Fang's Bites

Let’s Get Some Linkage Out

I’ve accumulated a lot of links. They’re slowing down my browser so let’s clear them so I can let my computer get back some memory. Lots of stuff going on.

Let’s start with ESPN stuff as it dominated the news today with its network upfront presentation to advertisers and also confirmed personnel moves.

First, Sports Media Watch talks about Scott Van Pelt reupping with ESPN.

The ESPN Front Row blog has a Q&A podcast with Van Pelt in which he explains why he decided to remain with the Bristolians.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today recaps today’s ESPN upfront presentation in New York.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today notes that with Michelle Beadle leaving ESPN, the network is now focusing on keeping Erin Andrews in the fold.

The Hollywood Reporter goes over some ESPN upfront news including its plans to bring back the 30 for 30 documentary series.

Stuart Levin from Variety also has a story on the new set of 30 for 30 docs.

Jeannie Poggi of Advertising Age also reviews ESPN’s upfronts.

Alex Weprin from TVNewser says ESPN and ABC News will co-produce an interview series to be fronted by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.

Mike Shields from Adweek says ESPN.com will now partner to sell ads.

ESPN’s Vice President of College Sports Programming, Burke Magnus responds to a Dan Wetzel/Yahoo Sports article on the new ACC TV contract.

Chad Scott at ChuckOliver.net explains how third tier media rights work in college sports.

Andy Fixmer and Alex Sherman at Bloomberg report on how ESPN may expand its WatchESPN app to Apple TV platforms.

Andy Fixmer of Bloomberg says CBS is ready to take the coveted 18-49 ratings title from perennial winner Fox with the airing of Super Bowl XLVII next season.

The great SportsbyBrooks tweets that Erik Kuselias’ move to NBC Sports Network from Golf Channel’s Morning Drive is being considered a demotion by network higher-ups. I had a feeling this was the case. Do you consider this tweet inane, Mike Francesa?

Ed Sherman from The Sherman Report enjoyed watching Survival Sunday on the Fox Sports platforms, but wondered why the most important English Premier League game was on another network.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has four different calls of the same moment when Manchester City won the EPL title on Sunday.

John Ourand from Sports Business Journal writes about a now-defunct Twitter account that got under the skin of several sports network executives.

Earlier today, WFAN’s Mike Francesa ranted on how much he hates Twitter.

If you want to see Mike’s veins popping out during this rant, you can see it here on the YES Network website.

And while Francesa seemingly hates Twitter, Media Rantz points out that Francesa has an app where he does something similar to Twitter.

Bruce Jenkins from Sports Illustrated says Tennis Channel failed to serve the WTA Tour’s Madrid Open like it did with the ATP’s side of the same tournament.

Phil Allaway at Front Stretch looks at ESPN’s coverage of this past weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Race.

BBC Sport has announced it will have 24 live HD streams dedicated to the Olympics this summer.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says NBCUniversal has set the Olympics programming lineup for Bravo, CNBC and MSNBC.

John Eggerton at Multichannel News notes that a Federal Appeals Court has upheld an FCC ruling that Time Warner Cable did not discriminate against MASN when it refused to put the regional sports network on its North Carolina systems.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the college conference realignment game won’t be settled for at least another decade.

Matt Boutwell of Maine Sports Media looks at a case I wrote about three years ago, about the mysterious tweeter, BrianAdExec.

NESN goes behind the scenes with Jenny Dell and the network’s production team on what goes on during a typical Red Sox gameday.

Rich Elliot of the Connecticut Post has SNY’s president talking about the regional sports network’s plans to air UConn Women’s basketball next season.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with NBC Sports’ Mike Emrick about calling his old team, the New Jersey Devils in the NHL Eastern Conference Final.

In the New York Times, Jay Schreiber talks about the last time the Devils and the New York Rangers met in the Eastern Conference Final and how he had to monitor the series without smartphones back then.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reports on ESPN’s plans to bring back 30 for 30.

Jerry Barmash from Fishbowl NY writes that MSG Network will provide of wraparound coverage of the NHL Eastern Conference Final.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette says YES Network will air a Yankeeography on David Wells this week.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record notes that MSG Network will begin airing the WNBA’s New York Liberty starting this weekend.

Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer says two local global conglomerates including Comcast expect to make some big money from the London Olympics.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com Sports goes behind-the-scenes with ESPN’s MLS production.

Jeff Barker from the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles and the Washington Nationals are waiting word from MLB on a decision on how much MASN should pay the Nats.

Over to Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog who writes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is making a change in its DC NFL team beat reporter.

Dan talks about former Post columnist Howard Bryant ranting against Washington Nationals ownership.

Mike Finger at the Houston Chronicle says the Longhorn Network may offer more Texas football games in another attempt to get carriage from state cable providers.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman writes that the Oklahoma City Thunder on TNT set another local ratings record.

In Chicago Sports Media Watch, Paul M. Banks goes over some hate mail.

Scott D. Pierce at the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Utahans should be able to see the Running Utes thanks to wider distribution of the Pac-12 Networks than the soon-to-be defunct the mtn.

Tuesday night, KNBC-TV did a story on the busy postseason in Los Angeles, but aired the wrong graphic for the Kings and showed the Sacramento Kings instead of the LA Kings. C’mon, man!

Martin Miller of the Los Angeles Times says ESPN upfront presentation showed the network was ready for some football.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media is telling everyone that a New York Rangers-Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Final might not mean boffo ratings as some NHL observers are saying.

Jay Koot of Busted Coverage is disgusted by Erik Kuselias’ engagement to Morning Drive news reader Holly Sonders.

And that’s where we’ll end the links tonight.

WNBA Draft Airs on ESPN2 & ESPNU Today

The WNBA Draft is being held at the ESPN World Headquarters in Bristol, CT today. The first round will air on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. ET followed by the second and third rounds on ESPNU at 3 p.m. All rounds will be simulcast on ESPN3.

Pam Ward will host and she’ll be joined by Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn Peck. Holly Rowe will be on hand to corral players for interviews and push ESPN personnel out of the way, if necessary. Actually, since this is ESPN’s event, I don’t think Holly will need to be overly aggressive as she was at the Sugar Bowl earlier this year.

Anyway, the whole thing starts on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. ET and we have the press release for you.

WNBA Draft Returns to ESPN Headquarters

Fifteen of the world’s top female college basketball seniors have been invited to the 2012 WNBA Draft, which will be held Monday, April 16 at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. Coverage and analysis of the first round will begin at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2, followed by the second and third rounds televised on ESPNU and NBA TV from 3-4:30 p.m. The entire Draft – three rounds of 12 picks each – will be simulcast on ESPN3. Last year’s event marked the first professional sports league draft held at ESPN.

Additional content will be offered across multiple ESPN platforms, including SportsCenter, espnW, ESPN.com and ESPNEWS.

The telecast of the Draft will take place in Studio E – home to several ESPN shows including Mike & Mike in the Morning and Sunday NFL Countdown. Pam Ward will anchor the show alongside analysts Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn Peck. Holly Rowe will conduct interviews with the players.

The Los Angeles Sparks hold the No. 1 overall pick after winning the Draft Lottery for the first time since 2008. With the first selection last year, Minnesota chose University of Connecticut star Maya Moore, who helped propel the Lynx to its first WNBA championship in franchise history. In 2010, the Connecticut Sun, having acquired the No. 1 pick in an offseason deal with Minnesota, selected Connecticut’s Tina Charles.

Rounding out the top five picks are the Seattle Storm (second, via trade with Chicago), Minnesota (third, by virtue of a trade with Washington), the Tulsa Shock (fourth), and the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Among the top prospects invited to the WNBA Draft are seven players who earned All-America honors this year, either from the Associated Press or the State Farm Coaches’ Poll this season, including Stanford forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, an All-America pick the past three years.  Also invited are three sets of teammates: Tennessee’s frontcourt trio of Glory Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen and Vicki Baugh; Miami (Fla.) guards Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams; and guard Natalie Novosel and forward Devereaux Peters of Notre Dame. Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes, who joined Ogwumike, Novosel and Peters as participants in the 2012 Women’s Final Four, will also be in attendance.

The WNBA and ESPN have been affiliated for 16 years, dating back to the league’s inaugural season in 1997.

Production Features & Storylines

• Satellite reports from the Los Angeles Sparks (Shelley Smith) and Minnesota Lynx (LaChina Robinson), which will include coverage of each team’s draft party and interviews with the head coach/general manager
• All-Access pieces with the 15 draftees throughout day
• Select college coaches will be at ESPN, including Geno Auriemma (Connecticut), MaChelle Joseph (Georgia Tech), Kelley Graves (Gonzaga), Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame) and Jim Foster (Ohio State)
• Live shots and reaction from the friends and family area on ESPN’s campus
• Virtual team and player specific banners will appear to be hanging above the studio audience
• Logos will be virtually shown around campus and used in and out of segments
• Use of Lady GaGa’s “The Edge of Glory” music video in montages

espnW/ESPN.com

• Draft preview content from veteran ESPN.com writer Mechelle Voepel
• Live online coverage through espnW’s DraftCast – giving up-to-minute picks, analysis on each selection and a chat area for fans to interact with experts
• Video interviews with the top five draft picks
• On-site and post-Draft coverage from Voepel and former Colorado basketball athlete and espnW writer Kate Fagan

SportsCenter and ESPNEWS

• WNBA Draft preview segment will run during the 1 p.m. SportsCenter
• WNBA Draft will be the “What to Watch For” during the 9 a.m.-noon editions of SportsCenter
• Interview with the No. 1 pick will air on the 3-6 p.m. and later SportsCenter shows

We have the list of players and WNBA Draft order coming up after a jump break.

(continue reading…)

Bringing Out Friday Megalinks

The last few Fridays, I haven’t been able to provide you with the megalinks. I have to do some today otherwise you’ll stop visiting me.

We begin as always with the Weekend Viewing Picks and there are quite a few for this snowy weekend in Southern New England.

Now to your links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks with Fox Sports’ Terry Bradshaw about Tim Tebow and the upcoming NFC Championship.

Jason Fry, part of the ESPN Poynter Review Project hears sideline reporter Holly Rowe’s side of the story regarding about her now-infamous incident where she shoved a Sugar Bowl staffer away to get an interview with Michigan coach Brady Hoke.

Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter looks at HBO’s new unscripted series on boxing trainer Freddie Roach.

The Tampa Bay Times’ Eric Deggans has a review of the Freddie Roach series in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center.

John Eggerton at Broadcasting & Cable says Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has written a letter to the FCC asking the agency to get involved in the Sunbeam-DirecTV dispute which could affect how viewers in Boston see the Super Bowl.

John says Comcast is seeking a reversal of a Federal decision that ruled in favor of Tennis Channel in their dispute.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says DirecTV has signed a rights deal to distribute Big Sky football and basketball games.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says History Channel has purchased a longer ad to promote its series, “Swamp People” during Super Bowl XLVI.

Brian Steinberg from Advertising Age tells us who’s buying what in Super Bowl XLVI.

AdAge looks at the 12 ads that changed Super Bowl marketing forever. Three guesses on number one and the first two don’t count.

Brian says marketers are going longer with their Super Bowl ads this year in an attempt to stand out.

Finally, Brian writes that even though we’re not thinking about next year’s Super Bowl XLVII, CBS already is and has been working on getting an early start on ad sales for that Big Game.

Inside Radio says all of Cumulus’ Bay Area radio stations will simulcast Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

From across the pond, Amy Lawrence of The Guardian in the UK says Fox airing an English Premier League game live over the air is a big deal.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo looks into NBC Sports Network’s first foray into boxing.

Dan Levy at the Bleacher Report wonders which network can muster enough former NFL talent to drum up a flag football game.

Mac Nwulu of ESPN’s Front Row PR blog has an inside look at the preparation of Sunday NFL Countdown.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing chronicles this week’s Twitter feud between Sports Illusrated’s Richard Deitsch and CNBC’s Darren Rovell.

Speaking of feuds, The Big Lead looks at an internal ESPN squabble between college basketball analyst Jay Bilas and insider Andy Katz.

Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN is making a major scheduling change for the WNBA this year.

SMW has a look at some local NBA and NHL ratings.

Tennis Channel laments not being picked up by Cablevision.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group takes a look at CBS’ and Fox’s preparation for the NFL Conference Championship Games.

Sports TV Jobs has an interesting graphic of sample camera positions at various stadia and arenas.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe talks with a former Baltimore Raven who now works in Boston as a weekend sports talk show host.

Bill Doyle at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette interviews legendary Patriots radio voice Gil Santos.

Newsday’s Neil Best says local TV is gearing up for the NFC Championship.

Neil talks with former New York Giants running back and NBC analyst Tiki Barber who makes his return to TV this weekend.

George Vescey at the New York Times looks forward to seeing Sunday’s English Premier League game live on Fox.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick is not a fan of the NFL replay review process.

Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for CBS Sports’ and WFAN’s Boomer Esiason.

The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty has some NFL TV analysts break down the four quarterbacks still playing for a shot in the Super Bowl.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record has Fox’s Troy Aikman talking about the NFC Championship.

Ken has more from Troy in his blog.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com notes in Press Box that last week’s Texans-Ravens game set a local ratings record.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun attempts to get answers from CBS on having Subway endorser Ndamukong Suh on last week’s NFL Today postgame show.

And David has former Ravens QB and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer opining on Ed Reed’s comments on current QB Joe Flacco.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says the Nationals are hoping to get more money from MASN as the sides negotiate a new contract.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with the radio voice of the Wizards about his busy schedule.

South

Keith Jarrett at the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times says the Big South may have to move its Conference Championship Game venue which could effect ESPN’s scheduling.

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham (AL) News says SEC partners CBS and ESPN want better scheduling for next football season.

Jerry Tipton of the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader writes that the SEC’s basketball coaches aren’t happy over the scheduling-for-TV moves this season.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says the Texans’ flagship radio station hopes to build on the team’s momentum when their new contract kicks in next season.

David has some news and notes that didn’t make his column.

Nancy Sarnoff of the Chronicle says NBC Sports Group is looking for a new facility to house the Comcast SportsNet Houston regional sports network which launches later this year.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman notes that the Texas Rangers will have multiple appearances on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

Midwest

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says HBO continues its string of acclaimed sports documentaries.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says don’t expect NFL Conference Championship Sunday to change its format for the foreseeable future.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.

Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune feels Fox Sports North just cheerleads for Minnesota teams and won’t criticize them.

Paul Christian from the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin looks at Fox Sports North’s Hockey Day in Minnesota schedule.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has CBS Sports President Sean McManus wanting to keep the status quo for NFL Conference Championship Sunday.

West

John Maffei of the North County Times looks at MLB Network’s first-ever game show which premieres next week.

Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Star says CBS was hoping to get Tim Tebow for its NFL Today pregame show on Sunday, but he declined.

At the Los Angeles Daily News, Tom Hoffarth profiles Fox Sports West host Patrick O’Neal and has his list of best and worst local sports anchors.

Tom has a bit more on O’Neal.

Canada

Bob Weeks in the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that CBC has gotten out of the curling business, a sport it has televised since 1962.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Globe and Mail says the Raptors may be suffering on the court, but not on TV.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog looks at the International Olympic Committee throwing out CTV/CBC’s joint bid to air the 2014/2016 Games.

And that is it. Glad to be able to provide the Megalinkage for you.

It’s a Mid-Week Link Thing!

It’s Wednesday already? Goodness. Seemed like I was at the Rhode Island Convention Center just this week for an all-day seminar. Oh wait! I was. Anyway, let’s get to your linkage.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today feels that ESPN should pull Hank Williams, Jr. from Monday Night Football pronto.

Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that Williams gave ESPN one huge headache right from the start.

Brian Lowry from Fox Sports writes that the Hank Williams, Jr. mess shows that ESPN can’t handle controversy.

The great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has his Media Power List for October. A good list it is.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter writes that NBC Sports Group is now going all in on hockey as its new 10 year contract with the NHL begins on Thursday.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says TBS is pulling a ratings rally as the MLB Postseason kicks into high gear.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has pictures of some of the female athletes who posed nude for ESPN The Magazine’s Body issue.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has a picture of curmudgeon Woody Paige as a young writer in the mid-1970′s.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the name of Michael Rubin should become familiar with sports fans very soon.

Darren mentions that Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers’ jersey is a high seller while Tim Tebow’s sales are crashing.

Comcast SportsNet New England’s Sean McAdam breaks the news that former Red Sox manager Terry Francona will be a guest analyst for Fox on the American League Championship Series.

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn writes that 98.5 The Sports Hub won the local sports radio wars in the latest ratings book.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with TBS analyst John Smoltz who has been hitting out of the park with his work on the Tigers-Yankees series.

Neil notes that ESPN’s E:60 is celebrating a milestone tonight.

And Neil says the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols isn’t a fan of the Yankees playing in primetime.

James C. McKinley, Jr. and Richard Sandomir of the New York Times report that Madonna is being considered as the halftime act for Super Bowl XLVI on NBC. Holiday! Celebrate!

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that the local AHL team will be carried on the ESPN Radio affiliate.

Ken reports that Versus aka NBC Sports Network will be airing Notre Dame hockey games this season.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union is not a fan of TBS covering the League Division Series.

Pete has the college football TV schedule for this weekend.

Pete notes that this is the first NFL week with the dreaded “byes” in effect.

Evan Weiner in the New Jersey Newsroom asks if freedom of speech even exists in sports.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that Tony Kornheiser for the most part hates his radio station’s podcast policy. Don’t ever change, Mr. Tony.

Dan finds a 1997 magazine cover of two iconic DC sportscasters.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about the newest addition to the Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic staff.

Jim notes that the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals rank among the bottom of the local MLB TV ratings.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has the local weekend ratings.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says a Wisconsin alum has been named as an executive with NBC Sports.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business says Big Ten Network would like to be known as something else.

Scott Dochterman of the Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette previews NFL Network’s documentary on Kurt Warner.

Tom Hoffarth has some quotes from the NHL on NBC/Versus talking what else? The NHL!

Tom says Stephen Colbert had the right idea on the ESPN/Hank Williams, Jr. controversy.

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle writes about a local sports radio host who has just gone public with his Parkinson’s Disease after keeping it quiet from family and friends for almost 10 years.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that CBC will have a lot of Winnipeg Jets games this season.

Sports Media Watch says the WNBA Finals saw a ratings uptick on ESPN2.

Craig Calcaterra of NBC’s Hardball Talk links to a video from Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina showing WFAN’s Mike Francesa having no clue about a Detroit Tigers pitcher.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth feels many reporters failed to get the job done as the Terry Francona story developed on Friday.

And I’m going to end it there today.

Cranking Out Friday Megalinks

Let’s do some Friday linkage for you.

MLB Postseason starts up really in earnest with four games on Saturday. College Football in full swing and the NFL completes its first month of games on Sunday. Your Weekend Viewing Picks have everything you need to know in sports and primetime programming.

To the linkage.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that Fox Sports’ NASCAR coverage will be known for having the Brothers Waltrip next year.

Mike Reynolds of Broadcasting & Cable writes that Turner Sports will be all over the League Division Series for the first four days of the MLB Postseason.

Adweek has a graphic showing how much time we spend on watching football.

Bill Cromwell of Media Life Magazine writes that TBS and Fox should see good ratings for the MLB Postseason based on an exciting final night of the season on Wednesday.

Nelli Andreeva of Deadline reports that ESPN is developing an ABC sitcom based on Boston sports fans. That’s going to go over well.

Bill Hofheimer in ESPN’s Front Row blog talks with ESPN’s Jon Gruden about calling a “home game” this Monday.

Jim Romanesko of the Poynter Institute looks at the despicable reaction of Buffalo Bills fans to a column written by a female sportswriter at the Albany Times Union.

Bob’s Blitz has video of WFAN’s Mike Francesa attempting to add on the air.

Brandon Costa at Sports Video Group looks at ESPN placing microphones on various players and coaches during the WNBA Finals.

Brandon chronicles a wild Wednesday night at MLB Network.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at the advantages or lack of thereof having a bigger payroll in MLB.

The Sports Biz Miss Kristi Dosh tells us that despite not making the playoffs, the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox still get a share of the postseason pie.

The Sports Media Watch looks at how the tumultuous Final Night of the MLB season led to a ratings bonanza for ESPN.

SMW says for the MLB season, ESPN’s ratings went up slightly.

SMW says TBS’ ratings for the MLB regular season were flat compared with last year.

Joe Favorito looks at how Dick Vitale has made himself into a viable brand.

The Daly Planet delves into the changes with the Fox Sports NASCAR crew.

The Influencer Economy has a look into Blogs with Balls 4 and the future of sports media.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn at the Boston Globe (this is the last day I’ll be able to link to Chad as his columns go behind the dreaded paywall starting October 1) writes about NESN viewers unable to see analyst Dennis Eckersley on the last day of the season.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette writes that Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy shares some blame in the Red Sox collapse.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with TBS’ Brian Anderson who steps into the network’s lead spot for the MLB Postseason.

Justin Terranova of the New York Post has five questions for NBC Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that a new local sports talk show host isn’t spending any time discussing any local topics.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record writes about local radio stations picking up MLB League Division Series games.

To the New Jersey Newsroom where Evan Weiner says the college conference shuffle is making fans roll their collective eyes.

In the Allentown (PA) Morning Call, Keith Groller writes that MLB will have a hard act to follow in the postseason after a compelling final night of the regular season.

Laura Nachman says Comcast SportsNet will be all over the Phillies in the MLB Postseason.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes that sections of the Baltimore Sun’s sports website will go behind the dreaded paywall.

South

The Florida Times-Union reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars have avoided a blackout for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

To the St. Petersburg Times where Tom Jones says Sun Sports got big ratings for the Tampa Bay Rays’ march to the playoffs this week.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle writes that MLB Network was all over the twists and turns from the final night of the regular season.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has his news and notes.

Midewest

John Kieswetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that a local CBS affiliate will provide halftime highlights during Bengals games at Paul Brown Stadium.

John writes that Saturday’s Cincinnati-Miami game will be seen live online and on local TV on tape delay.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks with Tigers TV voice Mario Impemba about the team’s chances of advancing in the MLB Postseason.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks with Brewers TV voice Brian Anderson about getting the top gig for TBS for the playoffs.

Bob has a couple of quotes from CBS’ Phil Simms about Sunday’s Denver-Green Bay game.

To Crain’s Chicago Business and Ed Sherman who writes that Nebraska’s addition to the conference can only help the Big Ten Network.

Ed has his winners and losers in sports media and business.

In the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin, Paul Christian talks with former Minnesota coach Tim Brewster who’s now patrolling the sidelines for Gus Johnson and FX’s college football game of the week.

Jennifer Mann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cardinals TV voice Dan McLaughlin has been arrested on DUI charges for the second time this year.

Dan Caesar of the Post-Dispatch writes that Fox Sports Midwest has suspended McLaughlin indefinitely.

West

Bill Center in the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the Padres expect to bring back its TV booth, but no word on the team’s radio announcers or new TV contract for next season.

The Union-Tribune says Sunday’s Chargers game against the Dolphins will be blacked out.

John Maffei of the North County Times says the Padres hope to have a new TV deal (with Fox Sports Net) in place by the New Year.

At the Ventura County Star, Jim Carlisle writes that Wednesday’s MLB season finale was Must See TV.

Jim says despite being on a losing team, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp is in the center of the MVP debate among TV analysts.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at Jenn Brown’s endorsement deal with GNC.

Tom says Bill Macdonald’s full-time days with Fox Sports West are over.

Tom looks at TBS’ coverage of the MLB Postseason.

Tom wonders why the NFL pulled back the 1st half Thursday Night Football package from the table.

Canada

In the Toronto Globe and Mail, Bruce Dowbiggin says MLB got a shot in the arm on Wednesday.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog writes that TSN has locked up curling on TV in Canada through the end of the decade.

And that’s going to do it. I may have a few more links later tonight.

A Quickie Thursday Linkage

I’m going to post as many links as I can. It’s part of the day where I could be leaving at any time. Let’s do this.

From USA Today, Tom Weir writes that the National Hockey League has issued a new social media policy to take effect immediately.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable looks at Universal Sports moving from an over-the-air/cable multichannel to an all-cable network.

Multichannel News reports that Univision has renewed its rights with the NFL as the official Hispanic broadcaster of the league.

Self Magazine had ESPN’s Erin Andrews do a CrossFit photo shoot. As usual, she looks great.

Karen Hogan at Sports Video Group notes that the New York Football Giants have developed their own mobile app.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says student road trips are going to be big losers if the college sports conference super shuffle continues.

Darren writes that the Interactive Fan Cam can become a big revenue stream for college sports.

At the Poynter Institute, Jason Fry says the rules for sports journalism in covering teams have changed dramatically in the last few years.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with the head of programming for NBC Sports/Versus about upgrading the cable channel’s programming.

Neil says the New York Giants return to hosting Monday Night Football for the first time since ABC had the package.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 3 college football TV schedule.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Turner Sports has grabbed the Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tournament for truTV.

Ken says NHL Network will air 32 preseason games starting next week. Hockey’s back!

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with an ESPN programming executive about how the WNBA is doing on the network.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times spends a couple of minutes with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman writes that ESPN college football analyst David Pollack might be on the fast track to getting more work with the network.

Mel asks David to preview Saturday’s Oklahoma-Florida State game which will be aired on ABC.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previews a new ESPN college football studio show.

Bob has Kirk Herbstreit talking about Wisconsin’s quarterback.

Bob notes that the Green Bay Packers will get the attention of the Sunday NFL pregame shows this week.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has this week’s NFL TV schedule for SoCal.

Tom previews tonight’s NFL Films doc on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

And I’m told we’re shutting down for the day. I’ll be back later with more stuff.

NBA TV Begins WNBA Playoff Coverage on Friday

ESPN2 starts its WNBA postseason coverage today and then on Friday, it will be NBA TV’s turn to air some playoff action as the league-owned channel will have playoff doubleheaders both on Friday and Saturday.

NBA TV airs games both all four Conference semifinals as they’re all a Best of Three series. Here’s the announcement from NBA TV.

NBA TV Tips Off Live Coverage of the WNBA Conference Semifinals on Friday, Sept. 16

WNBA Roundtable: Generations featuring WNBA stars Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Cappie Pondexter and Taj McWilliams-Franklin to Premiere Thursday, Sept. 15.

NBA TV begins its live coverage of the WNBA Conference Semifinals starting Friday, Sept. 16, with Game #1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup between the 2010 Eastern Conference Champion Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. (ET). Game #1 of the Western Conference Semifinals follows with the San Antonio Silver Stars taking on the overall top seeded Minnesota Lynx at 9 p.m. (ET).

On Saturday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. ET, Tamika Catchings and the Indiana Fever will take on Cappie Pondexter and the New York Liberty in Game #2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup. In addition, the defending WNBA Champion Seattle Storm will meet the Phoenix Mercury for Game #2 of a Western Conference Semifinal matchup beginning at 10 p.m. ET. NBA TV also will present Game #3 of one of the Conference Semifinals, if necessary.

Following each Playoff game, NBA TV will air the WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show hosted by Rick Kamla and analysts LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott. In addition to various in-studio guests, the postgame show will highlight players, stories and news that develops during the Playoffs.

Prior to the network’s extensive WNBA postseason coverage, NBA TV will premiere “WNBA Roundtable: Generations,” on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute special will feature four players that have spanned the history of the league – 2011 No. 1 overall draft selection Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx; 2011 All-Star Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun;two-time WNBA Champion Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty; and seven-time All-Star and WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin of the Minnesota Lynx.

During the special, each player will share their draft day memories and discuss their basketball idols, as well as the state of the league, while also recognizing each other’s accomplishments.  As the WNBA Playoffs are set to get underway, the players will also talk about winning titles and responding to postseason pressure.

Click the link to view a trailer of WNBA Roundtable:Generations.
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2011/09/13/20110913_wnba_roundtable_trailer.nba

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.	WNBA Roundtable: Generations
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.	WNBA Playoffs: Atlanta Dream @ Connecticut Sun
9:00 – 11:00 p.m.	WNBA Playoffs: San Antonio Silver Stars @ Minnesota Lynx
11:00– 11:30p.m.	WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show	Rick Kamla, LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
4:00 -  6:00  p.m	WNBA Playoffs: Indiana Fever @ New York Liberty
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.	WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show	Rick Kamla, LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott
10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.	WNBA Playoffs: Seattle Storm @ Phoenix Mercury
12:00 – 12:30 a.m.	WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show	Rick Kamla, LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott

That’s all.

