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March Madness Live Returns and So Does Authentication

Remember last year when Turner took over March Madness Live and it was so complicated to authenticate to get the free streaming of the NCAA Tournament? And it got to the point where some gave up while others got so frustrated, they decided to pay the $3.99 fee even though they could have watched for free?

Well, Turner Sports has decided to bring back the authentication process, but simplify it. This year, there won’t be a fee. Games that air on TBS, TNT and truTV will require authentication. Games on CBS won’t. And there will be a four hour preview option that won’t require registration.

March Madness Live will launch on mobiles and tablets in March (naturally) and will be available for download for both Apple and Google platforms.

All 67 games of the NCAA Tournament including the Final Four™ will be streamed on March Madness Live

Let us take a look at what’s in store this year for March Madness Live.

NCAA March Madness Live® to Offer Fans an Unprecedented Multi-Screen Viewing Experience for the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

NCAA March Madness Live® App Available in App Store and Google Play in March

NCAA March Madness Live® will provide college basketball fans with unparalleled multi-screen digital access to the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Produced by Turner Sports, NCAA March Madness Live® will offer free streaming across all devices to pay TV subscribers throughout the tournament and is designed to be either a primary or companion viewing experience available to fans across a collection of screens including online, mobile and tablet. NCAA March Madness Live® will feature social and interactive components to provide portable access to the tournament and – in partnership between the NCAA, Turner Sports and CBS Sports – will launch from www.ncaa.com/marchmadness, www.CBSSports.com and www.bleacherreport.com, along with Google Play and the App Store beginning in March.

NCAA March Madness Live® will provide an unlimited viewing experience throughout Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the entire tournament. Fans will have access to all games on TNT, TBS and truTV on the digital device of their choice, by logging in with their TV service provider information, and all games broadcast on CBS with no registration required. As an added feature, NCAA March Madness Live® will offer a preview option that allows up to four hours of live game streaming that does not require viewer registration.

For the third consecutive year, all 67 games of the tournament will again be available live on TV in their entirety across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

“Whether viewing on a big-screen TV or a computer, tablet, or smart phone, fans can enjoy the incomparable excitement of March Madness anywhere they are and however they choose,” said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager of operations, for Turner Sports. “With Turner’s commitment to TV Everywhere, passionate fans can use NCAA March Madness Live® as either a first- or second-screen interactive experience to enjoy all 67 tournament games.”

“NCAA March Madness Live® provides our membership and fan bases with the most up to date coverage of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship so everyone can catch all of the action at any time and from any place,” said Keith Martin, managing director of championships and alliances. “We’re in an age now where fans want access to games simultaneously and they want to chat about what they’ve seen.  NCAA March Madness Live® is a great resource for fans who want to keep up with the games while they are at an arena, at home or from any location.”

This year’s NCAA March Madness Live® product offers several enhancements including:

• Redesigned for optimization across platforms – With improved navigation, NCAA March Madness Live® will have a completely new look and feel while also providing users with the same levels of access and a consistent user experience across all devices
• Available on new devices – NCAA March Madness Live® will be available on more devices than ever before including smart phones and tablets with the Android 4.0+ operating system, the iPhone 5 and iPad mini
• NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge – The official bracket game of March Madness includes new designs and feature enhancements on smart phones and tablets, along with expanded social functionality across all devices allowing fans to join groups, share brackets and chat with friends and other passionate fans via Facebook
• NCAA March Madness Social Arena – A forum to extend the conversation surrounding all of the games within NCAA March Madness Live® products, fans can follow game and tournament tweets, participate in fan chats, watch the games and keep a pulse on all the key moments of every game via the NCAA March Madness Social Arena.  Fans can participate in the social commentary by using the hashtag #marchmadness

Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live® will once again provide video highlights, full game replays and real-time game alerts, as well as fan-favorite features, including live game scoring, real-time tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, live social companion views and the return of the “Boss Button.” Fans will have direct access to live radio broadcasts, courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Radio Network, for all 67 games across the collection of digital products.

There you have it.

Quick Mid-Week Links

I’ll do some linkage here.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says Dick Vitale finally gets to call the NCAA Final Four, but for an international audience.

John Ourand at Sports Business Daily reports that Fox is in talks with Regis Philbin to host a show on Fox Sports 1.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report wonders if having Gus Johnson on the World Cup will work for Fox.

Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter talks with CBS Sports Head Honcho Sean McManus about the network’s handling of Super Bowl XLVII.

Rick Kissell at Variety says the Super Bowl put CBS on top of the 18-49 ratings demographic and probably put it there to stay for the rest of the TV season.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable says online streaming of the Super Bowl set a record.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News has NBC looking forward to the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Anthony CrupiCrupiCrupi of Adweek says CBS did not experience a post-Super Bowl bounce on Monday.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age notes that Fox is already pitching advertisers for Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.

Bill Cromwell from Media Life Magazine says Budweiser’s touching Clydesdale Super Bowl ad was the most popular among the publication’s readers.

Jeff Pfeiffer at Channel Guide says Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl received its highest ratings ever on Sunday.

The Nielsen Wire blog has the final viewing numbers for Super Bowl XLVII on CBS. Still close to my prediction of 108.2 million.

The Tampa Bay Times’ Eric Deggans writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says CBS failed to address the main issues facing the National Football League before, during and after its Super Bowl broadcast.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group says ESPN has blanketed the country with satellite trucks in order to cover National Signing Day today.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell asks if movie ads were the true winners on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn writes that former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield will co-host a new reality show on MLB Network. Wait until you read about the premise.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says NBC will begin its Olympics coverage from Sochi a day early.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Lindsay Vonn’s injury at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships put a damper on NBC’s Olympic media kickoff event on Tuesday.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette says Time Warner Cable has added MSG Plus and MSG Plus 2 in the Capital Region.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that Tennis Channel will air Rafael Nadal’s return to tennis today.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call feels CBS did not step up to the magnitude of Super Bowl XLVII.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun says some local TV stations did not distinguish themselves during coverage of the Ravens Championship Parade.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are changing radio stations.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says Super Bowl XLVII set a local ratings record.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds will remain on its flagship station and with it, air more Spring Training games.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says on his weekly radio show appearance, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers offered the olive branch to Brett Favre.

Danny Ecker from Crain’s Chicago Business looks at how Windy City businesses fared during Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks into Fox’s announcement of using Gus Johnson on soccer.

The Toronto Globe and Mail runs a Canadian Press story reporting that former pitcher Jack Morris will become a Blue Jays TV and radio analyst.

The Canadian Sports Media blog wasn’t happy about CTV cutting off Super Bowl coverage early for the second year in a row.

EPL Talk is not thrilled about having Gus Johnson on soccer.

Jason McIntyre at The Big Lead says SportsNation co-host Charissa Thompson has a new boyfriend and he works with the Alleged Worldwide Leader as well.

In Awful Announcing, Allen Kenney writes that due to ESPN’s high college football rights fees, Disney’s profits fell in the first quarter of its fiscal year.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth looks at the coverage that National Signing Day is receiving.

And that will conclude our linkage.

Dick Vitale To Call The NCAA Final Four on ESPN International

In a dream come true for Dick Vitale, he will call the 2013 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta for ESPN. ESPN International, that is. Vitale will call one National Semifinal with Brad Nessler. Jay Bilas will work the other with Nessler. And then Nessler and Vitale will call the National Championship game.

The ESPN International production will be available in 150 countries around the globe, in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the ANZAC region, Japan and Canada. This will not affect fans watching the games on CBS in the United States.

Lets take a look at what ESPN is saying about Dickie V calling the Final Four.

Dick Vitale to Call NCAA Final Four Games

Jay Bilas to Work a Semifinal; Brad Nessler to Call All Three Games

For the first time in his career, legendary ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will call NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament Final Four games this year. Vitale will serve as the analyst on Final Four telecasts from Atlanta, calling a semifinal and the championship for ESPN International. Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas will work the semifinal telecast not called by Vitale. Brad Nessler will call play-by-play on all three Final Four games.

The telecasts will reach sports fans in 150 countries and territories across 35 television and broadcast networks outside the United States. ESPN International will distribute the games in Latin America (Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America), Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, Japan, and Canada.

Vitale, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has worked more than 2,000 college basketball telecasts from hundreds of venues in his 34-year career with ESPN. While he has been a studio analyst on ESPN’s coverage of the Men’s Tournament every year since he joined ESPN in 1979 – including at the Final Four every year since 1983 – he has never called a game of the marquee event. His first game assignment for ESPN was Wisconsin at DePaul on Dec. 5, 1979 (a 90-77 DePaul win).

“I am thrilled for this awesome opportunity to sit courtside for the NCAA Championship game,” said Vitale. “I learned from the great Jim Simpson years ago that the championship game is the most important moment in the athletic career to many of the kids who are playing in it. I will deliver the same enthusiasm, energy, excitement and respect as I do with every game I work. I can’t believe it. All my buddies in Italy are going to be able to hear me. I just hope they can understand what I’m saying. It’s going to be Awesome Baby, with a Capital A!”

