s SportsNation will do an ode to LIVE with Regis and Kelly on Monday.

Over to the New York Post where Phil Mushnick is again filled with hatred.

Justin Terranova of the Post has 5 questions for Sirius XM MLB Network Radio co-host Jim Duquette.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Fox finally got a ratings payoff for the World Series.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has the latest on the Baltimore-Washington, DC sports media.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner interviews the host of Bloomberg’s weekly “Sportfolio” program.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder gets the opportunity to talk about his former team twice a week on local sports radio.

Barry Horn at the Dallas Morning News writes that Game 6 of the World Series is now the most watched baseball game in the history of the Metroplex.

David Barron in the Houston Chronicle says the Texans continue to top the local TV ratings.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes ESPNU will air a basketball fundraiser for the Joplin, MO tornado victims.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with local website owners who want businesses to help ensure the Bengals won’t be blocked out in the local market.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that viewers are the losers in the DirecTV/Fox carriage dispute.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tells us that Week 7′s Vikings-Packers game was the most watched TV program of last week, topping all network programming.

Bob notes that Milwaukee and surrounding towns are part of a rare TV marketplace where a significant amount of viewers still don’t have cable or satellite.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business notes that classic Bulls games will be aired on Comcast SportsNet during the winter.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dan Caesar writes that Fox has hit the megaload with a long World Series.

West

John Maffei of the North County Times writes that last week’s brawl with Arizona gave UCLA some TV time, but for the wrong reasons.

Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star says Christmas doesn’t need NBA games.

Jim notes that ESPN took a big hit when it lost the World Cup bidding to Fox.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News talks with ESPN’s College GameDay’s Lee Corso.

Tom talks with SoCal broadcaster Steve Physioc.

Tom says people are confused over the battlelines in the DirecTV/Fox carriage dispute.

Tom talks with Dan Patrick about the #occupygameday movement.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that CTV/TSN has wrested the World Cup rights away from CBC.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 8, 10/30/2011, All Times Eastern

NFL Coverage Maps

Blackouts: None

Byes: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, New York Jets, Oakland, Tampa Bay

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon

1 p.m.
CBS
Indianapolis at Tennessee — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Jacksonville at Houston — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Miami at New York Giants — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

FOX
Arizona at Baltimore — Sam Rosen/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Minnesota at Carolina — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
New Orleans at St. Louis — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jennifer Hale

4:05 p.m.
FOX
Detroit at Denver — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jaime Maggio!!!
Washington at Buffalo — Thom Brennaman/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

4:15 p.m.
CBS
Cincinnati at Seattle — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Cleveland at San Francisco — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
New England at Pittsburgh — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

7 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

8:20 p.m.
NBC Sunday Night Football
Dallas at Philadelphia — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

midnight
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM NFL Schedule
NFL RedZone

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 7, 10/23/2011, All Times Pacific

NFL Coverage Maps

NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, 9 a.m.

10 a.m.
CBS
Denver at Miami — Kevin Harlan/Solmon Wilcots
Houston at Tennessee — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
San Diego at New York Jets — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

FOX
Atlanta at Detroit — Sam Rosen/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Chicago vs. Tampa Bay at London, England — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnson/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Cleveland — Ron Pitts/Jim Mora/Drea Avent
Washington at Carolina — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

1:05 p.m.
CBS
Kansas City at Oakland — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Pittsburgh at Arizona — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

1:15 p.m.
FOX
Green Bay at Minnesota — Thom Brennaman/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
St. Louis at Dallas — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC

4:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network

5:15 p.m.
NBC — Sunday Night Football
Indianapolis at New Orleans — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

9 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Channel Assignments
NFL RedZone