ESPN2 & ESPN3.com To Air WNBA Playoff Games

The WNBA Playoffs are about to begin and ESPN2 will kick it off with a doubleheader on Thursday. As many as 17 postseason games will air on the Deuce. ESPN3.com will simulcast the games on its broadband service to participating internet service providers.

Here’s the ESPN press release.

ESPN2 and ESPN3 Set to Show Up to 17 WNBA Playoff Games

First Round to begin Thursday, Sept. 15

The WNBA Playoff bracket has been set with the Indiana Fever of the Eastern Conference and the Minnesota Lynx of the Western Conference grabbing the top seeds. ESPN2 and ESPN3 will show up to 17 playoff games beginning Thursday, Sept. 15, including the best-of-five WNBA Finals.

Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals

• Top seeded in the Eastern Division, the Indiana Fever will face the No. 4 seed in the Western Division, the New York Liberty, to open ESPN2/ESPN3’s WNBA Playoff coverage on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. ET. The third game of the series, if necessary, will air from Indiana on Monday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.;
• An always-anticipated Western Conference game, the No. 2 seed Seattle Storm will host the No. 3 seed Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 10 p.m. The third game of the series, if necessary, will air from Seattle on Monday, Sept. 19, at 10 p.m.;
• In the Eastern Conference, ESPN2/ESPN3 will start with the second game between the No. 2 seed Connecticut Sun at the No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m.;
• The Minnesota Lynx, the top seed in the Western Division, will play at the No. 4 seed San Antonio Silver Stars in Game 2 on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m.

Eastern and Western Conference Finals

• ESPN2 and ESPN3 will have up to five games of the Conference Finals from Thursday, Sept. 22 – Tuesday, Sept. 27 in a best-of-three series.

WNBA Finals

• The WNBA Finals are scheduled to begin Sunday, Oct. 2, with a best-of-five format;
• As part of the celebration of its 15th season, the WNBA had its fans select the WNBA Top 15 Moments Presented by Boost Mobile. The top five greatest WNBA moments will be revealed during the ESPN2 telecasts of the WNBA Finals.

ESPN.com/espnW Full Playoff Coverage
ESPN.com and espnW will combine for comprehensive live coverage and analysis throughout the WNBA postseason.

• Rebecca Lobo, Mechelle Voepel and Michelle Smith will break down each series, including predictions from Voepel and Smith;
• New “3-pointers” video analysis from Voepel and Smith will preview each series;
• Features on all eight teams competing in the first round;
• Daily column from Voepel wrapping up each day’s action;
• Live coverage of the Conference Finals from Voepel and Smith;
• Additional game coverage for espnW by Graham Hays, Meri-Jo Borzilleri and Pat Borzi.

2011 WNBA Playoff Schedule (Subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, Sep 15	8 p.m.	Eastern Conference Semifinals – Game 1: No. 4 seed New York at No. 1 seed Indiana Marc Kestecher, Carolyn Peck & Holly Rowe	ESPN2/ESPN3
	10 p.m.	Western Conference Semifinals – Game 1: No. 3 seed Phoenix at No. 2 seed Seattle Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Heather Cox	ESPN2/ESPN3
Sun, Sep 18	3 p.m.	Eastern Conference Semifinals – Game 2: No. 2 seed Connecticut at No. 3 seed Atlanta Beth Mowins, Carolyn Peck & Holly Rowe	ESPN2/ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Western Conference Semifinals – Game 2: No. 1 seed Minnesota at No. 4 seed San Antonio Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Heather Cox	ESPN2/ESPN3
Mon, Sep 19	8 p.m.	*Eastern Conference Semifinals – Game 3: No. 4 seed New York at No. 1 seed Indiana	ESPN2/ESPN3
	10 p.m.	*Western Conference Semifinals – Game 3: No. 3 seed Phoenix at No. 2 seed Seattle	ESPN2/ESPN3
Tue, Sep 20	TBD	* Conference Semifinals – Game 3	ESPN2/ESPN3
Thu, Sep 22	7 p.m.	Conference Finals – Game 1	ESPN2/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	Conference Finals – Game 1	ESPN2/ESPN3
Sun, Sep 25	3 p.m.	Conference Finals – Game 2	ESPN2/ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Conference Finals – Game 2	ESPN2/ESPN3
Tue, Sep 27	8 p.m.	*Conference Finals – Game 3	ESPN2/ESPN3
Sun, Oct 2	4:30 p.m.	WNBA Finals – Game 1	ESPN2/ESPN3
Wed, Oct 5	8 p.m.	WNBA Finals – Game 2	ESPN2/ESPN3
Fri, Oct 7	8 p.m.	WNBA Finals – Game 3	ESPN2/ESPN3
Sun, Oct 9	4 p.m.	*WNBA Finals – Game 4	ESPN2/ESPN3
Wed, Oct 12	8 p.m.	*WNBA Finals – Game 5	ESPN2/ESPN3

* – if necessary

That’s all.

Trying To Do A Friday Megalink Session

I’m hoping to get this entire Megalink session finished in one sitting. It’s been a crazy day thus far. Of course, all of your weekend sport and entertainment programming are featured in the Weekend Viewing Picks.

Let’s get to the linkage now.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today speaks with noted baseball announcing author Curt Smith who has written another book about the subject.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy has ESPN’s Desmond Howard criticizing the current college athletics system which does not allow for students to get paid.

Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel talks with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott about the details of the conference’s new TV networks.

Mike Barnes of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Golf Channel and CBS will have the honors of airing Tiger Woods’ return to golf next weekend.

Michael Malone at Broadcasting & Cable criticizes WPRI-TV in Providence for recreating golf highlights and passing it off as it actually happened.

Thomas Umstead from Multichannel News says boxing is still a big part of HBO Sports.

Todd Spangler at Multichannel says ESPN will redesign its live streaming site for Xbox 360 users.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid has the video of Dan Patrick joining old SportsCenter partner Keith Olbermann on Current’s Countdown program to talk about casting the potential ESPN Movie.

Marcus Vanderberg at SportsNewser notes that ESPN’s John Clayton still hasn’t grasped this Twitter thing yet.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser writes that Rory McIlroy called out a BBC golf commentator and had quite the Twitter battle.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Knicks and Rangers fans will have the opportunity to see their team’s players go from the court/ice to the locker room and vice versa.

The Big Lead speaks with actor Dan Lauria about bringing his Broadway role of coach Vince Lombardi “home” to Green Bay this weekend.

Sports Media Watch says viewership declined for the last week of Copa América on Univision as glamor teams Brazil and Argentina lost before the semifinal round.

SMW notes that the ratings jumped for the WNBA All-Star Game on ABC last weekend.

Joe Favorito says Baseball’s governing body is now using social media to its advantage.

Bob’s Blitz has an interesting story of a former cameraman and ESPN director who got a lucky cell phone and has been living the life of a celebrity.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing notes that the Pac-12 Networks will further fragment sports on cable.

Overseas, this is big news. John Plunkett of the London Guardian says BBC Sport is letting go of most of its Formula 1 contract and satellite provider Sky Sports will pick up a lion’s share of races starting next year. That would be as if Fox decided to allow DirecTV to take over most of the NASCAR contract.

Ben Gallop of BBC’s motorsports division explains why the decision was made.

East & Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe feels melancholy over the loss of HBO’s Hard Knocks, a victim of the NFL lockout this season.

At SB Nation, Kat Hasenauer Cornetta says women are still trying to get a foothold in the Boston sports media.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Derek Jeter finally opened up a bit in the HBO documentary that premiered this week.

At the New York Post, Phil Mushnick warns to be careful what you wish for in wanting replay review in baseball.

Mike Battaglino of the Post notes that there will be no edition of Hard Knocks this season.

Justin Terranova writes that the NFL TV’s partners were never worried about losing games to the lockout.

A couple of more stories from the Post. Tim Bontemps from the Post says Derek Jeter agreed to do the HBO documentary on his quest for 3,000 hits so his future children could see him at work.

Justin has five questions for the producer of the HBO Jeter documentary.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union writes that the premiere of NBC’s Summer at Saratoga series did quite well.

On Thursday, Pete, the lovely Rachel Cohen of the Associated Press and your humble blogger were invited to ESPN to talk to several of the network’s production staff and then interview Norby Williamson, the network’s Vice President of Studio and Event Production. Pete has a story on that visit.

Pete Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News writes about the contentious relationship between NFL Network and NFL Films.

To the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog and Dan Steinberg who notes that local talk show host John Riggins isn’t optimistic about DC NFL team coach Mike Shanahan’s chances this year.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says MLB Network will be all over the Trading Deadline this weekend.

South

Jared Hunt from the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail profiles CBS golf producer Lance Barrow as he helms the network’s broadcasts of the Greenbrier Classic this weekend.

Cindy Watts of The Tennessean talks about country star Kenny Chesney writing and performing the theme song for a new ESPN series.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says NFL Films founder Ed Sabol is deservedly getting the NFL Films treatment in a new documentary celebrating his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

David talks about the lack of a Hard Knocks series this season.

Rick Cantu and Kirk Bohis of the Austin (TX) American-Statesman says ESPN approached several high schools about putting their games on the Longhorn Network.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman talks with ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit about the upcoming season.

Mel finds the real reason why Herbstreit chose to move his family away from his native Columbus, OH to Tennessee.

Midwest

Michael Zuidema from the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks with former NFL’er and current TV analyst Ray Bentley about the 1987 NFL strike.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel finds some interesting Brewers anecdotes in the new Curt Smith book.

Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune interviews ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.

Over to the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin where Paul Christian notes that ex-Minnesota Golden Gopher coaches keep finding their way to television.

West

Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune says former Utah Jazz player Matt Harpring has made the successful transition to the TV booth.

John Maffei of the North County Times understands why Mexican government ads must be played on a local sports radio station, but it doesn’t mean he has to like them.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the new batch of ESPN Films documentaries that will be released later this year.

Tom has Fox Sports/MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal still being wary of Twitter.

Tom talks with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott about his whirlwind tenure that has left the league with a pocketful of riches.

Tom has more on the Pac-12 Network announcement aftermath.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says the father of new Blue Jay Colby Ramus is using the local media to blast St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa.

And that will do it for today.

The Complete Friday Megalinks

Friday’s have become maddening. I was out of the office earlier today and expect to be out again later, but I’m doing the Megalinks early so I can be done with them and be free for other stuff tonight.

As always, check out the Weekend Viewing Picks for the sports and entertaining programming.

National

We’ll begin with Andy Staples from Sports Illustrated who writes that the Longhorn Network has suddenly created a big problem for Big 12 Conference schools not named “Texas.”

Gavin J. Blair of the Hollywood Reporter says one of Japan’s networks will begin airing women’s soccer in the wake of the country’s win in the Women’s World Cup last week.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Network will celebrate Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend with a marathon of Halls of Fame specials.

Jessica Shambora of Fortune says ESPN succeeds where other cable channels don’t.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that NFL Players Association Executive DeMaurice Smith snuck up on ESPN reporters George Smith and Chris Mortensen during a live shot on Thursday.

Cam Martin at SportsNewser has former Howard Stern Show castmember Artie Lange confirming that he’s in talks to do a Fox Sports Radio show.

Karen Hogan of the Sports Video Group mentions that ESPN Films will premiere a new documentary on famed Georgia running back Herschel Walker in September.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell tells us that he’s going to sing the national anthem before a selected MLB game next month.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media waxes poetic about Mike Emrick’s departure as Voice of the New Jersey Devils.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the site’s next matchup in its Joe Morgan Memorial Tournament, Joe Buck vs. Jim Gray. That’s a tough choice.

Ryan Yoder from AA says ESPN is taking a chance on airing live poker.

Joe Favorito asks who really benefits from the World Cup?

Dave Kohl at Major League Programs has a review of the week in sports media.

Dom Cosentino of Deadspin notes that San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller is still bitter about his firing by ESPN.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with Sunday Night Baseball analyst Bobby Valentine about his first year in the broadcast booth.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir talks with Mike Emrick about his decision to leave the New Jersey Devils.

Newsday’s Neil Best writes that the Derek Jeter 3,000 hit chase has put a famous memorabilia company into the spotlight one again.

Neil talks about New Jersey announcers departing their teams after long runs.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post admits that he loves to hate WFAN’s Mike Francesa.

Justin Terranova of the Post writes about Hall of Fame announcer Mike Emrick leaving the New Jersey Devils after 21 seasons.

Justin has five questions for ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks with an NBC Sports executive about how its summer horse racing series from Saratoga came to fruition.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that one Baltimore TV station is cutting back on its sports coverage.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg revels in an on-air argument on one of the local sports radio stations in the DC Sports Bog.

South

At the Houston Chronicle, Brent Zwerneman writes that Texas A&M officials are very concerned about the Longhorn Network and what it means for the future of the Big 12 Conference.

The Chronicle’s David Barron has statements from Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe and Longhorn Network owner ESPN about the conference’s temporary cease-and-desist order on airing high school football games and a Texas conference game.

David says the Longhorn Network saga could make for good reality TV.

David says while Longhorn Network is prevented from airing high school football for now, Fox Sports Southwest will have an NFL Red Zone Channel-like high school football block on Friday nights.

Suzanne Halliburton of the Austin Statesman-American says Longhorn Network programming is currently in limbo.

From the Daily Oklahoman, Mel Bracht writes that ESPN will document the Oklahoma football program as it prepares for the 2011 campaign.

Midwest

John Erardi of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that ESPN’s Barry Larkin is coming back to the Queen’s City this Sunday.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that a local TV sports director is back on the job after corrective neck surgery.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has this week’s winners and losers.

Roman Augustoviz says WNBA star Maya Moore will give viewers an inside look at the WNBA All-Star Game tomorrow.

West

John Maffei at the North County Times says there’s too much money being left on the table for an extended NFL lockout.

Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times writes that court documents show MLB was very skeptical of how Fox’s money for an extended rights deal could have helped the Dodgers remain competitive.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Minnesota Twins analyst Bert Blyeven credits Dodgers voice Vin Scully for helping him to become a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Jeff Faraudo of the San Jose Mercury Times reports that ESPN Deportes now has an affiliate in the Bay Area.