John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president of production, added, “Dick has played a key role in the growth of college basketball over his Hall of Fame career. Fans around the world will now experience his passion and enthusiasm for life and the game.”

Said Tim Bunnell, senior vice president, production and programming, ESPN International, “For decades, ESPN’s international networks have brought the distinctive passion and drama of college basketball to hundreds of millions of fans around the world, and Dick Vitale has brought an infectious excitement for the game to so many people. Combining the two, around one of the great annual sporting events, will deliver something truly unique for fans around the world while continuing to support the NCAA globally.”

Vitale, college basketball’s top analyst and ambassador, joined ESPN in 1979 – just after the network’s launch – following a college and pro coaching career. His thorough knowledge of the game is brought forth in an enthusiastic, passionate – but never boring – style. He writes regular pieces for ESPN.com/dickvitale, and has his own web site – www.dickvitaleonline.com.

He received the sport’s ultimate honor in 2008 when he was selected as an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (after being named a finalist in 2004, 2006 and 2007) as a contributor. Vitale is a member of 12 halls of fame, adding the Little League Museum Hall of Excellence and National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Awards (NSSA) Hall of Fame in 2012.

There you have it.

Sports Media Weekly No. 130 — Clark Kellogg, CBS Sports & Damon Amendolara, CBS Sports Radio

Today is another action-packed podcast. Two guests. A CBS theme and lots of stuff.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I did a brief news segment. We began by talking about Rob Parker of ESPN apologizing for his incendiary comments on last week’s First Take regarding DC NFL Team quarterback Robert Griffin III.

We then moved to Jay Mohr being named by Fox Sports Radio as the new noon-3 p.m. ET host replacing Jim Rome who is going to CBS Sports Radio.

Keith and I opined on Thursday Night Football’s record-setting year in both length of schedule, ratings and viewership and how it has cut into the numbers for ESPN’s college football and the NBA on TNT.

We completed our segment on giving Richard Deitsch’s sports media awards a plug.

Our first guest is Clark Kellogg of CBS Sports, the main college basketball analyst for the Tiffany Network. We talked about his almost 20 year career with CBS, the beginning of his broadcast career after playing for The Ohio State University and the Indiana Pacers, how the experience of covering the NCAA Tournament has been in both the studio and at the game sites and some of his best memories of the tournament. Plus we discussed having Clark’s son, Nick, participating in the Tournament last season.

We also discussed CBS’ celebration of 75 Years of March Madness and an upcoming special that Clark will be part of, 75 Years: Behind the Mic that will air on Saturday, December 29 at 2 p.m. ET

And Clark also gave us his thoughts on what to look for in this college basketball season.

Our second guest is Damon Amendolara, the 1 a.m. — 5 a.m. ET host for CBS Sports Radio when it launches on January 2. We talked about his leaving 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and heading for New York where he’ll help to launch CBS Sports Radio. Damon discussed his time working in Boston, how local markets are provincial and how some of the features that were successful on his Boston show will be handled on his CBS Sports Radio show and how he might start some new things for listeners.

I also asked Damon how he has made multiple appearances on the NFL Top 10 series on NFL Network dating back to its inception.

This was a fun podcast to be part of and I hope it comes across as you listen. You can find it on iTunes by doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or just look for it right here. The podcast is 41:46 of listening pleasure. I hope you’ll agree.

Behind Bill Raftery’s “Onions! Double Order!” Call from 2009

Coming up later this month, CBS will air a retrospective on the NCAA Tournament which will involve some of their announcers’ best memories of March Madness.

We have a preview clip sent to us from CBS Sports. This is the great American Treasure Bill Raftery discussing how he came up with the “Onions! Double Order!” call from 2009′s first round double overtime game between Siena and Ohio State that the Saints won in an absolute thriller.

Here’s the video of Bill Raftery with CBS’ Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg and Greg Anthony.

The show, 75 Years: Behind the Mic, airs Saturday, December 29 at 2 p.m. ET on CBS.

CBS Celebrates 75 Years of the NCAA Tournament

One of the most exciting events in the sports calendar is the NCAA Tournament. And this season will mark the 75th year that the tournament will be played. This year’s Final Four will take place at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Throughout the season, CBS will air various programming celebrating the NCAA Tournament’s 75 years of existence. The celebration begins Saturday, December 29 with two shows on CBS sharing the memories of various network announcers who have called tournament games and another sharing the experiences of several coaches.

CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will share in the act as well with on-air vignettes and online features.

Here’s the CBS press release.

CBS SPORTS AND THE NCAA^® CELEBRATE 75 YEARS OF MARCH MADNESS^®

CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com Launch Original Programming Commemorating 75 Years of One of the World’s Most Popular Sporting Events
Jim Nantz Hosts 75 YEARS: A COACH’S PERSPECTIVE, airing
Saturday, Dec. 29 (3:00-4:00 PM, ET)

CBS Sports salutes 75 years of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship with original programming celebrating the rich history of March Madness. Starting this month and through the 2013 NCAA tournament, CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com, in conjunction with the NCAA, will air a series of themed specials dedicated to the players, coaches and commentators who have made an impact over 75 memorable years of March Madness. The programming, CBS SPORTS PRESENTS 75 YEARS OF NCAA MARCH MANDESS, features CBS Sports college basketball announcers, including Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, Bill Raftery, Greg Anthony, Greg Gumbel and Doug Gottlieb, as well as others.

The salute tips off Saturday, Dec. 29 with two shows on CBS Sports beginning with 75 YEARS: BEHIND THE MIC (2:00-3:00 PM, ET).  The special features a round-table discussion with on-air voices of the NCAA tournament reliving the greatest March Madness moments and sharing their memories calling the action.  Greg Gumbel hosts and is joined by Clark Kellogg, Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Dick Enberg, Greg Anthony and Gary Bender.  The show also includes a special segment with Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore and Christian Laettner reliving the legendary Kentucky-Duke regional final game in 1992.

Jim Nantz hosts 75 YEARS: A COACH’S PERSPECTIVE (3:00-4:00 PM, ET) featuring a panel of top college coaches reflecting on the greatness of the NCAA tournament and reminiscing about their own experiences. Coaches include Billy Donovan, Tom Izzo, Steve Lavin, Rick Pitino, Shaka Smart, Brad Stevens, Bill Self, John Thompson III and Jay Wright.

Greg Gumbel hosts the other specials airing on CBS Sports, including:

• TOP 10 COACHES – Saturday, Feb. 9 (12:30-1:00 PM, ET)
• TOP 10 ONE-HIT WONDERS – Saturday, Feb. 16 (12:30-1:00 PM, ET)
• TOP 10 BUZZER BEATERS – Sunday, Feb. 17 (12:30-1:00 PM, ET)
• TOP 10 UPSETS – Saturday, Feb. 23 (1:00-1:30 PM, ET)
• TOP 10 CHAMPS THAT NEVER WERE – Saturday, Feb. 23 (1:30-2:00 PM, ET)

CBS Sports Network’s programming is highlighted by a series of specials, including:

• THE ULTIMATE 75-YEAR BRACKET – Saturday, March 2 (7:00-8:30 PM, ET) – A 90-minute studio show playing out the ultimate fantasy March Madness bracket with the best teams from the past 75 years.  A panel of experts will pick the teams, determine seedings and debate the games in a single-elimination style.
• THE 75 GREATEST MOMENTS IN TOURNAMENT HISTORY – Sunday, March 3-Thursday, March 7 – Five 30-minute programs that count down the 75 greatest moments in tournament history.
• MARCH MADNESS: THE ALL-TIME TEAM – Sunday, April 7 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET) – A one-hour show selecting the top NCAA tournament all-time players.

In addition, CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will feature a vignette series beginning Saturday, Dec. 29 that traces the history of all 75 years of the NCAA tournament. During each day leading up to the 2013 NCAA tournament, a vignette will air that features a summary of one year’s March Madness tournament from 1939 through 2012.  CBSSports.com also will provide coverage and content from its EYE ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL reporters.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports will provide live, full national coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national television networks – CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

Starting in early January, fans can vote on the greatest all-time players, teams and moments at NCAA.com/MarchMadness, the official online destination for the 75 years of March Madness celebration.

And we’re done.

Various Wednesday Links

I’ll do a few links for you this evening.

I’ll start with a strange story that surfaced today from a University of Maryland journalism class during which ESPN Vice President and Executive Editor John Walsh made some rather strange statements about Deadspin’s John Koblin over the Lynn Hoppes plagiarism situation. Deadspin has raised issues of Hoppes lifting material from Wikipedia. In the journalism class, student Mark Sanchez asked Walsh about Hoppes and the plagiarism. Walsh then made puzzling statements that Koblin was angry that Hoppes stole his girlfriend. This is quite interesting except that Koblin is gay. The whole thing came out on Twitter in this very interesting thread. John Koblin later talked with Walsh who denied making the statements. One of the strangest stories I’ve ever seen this year or any other year.

A story that broke Wednesday night, Michael Hiestand of USA Today reports that CBS/Turner might get permission to use ESPN’s Dick Vitale on the NCAA Tournament and team him with Charles Barkley.

ESPN has gained the rights to air the NBA in the UK and Ireland.