Jon Wilner of the Mercury Times tries to handicap what will happen next with the Pac-12 Network.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail looks at Bryant Gumbel’s closing comments on the US Women’s soccer team on HBO’s Real Sports.

And that’s going to do it. Stay cool on this scorcher of a day.

Let’s Do Some Wednesday Linkage

On this rainy Wednesday in Southern New England, let me do some links. I hope the weather where you are is dry and sunny.

I’ll start today off with John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal who says Comcast may have appeared to have overbid for the Olympics, but it may pay off in the long run.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with Dick Enberg who’s calling his final Wimbledon this year.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid has video of Dick Enberg discussing “bloody blue balls” at Wimbledon and his on-air partner, Chris Evert making the perfect response.

SportsGrid also has the HBO Real Sports segment with Tiki Barber that was quite compelling TV.

Patrick Rishe of Forbes says Mark Cuban owning the Los Angeles Dodgers needs to happen soon.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans from the St. Petersburg Times writes that Barber is on a media redemption tour while David Feherty is learning the ropes in another manner.

Kirk Honeycutt of Reuters reviews the ESPN Films documentary on transsexual tennis player Renee Richards. The film was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival and will premiere on ESPN in the fall.

Lacey Rose at the Hollywood Reporter writes that HBO has assembled some All-Star production talent to develop a new drama based on the early life of Mike Tyson.

Andrea Morabito of Broadcasting & Cable says CBS Sports Network has signed a multiyear deal with the Patriot League for various sports.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says the NFL’s TV partners are hopeful after hearing negotiations to end the league’s lockout are making substantial progress.

One thing to come out of the talks between the NFL and the Players Association is a full 16 week Thursday Night Football schedule that could begin in 2012. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains what that means for the players and fans.

Jeff Fedotin at the National Football Post claims this guy, Jon Gruden of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, has the potential to be this generation’s John Madden. That remains to be seen.

Eric Spanberg of the Christian Science Monitor reviews the ESPN book.

The Lost Letterman blog has video of ESPN’s Erin Andrews confronting a fan at last year’s College World Series. I like Erin’s spirit in this and the guy was being an asshole.

Congratulations to ESPN.com baseball writer Jonah Keri who will be writing the quintessential history of the Montreal Expos.

Richard Sandomir from the New York Times says there are plenty of marketing opportunities surrounding the 3,000th hit of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

Jack Bell of the Times talks about legendary women’s soccer star Mia Hamm joining espnW to provide analysis on the Women’s World Cup.

At the New York Observer, Kat Stoeffel talks with ESPN Radio New York’s Jared Max about his decision to come out.

Matthew Margolis from the East Hampton (NY) Patch writes that a young actor got to do some voiceover work for ESPN’s Little League World Series coverage.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that Jimmer Fredette’s YouTube channel has a big following.

Mark Wogenrich at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call explores the new deal between CBS Sports Network and the Patriot League for four sports.

Jack Bogaczyk of the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail feels it was smart of the Big East to turn down ESPN’s $1 billion offer to get a feel for the marketplace.

The Naples (FL) Daily News reports that locally, the U.S. Open scored well in the ratings.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that a local sports radio morning drive host has been let go.

Doug Moe at the Wisconsin State Journal speaks with Randall Mell of the Golf Channel.

Sandra Guy in the Chicago Sun-Times looks at the new street-level studios for ESPN Radio Chicago.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks about Dick Enberg’s final fortnight at Wimbledon.

Matthew Fleischer of Fishbowl LA writes that ESPN WNBA analyst Rebecca Lobo tweeted about her plane’s emergency landing while heading to SoCal this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that Americans will get a nice dose of the CFL on the NFL Network.

George Dickie of zap2it talks with David Feherty about his new Golf Channel show.

Sports Media Watch says the CONCACAF Gold Cup has been a ratings hit for Univision and its sister network, Galavision.

SMW says the NHL Winter Classic goes back to primetime on January 2.

The Big Lead says Friend of Friend’s Bites Michelle Beadle is single once again. Sorry, Michelle, I had to put this one in.

The Sports Tube has an appreciation of Dick Enberg who’s making his final rounds at Wimbledon and the US Open this year.

That will do it.

Bringing Back The Linkage

Even though I didn’t links on Wednesday, it feels I haven’t done them in ages. You’re owed a chunk of them. Here goes.

Nathan Vardi of Forbes reports that ESPN basketball writer Chris Sheridan is suing New York Post basketball chameleon Peter Vecsey for libel. Interesting. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

David B. Wilkerson at Marketwatch.com says ESPN is not worried about losing NFL programming.

At NPR, Frank Deford says there has to be a reason why ESPN didn’t bid hard for the Olympics.

Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter notes that Universal Sports has finally signed a long-awaited distribution deal with DirecTV.

Lindsay Rubino of Broadcasting & Cable writes that last night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7 won the night for NBC in key demographics.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News reports that CBS Sports Network picks up Comcast subscribers in three Southern markets.

Mike talks with Comcast SportsNet Chicago’s Jim Corno about running the area’s various sports networks over the years.

Emma Bazilian of Adweek writes that NBCUniversal has signed a deal with comic book creator Stan Lee’s Guardian Media Entertainment to market the NHL’s Superhero franchise which to date, no one understands. I saw the Guardians unveiled during the NHL All-Star Game earlier this year and I had no idea what it was supposed to represent.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life says Stanley Cup Final Game 7 finished rather well for NBC last night.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser has video of ESPN’s Michelle Beadle admitting on Live with Regis & Kelly that she’s watched internet porn.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has some videos from last night’s crazy riots in Vancouver that took place after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Now imagine if the Canucks had won!

Here’s today’s front page of the Vancouver Province showing what the story was last night.

The Vancouver Sun’s front page had what the story should have been.

This is the front page of the Boston Herald. I like this picture.

And the Brockton (MA) Enterprise with a classic front page.

Noah Davis at the Business Insider Sports Page says it’s obvious that tablets are the future of magazines.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Chinese tennis star Li Na has signed an endorsement deal with Mercedes Benz.

The Big Lead has tennis analyst John McEnroe calling for a Hard Knocks-type reality series to help market the sport.

All Access says the St. Louis Rams have signed a new deal to remain in their current flagship radio station.

John Altavilla of the Hartford Courant writes that Comcast SportsNet New England will air select Connecticut Sun WNBA games.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks about CBS signing a new six year deal with the Big Ten for basketball.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced a new broadcast team for selected road games for next season.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg in the DC Sports Bog says local ratings for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final were very good. They were certainly higher than the national number.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner talks about the NHL’s ratings for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Jim says the U.S. Open at Congressional will be covered like a wool blanket this week.

Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram talks about the launch date for ESPN’s Longhorn Network.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle has a couple of sports media notes.

Mike Finger of the Chronicle discusses the launch of the Longhorn Network plus its quest to get carried throughout the Lone Star State and beyond.

Michigan Live says the University of Detroit will name its basketball court after ESPN’s Dick Vitale. He coached there before going to the NBA and then to ESPN in 1979.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal notes that Cincinnati Bengals Dhani Jones gave NFL Network a list of the top NFL linebackers that includes himself.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says Cubs owner Ed Ricketts did not help himself by talking to the media this week.

Scott Dochterman in the Iowa City Gazette discusses CBS signing a new deal with the Big Ten for basketball.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Wimbledon finals can be seen in 3-D at various theaters around SoCal.

In another uniformed column, the Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin feels Twitter is what ails everything in sports.

Sports Media Watch looks at the NBC’s overnight ratings for the Stanley Cup Final Game 7.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media has the half hour overnight ratings breakdown of Game 7.

Yahoo’s Greg Wyshynski explains how NBC got good ratings for Game 7 despite having a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup Final.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing can’t believe the wallpaper Don Cherry used as a suit for CBC’s Coach’s Corner last night.

SportsbyBrooks looks into yet another plagiarism charge against Denver Post columnist Woody Paige.

Chris Hadley at The Sports Tube remembers NBC’s failed Olympics Triplecast experiment for the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Dave Kohl at Major League Programs feels sports radio in both Dallas and Miami failed by not having local programming immediately following the NBA Finals Game 6 to give fans opportunities to vent or celebrate.

We’ll leave it there for now.

Back to the Linkage Grind Edition

Ok, now that the Olympics bidding is over until the next round sometime later this decade, I can focus on other sports media stories and there are quite a few of them now.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that embattled cyclist Lance Armstrong has taken down his anti-60 Minutes website stating its report on his alleged PED use has been debunked.

Lindsay Rubino of Broadcasting & Cable notes that Game 4 of the NBA Finals scored a primetime win for ABC on Tuesday.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News talks about ESPN signing a new deal with the West Coast Conference for basketball and Olympic sports.

Todd Spangler of Multichannel says ESPN is ready to convert to a full HD format.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says Captain Blowhard is trying to save the internet from a certain type of advertising. Nice of him to appoint himself as our savoir.

Louisa Ada Seltzer of Media Life says the NBA Finals are on pace to become the most watched in seven years.

Bill Simmons’ Grantland site finally had its official launch yesterday. Already people are assessing it including Nicholas Jackson of Atlantic Monthly.

Ty Duffy of The Big Lead has his first impressions.

Tim Carmody of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University wonders if Simmons’ mix of sports and pop culture will work.

Tommy Craggs at Deadspin tells us why Grantland Rice for whom Simmons’ site is named, was really overrated.

Deadspin runs an excerpt from former New York Times sportswriter Robert Lipsyte’s new book in which he recalls an encounter with an overtalkative Bob Costas.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes that this week’s successful Olympic bid was key for the new NBC/Comcast.

The Nielsen Wire blog has a look at the top NHL players in name recognition.

Cam Martin at SportsNewser has TNT’s Charles Barkley ripping Miami Heat fans.

Cam says the Denver Post’s Woody Paige has apologized to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal for lifting quotes from an ESPN story he wrote.

Corey Nachman of the Business Insider Sports Page has his 100 Best Venues in Sports.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid has the video of a Brazilian writer typing away on a small laptop while showing a bit more of himself than he realized.

And Dan says Steven A. “A is for Allude” Smith hinted on ESPN Radio that something is up with LeBron James, but won’t say exactly what.

Chris Chase of Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner gives some examples from the ESPN book that he feels evidence how NBC’s Sunday Night Football is superior to Monday Night Football.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has a strange endorsement story involving the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez.

ESPN PR pro Bill Hofheimer helps to unveil the new Monday Night Football logo that will be seen when the NFL starts playing again.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes that NBC now has to follow through on promises to show the Olympics live.

Brian Stelter of the Times reports that UFC is in talks with Comcast to buy its G4 gaming channel.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union notes that ESPN has added 7 more Big Ten games to its ESPN/ESPN2/ABC college football schedule.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Time Warner Cable airs some local high school lacrosse finals this weekend.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will air 10 WNBA games this season.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that there’s something brewing between writer John Feinstein and ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.

Iliana Limon at the Orlando Sentinel writes that Central Florida along with Conference USA have announced their TV schedules.

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham (AL) News reports that the SEC and ESPN are ready to re-evaluate their 15 year deal which now looks antiquated when it was signed in 2009.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says the NBA is gaining increased interest in the area thanks to the Thunder.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says you can design a special bowtie for Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that would benefit Dhani Jones’ Bow Tie Cause Initiative.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Sentinel notes that outgoing ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson cites Rick Pitino was his best coach.

Yesterday was Tom Hoffarth’s birthday. Happy Belated Birthday, Tom.

Joe Flint at the Los Angeles Times says keeping the Olympics was top priority for NBC and Comcast.

Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury Times has some thoughts on ESPN’s new contract with the West Coast Conference.

Lisa K. Anderson in the Sandy (OR) Post writes about a local woman who’s hosting a reality show for Comcast SportsNet Northwest.

Dan Robson of the Toronto Star says CBC has signed a five year deal with the International Skating Union for figure skating, speedskating and other events.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that TSN will air BBC’s coverage of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

Joe Caporoso of Gunaxin asks Erin Andrews or Michelle Beadle?

Cosby Sweaters looks at how Olympic viewing will change with Comcast in charge of NBC.

We have a new sports media blog, The Sports Tube, headed by Chris Hadley. He looks at the Olympic bidding.

Sports Media Watch notes the ratings for Games 2 & 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final are down from last year.

Joe Favorito wonders if any New York sports teams or events will take advantage of the Congressman Anthony Weiner mess.

That’s going to do it for now.

The WNBA on ESPN Returns Today

The WNBA returns to the networks of ESPN today with one of two games on ABC. In addition to today’s Phoenix at Seattle, ABC will air the WNBA All-Star Game in July. ESPN2 will take the rest of the 13 game regular season schedule. We have your press release.

ESPN Tips Off 15^th Season of the WNBA

Defending Champion Seattle Meets Phoenix in Season Opener on June 4 on ABC
New York and Los Angeles Celebrate 15^th Anniversary with Rematch of First WNBA Game

ESPN2 and ABC will present the 15^th season of the WNBA when the networks combine to air 13 regular-season games in addition to the WNBA All-Star Game. The schedule is comprised of games featuring all 12 WNBA teams and will tip off when defending champion Seattle Storm host the Phoenix Mercury Saturday, June 4, at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. All coverage will air in high definition, and ESPN3.com will simulcast all 12 ESPN2 games.

ESPN2 will help celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the season when the New York Liberty meet the Los Angeles Sparks in a rematch of the league’s first game on the same date in 1997 – Tuesday, June 21, at 10 p.m. in Los Angeles. The telecast will include a halftime roundtable looking back at the league’s history. WNBA legend and current ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo, one of the featured players in that inaugural contest, will be calling the game for ESPN2.

Chugging Along On A Thursday Linkage Edition

Time for the linkage here on this Thursday getting a late charge out of the gate as I’ve had to visit a jobsite and then had to run a couple of office errands, but we’re back inside ready to give you some linkage. Lots of stuff to get to now.

We begin with some sad news from Chicago. Sports anchor Daryl Hawks of WMAQ-TV, the NBC affiliate, was found dead this morning in an Atlanta hotel room as he was going to cover tonight’s Bulls-Hawks game. He was 38. No other details are available.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business says this is the 2nd unexpected death to happen to the WMAQ-TV sports staff in less than a decade.

Robert Feder at TimeOut Chicago says Hawks’ friends and colleagues are stunned.

If I get more details about Hawks’ death, I’ll post it here.

From USA Today’s Arin Kariminian, we learn that the NFL players are suing for over $700 million in damages from the league over the disputed broadcast revenues that led to the lockout in the first place.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal who’s been wearing bow ties for charitable causes, tells us that he’ll be wearing one this week for the Red Sox-Yankees game that will be near and very dear to his heart. We at Fang’s Bites wholeheartedly support this.

Etan Vlessing from the Hollywood Reporter says the owner of Canadian sports TV network The Score has purchased the third largest sports mobile app provider in the US.

To Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser who tells us that ESPN3.com will stream the entire season of the National Lacrosse League.

Jason Dachman from Sports Video Group looks at NBC/Golf Channel’s production of this weekend’s Players Championship.

In the Indiana National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times does not want athletes to stop tweeting their thoughts.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at one restaurant chain that is allowing customers to drink beer for free as long as the NFL lockout continues.

Darren suggests that Disney buy Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom if he wins the next leg of the Triple Crown.

Public relations maven Bill Hofheimer in ESPN Front Row talks with two ESPN’ers who hope to have their CBS sitcoms picked up in the network upfronts later this month.

Adam Proteau from the Hockey News says fans rallying around Sean Avery’s gay marriage stance and denouncing of Uptown Sports’ tweets against it shows a true evolution in the sport.

In the Boston Herald, Ian R. Rapoport has video of Tom Brady explaining why he cried during the ESPN/NFL Films documentary, “The Brady 6.”

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman writes an appreciation of collegue, cartoonist Bill Gallo who passed away at the age of 88.

The Daily News’ Flip Bondy has Gallo’s obituary.

And Mike Lupica says Gallo will live on through his work.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes about ESPN airing a college basketball game from a military aircraft carrier on Veterans Day.

A related note from the Associated Press and picked up by the Sporting News: the carrier that buried Osama bin Laden at sea could be the one that hosts the game.

Ken says the NBC Sports Group will be airing horse racing from Saratoga Race Course over the summer.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that NASCAR fans in the DC area will be flocking to Dover this weekend.

Garry Smits from the Florida Times-Union looks at the NBC Sports Group airing the Players Championship this week.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times says a popular local sports radio host has signed a new contract with his current station.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that police confiscated some 30 phony passes including some labeled “NBC Sports” from people attempting to attend the Kentucky Derby.

John E. Hoover at the Tulsa World notes that the Oklahoma-Florida State game will be aired in primetime by either ESPN or ABC.

Amanda Van Benschoten from the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that NBC’s Cris Collinsworth has been named to a national fitness panel.

Alan Babbitt of the Holland (MI) Sentinel says ESPN’s Outside the Lines will air a segment Sunday on the high school basketball team that had a player pass away on court earlier this year.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Arena Football League’s Mustangs will be heard on local radio.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business explores the latest troubles with Jay Mariotti.

Mariotti’s former paper, the Chicago Sun-Times uses wire copy to construct the latest story on his latest arrest on stalking and domestic violence charges.

John Vornhof, Jr. from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal writes that Fox Sports North jumps into the WNBA game this summer.

Scott Dochterman in the Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette notes that Big Ten Network will air a new original series on conference coaches.

Ben Kaplan of the National Post writes about a new documentary on Donald Trump’s efforts to build a golf course in Scotland that was first chronicled by HBO’s Real Sports.

The Toronto Sports Media blog notes that a Rogers Sportsnet host who weighed in on the gay marriage debate on Twitter regarding Sean Avery’s stance, was fired yesterday.

Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star says the host, Damian Goddard is standing by his tweets.

The Big Lead looks at the first review of Captain Blowhard’s Grantland site.

The Pretty in Pinstripes blog takes down the SNY “More Sports, More Testosterone” ad campaign that was very inexplicably created by women.

Sports Media Watch says the Miami Heat series clincher over Boston took in a good rating, but not as good as Game 4.

Joe Favorito explores the new magazine being published by energy drink manufacturer Red Bull.

And that is where we’ll end it for today. Lots of links for you today.

ESPN/ESPNU Airs The 2011 WNBA Draft

I admit I am not a follower of the WNBA and have rarely posted information here, but I am going to make a concerted effort to post their games in the Primetime and Late Night Viewing Picks. It will start with this press release from ESPN on today’s airing of the WNBA Draft live from the World Headquarters of the Alleged Worldwide Leader. It begins with the first round at 3 p.m. on ESPN then it will shift to ESPNU and NBA TV at 4 p.m. for the second and third rounds. Here is the info from ESPN.

2011 WNBA Draft Set for Monday at ESPN

The world’s top female basketball prospects will move to the professional ranks when they are chosen in the 2011 WNBA Draft, Monday, April 11, from ESPN in Bristol, Conn. ESPN will televise the first round beginning at 3 p.m. ET, with a simulcast on ESPN3.com. ESPNU and NBA TV will air the second and third rounds from 4-5:30 p.m.

The live telecast of the Draft will take place in the ESPN studio that is home to Mike & Mike in the Morning, Sunday NFL Countdown and a variety of other ESPN shows. Pam Ward will anchor the coverage alongside Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn Peck, while reporter Holly Rowe will be conducting interviews with drafted players.

Connecticut’s Maya Moore, the only three-time Wade Trophy winner, headlines the list of available players and will be in Bristol for the event. Other top prospects expected to attend include Australian National Team member Elizabeth Cambage, and several Women’s Final Four participants – Danielle Adams and Sydney Colson of Texas A&M and Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen of Stanford.

Providing Some Thursday Linkage

Doing my best to continue to provide linkage while I’m still locked in a nightmarish work schedule. And for some reason, I can’t access the Fang’s Bites at Boston Sports Media Watch page so if you access my links there, I can’t provide new ones for now. Trying to get that resolved and once we do, the links will be over there as well. In the meantime, let’s continue to do what we do here.

This comes from Multichannel News. John Eggerton writes that the president of the National Association of Broadcasters is warning the FCC that the Super Bowl might go to pay TV if the agency goes through on changing the rules for over the air retransmission disputes.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel writes that Golf Channel will air January’s Sony Open in Hawaii in full 3-D.

David Goetzl of Mediapost notes that ESPN is looking to get four marquee college basketball programs to play each other on a rotating basis over a three year period.

At Pro Football Talk, Michael David Smith writes that the Jacksonville Jaguars received an extension from the NFL to avoid a blackout this weekend.

Mike Florio at PFT notes that Jenn Sterger is trying to force the NFL to discipline Brett Favre over his alleged sexting. Sterger’s manager appeared on the Dan Patrick Show earlier today.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes that seven weeks into its run, the Broadway play on Vince Lombardi is still going strong.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser lectures WNBA star Lisa Leslie for blaming the media for not covering women’s basketball.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says the Ravens and the DC NFL Team cleaned up in the local ratings in Week 13.

Jim notices that there are plenty of gift bags and items for players to take home from various college bowl games.

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says fans were upset when they found out that the Florida Panthers had revised a planned yarmulke promotion.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle says there’s a lineup change at one local sports radio station.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business writes that Cubs fans’ love for Ron Santo was heightened when he entered the broadcast booth.

Ed writes that Michael Wilbon will be contributing to ESPN Chicago and ESPN Radio Chicago.

Frank Sennett of Time Out Chicago writes that noted Windy City media critic Robert Feder will be joining the publication as of January 3. This is a good move and I’m a fan of Feder so we’ll be linking to Time Out Chicago a lot.

Cecil Conley of the Roseville (CA) Press Tribune says Dish Network isn’t making any friends by keeping Comcast SportsNet California off their systems and preventing Sacramento Kings fans from watching the games.

Sports Media Watch notes that the Miami Heat’s TV ratings are up almost 100% this season.

Friend of Fang’s Bites Maury Brown at the Biz of Baseball discusses MLB Network’s showing of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series next week. It’ll be the first time the game has been aired since 1960.

And we will end it there for now. If I can finish doing the Friday features early tonight, I’ll do some additional links.

It’s The Sunday Linkage

As we get into another week of regular season play for the NFL, let’s give you some linkage.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes about the New York Giants returning its programming to MSG Network for the first time since 2003. It had been on YES Network previously.

Mike says ESPN2 saw increased ratings for Games 2 and 3 of the WNBA Finals.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says if Bill Parcells left his post with the Miami Dolphins, his next stop could very well be on television.

Phil Mushnick in the New York Post wonders why we love the NFL so much with so many injuries in the sport.

Bart Hubbuch of the Post looks at a new book from ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union says a local radio station is picking up some NFL pregame programming.

Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle explains why the Buffalo Bills are not on the NFL TV partners radar.

Kevin explains how each the NFL TV partners make their broadcast decisions.

From the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg has video of one of the many ads that Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has made.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks about Ernie Johnson, Jr. returning to the broadcast booth for the MLB Postseason.

Chris Bahn of Arkansas Sports notes that College Gameday won’t be visiting Fayetteville this weekend.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman feels the FSN crew got the job done during the Air Force-Oklahoma game.

Phillip B. Watson of the Indianapolis Star says NFL stadiums are pulling out all the stops to stop fans from watching the games at home.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recounts a former Green Bay Packers official’s efforts to get wide receiver Randy Moss.

Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman says Boise State’s easy win over Wyoming on Saturday ensured that College Gameday would be paying a visit this weekend.

Chadd writes that Boise State fans had better get used to seeing games on CBS College Sports when the Broncos enter the Mountain West Conference in 2011.

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic talks with ESPN’s SportsNation co-hosts Colon Cowherd and Michelle Beadle.

Gary Peterson in the San Jose Mercury News writes that Golf Channel did minimal announcing during the PGA Nationwide Tour’s Boise Open.

Lindsay Schnell of The Oregonian notes that Oregon State is the other half of the Boise State equation this weekend.

Sports Media Watch has its Weekend Ratings Predictions.

And we’ll end it there.

Some Saturday Links

I’ll give you some links on this college football Saturday. Some decent games and you can see the menu for today in the College Football Viewing Picks.

To the links.

A.J. Perez of Fanhouse says NFL Commish Roger Goodell is disappointed in the Jets behavior towards Ines Sainz, but won’t hand down any punishment.

You can read the entire NFL statement on the issue here.

SportsNewser recommends you read the Journal of Sports Media.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says MSG Network will be airing New York Giants programming starting this weekend.

Amy Moritz of the Buffalo News and President of the Association of Women in Sports Media feels Ines Sainz should not have been made to feel uncomfortable in the Jets locker room.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post says while the NFL is celebrating its TV ratings, it’s very worried about falling attendance. 

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says an interview between DC NFL team QB Donovan McNabb and NFL Today host James Brown will air on Sunday.

Jim talks about the features on Fox NFL Sunday.

Louis Llovio of the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch says promos for ESPN3.com are giving little Tangier Island some big promotion.

Mike Szvetitz of the Opelika Auburn News says this is a big day for the Auburn campus as College Gameday is in town. 

Dave Link from the Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel talks with CBS’ Tim Brando about new Tennessee coach Derek Dooley.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says ESPN/ABC’s Ron Franklin likes to mention as many Texas high school alma maters when doing games.

The Idaho Statesman says Golf Channel will be mostly silent for today’s PGA Nationwide Boise Open.

Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.

SMW says the WNBA Finals did pretty decently for ESPN2.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead summarizes the tweets from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Greg Bedard on the Ines Sainz issue.

Joe Favorito says NASCAR continues to push its brand.

And that will conclude the links for now.

A Few Labor Day Links

Let’s do some linkage on this Labor Day holiday. There aren’t too many links today, but I’ll give you what’s out there.

Starting with Multichannel News, Mike Reynolds reviews the US Open in 3-D.

Also at Multichannel, Mike, Todd Spangler and John Eggerton look at CBS and DirecTV teaming up for 3-D at the Open.

The Sports Business Journal has an NFL executives roundtable to talk about the upcoming season and what challenges lie ahead.

Terry Lefton and John Lombardo of SBJ report on a huge sponsorship deal garnered by Madison Square Garden.

Glenn Davis from SportsGrid says NBC saw a huge ratings jump for its Notre Dame season opener from last year.

Neil Best sighting! Neil Best sighting! Newsday’s Neil Best has a mini-review of the latest 30 for 30 on ESPN.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the WNBA Finals TV schedule.

Dustin Long at the Virginian-Pilot says the NASCAR Sprint Cup has seen big ratings increases in Norfolk, the highest of all markets in the South.

Over at the Greensboro (NC) News & Record, Dustin says NASCAR is hoping that ESPN can retain viewers for the Sprint Cup as college football and the NFL ramp up.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times argues that Kirk Herbstreit is the best analyst on TV. He’s good, but I won’t go that far.

Dan Ryan at the Orlando Sentinel notes that ESPN and the Citrus Bowl will keep a small conference football matchup in the city for the next few years. 

In the Birmingham (AL) News, Don Kausler, Jr. says ESPN’s College Gameday will originate from Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle writes about CBS’ Solomon Wilcots being a good luck charm for the Texans.

Mel Bracht at the Daily Oklahoman felt Fox Sports Oklahoma’s pay per view crew got the job done during the Oklahoma-Utah State game.

Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post feels NFL Network’s new series could bring on a few arguments.

Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star profiles an MLB Network executive who is a University of Arizona alum.

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

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes an open letter regarding the hardly seen Rogers Sportsnet One.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says fan anger over Rogers Sportsnet One is beginning to swell.

Paulsen at Sports Media Watch notes that while NBC saw big ratings for Saturday’s Purdue-Notre Dame game, they still don’t compare historically.

Joe Favorito asks if local brands can help spread the word for local amateur sports.

Roger Pimental at How To Watch Sports looks at criticism of TV analysts who criticize players.

That will do it for now. More links than I expected which is good.

NBA TV Ends Its Offseason With WNBA and FIBA World Championship Action

NBA TV will end its offseason coverage with the WNBA Conference Finals and the FIBA World Championships. It’ll lead to NBA TV gearing up for the 2010-11 season. Your press release is below.

NBA TV Caps Off Exciting NBA Off-Season with 2010 WNBA Conference Finals Action & 2010 FIBA World Championship Coverage

Network Delivers Over 120 Live Games, including NBA Summer League, WNBA, and FIBA Men’s World Championship Action

NBA TV caps off one of the most captivating summers in basketball history with exclusive coverage of the 2010 WNBA Eastern Conference Finals and continued coverage of the 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championships. The network has provided more than 300 hours of basketball programming and will feature over 120 live basketball games during the NBA off-season.