Jason Howerton at The Blaze writes that Bob Costas and Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly had a discussion on guns.

Dave Scott from ESPN’s Front Row public relations blog notes that Sean McDonough is recovering from surgery to correct  a rare ear condition.

Tom Van Riper of Forbes says former ESPN’er Brian Kenny brings a big network feel to MLB Network.

Reuters has a Disney executive crowing about ESPN ad sales being ahead of last year’s pace.

David Goetzl from MediaPost notes that SodaStream will advertise in Super Bowl XLVII on CBS.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age looks at the companies buying time in the Super Bowl.

Ed Sherman from The Sherman Report talks with former Fox Sports Vice Chairman Ed Goren about a career that spans many decades back to his days with CBS.

Ed also has former New York Times writer Robert Lipsyte discussing Bob Costas’ halftime commentary on Sunday Night Football.

Dee McVicker from Radio World says ESPN has been studying consumers’ cross-platform habits.

SportsRantz notes that Cumulus Media has purchased radio stations that ensures that CBS Sports Radio will be heard on FM in the nation’s top three markets.

Matthew Kitchen of Esquire talks with ESPN’s Samantha Steele.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has video of a Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic anchor mocked LeBron James after the Washington Wizards defeated the Miami Heat last night.

Sports Media Watch says the SEC Championship Game on CBS did really well in the ratings.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton went out on a limb to say the NHL Lockout could be resolved.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News talks about Fox’s spending spree reaching to Cleveland.

Jerry Barmash from Fishbowl New York notes that the Jets are staying with ESPN Radio NY for years to come.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 14 NFL TV Schedule.

Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says TV rights fees help teams spend on free agents.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner delves into a Sports Business Journal report stating that Fox Sports was interested in buying MASN.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle talks with former Astros analyst Jim Deshaies about leaving for the Chicago Cubs.

The Chronicle prints a press release stating that ESPN’er Steve Bunin is joining Comcast SportsNet Houston.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman has the weekend TV ratings for Oklahoma City.

Jay Miller at Crain’s Cleveland Business speculates about the sale of Sports Time Ohio to Fox Sports. Your humble blogger is quoted in the story. (subscription might be required)

Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch says the extra cash from STO’s sale may not help the Dolan family which owns the Cleveland MLB team.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN’s Samantha Steele is now engaged.

Chris Kue of the Chicago Tribune has Jim Deshaies looking forward to being the new Cubs analyst.

Lewis Lazare at the Chicago Business Journal says Comcast SportsNet Chicago has hired a new news director.

Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune writes that the Raiders are shooting down any rumors of ESPN’s Jon Gruden coaching the team once again.

Jeff Blair from the Toronto Globe and Mail talks about the late Blue Jays voice Tom Cheek being bestowed a Baseball Hall of Fame honor posthumously.

At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski speculates on how many games would be played if the NHL Lockout ever gets resolved.

I think that will end our linkage for the night.

Doing Some Friday Megalinks

Let’s do some Friday megalinks. Haven’t done any in a couple of weeks.

The Weekend Viewing Picks have all of your sports and entertainment TV needs.

Time for the linkage.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes the rising rights fees for the college football postseason.

Michael writes about Today show Executive Producer Jim Bell coming home to NBC Sports to oversee all Olympic broadcasts.

Chris Chase from USA Today has 60 Minutes responding to Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers’ complaints about a recent profile.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says the Outdoor and Sportsman Channels plan to merge.

Will Leitch at Sports on Earth says the Rick Reilly experiment at ESPN has not worked.

Bryan Curtis of Grantland notes that last night’s Celtics-Nets game was the first game that Brooklyn native Marv Albert got to call in the borough.

Alex Weprin of TV Newser reports that Keith Olbermann will be back on sports television next week by doing a guest stint on a league-owned network.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing feels ESPN has lost its viewers trust.

The Big Lead speculates whether Sports Illustrated’s Peter King will remain with the magazine or leave when his contract expires.

Sports Media Watch says despite a fight, ESPN’s ratings for the next-to-last Sprint Cup race of the season finished down from last year.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with CBS’ Jim Nantz who’s back on the Patriots beat this week.

Chad has five questions with Nantz.

Boston Sports Media Watch Fearless Leader Bruce Allen speculates in SB Nation on who might become the Flash Boy or Girl for WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has NESN’s Jack Edwards becoming increasingly skeptical about playing hockey this season.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir notes that a new Broadway play will delve into the history of the Yankees.

Amy Chozick and Michael Cieply of the Times write about Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. buying a stake into the YES Network.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks about Mike Emrick calling college hockey tonight.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick conducts a character assassination on ESPN’s Dick Vitale.

The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for New York Knicks radio voice Spero Dedes.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks with Dottie Pepper who’s leaving NBC Sports for a position with the PGA of America.

Ken McMillen of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record has Darrelle Revis’ comments to NFL Network’s Andrea Kremer about his season-ending injury for the New York Jets.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that the ratings increases for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals reflect their successes on the field.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg has some thoughts on the NFL Network’s documentary on John Riggins.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s NASCAR voice Allen Bestwick about the last race of the season.

South

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that most CBS stations across the country and even in Texas have chosen to air the Dallas Cowboys over the Texans.

David has a few viewing picks for the weekend.

Midwest

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn’t agree with Aaron Rodgers’ complaints about 60 Minutes.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes that the NCAA has removed one-third of the media’s courtside seats at the Final Four™.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes about a local sports radio host who lost his job after making remarks about African Americans.

West

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star has his Weekend Viewing Picks.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at a new documentary on the UCLA-USC rivalry.

Tom wonders why it took so long for DirecTV and Time Warner Cable SportsNet to make an agreement.

Tom has stuff that didn’t make it into today’s sports column.

And that’s going to do it.

Doug Gottlieb Joins CBS

CBS has officially announced the signing of Doug Gottlieb into the company. He’ll join the upstart CBS Sports Radio which will begin in January. He’ll host the 3-6 p.m. ET slot.

In addition, he’ll join CBS Sports as a college basketball analyst on games and in the studio. He’ll have a role on the NCAA Tournament.

Doug will host a weekday show on the CBS Sports Network and will also be a college basketball analyst.

Gottlieb will also contribute to CBSSports.com.

So the Perpetually Angry Gottlieb will be one of the stars for CBS as it goes into a new generation of analysts. Lots of platforms where he’ll be utilized.

Here’s the CBS announcement.

CBS SIGNS DOUG GOTTLIEB TO MULTI-PLATFORM DEAL ACROSS THE COMPANY’S SPORTS PROPERTIES

FORMER ESPN PERSONALITY TO HOST AFTERNOONS ON NEWLY CREATED CBS SPORTS RADIO NETWORK
GOTTLIEB NAMED ANALYST FOR CBS SPORTS’ COLLEGE BASKETBALL,
HOST OF DAILY SHOW ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK AND CBSSPORTS.COM CONTRIBUTOR

Multi-faceted sportscaster Doug Gottlieb of ESPN has signed a multi-year deal with CBS and will contribute across CBS Sports properties, it was announced today by Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports, and Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO.

Among the platforms that Gottlieb will be featured on are:

• CBS SPORTS RADIO – Gottlieb will host afternoons (3:00-6:00 PM, ET) on CBS Sports Radio, the newly created 24-hour, seven-day-a-week network featuring national programming from premier entities CBS RADIO and CBS Sports. He will debut on Jan. 2, 2013, the same day CBS Sports Radio launches.

Reaching an audience of close to 10 million listeners, CBS Sports Radio will be heard across nearly 90 CBS RADIO and Cumulus Media radio stations and affiliates in the U.S., including nine of the nation’s Top 10 markets.

• CBS SPORTS – Gottlieb will serve as studio and game analyst for CBS Sports’ coverage of regular-season college basketball and the Network’s joint coverage with Turner Sports of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
• CBS SPORTS NETWORK – Gottlieb will host a new show airing weekdays on CBS Sports Network beginning this fall and will be an analyst for regular-season college basketball.
• CBSSPORTS.COM – Gottlieb will be an exclusive contributor to CBSSports.com, including columns, podcasts and College Basketball 360.

“This is the first of many prominent personalities we will be adding to the CBS Sports Radio lineup,” said Mason. “Doug is well-versed in today’s sports landscape and for years has entertained audiences with his unique blend of wit, honesty and outspokenness – traits essential for creating great radio programming. We are thrilled to provide this exciting show to our new and soon-to-be announced affiliates across the country.”

“With his ability to host both radio and television shows plus his studio and courtside analysis on college basketball, Doug is a triple threat, and the perfect fit across CBS Sports’ many platforms,” said McManus. “Doug brings a wide fan base and a fresh take on sports, and we are excited to develop a unique show with him on CBS Sports Network.”

“CBS has among its portfolio the most powerful assets in all of sports and is home to arguably the greatest championship event – the NCAA Tournament,” said Gottlieb. “Thinking about the reach of CBS Sports Radio and the continued growth of CBS Sports Network, coupled with quality online reporting and the overall distinguished reputation of CBS Sports, this was an easy choice to make, and an opportunity I couldn’t resist.”

“Listeners of my radio show will enjoy a fast, highly opinionated program that will challenge and engage sports fans nationwide.  And I’m looking forward to developing a new television program, following in the steps of my former colleague and friend Jim Rome,” added Gottlieb.

Previously, Gottlieb was a college basketball analyst on ESPN and host of The Doug Gottlieb Show on ESPN Radio. Before joining ESPN, Gottlieb co-hosted a midday sports talk show at WWLS-AM in Oklahoma City, Okla. Gottlieb was a college basketball point guard at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. He graduated with a marketing degree from Oklahoma State in 2000, holding every assists record at OSU and in the Big 12 Conference. Gottlieb is tenth all-time in assists in NCAA history.

More later.

A Few Sports Media Bullet Points

Ok, as we’re all in denial over the Miami Heat winning the NBA Championship, it’s time for a few sports media thoughts. Too many things to go over, but I’ll do my best to cover as many things as I can.

As always, we do them in bullet form. And to drown out the thoughts of LeBron James celebrating, I’m listening to Korn on my iPad at the highest volume.

• Over 24 hours since first learning about Darren Rovell’s decision to leave CNBC for ESPN and I’m still baffled. Now, over all the sports media free agents I’ve mentioned or heard about for 2012, Darren’s name never came up. Darren who started his career at ESPN and left for CNBC in 2006 seemed to be happy with the NBCUniversal, having his own show on NBC Sports Network, his own CNBC site, and occasional appearances on NBC Sports events.

  But when the Worldwide Leader comes a’calling, you have to listen. Deadspin reported Thursday that Disney will pay Rovell $500,000 to file reports for both ABC News and ESPN.

  I don’t know if he’ll have his own show as he did with NBC Sports Network, I tend to doubt it. But the timing is rather interesting. Just after getting the sports business show that he had been clamoring, Darren leaves.

  ESPN has made a few recent sports business hires including Kristi Dosh and Michelle Steele. I wonder if ESPN is making a concerted effort to cover sports business again.

  And as we know, Darren is a prolific tweeter. Will his penchant for Twitter be controlled under ESPN’s social media policy? I’m sure this will all be addressed down the line.

• CBS Radio’s announcement that it was launching a sports radio network came as a surprise. The timing came just ten days after NBC announced it was launching a radio network of its own.

  This makes an already crowded radio scene even more so. Considering you have ESPN which has been firmly established since the 1990′s, Fox Sports Radio, Yahoo and even the Sports USA Radio Network, one wonders if there’s enough room for one more national radio net let alone two.

  Personally, I love to see more networks because competition can only lead to better programming, however, economic realities tell you that one of these fledgling entities may not make it.

  The eyeball test from the outset shows that CBS has the best infrastructure having already established sports stations in several major markets that will be part of CBS Sports Radio. Plus teaming with Cumulus Media’s 67 stations cross the country helps the reach.

  As for NBC, it’s just getting back into the radio business after General Electric had sold the Radio Network to Westwood One and its entire radio station group to various owners. It will partner with the former Westwood One now known as Dial Global.

  The question is whether this will lead to a bidding war for sports properties. ESPN Radio has the BCS, MLB and the NBA while Dial Global has the NFL, NCAA Championships and The Masters.

  Suddenly radio is red hot once again and I like it. And as SportsbyBrooks pointed out, it could lead to more poaching of ESPN talent by CBS and NBC to fill programming slots.

• I was disappointed to learn that Radio Wimbledon will not be handling the worldwide audio play-by-play of the Championships Wimbledon starting next week.

  Last October, Wimbledon’s parent, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club accepted a bid from IMG to take over the radio rights to call the matches. The new entity called Live@Wimbledon will be using some, but not all of Radio Wimbledon’s team. Over the years, Radio Wimbledon had been the only link to live tennis when NBC was pulling its tape delay shenanigans. Unfortunately, despite Radio Wimby attracting 2.7 million listeners in 2011, the AELTC decided to take IMG’s money and ruin a very good service for the fortnight.

  Radio Wimbledon will be missed.

• As Sports Business Journal reported this week, Fox Sports has begun talks with NASCAR in hopes of extending its current contract. It expires in 2014.

  As Fox has been successful in obtaining rights to the FIFA World Cup, Big 12 and Pac-12, the thinking behind many of these acquisitions has been to play keep away from NBC Sports Group. You know that with NASCAR rights in play, NBC Sports would love nothing more than to add inventory to NBCSN.

  If Fox is successful, it leaves only TNT’s mid-season Sprint Cup races and ESPN’s Chase for the Cup races being up for grabs. And both Turner and ESPN want to prevent NBC from grabbing their packages.

  With MLB, NASCAR, the Big East and the NBA negotiations all unsettled thus far, NBC still has a chance to lure one if not all to its war chest.

• Lastly, the aforementioned SportsbyBrooks tweeted that Chris Berman will call the late game for Monday Night Football’s season opening doubleheader on September 10. And in addition, he’ll call one preseason game as practice. If you thought the venom towards Berman is bad when he calls the U.S. Open or the All-Star Home Run Derby, just wait until he does the NFL. It’s probably best that ESPN public relations stay off social media on the nights Berman calls the NFL.

And that will conclude the thoughts. Enjoy your Friday.

Bringing Out Some Tuesday Linkage

Let’s do linkage again. Trying to get this done as I have several errands to run in the afternoon.

At Multichannel News, Mike Reynolds says Fox Sports is eying several sports properties which are coming up for grabs as potential programming for a cable channel which would challenge ESPN.

Mike talks with the President of New York regional sports network SNY about what he’s looking for in 2012.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today discusses the lower ratings for The Masters^®.

Lacey Rose at the Hollywood Reporter goes in-depth on Fox Sports taking over Saturday nights in 2012.

Tim Nudd of Adweek looks at New Era’s sequel to last year’s funny Yankees-Red Sox ads with a new batch for the Cubs-White Sox rivalry.

Mike Shields from Adweek explores how ESPN tries to get fans use its sites as “second screens” while they watch sports on other networks in real time.

David Goetzl at MediaPost notes that ESPN’s public relations blog has now added podcasts.

Also from MediaPost, Wayne Friedman talks about the NCAA Tournament being one of TV’s biggest social media activities.

Bill Cromwell at Media Life says while Bubba Watson brought excitement to The Masters^®, it didn’t translate in the ratings.

To Forbes where Trefis Team analyzes what a Fox Sports cable network would mean for parent company News Corp’s stock price.

Also from Forbes, Tom Van Riper looks at the commitment NBC Sports Group is assembling for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Fox Sports reports that NFL Network is unlikely to bring back Warren Sapp. He just recently filed for bankruptcy.

SportsbyBrooks notes that ESPN’s Skippy Bayless lied about his high school basketball career.

The Lost Ogle which looked into Bayless’ claims about his high school basketball career has an extensive post unearthing Daily Oklahoman stories and box scores. Great stuff.

Sports Video Group looks at one company that will stream the Olympics all over the world.

Evan Silva from Pro Football Talk says based on the success of Super Bowl XLVI, Indianapolis plans to make another run at hosting another Big Game.

Amy K. Nelson has the Miami Marlins statement suspending manager Ozzie Guillen for his comments in Time regarding Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has Magic Johnson talking about the exorbitant sales price for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Darren notes that incoming NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III has signed an endorsement deal with Castrol?

Alex Weprin of TV Newser has a video tour of MLB Network’s New Jersey studios.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says MLB will unveil its version of the Red Zone Channel tonight on three satellite and cable providers.

Laura Nachman notes that a former Philadelphia Phillie joins a local sports radio station for the 2012 season.

At the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg says a local sports radio host continues to fan the Crosby vs. Ovechkin flames.

Lisa De Moraes says “Cops” is the victim of Fox giving Saturday primetime to its sports division.

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson says embattled sports radio host Sid Rosenberg has been suspended. Again.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle notes that Time Warner Cable subscribers won’t have access to three Astros games on Fox Sports Net.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Wednesday’s Reds game will be picked up by MLB Network.

Robert Feder at Time Out Chicago reports that a local sports radio host returned to work this week after being out due to health issues.

Sports Media Watch says Fox is reaching back to the old Baseball Network for “Baseball Night in America.”

At Awful Announcing, Ben Koo wishes there would be more synergy between NBC and the Comcast SportsNet regional networks.

To the Bleacher Report where Jim Williams asks which network offers the best MLB announcers?

That’s going to do it.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship’s Overnight Ratings Up From 2010

ESPN is pleased over the rise in ratings for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship that gave Baylor a 40-0 season and a title for Brittney Griner. The overnight rating for the game was a 2.6 which is a 13% increase from last year’s title contest.

In addition, the average rating for the Women’s Final Four and Championship Game on ESPN was a 2.2, up from last year’s 2.1. We have the press release from ESPN.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Overnight Rating Up Over Last Year

       

ESPN’s telecast of Baylor’s 80-61 victory over Notre Dame in the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Tuesday posted a double-digit increase over last year’s title game. The game averaged a 2.6 metered market rating for an increase of 13 percent over the 2011 NCAA Women’s National Championship, a 76-70 Texas A&M win over Notre Dame. The game also stands as ESPN’s highest overnight rating for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship since 2010 when the network averaged a 2.6 overnight rating for Connecticut’s 53-47 victory over Stanford.