The 2010 WNBA Eastern Conference Finals will start on Sunday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m (ET) when Cappie Pondexter and the New York Liberty host Angel McCoughtry and the Atlanta Dream in Game #1 of the series. The WNBA Eastern Conference Finals will continue on Tuesday, September 7 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) with NBA TV airing Game #2 of the series. Game #3 will air Thursday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) if necessary. In addition, the network will air tonight’s Game #1 WNBA Western Conference Finals between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Seattle Storm at 10 p.m. ET and a possible series deciding Game #3 on Wednesday, September 8 at 10 p.m. (ET). 

NBA TV will continue to air live game coverage of the 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championship as well as encore presentations of the 2010 USA Men’s World Championship Team games featuring Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets).The network will also air special editions of NBA TV studio show, GameTime featuring comprehensive coverage of the 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championship. Matt Winer, Marc Fein and Rick Kamla will anchor the networks coverage with analysis from Steve Smith, Dennis Scott, and Brent Barry as well as special in-studio guests.

Coverage this off-season included the NBA Draft, NBA Summer League, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame festivities, WNBA Playoffs, 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championships, and one of the most talked about NBA free agency periods in recent history.

·         NBA Free Agency/Decision 2010:  NBA TV’s Free Agency coverage provided fans with in-depth analysis and special reports dedicated to the most talked about NBA free agency class in history. The network provided free-agency previews, breaking news updates at the top of every hour, push notifications through NBA Mobile’s GameTime app and the free agency tracker on NBA.com.

·         NBA Draft – NBA TV’s coverage of the 2010 NBA Draft included 12 hours of dedicated coverage including player interviews from Craig Sager on draft night and the Division Review Shows which featured former Nets coach Lawrence Frank, University of Kansas Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bill Self.

·         NBA Summer League – The network aired 59 live games including first round draft pick John Wall’s first four games as an NBA Player with the Washington Wizards.

·         2010 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement – The network delivered week-long coverage (Aug. 9 – 13) of the 2010 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festivities including the live red-carpet show and enshrinement ceremony.

·         WNBA Playoffs –  NBA TV aired  41 live games of the 2010 WNBA Regular season and will air Eastern Conference Finals exclusively and is the home for the WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show.

 

·         2010 FIBA Men’s World Championship –During the Men’s FIBA World Championship, NBA TV will air 20 live games plus re-airs of all Team USA games and featured special programming including a special episode of Real Training Camp and the Nike World Basketball Festival.

 

NBA TV PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE:

*All Times Eastern Standard; FIBA Championships listings will be updated as games are added

WNBA Eastern Conference Finals Schedule: 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

7:00 – 9:00 p.m – WNBA ECF: Atlanta Dream @ New York Liberty, Game #1

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

7:30 – 9:30 pm – WNBA ECF: New York Liberty @ Atlanta Dream, Game #2

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

7:30 – 9:30 p.m -  WNBA ECF: Atlanta Dream @ New York Liberty, Game #3*

  

*If Necessary

And we’re finished with this post.

Tuesday Evening Linkage

We have plenty of stuff to warrant another set of links this evening. Lots of good stuff.

Let’s begin with the main topic of the sports media day and that is the Mike Wise suspension by the Washington Post. WaPo Ombudsman Andrew Alexander weighed in on why Wise was given a month off by the paper. On Monday, Wise decided he would conduct a social media experiment by making stuff up on Twitter.

The Post’s media critic Howard Kurtz has a recap of events that led to the Wise suspension.

Sports Business Daily has a round-up of reaction to Wise.

Joseph Flambeck of the New York Times reports on Wise’s actions.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio was a guest on the same DC radio station where Wise hosts a show, but didn’t appear on that show. Yet.

Aaron Morrissey at the DCist wonders what Wise was thinking.

Back to Sports Business Daily which recaps the Jay Mariotti discussion on Monday’s Around the Horn.

Zennie Abraham of the San Francisco Chronicle feels the Mariotti discussion on Around the Horn was classless. Seriously?

Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN has no future plans to use Jay Mariotti.

SBD takes a look at the new chocolate TV ad that stars tennis champion Roger Federer.

Take a look at said ad.

Davud Beasley of Bloomberg reports that Turner Broadcasting has settled a lawsuit from a Texas businessman over the sale of the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if cornerback is about to get its financial due in the NFL.

USA Today has Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio rate the top NFL TV analysts.

Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy says there will be major programming and format changes at the NHL Network. And Greg gives me a nice shoutout. Much appreciated, Greg.

Staci D. Kramer at paidContent says NHL Network has tapped an NFL Network programming exec to help spruce up the channel.

All Access says Miami sports talker WQAM has re-signed morning host Joe Rose for another two years.

Johnny Diaz of the Boston Globe looks at NESN trying to diversify its programming from sports.

Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says former Voice of the Pirates Lenny Frattare will be calling high school football games this fall.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that a Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic reporter is emotional about leaving the Nation’s Capital.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about the personnel changes at CSN Mid-Atlantic.

Dave McKenna at the Washington City Paper is hoping to see Rob Dibble remain at MASN. 

Shawn Cetrone from the Rock Hill (SC) Herald says an expected economic windfall from an ESPN-televised high school football doubleheader may not be realized.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says WQAM has hired former Miami Hurricanes QB Gino Toretta to host a daily two hour show.

Mike Herndon in the Mobile (AL) Press-Register has ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit talking about the SEC.

Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World says the long-time voice of the Oklahoma Sooners will be retiring after this football season.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Fox Sports North will be streaming as many as four high school football games a week on its website.

Natalie Meisler of the Denver Post says Comcast is making this Saturday’s Colorado-Colorado State game available to all of its subscribers in the Centennial State.

Tom Hoffarth in the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the evolution of football instructional guides. 

Allen Panzieri of the Ottawa Citizen notes that the Senators will have all of their games televised for the first time in franchise history.

Sports Media Watch notes that the WNBA playoffs ratings were flat with last year.

Awful Announcing has the video of ESPN’s Chris Fowler ruining a Jenga game.

Dan Fogarty at Sports Grid says former New York Giant and NBC analyst Tiki Barber is now trying to repair his damaged reputation.

And that will conclude our links for tonight. Lots of good stuff.

NBA TV Covers The WNBA & FIBA World Championships

I have this press release from the fine people at NBA TV. This involves its live coverage of the WNBA playoffs and the FIBA World Championships. Check it out.

NBA TV Tips Off Coverage of the WNBA Playoffs and the Men’s 2010 FIBA Championships

NBA TV will provide first round coverage of the WNBA Playoffs as teams battle for a chance to advance in the post-season. On Thursday, August 26 at 7 p.m. (ET) Tamika Catchings and the Indiana Fever will head to the Big Apple to face Cappie Pondexter and the New York Liberty in Game #1 of the Eastern Conference match-up. On Monday, August 30 the San Antonio Silver Stars @ Phoenix Mercury face off at 7 p.m. (ET) in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Semifinals.  On Tuesday, August 31 at 10 p.m. (ET), the Los Angeles Sparks will meet the Western Conference top-seeded Seattle Storm for Game #3 of their battle to advance to the Western Conference Finals. 

Following each Playoff game, NBATV will air an exclusive WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show hosted by Kyle Montgomery and featuring analysts Dennis Scott and LaChina Robinson in addition to various in studio guests including WNBA All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw that will highlight players, stories and news that develop during the Playoffs.  

In addition, NBA TV will air the Men’s 2010 FIBA World Championship. The network will air 20 live games and a special Men’s 2010 FIBA World Championship GameTime with rotating hosts Matt Winer, Marc Fein and Rick Kamala and analysts Steve Smith, Brent Barry and special in-studio guests. This year’s FIBA World Championship will include Team USA’s Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) as they attempt to do something that no USA Team has done since 1994 and win Gold at the World Championships. Team Spain will attempt to defend its 2009 title with help from Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzles) and Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick Ricky Rubio while Team Brazil’s roster includes Leandro Barbosa (Toronto Raptors), Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) & Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs).

NBA TV PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26 

7:00 – 9:00 p.m – WNBA Playoffs: Indiana Fever @ New York Liberty, Game #1

9:00 – 9:30 p.m – WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show: Kyle Montgomery, LaChina Robinson

FRIDAY, AUGUST 27

7:30 – 9:00  p.m -  WNBA Playoffs: Washington Mystics @ Atlanta Dream, Game #2

9:30 – 10:00 p.m -  WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show: Kyle Montgomery, Chamique Holdsclaw

SATURDAY, AUGUST 28

9:00  – 11:00 a.m – FIBA Championships: Greece vs. China

2:00 – 4:00 p.m -  FIBA Championships: France vs. Spain

9:00– 9:30 p.m -  Men’s FIBA GameTime: Matt Winer, Steve Smith, Mike Woodson

 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29

11:30 am –1:30 pm – FIBA Championships: Puerto Rico vs. Greece

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – FIBA Championships: Spain vs. New Zealand

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. -  WNBA Playoffs: Atlanta Dreams @ Washington Mystics, Game #3*

6:00 – 6:30 p.m. -  WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show: Marc Fein, Dennis Scott

10:00 – 10:30 p.m -  NBA Game Time: Marc Fein, Dennis Scott

 

MONDAY, AUGUST 30

12:00 – 2:00 p.m. - FIBA Championships: Austria vs. Germany

10:00 p.m  –12:00 a.m. – WNBA Playoffs: San Antonio Silver Stars @ Phoenix Mercury, Game # 3*

12:00– 12:30 a.m -  NBA GameTime: Kyle Montgomery, LaChina Robinson

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31

11:30 am –1:30 p.m. -  FIBA Championships: France vs. Canada 

2:00 pm  – 4:00 p.m – FIBA Championships: Spain vs. Lithuania

10:00 p.m – 12:00 a.m. -  WNBA Playoffs: Los Angeles Sparks @ Seattle Storm, Game #3*

12:00 – 12:30 a.m -  Men’s FIBA GameTime: Matt Winer, Steve Smith

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

2:30  – 4:30 p.m. -  FIBA Championships: Brazil vs. Slovenia

7:30 – 10:30 p.m – WNBA Playoffs: Indiana Fever @ New York Liberty

10:30– 11:00 p.m. -  Men’s FIBA GameTime: Matt Winer, Steve Smith

*If necessary

And I think that will cause me to shut down for the night.

Doing Our Tuesday Links

Let’s get some linkage done while I can.

Starting with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who looks at the arrest of Jay “The Rat” Mariotti over the weekend and ESPN’s Jenn Brown endorsing Icehouse Beer.

Rich Rovito of the Business Journal of Milwaukee reports that ESPN has apparently put the kybosh on Brown’s endorsement contract.

Richard tweets that he is not responsible for ESPN nixing the deal. 

Nando Di Fino of the Wall Street Journal looks at the lack of reporters rushing to Mariotti’s defense following last weekend’s arrest on domestic assault charges.

John Ourand from the Sports Business Journal notes that NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol was spotted at Golf Channel headquarters in Orlando leading to speculation that Comcast will tap the Emperor to lead its sports division when it takes over NBC.

Fox Sports’ Brian Lowry looks at the ESPN/Time Warner Cable dispute. 

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that FoxSoccer.com is expanding its broadband subscription service.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel says DirecTV will be offering its Sunday NFL Ticket to non-subscribers on broadband.

John Eggerton at Broadcasting & Cable says MASN has picked up a carriage agreement in North Carolina, but it’s still not the one it really wants.

Bill Cromwell at Media Life Magazine looks at the very good overnight ratings for Sunday’s Vikings-49ers preseason NFL game on NBC.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times says the Mariotti arrest, the Tiger Woods divorce and Jason Whitlock’s LeBron James-like announcement on leaving the Kansas City Star shows the sports media today is in a state of flux.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand has the ratings for selected events from the weekend.

Nick Bromberg of Yahoo! Sports advises the IndyCar Series to break away from Versus. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says a company matching athletes for simple internet ad campaign is doing quite well.

Darren notes that Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has made about $3 million for the team in the games he pitched.

Mike Hale of the New York Times reviews tonight’s 30 for 30 offering on Michael Jordan’s trek through minor league baseball.

Richard Sandomir of the Times says MLB is searching for the person or persons responsible for leaking classified financial data for several teams. 

Bob Raissman at the New York Daily News feel that it’s about time YES jumped on the Roger Clemens steroids bandwagon.

In SB Nation New York, broadcasting historian David Halberstam lists the top 25 sportscasters in New York.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union has the WNBA playoffs TV schedule for this week and beyond.

Pete says the ESPN networks will be all over the FIBA World Championships from Turkey.

Laura Nachman says the Philadelphia CBS affiliate is promoting a former Eagle to back up sports anchor.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg looks at the battle of two former DC NFL teammates, Joe Theismann and John Riggins discussing current QB Donovan McNabb.

Mark Story in the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader writes about former Kentucky quarterback and tremendous Cleveland Browns bust Tim Couch becoming an analyst for Fox Sports Net this fall.

Sarah Lundy at the Orlando Sentinel reports that ESPN and Bright House cable are negotiating a new carriage deal.

Mike Bianchi of the Sentinel says now that Tiger Woods divorce from Elin Nordegren is final, sports journalism will never be the same. Thanks to Gail Sideman of the public relations firm, Publiside for the link.

Dave George at the Palm Beach Post says ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is happy to be talking college football.

In the Dallas Morning News, Barry Horn has a few thoughts on the Cowboys-Chargers game production from last week.

The Morning News says Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee is brandishing ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd, “a liar”.

The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron says ESPN’s Craig James and CBS College Sports’ Mike Leach are talking a lot, but not about each other as a lawsuit looms.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has his sports media notebook.

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer says Fox has picked up a Reds game for national consumption next month.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business notes that Jay Mariotti’s arrest is driving traffic to various blogs.

Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says a Big East TV Network could generate significant revenue for the conference.

Warren Gerds of the Green Bay Press Gazette says Aaron Taylor will get increased duties at CBS College Sports this season. 

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Derrick Gold says Cardinals TV voice Dan McLaughlin took a two game leave after a DUI arrest last week.

Dave Noreiga of KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, UT says BYU leaving the Mountain West Conference and becoming an independent hinges on ESPN. 

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has an extensive review of tonight’s 30 for 30 documentary.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says last Friday’s Blue Jays game against the Red Sox topped the ratings in Canada. 

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal says the Oilers have a new play-by-play man.

In the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown wonders who’s responsible for leaking financial data from several MLB teams.

Maury says a new study shows that independent blogs are the least trusted media sources among sports organizations.

Pete Toms in the Biz of Baseball looks at the importance of Regional Sports Networks to baseball.

Ben Koo of Koo’s Corner examines what happened to sports blogging social media site Ballhype which collapsed this week. A bit of disclosure, Fang’s Bites was a member of Ballhype and I really appreciated the boost it gave me when I joined three years ago.

Deadspin notes that Tiger Woods is back in the media’s good graces again.

A.J Daulerio at Deadspin looks inside the Jay Mariotti arrest.

SportsbyBrooks says Fanhouse has yet to turn off the comments on Mariotti’s archives.

And we’re finished here.

Comcast SportsNet New England To Air WNBA Games

Comcast SportsNet New England which is sorely lacking for live game programming during the summer has some to add to the MLS New England Revolution. Starting this week, CSNNE will air 7 Connecticut Sun games sprinkled through August.

Here’s your schedule.

COMCAST SPORTSNET TO TELECAST CONNECTICUT SUN BASKETBALL IN HIGH DEFINITION THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND

Mike Gorman and Former UConn Star Rebecca Lobo to Call Sun Games Starting with Sun vs. Dream on Friday, May 21

BURLINGTON, MA – The Connecticut Sun are in pursuit of their first WNBA championship and the team’s chase for WNBA glory will be shown in high definition on Comcast SportsNet, which reaches more than four million homes throughout New England.

Comcast SportsNet’s Sun schedule includes a matchup with the defending WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury and former UConn great Diana Taurasi on Friday, June 25. The schedule also includes Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, July 24 as well as former Sun star Lindsay Whalen and the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, August 3.

Veteran Boston Celtics play-by-play man Mike Gorman and UConn legend Rebecca Lobo will call Comcast SportsNet’s Sun coverage which tips off when the Sun visit the Atlanta Dream on Friday, May 21.

“We are really excited by this new television partnership,” said Chris Sienko, Connecticut Sun vice president and general manager. “Comcast SportsNet gives us a great opportunity to reach a broader audience all over New England, where we have many fans. The Connecticut Sun is always looking for different ways to grow its brand and we think this will afford us the chance to do so.”

“We are excited to expand Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of New England’s top sports teams and to have recognizable names like Gorman and Lobo work the telecasts. The Connecticut Sun are part of a great tradition of women’s basketball in New England, and with our region-wide footprint we offer the Sun and the WNBA the chance to extend their reach and tap into that tradition,” said Len Mead, Comcast SportsNet vice president of production and programming.

Comcast SportsNet’s full high definition Sun schedule features:

• Fri, May 21 @ Atlanta Dream – 7 pm
• Fri, June 11 vs. Indiana Fever – 7:30 pm
• Fri, June 25 vs. Phoenix Mercury – 7:30 pm
• Sun, June 27 @ NY Liberty – 4 pm
• Sat, July 24 vs. LA Sparks – 7 pm
• Tue, August 3 @ Minnesota Lynx – 8 pm
• Tue, August 17 vs. Tulsa Shock – 7:30 pm 

Having Boston Celtics voice Mike Gorman helps plus hiring UConn alum Rebecca Lobo adds to the broadcast.

Our Wednesday Linkage

Let’s do some links on this rainy Wednesday in the Northeast. By the way, last night I went to a great Japanese restaurant in Providence, Haruki East on Wayland Avenue. Highly recommend it. And on a rainy Tuesday night, there was a wait so that tells you it’s quite popular. Ate there with my parents and my cousin and his girlfriend. The food was definitely worth the wait. Sushi was great and so was the Tempura. Great food in a great city.

Ok, done with the restaurant review. To the links.

Starting with Michael Hiestand of USA Today, he has TNT’s Marv Albert not having the slightest idea as a young announcer that Phil Jackson would end up being a successful NBA coach.

Bruce Jenkins of Sports Illustrated says the world media including Tennis Channel failed to properly describe Roger Federer’s whiff during match point of the Madrid Open on Sunday. 

David Tanklefsky of Broadcasting & Cable comes out of ESPN upfront presentation with the impression that the network is totally embracing social media and becoming more interactive with viewers.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says Versus brought in the highest ratings for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs since Nielsen started measuring them in 1994.

Anthony Crupi at Mediaweek notes that TNT has won the cable primetime ratings for the third week in a row thanks to the NBA Playoffs. 

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says the NHL is red hot in the TV ratings.

Diego Vasquez of Media Life writes that sports has helped to raise broadcast TV viewing levels to even with last year.

Subbing for CNBC’s Darren Rovell, Chad Walters says teams can save money by eliminating some waste.

Phillip Michaels of Macworld reviews the ESPN SportsCenter XL app for the iPad.

Jon Friedman of Marketwatch.com says reporters covering the LeBron Watch have the toughest beat in the media.

I should not do this because this will probably get shut down, but we have a Neil Best sighting. Newsday’s Neil Best writes that Fox is looking at expanding its MLB offerings into primetime on Saturdays.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that the Preakness Stakes saw a ratings downtick from last year.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says Nationals fans can listen to Stephen Strasburg’s next start tonight.

Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times says Peter Gammons had to correct a statement he made on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday.

Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News looks at what the new ESPN/ACC rights deal means for the Big 12.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that a local radio station is picking up high school football games for the fall.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press reports that former Fox NFL analyst Ray Bentley is joining a local radio station.

In the Indianapolis Business Journal, Anthony Schoettle says IndyCar is gaining more confidence in Versus. 

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune writes that viewers found Versus in droves for Game 2 of the Blackhawks-Sharks series last night.

Phil says Blackhawks fans have to make due without TV voice Pat Foley calling the NHL Western Conference Finals due to Versus and NBC having exclusivity.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says Big Ten conference commish Jim Delaney isn’t revealing much about the league’s expansion plans.

Curtis Zupke from the Orange County (CA) Register says NHL TV ratings continue to increase. 

Jon Wilmer of the San Jose Mercury News looks at what the ESPN/ACC deal will mean for the Pac 10′s TV negotiations.

Will Reisman in the San Francisco Examiner writes that Versus cut off the end of the third stage of the Tour of California on Tuesday.

Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times says the WNBA’s Storm had several glitches with its inaugural in-house telecast on FSN Northwest. 

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy explains why the NHL Conference Finals began on the same days for the first two games.

Sports Media Watch has the weekend overnight ratings.

SMW says Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals did well for TNT, but not as well as last year’s ratings aberration.

And SMW has some ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that Jeremy Roenick who did a great job for NBC during the Olympics, will join NBC’s studio for its coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Matthew Coller at the Biz of Hockey writes that an exciting NHL postseason is paying dividends for the league besides TV ratings.

SportsbyBrooks looks into the tight-lipped investigation into the death of LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg.

And we’ll end our links there for now. Back later with breaking news and the return of the Sports Media Weekly podcast following a week’s absence.

ESPN2 To Show 18 WNBA Regular Season Games

Starting this Saturday, the WNBA returns to the ESPN family of networks and ESPN2 will air 18 regular season games.

WNBA Season on ESPN2 Begins With the Defending Champion Phoenix Mercury vs.  L.A. Sparks May 15

Every Telecast in HD; All Games on ESPN3.com

ESPN2 will televise 18 regular season WNBA games, starting with the Los Angeles Sparks at the defending champion Phoenix Mercury Saturday, May 15, at 2 p.m. ET.  All telecasts will be seen on ESPN3.com and will be televised in high definition on ESPN2 HD.  ESPN networks have been televising the WNBA since 1997.

In addition, coverage of the postseason – the Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals, Conference Finals and WNBA Finals – will be on ABC and ESPN2, beginning Saturday, August 28, totaling up to 11 telecasts. 

ESPN will present the “WNBA vs. Team USA:  The Stars at the Sun” , which will showcase the world’s best female basketball players under one roof when the WNBA’s top talent faces the USA Basketball Women’s National Team on Saturday, July 10.  This special event, hosted by the WNBA and the Connecticut Sun, will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.    

COMMENTATORS

Pam Ward, Terry Gannon and Dave Pasch will serve be the play-by-play announcers, working with analysts Carolyn Peck and Rebecca Lobo. Heather Cox and Lobo will serve as sideline reporters.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Six appearances by the defending champion Phoenix Mercury 2009 MVP Diana Taurasi.
• Six appearances by the Los Angeles Sparks, featuring Candace Parker, who was both MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2008.
• Phoenix at Tulsa on May 25. Tulsa, coached by Nolan Richardson, has added former Olympian and collegiate basketball star Marion Jones.
• Full access coverage with live mics on players/coaches/referees, exclusive locker room interviews, and above and below the rim cameras for select telecasts.
• WNBA Power Rankings from John Hollinger for ESPN.com, which will be automated for updates after every game.
• “Five Questions With…” video feature with Rebecca Lobo Game previews, recaps, stats and standings on ESPN.com.

• Live scores accessible via the ESPN mobile Web site, ScoreCenter and ScoreCenter XL.
• Video highlights, recaps, standings, statistics and features on ESPN Mobile.
• Additional live coverage for close to 10 games will be made available on ESPN Mobile TV.

2010 SCHEDULE

(all games on ESPN2 except as noted)   

Date	Time (ET)	Match-up
Sat, May 15	2 p.m.	Los Angeles at Phoenix
Tues, May 25	7 p.m.	Phoenix at Tulsa
Tues, June 1	7:30 p.m.	Phoenix at Minnesota
	9:30 p.m.	Atlanta at Seattle
Tues, June 29	7 p.m.	Indiana at Washington
Sat, July 3	5 p.m,	Seattle at Los Angeles
Tues, Jan. 6	8 p.m.	Connecticut at San Antonio
	10 p.m.	Phoenix at Los Angeles
Sat, July 10	3:30 p.m. (ESPN)	WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun
Tues, July 13	7 p.m.	Los Angeles at Tulsa
Tues, July 20	8 p.m.	New York at Connecticut
Thurs, July 22	7 p.m.	Los Angeles at Indiana
Tues, July 27	7:30 p.m.	San Antonio at New York
	9:30 p.m.	Phoenix at Seattle
Tues, Aug. 3	7:30 p.m.	Washington at Atlanta
Thurs, Aug. 5	10:30 p.m.	Connecticut at Seattle
Sat, Aug. 7	3 p.m.	Minnesota at Chicago
Tues, Aug. 10	8 p.m.	Phoenix at Chicago
	10 p.m.	Indiana at Los Angeles

That’s it.

More Monday Links

Some links on a Monday.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with several members of the Baseball Writers Association of America who are in favor of making their votes public.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says NBC Universal pans to make its rarely seen mun2 channel available on August 12 for free just in time for that day’s USA-Mexico World Cup qualifying game. This includes DirecTV, Dish Network and other providers.

Newsday’s Neil Best writes that tickets can be had at Citi Field for cheap!

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says Scott Garceau and Anita Marks are cleaning up in the afternoon drive timeslot for MASN and 105.7 FM in Baltimore.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer wishes ESPN’s Chris Mortensen would pay a visit to the Queen City.

Stacy Straczynksi of Mediaweek writes Sports Illustrated and Nissan are teaming up for a 10 city tour of the Heisman Trophy.

Len Berman’s Top 5 is in the Huffington Post.

The Sports Media Watch says ratings for the WNBA All-Star Game on ABC weren’t good.

And SMW says despite having Michael Phelps in the pool for the World Aquatics Championships, the ratings weren’t worth the hype.

The 38 Cliches blog links to two podcasts from former Red Sox announcer Jerry Trupiano.

Chris Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media is happy to see an Atlanta Journal-Constitution news reporter back in the sports fold.

I’ll end it there for now.

The Thursday Press Release Post

There are quite a few press releases to give you on the waning minutes of Thursday. Let’s give them to you.

First, the Big Ten Network prepares to hit the road in August to visit all of the schools in advance of football season.

‘Big Ten Football Tour’ Hits the Road Starting August 11

Revsine, DiNardo, Griffth go all-access with every Big Ten football team

CHICAGO – Eleven teams. Fifteen days. And 3,000 miles.

That’s how far the Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith will travel to bring fans Big Ten Football Tour, a series of 11 90-minute shows devoted to a preseason football practice at every Big Ten university. The shows, which begin Aug. 11 and will air the same night as the practices at 10 PM ET, will feature a true, behind-the-scenes look at individual and team drills as Big Ten teams prepare for the 2009 season.

“As the new season approaches, Big Ten fans will love getting an all-access look at their team,” Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. “This will be a great opportunity to see how every football program is gearing up for the season.”

Revsine, DiNardo, Griffith and the Big Ten Network production crew will criss-cross the conference’s eight states in a customized, chartered bus. The bus will be branded with logos and air times for the network’s “Four Pack,” a quartet of new football shows that debut in September. The shows include Breakdown (Tuesdays, 10 PM ET), Sites & Sounds (Wednesdays, 10 PM ET), Behind the Schemes (Thursdays, 10 PM ET) and Big Ten Football and Beyond (Fridays, 10 PM ET).

Revsine will host the Big Ten Football Tour, while DiNardo and Griffith will provide on-the-field analysis of each team’s top newcomers, rising stars, important position battles and schedule. A coach or player will wear a wireless microphone during practice to give fans another perspective on the team’s preparation for the season.

The tour begins at Ohio State (Aug. 11), and continues at Penn State (Aug. 13), Michigan (Aug. 14), Michigan State (Aug. 15), Indiana (Aug. 17), Purdue (Aug. 18), Illinois (Aug. 19), Northwestern (Aug. 20), Wisconsin (Aug. 21) and Minnesota (Aug. 22), before wrapping up at Iowa (Aug. 25).

In addition to the on-the-field aspects, shows will include interviews with head coaches, coordinators and position coaches. Reporters Mike Hall, Rick Pizzo and Charissa Thompson will have post-practice interviews with key returning players, newcomers, former players or other special guests.

Fans along the Big Ten Football Tour route will have a chance to win football tickets and other Big Ten Network prizes by getting updates through the network’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The Big Ten Network also will produce a separate 30-minute football preview show for each Big Ten school. Those programs will premiere during the last week of August. The network will also air a two-part conference-wide preview show at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Preseason coverage for each school is listed below.