ESPN averaged a 2.2 overnight rating for the three-game NCAA Women’s Final Four, up five percent over a 2.1 last year.

Among the metered markets, Hartford led the way for the final game with an 8.8 overnight rating followed by Knoxville with a 6.9 rating. The top 10 is rounded out by Austin (6.2), Oklahoma City (5.6), San Antonio (5.3), Nashville (5.2), Greenville-Spartanburg-Ashville (4.8), Dallas-Fort Worth (4.5), Raleigh-Durham (4.5) and Indianapolis (4.4). Denver, host city of the NCAA Women’s Final Four, and Houston were the 11th and 12th highest rated markets with a 4.2.

National Semifinals

In addition to the title game, each of ESPN’s NCAA Women’s Basketball National Semifinals on Sunday, April 1, attracted a larger audience than the previous year, with the doubleheader combining for an increased rating of 10 percent (2.3 household rating in 2012 vs. 2.1 in 2011). Also, the first game was the highest-rated semifinal game in that telecast window since Stanford vs. Connecticut in 2008 (2.1).

Notre Dame’s 83-75 victory over Connecticut delivered a 2.1 household coverage rating, up 11 percent from last year’s first semifinal tilt between eventual national champion Texas A&M and Stanford (1.9). The second National Semifinal game that saw Baylor top Stanford 59-47 registered a 2.6 rating, which is up eight percent over last year’s UConn-Notre Dame semifinal (2.4) and the viewership was 3,756,000.

That’s all.

Jim Gray vs. Bill Walton at the NCAA Final Four

I’m a bit surprised we haven’t heard more of this, but apparently Jim Gray and Bill Walton like to mix it up during the NCAA Final Four’s radio broadcast. This goes back to last year when Walton joined the Westwood One (now Dial Global) Radio team for the Final Four. Walton is a studio analyst and apparently does pregame and postgame hits with sideline reporter Jim Gray, giving his picks or providing analysis.

Gray and Walton work selected games together for the Sacramento Kings, Walton as a game analyst, Gray as a sideline reporter, so apparently they have their comedy act honed.
On Monday night, Gray tweaked Walton to make a pick for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game between Kentucky and Kansas. Apparently Walton was wavering and Gray kept pressing.

Then in the following clip culled off Dial Global by WEEI’s Image Director Pete Gustin, we’ll hear Gray and Walton mixing it up over how many Final Fours John Calipari should be given credit for, The Decision and Walton’s verbosity. It is funny to listen to. I was hoping that Walton was another in a long line of people whom Gray has pissed off in his career (Pete Rose, Corey Pavin, most of America). You can listen in below

Here’s hoping that Gray and Walton can take their comedy act on the road someday.

CBS Claims Ratings Victory for NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship

The overnight ratings this morning certainly didn’t give CBS any encouragement as they showed Monday night’s Kansas-Kentucky game down from last year’s contest. However, now with the Fast National Rating counted and the average viewership measured, CBS/Turner comes out on top from last year. According to Nielsen, the Fast National Rating for Kansas-Kentucky resulted in a 12.3 rating and a 19 share compared to last year’s 11.7/18 for UConn-Butler.

In addition, an average viewership of 20.9 million people watched last night compared with 20.1 million for UConn-Butler. That’s 4% higher than 2011 and gives CBS/Turner an average fast national rating of 6.1/13 compared to last year’s average of 6.3/14. But this year’s average is still better than 2010, the last year CBS carried the NCAA Tournament solo. This year’s viewership is also down compared to 2011.

Overall, CBS has to happy seeing the Final Four and the Championship Game finishing better than last year.

RATING FOR “KENTUCKY’S CORONATION” IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON CBS DELIVERS 5% INCREASE FROM 2011

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship on Monday, April 2 earned an average fast national household rating/share of 12.3/19, up 5% from last year’s 11.7/18 (Connecticut-Butler).

This year’s 12.3/19 is the second-best rating for the National Championship in seven years (2005 – 15.0/23; UNC-Illinois; 2010 – 14.2/23; Duke-Butler).

The National Championship game on CBS averaged 20.9 million viewers (Per 2+), up 4% from last year’s 20.1 million. This year’s 20.9 million was the second-highest viewer average for the Championship game in seven years (2005, 2010 – 23.9 million; UNC-Illinois, Duke-Butler). 

Championship game coverage peaked in HH rating and average viewers at 13.4/25 with 22.5 million viewers, respectively, from 11:30-11:44 PM, ET.

Coverage across the four networks of TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV averaged a HH rating/share of 6.1/13 compared to last year’s 6.4/14 and 2010’s 6.0/13 according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. This year’s tournament averaged 9.6 million viewers compared to 10.2 million last year and 9.5 million in 2010.

That is all for now.

2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game’s Overnight Ratings Fall

This in from John Ourand from Sports Business Journal. The ratings for last night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game between Kansas and Kentucky were off from last 2011.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/Ourand_SBJ/statuses/187171882301263872"]

Off 9% is a lot. As John tweeted, the late start at 9:27 p.m. might have been a factor, but also, the game never felt close even though Kansas cut the lead to under 10 points late, but by that time, the majority of the TV audience had left.

One Shining Moment — 2012

I give credit to the great people at Gunaxin for putting this video up. It’s the annual “One Shining Moment” video aired by CBS at the end of the NCAA Championship Game. This was a very good version as you had the great moments from the NCAA Tournament with some various calls by Jim Nantz, Verne Lundquist and Marv Albert.

Nice to see this. My only complaint that it aired at 12:03 a.m., some 20 minutes after Kentucky-Kansas ended. Then again, CBS was going to milk this for all its worth plus it was a way to keep ESPN and other media outlets from running highlights until it went off the air.

Without further ado, here’s One Shining Moment for 2012. Well done by CBS and Turner Sports.

And we are done with basketball for the year. Now into baseball and NHL Stanley Cup Playoff mode for the rest of the Spring.

Grinding Out Some Monday Links

Let’s do some links on this Monday.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game has become a showcase for upcoming NBA talent.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that NBC Sports Network will get a lion’s share of coverage for the London Summer Olympics.

Brian Stelter of the New York Times reports that no-talent hack Ryan Seacrest has signed a new contract with NBCUniversal that also gives him a role on NBC’s Olympic coverage. I shudder at the thought.

Chris Ariens at TVNewser says NBC is putting former Today Show co-host Meredith Viera on the Olympics Opening Ceremony with Bob Costas and Matt Lauer.

Joe Posnanski talks about leaving Sports Illustrated for a new venture with MLB Advanced Media and the USA Today Sports Group. Disclosure: Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned site affiliated with USA Today Sports Group and had no prior knowledge of Posnanski’s move nor of the joint venture with MLBAM.

ESPN.com’s Kristi Dosh, a.k.a. The Sports Biz Miss handicaps the upcoming MLB TV rights deal negotiations.

King Kaufman at the Bleacher Report explains why the site will never do April Fools’ parodies.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has some readers’ suggestions for CBS’ Jim Nantz to close out tonight’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship including one from yours truly.

The great Maggie Hendricks of Yahoo’s Cagewriter has some suggestions on how FX and the UFC can improve the new Ultimate Fighter reality show.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. You may know a parent, a friend, a relative or a neighbor who is affected by Autism in one way or another. Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball writes in his SportsBash site on how he has been personally affected.

My good friend (despite her being a Yankees fan) Alison Faye in Tales of a Rocket Scientist also writes about her experience with her son who has Autism.

And Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets that he’ll be wearing a bowtie to benefit Autism Speaks.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group notes that CBS’ courtside cameras give the network some signature shots for the Men’s Final Four.

Brandon also looks at CBS’ studio set and Super Slo-Mo cameras at the Superdome for the Final Four.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the new Broadway play focusing on Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post mourns the passing of New York Cosmos great Giorgio Chinaglia.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that the Final Four received its best ratings on CBS in a decade.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that the local cable news network will cover Union in the NCAA Frozen Four this week.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says a local radio station will cover high school sports.

Jim Wiliams of the Washington Examiner talks with Jim Nantz about his unique double of calling the Final Four and The Masters^® in successive weeks.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.

Tom also talks with the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew.

Sam Pennington of Suthern Gameday remembers the late Hall of Fame voice of the Kentucky Wildcats, Caewood Ledford.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle notes two personnel moves at one local sports radio station.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explores the average age of those watching various sporting events.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says the first week in April is a literal smorgasbord for the sports fan.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News explores the reasons why MLB clubs are so gung-ho on regional sports network rights fees.

Tom has your sports calendar for this week.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star has what writers outside of Canada are saying about the Blue Jays.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail was amused by a verbal sparring match aired in Canada over the weekend.

Barry Petchesky at Deadspin looks at one April Fools newspaper column that went published without being properly vetted.

Sports Media Watch says ratings for the NBA on ABC saw big increases.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says the NHL on NBC also had a good number.

And Joe Favorito says Fenway Park is ready to celebrate its Centennial.

We’re done.

Clark Kellogg To Interview President Obama. Again

During CBS/Turner’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game on Monday, we’ll see Clark Kellogg’s fourth interview with President Barack Obama. During the First Four in Dayton, OH in March, Kellogg interviewed both Mr. Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron. On Monday, CBS will air Clark talking with the President solo at the White House.

This also marks the second time that Kellogg was able to talk to President Obama at White House Basketball Court. And the two men will discuss the President’s daughter playing basketball.

It all occurs sometime during CBS’ coverage of Kentucky-Kansas at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. We have the CBS blurb promoting the interview.

CBS SPORTS’ CLARK KELLOGG GOES FIRST FOUR-TO-FINAL FOUR WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA INTERVIEW

Interview to Air as part of CBS Sports’ National Championship Game Coverage on Monday, April 2

CBS Sports’ exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship game on Monday, April 2 (9:00 PM, ET) will feature an interview with President Barack Obama, conducted by lead college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg from the White House.  This marks Kellogg’s fourth interview with President Obama.

During the interview President Obama discusses how coaching his daughter Sasha’s basketball team brings him more joy than he ever got playing himself. During the conversation, Kellogg returns to the Presidential Court at the White House where he lost a close game of POTUS (horse) to the President in 2010.

Kellogg interviewed President Obama and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron to tip off this year’s NCAA Tournament during the first game from the NCAA First Four^® in Dayton, Ohio.

Eric Mann serves as Senior Producer for CBS Sports’ coverage of THE FINAL FOUR SHOW. Debra Gelman produces. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

And we’re done for the weekend. Back on Monday.

CBS Claims A Ratings Victory For 2012 NCAA Final Four

This from CBS/Turner. The NCAA Tournament consortium says Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four averaged a 9.0 rating with a 17 share which is up slightly from last year’s 8.9/17.

CBS says this is the highest overnight rating since 2005. And the single game ratings for Kentucky-Louisville and Kansas-Ohio State were also up slightly from last year’s contests.

As for overall viewership, Jenna Busch at zap2it says the numbers for the Primetime portion of the Final Four averaged just under 15 million. If that is the case, Marc Berman at TV Insights says that number would be lower than last year’s figures.

We have the official press release from CBS/Turner.

RATINGS FOR FINAL FOUR ON CBS BEST SINCE 2005

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2012 Final Four^® on Saturday, March 31 earned an average fast national household rating/share of 9.0/17, which is the highest-rated Final Four since 2005 (10.5/19; Illinois-Louisville and North Carolina-Michigan State). The 9.0/17is up 1% from last year’s 8.9/17 (Butler-VCU and Connecticut-Kentucky).

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2012 Final Four^® on Saturday, March 31 earned an average fast national household rating/share of 9.0/17, which is the highest-rated Final Four since 2005 (10.5/19; Illinois-Louisville and North Carolina-Michigan State). The 9.0/17 is up 1% from last year’s 8.9/17 (Butler-VCU and Connecticut-Kentucky).

The first game, Kentucky beating Louisville, earned an average household rating/share of 8.4/17. The 8.4/17 rating is up 1% from last year’s 8.3/17 (Butler-VCU).

The second game featuring Kansas’ victory over Ohio State delivered a 9.6/17, up 1% from last year’s 9.5/17 (Connecticut-Kentucky). The 9.6/17 is the best rating in the window since a 10.9/19 in 2005 (North Carolina-Michigan State).

That’s all.

“One Heartbeat”

Thanks to my Twitter friend, Bill Voth who brought this to my attention. On CBS’ pregame program for today’s NCAA Men’s Basketball National Semifinals, The Final Four Show, it aired this feature on Chardon, Ohio and its attempts to get back to normal after a horrific shooting at the High School that took the lives of three students and injured two others.

Basketball gave them that sense of normalcy and inspiration. This is a 9 minute piece of pure emotion. We get to meet the football coach who saved lives plus the basketball team that took the first event after the shooting and made sure the town would be brought together.

Pete Radovich produced the feature and I can see this being nominated for a Sports Emmy next year. Very well done.

CBS Sports Network will air a half-hour special on Chardon, OH called “One Heartbeat” tonight at 10 ET.

CBS/Turner’s Coverage Plans For The 2012 Final Four

The CBS Sports/Turner Sports NCAA Tournament consortium is in New Orleans to air the 2012 Final Four in the Louisiana Superdome. Kentucky-Louisville will be the first game scheduled for 6:09 p.m. ET. That will be followed by Ohio State-Kansas at approximately 8:49 p.m.

Jim Nantz will call his 22nd Final Four for CBS and attend his 27th overall for the network. Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will the courtside analysts. Tracy Wolfson reports.

The studio crew of Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, Seth Davis and Kenny “The Jet” Smith will be on a specially built set at the Superdome. And three coaches will join them as guest analysts, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Brad Stevens of Butler and Buzz Williams of Marquette.

There will be plenty of pregame programming including The Final Four Show at 4 p.m. ET which will have features that will be listed below. And it marks another special appearance by Jim Rome in advance of his CBS Sports Network premiere next Tuesday.

We have the press release for you.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS’ “ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR” MARCHES IN TO NEW ORLEANS FOR CBS SPORTS’ 31ST CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF NCAA^® MEN’S FINAL FOUR ON SATURDAY, MARCH 31

Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Kansas Vie for College Basketball’s National Championship
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Butler’s Brad Stevens and Marquette’s Buzz Williams Join THE FINAL FOUR SHOW on Saturday

Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State and march in to New Orleans as CBS Sports and Turner Sports provide exclusive coverage of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and Final Four. For the 31^st consecutive year, CBS Sports broadcasts the national semi-final games live on Saturday, March 31 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) and the National Championship game on Monday, April 2 (9:00 PM, ET-conclusion) from the Louisiana Superdome.

Saturday’s Final Four features Kentucky versus Louisville with tip-off scheduled for 6:09 PM, ET. Forty minutes after the game concludes,  Ohio State takes on Kansas to determine the other participant in Monday night’s Championship game. CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, Turner Sports’ Steve Kerr call the games,  with Tracy Wolfson serving as reporter. Nantz calls his 27^th Final Four and National Championship, Kellogg works his fourth, and Kerr joins Nantz and Kellogg for the second time.

Leading in to the semi-final games on Saturday, March 31 (4:00-6:00 PM, ET), THE FINAL FOUR SHOW on CBS with Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Seth Davis features tournament highlights, analysis of the four participating teams and interviews with coaches and players. Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo, Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens and Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams also will be on set to provide analysis.

The opening tease of CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four on Saturday, March 31 (6:00 PM, ET) features New Orleans rising stars Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, in a two-minute music montage previewing the Kentucky-Louisville game. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined the band in iconic Jackson Square to welcome basketball fans to New Orleans as the band performed their song “Do To Me.”

Jim Rome, host of ROME, debuting Tuesday, April 3 (6:00 PM, ET) on CBS Sports Network, contributes an interview with Kentucky Coach John Calipari and Louisville Coach Rick Pitino.

Included in the broadcast are features on:

* LOUISVILLE’S PEYTON SIVA
Directing the offense for a Top 20 college basketball program is a major responsibility, yet starting at point guard for Louisville pales in comparison to the challenges Peyton Siva has already had to overcome. When Peyton was a youngster growing up in Seattle, his father left home because of various bedeviling addictions. While Peyton’s mother, Yvette, struggled to keep the fractured family going, it was young Peyton Jr., who bravely tracked down his father, confronted him, and then, remarkably convinced him to turn his life around. Mark Burghart produces.

* KENTUCKY’S DARIUS MILLER
Darius Miller grew up in Maysville, KY, just 65 miles northeast of Lexington, and is now living his dream playing for the team he rooted for as a child. If Kentucky wins the championship, Miller would become the first player in state history to win the so-called Commonwealth Triple Crown -– capturing the boys’ high school state championship, Kentucky’s” Mr. Basketball” honors and an NCAA title at UK. As one of two seniors on the Wildcats’ Final Four roster, Miller has taken the team’s freshmen phenoms, such as SEC Player of the Year Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, under his wing. Sarah Rinaldi

* OHIO STATE’S JARED SULLINGER
Growing up as a coach’s son and winning a high school championship in the heart of Buckeye Nation, the expectations for Jared Sullinger were almost as dauntingly large as his current six-nine frame. Despite Ohio State’s surprisingly premature Sweet 16 exit last year, Sullinger resisted the lure of the NBA and assumed a leadership role in trying to fulfill his lifelong dream of bringing an NCAA championship back home to Columbus for the first time in half a century. Alanna Campbell produces.

* KANSAS’ THOMAS ROBINSON
Big 12 Player of the Year Thomas Robinson has special motivation in his quest to help lead Kansas to its fourth NCAA championship. A year ago, within the span of less-than-a-month, Robinson lost two grandparents and his 43-year-old mother, Lisa. Two nights after his mom’s funeral in Washington, D.C., Robinson was back on the court for the Jayhawks, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in an emotional victory over Kansas State. With the support of his teammates, Robinson has been able to find solace on the court. In a moving interview, he talks about the pain of enduring multiple family losses and the burden of having to help raise his eight-year-old sister, Jayla, while trying to win a national title as a tribute to the loved ones he lost in such sudden and unexpected fashion. Jeff St. Arromand produces.