Illinois:

Aug. 19 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 29 – Illinois Football Preview (10 PM ET)

Indiana:

Aug. 17 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 28 – Indiana Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)

Iowa:

Aug. 25 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 30 – Iowa Football Preview (9:30 PM ET)

Michigan:

Aug. 14 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 26 – Michigan Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)

Michigan State:

Aug. 15 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 27 – Michigan State Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)

Minnesota:

Aug. 22 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 30 – Minnesota Football Preview (10 PM ET)

Northwestern:

Aug. 20 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 29 – Northwestern Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)

Ohio State:

Aug. 11 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 26 – Ohio State Football Preview (10 PM ET)

Penn State:

Aug. 13 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 27 – Penn State Football Preview (10 PM ET)

Purdue:

Aug. 18 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 28 – Purdue Football Preview (10 PM ET)

Wisconsin:

Aug. 21 – Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)

Aug. 30 – Wisconsin Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)

Old school NFL fans will remember the original incarnation of the NFL Today on CBS hosted by Brent Musberger with Phyllis George, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder and Irv Cross. From the late 1970′s through the late 1980′s, it was a ratings juggernaut beating NBC’s NFL pregame show like a drum every year. Of course, having the NFC package had a lot to do with that. The reason why I’m mentioning this is the fact that Irv Cross will be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work on CBS.

FORMER CBS NFL ANCHOR IRV CROSS TO BE HONORED BY PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

IRV CROSS, a nine-year defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, made history in 1971 when he became the first African American sports analyst on national television with CBS. Four years later he began a 15-year run as the first anchor of the network’s Emmy-Award-winning The NFL Today pregame show.

For his exceptional work on NFL telecasts, Cross will be honored during the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s enshrinement weekend in early August with the PETE ROZELLE RADIO-TELEVISION AWARD.

“The game means a great deal to me and I have a high regard for the people who made pro football what it is today,” Cross said. “I am humbled to have been selected as one of those in the radio-TV business to have had an impact on the game.”

Cross, currently the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota, joins past Rozelle Award winners including ROONE ARLEDGE, JACK BUCK, DICK ENBERG, FRANK GIFFORD, JOHN MADDEN, and PAT SUMMERALL.

Next, Golf Channel tells us what it has in store programming-wise for the next week.

COMING UP ON GOLF CHANNEL… July 27 – Aug. 2, 2009

Rebirth of New Orleans and Rehab for Wounded Warriors on Golf in America

Original Programming Premieres and Highlights

(All times eastern)

Golf in America

Video Preview: Golf in America

Time: Tuesday 10 – 10:30 p.m.

Host: Anthony Anderson

The sixth episode of the 10-week series will feature:

· Bayou District Foundation: Rebirth in New Orleans– City Park was once home to 54 holes of municipal golf in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the facility. Four years later, the North Course is again open to the public, the first step of a rebirth for City Park and St. Bernard Parish. By following the model created by the revival of East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, New Orleans hopes to establish City Park as a championship golf course facility and revive the community. GOLF CHANNEL’s Rich Lerner gets a first-hand look at the facility and the vision for the community.

· Golf As Therapy for Wounded Warriors – For wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, golf serves as both mental and physical therapy. The National Amputee Golf Association teaches golf professionals, rehabilitation professionals and parks and recreation professionals, techniques and drills for teaching golf to veterans with disabilities. GOLF CHANNEL’s Steve Sands will visit with National Amputee Golf Association president Bob Wilson and the professionals at Fort Belvoir Golf Club near Washington, D.C., where they work the front line to help our wounded warriors get back into the swing of everyday life.

· Oakhurst Links – Established in 1884, Oakhurst Links is the oldest golf course in the United States. The fairways are maintained by grazing sheep, the tee-boxes are made of sand and the players wear knickers and use hickory-shafted clubs. Restored in 1994, the West Virginia course hosts the annual National Hickory Championship. Golf in America will give viewers an inside glimpse into the history of Oakhurst Links and will showcase how golf was played before modern technology took over during the 2009 National Hickory Championship in June.

Golf in America takes viewers coast-to-coast to discover never-before-told stories, larger-than-life characters and inspirational people in capturing the spirit of the game of golf. The series, hosted by film and television actor Anthony Anderson, chronicles stories in stunning HD from celebrities, such as Justin Timberlake and Donald Trump to everyday people across the country that are unified by the sport.

Playing Lessons from the Pros

Time: Monday 10 – 10:30 p.m.

Host: Stephanie Sparks

PGA TOUR professional Rory Sabbatini and host Stephanie Sparks will play a round of golf at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas, on a new episode of Playing Lessons From the Pros. Sabbatini will show viewers the keys to his stellar golf game and will delve into how he deals with pressure.

Top 10: Tiger Short Game Shots

Time: Tuesday 9 – 9:30 p.m.

Host: Lauren Thompson

Tuesday’s new episode of Top 10 will count down Tiger Woods’ top 10 short game shots, featuring insight from JB Holmes, Sean O’Hair, Chris DiMarco Rocco Mediate, Dan Hicks and Roger Maltbie. Notable shots to be featured include Woods’ chip-in on the 16^th hole at the 2005 Masters, his birdies on the 72^nd holes to win the 2008 and 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational tournaments and his birdie on the 72^nd hole to force a playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open.

PGA TOUR Primetime

Time: Thursday-Friday 8:30 – 11:30 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday 9:30 – 11:30 p.m.

GOLF CHANNEL’s Thursday and Friday coverage from the Buick Open will re-air on PGA TOUR Primetime from 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. ET. Saturday and Sunday, GOLF CHANNEL will re-air CBS Sports’ weekend coverage from 9:30 – 11:30 p.m. ET.

News and Talk Show Programming Highlights

Golf Central

Live Airings: Monday – Thursday 6 – 6:30 p.m. / 11:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Friday 6 – 6:30 p.m. / 1:30 – 2 a.m.

Saturday 6 – 6:30 p.m. / 11:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Sunday 6 – 7 p.m. / 11:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Golf Central will recap the news and storylines from the RBC Canadian Open and all of the tours, preview the upcoming tournaments and deliver news and insight.Thursday – Sunday, Golf Central will broadcast live from Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, delivering all of the comprehensive wrap-around news coverage of the 2009 Buick Open in addition to the latest news from the Ricoh Women’s British Open and all golf’s major tours.

Golf Central Pre Game

Live Airings: Thursday – Friday 2:30 – 3 p.m.

Saturday – Sunday 12:30 – 1 p.m.; 2:30 – 3 p.m.

Hosted by Kraig Kann and Brandel Chamblee on-site from Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Golf Central Pre Game will prepare viewers for all of the action on the various golf tours with news, interviews and analysis. Saturday and Sunday, Golf Central Pre Game will air from 12:30 – 1 p.m. ET prior to GOLF CHANNEL’s lead-in coverage, and return for a second show from 2:30 – 3 p.m., preparing viewers for CBS Sports’ weekend action.

The Golf Fix

Time: Monday 8 – 8:30 p.m.

Host: Michael Breed

GOLF CHANNEL’s fast-paced interactive instructional show will feature the key shots from the weekend, and highlight call-ins and emails from viewers during the show. GolfChannel.com will include a bonus segment following the conclusion of the live show on Monday.

The Approach with Callaway Golf

Time: Tuesday 8 – 8:30 p.m.

Hosts: Kraig Kann/ Analysts Andrew Magee and Alex Miceli

Highlighting the top storylines in golf from different perspectives, analysts from The Approach with Callaway Golf will recap the RBC Canadian Open, the Senior Open Championship and the Evian Masters and preview the Buick Open and the Ricoh Women’s British Open in an entertaining and informative manner.

Grey Goose 19^th Hole

Time: Wednesday 8 – 8:30 p.m.

Host: Vince Cellini/Analysts Jeff Rude and Rex Hoggard

Grey Goose 19^th Hole, the network’s fast-paced half-hour talk show will feature debates on the hot topics in golf coming out of the RBC Canadian Open, Senior Open Championship and the Evian Masters.

CBS SPORTS BULLETIN BOARD

CBS SPORTS PEDALS TO PARIS ON SUNDAY, JULY 26 AS LANCE ARMSTRONG TRIES TO WIN FINAL STAGES OF 2009 “TOUR DE FRANCE” FOR HISTORIC WIN

CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR’s coverage of the 2009 TOUR DE FRANCE pedals into Paris for its final stages on Sunday, July 26 (2:00-3:00 PM, ET; SD TAPE) in this hour-long recap on the CBS Television Network. American Lance Armstrong, making a comeback after winning seven consecutive Tours and falling to fourth place 3:55 behind Astana teammate Alberto Contador after 17 stages, looks to try and overcome three other riders ahead of him for an improbable and unlikely eighth win. Craig Hummer hosts the show, while Vic Frank serves as producer of CBS Sports’ coverage. Production support will be provided by Versus.

Harold Bryant is Vice President of Production, CBS Sports.

Not that you’ll watch, but ESPN wants you to know that the WNBA All-Star Game will be on ABC on Saturday in High Def, no less!

2009 WNBA All-Star Game in High Definition Saturday on ABC HD
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010 to be Announced

The best-of-the-best from the East and West will face each other in the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Sunday, July 25, at 3:30 p.m. ET, in high definition on ABC HD. Dave Pasch will call the ninth All-Star Game alongside analysts Nancy Lieberman and Carolyn Peck, with courtside reporters Heather Cox and Rebecca Lobo.

The Eastern Conference will feature All-Stars Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics, Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas of the Indiana Fever, and Candice Dupree and Sylvia Fowles of the Chicago Sky. The Western Conference All-Stars will be led by starters Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars and Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm.

Asjha Jones of the Connecticut Sun will be one of five former UConn stars suiting up for this year’s All-Star Game, the most by any university. The others include Western Conference All-Stars Sue Bird and Swin Cash of Seattle, Charde Houston of the Minnesota Lynx and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury.

Lin Dunn, head coach of the Indiana Fever, will lead the Eastern Conference, while Dan Hughes, head coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars, will coach the West. Both head coaches, one player from each team and the lead referee will wear live microphones during the telecast. ABC’s production will also include the exclusive live announcement of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010.

To supplement ABC’s telecast of the game, ESPN.com will provide robust coverage of the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game with pre-game features from columnists Mechelle Voepel and Graham Hays, plus a new interactive social media site, which will include live-blogging from Voepel and Hays, tweets from ESPN TV personalities @RebeccaLobo, @NancyLieberman and @CAROLYNPECK and WNBA All-Stars, WNBA fan questions and comments, polls, photos, highlight video, ESPN Stats and Analysis research notes and more. WNBA All-Stars scheduled to participate: Alana Beard, Charde Houston, Cappie Pondexter, Sophia Young and Swin Cash.

That’s it for now.

Some Tuesday Links

Let’s do links for you now. I may have to leave early so I’ll do what I can for now.

Starting with Michael Smith of the Sports Business Journal, he writes that TNT made a little “dig” in its NASCAR coverage by e-mailing a video to viewers signifying the beginning of its six race season.

John Ourand in the Sports Business Daily writes that the annual Army-Navy game is going to be on a three city rotation starting next year.

Ray Frager of the Sports Media Journal says ESPN/ABC’s Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy appear to be not convinced of the Magic’s ability to win the NBA Finals.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Roger Federer may be a winner on the court, but not necessarily in the endorsement court. Darren says projected 1st pick in the MLB Draft Stephen Strasburg is already a winner in memorabilia. Darren writes that Starter is pinning its hopes on resurrection on Tony Romo.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Tiger Woods set New York abuzz with his practice round at the Bethpage Black course on Monday.

Neil adds that there are still plenty of seats available for the Mets-Yankees series this weekend.

In his blog, Neil laments about the possible demise of the Boston Globe. Neil asks readers to pick the ratings winner of what will be a busy Tuesday night in sports. Neil reports that Verizon is in line to be a sponsor of the new Giants-Jets stadium. Sometimes, Neil attends events so you don’t have to. And Neil says NESN’s ratings for the Red Sox are slowly getting back to normal after the Celtics and Bruins playoff runs.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman rips SNY’s Keith Hernandez for not ripping Carlos Beltran.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union writes that the Belmont’s ratings weren’t great, but not bad either. Pete says golf showed the biggest ratings gain over the weekend.

Keith Groller from the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that a local cable TV company is gearing up for the state high school baseball championships.

Laura Nachman says two Philly sports personalities will be signing their books this weekend.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner has the first part of an enterprise story on how the Lakers went Hollywood.

Shelly Darby of the Detroit Free Press says the NHL is not allowing Joe Louis Arena to show Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on the big screen.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says golf and basketball were ratings winners this past weekend. Ed says former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas will be an analyst for the Cubs-White Sox series.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the NBA Finals finished a close second to the Brewers in the local ratings (scroll down).

I don’t know who wrote this article for the Bradenton Herald, perhaps the writer is hiding under his or her desk, but whomever wrote it feels the MLB Draft should not be in primetime. Whatever, dude.

This is interesting. Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News is also asking readers to pick ratings winners tonight.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times says ESPN/ABC’s Jeff Van Gundy is admitting he’s pulling punches on his brother.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News wonders if anyone will watch the MLB Draft on MLB Network tonight.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says the NHL Stanley Cup Finals are a ratings dud for CBC.

Steve Clarke of Variety writes that ESPN may be a bidder for the cash-strapped Setanta Sports channel which is in dire financial straits.

BBC News says Setanta is on the verge of collapsing.

Bill Wilson of the Beeb explains why Setanta is in so much trouble.

Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media wonders about IBM sponsoring the Colin Cowherd show. Chris says there’s something big brewing among the SEC schools.

Joe Favorito says USA Wrestling is making a big move to solidify the sport for the Olympics.

The Sports Media Watch says the WNBA and LPGA did not do well in the ratings over the weekend.

Maury Brown in the Biz of Sports says he’s all aTwitter.

NESN’s Naoko Funayama went along for a taping of the network’s new show, “Pocket Money” based on SNY’s “Beer Money” show.

The Towleroad blog says on Sunday, ESPN’s Outside the Lines will cover the University of Nebraska wrestling gay porn controversy.

The MLS Talk blog says the English Premier League and Women’s Professional Soccer are ratings winners for Fox Soccer Channel.

That’s going to do it for now.