* JIM ROME WITH KENTUCKY’S JOHN CALIPARI & LOUISVILLE’S RICK PITINO
Jim Rome brings together Kentucky Coach John Calipari and Louisville Coach Rick Pitino on the eve of what is being billed as the “most important sporting event in the history of the Commonwealth.” Not only are the Wildcats and the Cardinals bitter rivals, but their head coaches -– the only two coaches to ever lead three different teams to the Final Four –- have a lifelong up-and-down history together. Charlie Bloom produces.

* Special Features

ONE HEARTBEAT
In Chardon, Ohio and Harrisburg, IL, the end of February and beginning of March were supposed to be all about basketball. In both towns, the high school varsity teams were in the playoffs, with big matchups ahead on the calendar. Instead, for both places – shockingly and unfathomably –- what transpired was a week enveloped in tragedy. On Monday morning, February 27, a troubled teen opened fire in the crowded cafeteria of Chardon High School, killing three students and wounding two more. Two days later in Illinois, a tornado blew through Harrisburg in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning; seven residents were killed. Suddenly, two towns in the heart of America were forced to pick up the pieces of devastation. Perhaps improbably, both would find strength, community, and inspiration in the game of basketball. Pete Radovich produces.

Also on Saturday, CBS Sports Spectacular broadcasts THE BIG DANCE IN THE BIG EASY (3:00-3:30 PM, ET) hosted by Greg Gumbel and Clark Kellogg as they look back at the four previous Final Fours that took place in New Orleans. The HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL (3:30-4:00 PM, ET) celebrates the achievements of six former NCAA student-athletes who made a difference off the field Billy Mills, Cody Hodges, Jason Taylor, Chris Duhon, Angela Ruggiero and Amber Tollefson.

Sunday, April 1 (3:30-4:30 PM, ET), CBS Sports’ Seth Davis hosts KINGS OF THE COURT, which looks at some of the top college basketball coaches in America including Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Kansas’ Bill Self. The one-hour special examines the blueprint to success through exclusive interviews and footage of these leaders and their respective programs. THE HIGH SCHOOL SLAM DUNK & 3-POINT CHAMPIONSHIPS (4:30-6:00 PM, ET) highlights the nation’s elite high school players as they compete in New Orleans over Final Four weekend in a Slam Dunk contest and the Boy’s and Girl’s 3-Point Championships.

PRELUDE TO A CHAMPIONSHIP with Gumbel, Anthony, Barkley, Smith and Davis precedes Monday evening’s National Championship game (9:00 PM, ET).

Bob Dekas, coordinating producer of CBS Sports’ NCAA basketball coverage, produces the 2012 Final Four and Bob Fishman directs. Eric Mann produces the preview and halftime programs, and Bob Matina directs.Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS 2012 NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 31
CBS: 4:00-6:00 PM — THE FINAL FOUR SHOW
CBS: 6:00-11:00 PM — NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
truTV: 11:30 PM-12:30 AM — Inside March Madness

Monday, April 2
CBS: 9:00-11:30 PM — MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
truTV: 12:00-1:00 AM — Inside March Madness

That’s it.

Attempting A Friday Megalink Post

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

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

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

National

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

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

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

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

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

John profiles legendary sports television producer Don Ohlmeyer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

East and Mid-Atlantic

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

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

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

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

Richard Sandomir from the Times examines the Dodgers sale.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

South

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Midwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

West

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

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

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

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

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

Tom has more on Rome in his blog.

Canada

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

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

And that will conclude the megalinks.

College Basketball Viewing Picks For 03/31 & 04/01/12, All Times Eastern

Saturday, March 31

Men’s

College GameDay live from New Orleans — ESPN, noon
Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m.
The Big Dance in the Big Easy — CBS, 3 p.m.
Human Highlight Reel — CBS, 3:30 p.m.
The Final Four Show — CBS, 4 p.m.

College All-Star Game — truTV, 1 p.m.

NCAA Tournament
National Semifinals
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Announcers: CBS/Turner — Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Steve Kerr/Tracy Wolfson (sidelines); Dial Global Radio — Kevin Kugler/Bill Raftery/John Thompson/Jim Gray (sidelines)/John Tautges & Bill Walton (studio)
#1 Kentucky vs. #4 Louisville — CBS, 6:09 p.m.
#2 Ohio State vs. #2 Kansas — CBS, 8:49 p.m.

Inside March Madness — truTV, 11:30 p.m.
Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 11 p.m.
Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.

Women’s
Women’s National Invitation Tournament
Championship
James Madison at Oklahoma State — CBS Sports Network, 3 p.m.

Sunday, April 1

Men’s
Kings of the Court — CBS, 3:30 p.m.
Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 4 p.m.

Women’s

NCAA Women’s Final Four Special — ESPN, 6 p.m.

NCAA Women’s Tournament
National Semifinals
Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Announcers: ESPN — Dave O’Brien/Doris Burke/Holly Rowe (sidelines)/Rebecca Lobo (sidelines); Dial Global Radio — Dave Ryan/Debbie Antonelli/Krista Blunk (sidelines)
#1 UConn vs. #1 Notre Dame — ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
#1 Baylor vs. #1 Stanford — ESPN, 9 p.m.

Late Monday Night Links

As promised earlier today, I’m giving you more links. I was out earlier today and I’ll be out again tomorrow so it’s going to be a bit crazy for me. So let’s get to the linkage right now.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch looks at the media circus that was the Tim Tebow press conference at the New York Jets practice facility on Monday.

Speaking of Richard, he and CNBC’s Darren Rovell were locked in Round 2 of their Twitter feud. This was fun while it lasted as Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing recaps.

Matt notes that Al Trautwig of MSG Network had a slip of the tongue.

And Matt is gleeful that ESPN’s Jonathan Coachman also had a similar slip.

Christina Settimi of Forbes looks at baseball’s biggest local cable TV rights deals.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN has promoted an executive to handle its international digital media efforts.

Sam Laird of Mashable notes that the Boston Bruins have launched their own social media portal, believed to the first in pro sports.

Todd Cunningham at The Wrap says with Tiger Woods win this past weekend, CBS now looks forward to having masterful ratings for The Masters^® in two weeks.

Dale Buss of Brand Channel writes that Jockey brand underwear welcomed Tim Tebow to New York as only it could.

Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo’s Big League Stew has one of the funniest on-screen graphics pulled by Fox Sports Midwest during a St. Louis Cardinals exhibition game.

Jesse Sawyer of the Avon (CT) Patch says ESPN’s Kenny Mayne has sold his Connecticut home over half a year after he moved his family to Washington State.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post hates everybody.

Breaking the Bob Raissman ban to note that the New York Daily News curmudgeon feels Tim Tebow is already a pro at handling the Big Apple media circus.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that the ratings for the NCAA Tournament this past weekend took a huge hit thanks to Tiger Woods.

Greg Connors of the Buffalo News writes about ESPN’s three month-long initiative to celebrate Title IX.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks about the departure of local native Meredith Marakovits for the bright lights of New York.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog tells us that he’s going to have a partner on the blog.

And Sarah Kogod introduces herself to DC Sports Bog readers in her first post.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Tennis Channel’s Mary Carillo.

Tom Jones from the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that the Oklahoma City Thunder set a new ratings record.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer says a nationally syndicated radio morning show will be in town for Reds Opening Day.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Wisconsin-Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 did well in the local ratings.

Scott D. Pierce at the Salt Lake Tribune says BYU basketball coach Dave Rose has a future in TV if he so chooses.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times says an investment bank helped to broker the Pac-12 media rights contract with ESPN and Fox plus other huge sports and entertainment megadeals.

Joe reports that DirecTV and Tribune are in a dispute over the company’s TV stations and this could include WGN America which carries a bunch of sports programming.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail has yet another amazingly uninformed column not realizing that CBS and Turner share the NCAA Tournament and CBS no longer regionalizes games. Many Canadian college basketball fans are aware of this, yet Bruce is not.

Sports Media Watch looks at the lower ratings generated by the NCAA Tournament over the weekend.

SMW has the viewership for the first primetime effort by ESPN2′s First Take.

To Macgasm where we learn that ESPN is teaming with Apple to make sports scores available on the Siri voice platform on the iPhone 4S.

Joe Favorito asks does UFC really needs New York to be successful?

Jim Connelly at USCHO.com wonders if ESPN is doing more to hurt the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament than help promote it.

Maury Brown at the Biz of Baseball wonders when MLB Network will hit Canada.

And we’ll end it there. Good night.

Quick Monday Linkage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’ll do some more linkage tonight.

CBS/Turner Tip Times for 2012 Final Four in New Orleans

This in from CBS/Turner Sports, we have the tip times for the 2012 Men’s Final Four in New Orleans on Saturday. Both games will be on CBS. The games will be called by Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr with Tracy Wolfson reporting.

The first game will be the iconic rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville. That game is scheduled to tip at 6:09 p.m. ET.

The nightcap between Kansas and Ohio State is scheduled for approximately 8:49 p.m.

We have the blurb from CBS/Turner Sports.

THIS JUST IN…
…from CBS Sports and Turner Sports

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four® on Saturday, March 31 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) tips-off with Kentucky against Louisville (6:09 PM, ET) on CBS. Kansas against Ohio State follows 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr call the games along with Tracy Wolfson serving as reporter.

Coverage begins with THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR® (4:00-6:00 PM, ET) on CBS hosted by Greg Gumbel along with analysts Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony, Kenny Smith and Seth Davis, live from New Orleans, La.

There will be plenty of press releases from CBS/Turner leading up to the Final Four and they’ll be posted at Fang’s Bites throughout the week.

Some Rare Saturday Links

It’s been a long time since I was able to provide Saturday linkage. Many times, it’s due to the fact I try to sleep in or my weekend was planned for me behind my back and I have to play chauffeur. Anyway, I’m able to provide some links and since I did not do the megalinks on Friday, I’ll give you this as a replacement, although the number of stories won’t equal Friday’s usual amount.

We begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who mentions that NFL Network came close to firing Warren Sapp after he tweeted that former New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey “snitched” about the team’s bounties to the NFL officials.

Can you believe Bob Costas turned 60 this week??!! Well, he did. MLB Network’s senior editorial director Elliot Kalb who has worked with Bob at NBC writes this tribute.

From the Poynter Institute, ESPN Ombudsman Jason Fry looks at why ESPN expunged a Mark Cuban gay joke from a Bill Simmons Grantland podcast.

George Winslow at Broadcasting & Cable says smartphones and tablets helped to drive a large percentage of traffic for March Madness Live online.

Mike Reynolds from Mulitchannel News writes that the NCAA Tournament saw a ratings decline from the year before for the first night of the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel says a veteran cable TV programming exec has been promoted within the ranks of NBC Sports.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Dave Kindred mourns the passing of former Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Furman Bisher.

Eric Goldschein from SportsGrid has video of the Kazakhstan national anthem being played for a medalist of a shooting competition in Kuwait. Problem was that it was the version written for the movie “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” and not the real Kazakhstan national anthem. That’s funny.

Sports Video Group offers a review of the March Madness Live iPad app.

Busted Coverage says a Spokane, WA local sports anchor unwittingly decided to crack on Lesley Visser’s face.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the harsh punishments handed down by the NFL to the New Orleans Saints over Bountygate were likely tied to concussion lawsuits.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe speaks with CBS/Turner’s NCAA Tournament East Regional crew of Uncle Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Lesley Visser.

Chad has a few more things with Verne and Bill that didn’t make the column.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at MLB Network producing and staffing a pregame show for Fox Saturday Baseball.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the local CBS affiliate has been taping its late newscast for nights it follows NCAA Tournament action.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record notes that the WFAN Mets Radio Network is not big at all.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has the latest in Baltimore-DC sports media in Press Box.

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham (AL) News talks with Texas A&M’s athletic director about entering the SEC and why the Longhorn Network led to the school’s departure from the Big 12.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle notes that Texans radio voice Marc Vandermeer is leaving his radio talk show to focus squarely on the NFL team.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes about Fox and MLB Network collaborating on a pregame show.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks with Turner Sports reporter Craig Sager who loves his job and picking out loud clothes for every game.

John Maffei of the North County Times writes about San Diego’s sports radio shuffles.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News has a story on the Brothers Waltrip who are laughing it up at Fox.

Tom has more with Darrell and Michael Waltrip in his blog.

Sports Media Watch says ESPN is seeing a ratings surge for its studio shows thanks to a busy NFL offseason.

SMW says viewership is up for the NCAA Women’s Tournament on ESPN2.

Steve Lepore has a suggestion for ESPN on how to make the NCAA Hockey Tournament more TV friendly.

Joe Favorito looks at how NFL news broke this week.

Ryan Yoder at Awful Announcing notes that Around the Horn host Tony Reali apparently had an on-the-job injury this week.

I’m going to end the Saturday links there.

ESPN’s Coverage of NCAA Women’s Tournament Continues This Weekend

The other NCAA basketball tournament, the Division I Women’s Championship resumes this weekend with the Sweet 16. ESPN and ESPN2 will have coverage from four regional sites, Raleigh, NC; Kingston, RI; Des Moines, IA; and Fresno, CA.

And the main crew of Dave O’Brien and Doris Burke are in Kingston at the Ryan Center on the University of Rhode Island campus, the most beautiful campus in the world, to call that regional final. Yes, I’m a URI alum so I’m partial to the school. Holly Rowe will also be on hand to roam the sidelines to grab players and push other people out of the way to get her interviews. I may go to the Tuesday regional final to see if I can get Holly in a mosh pit afterwards.

ESPN will carry three of four games today and ESPN2 gets three out of four Regional Semifinals on Sunday.

We have the games, tip times and announcing assignments for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Teams, Sites and Times Set for NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Regional Weekend

The Sweet Sixteen is set for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and the action will begin Saturday, March 24, from the Des Moines, Iowa and Fresno, Calif., Regionals and Sunday from Raleigh, N.C., and Kingston, R.I. The final 15 games of the championship, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN or ESPN2, along with simulcasts on ESPN3.  Highlights:

• Two No. 11 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 in the same year for the first time — Kansas vs. No. 2 Tennessee (Saturday at noon ET, ESPN) and Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Kentucky (Sunday at 6:30 p.m., ESPN2)
• All four No. 1 seeds are still in action – No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 4 Georgia Tech (Saturday at 2 p.m., ESPN); No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 5 South Carolina (Saturday at 11:30 p.m., ESPN2); No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 St. Bonaventure (Sunday at 2:30 p.m., ESPN2) and No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Penn State (Sunday at 4:30 p.m., ESPN2)
• Anticipated No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchups pitting defending national champion  No. 3  Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Maryland (Sunday at noon, ESPN / ESPN3) and No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 St. John’s (Saturday at 9 p.m., ESPN / ESPN3)

Date	Time (ET)	Games/Commentators	Networks
Sat, Mar 24	Noon	No. 11 Kansas vs. No. 2 Tennessee (Des Moines, Iowa) Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Samantha Steele	ESPN HD/ESPN3
	2:30 p.m.	No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. No. 1 Baylor (Des Moines, Iowa) Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Samantha Steele	ESPN HD/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	No. 3 St. John’s vs. No. 2 Duke (Fresno, Calif.) Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Heather Cox	ESPN HD/ESPN3
	11:30 p.m.	No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 1 Stanford (Fresno, Calif.) Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Heather Cox	ESPN2 HD/ESPN3
Sun, Mar 25	Noon	No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Maryland (Raleigh, N.C.) Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Allison Williams	ESPN HD/ESPN3
	2:30 p.m.	No. 5 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (Raleigh, N.C.) Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Allison Williams	ESPN2 HD/ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 1 Connecticut (Kingston, R.I.) Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe	ESPN2 HD/ESPN3
	7 p.m.	No. 11 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Kentucky (Kingston, R.I.) Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe	ESPN2 HD/ESPN3
Mon, Mar 26	7 p.m.	(Des Moines, Iowa) Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Samantha Steele	ESPN HD/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	(Fresno, Calif.) Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Heather Cox	ESPN HD/ESPN3
Tue, Mar 27	7 p.m.	(Kingston, R.I.) Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe	ESPN HD/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	(Raleigh, N.C.) Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Allison Williams	ESPN HD/ESPN3

Saturday’s links will be coming up. That’s right, a rare Saturday linkfest.

CBS/Turner Announces Tip Times for Elite 8 on Sunday, March 25

We now have the official tip times from CBS/Turner for the second half of the Regional Finals this weekend. As is the case for Saturday, CBS will handle the Midwest and South Regions as the Turner networks’ commitments are over.

So the South Regional Final between Baylor and overall Tournament #1 seed Kentucky with Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson will be on the call on CBS at 2:20 p.m.

And the Midwest Regional Final featuring two historic programs, Kansas and North Carolina will be scheduled for 5:05 p.m. to called by Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager.

First time in years that Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg won’t be calling the late Sunday game. But this is the correct scheduling.

The NCAA Tournament coverage on Sunday begins with NCAA Tip-Off on truTV at 1 p.m. ET and CBS begins at 2 p.m. with Road to the Final Four.

Here’s the CBS/Turner announcement on the Sunday tip times.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS ANNOUNCE TIP-TIMES FOR REGIONAL FINALS ON SUNDAY, MARCH 25 ON CBS

Turner Sports and CBS Sports announce tip-times and match-ups for the Regional Finals of the 2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 25 (2:00-7:00 PM, ET), on CBS. Kentucky will take on Baylor in the first game (2:20 PM, ET) followed by North Carolina playing Kansas (5:05 PM, ET).

Sunday’s coverage begins on truTV with NCAA Tip-Off (1:00-2:00 PM, ET) with Greg Gumbel along with analysts Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony, Kenny Smith and Kansas State head coach Frank Martin.

Below are the tip-times and announce/production assignments for the Regional Final games on Sunday. Tip times for the Final Four games on Saturday, March 31 will be announced after the conclusion of Sunday’s games.

Additionally, NCAA March Madness® Live provides a robust suite of products including live streaming video of all 67 games from the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; personal channel lineup (MyChannel) features and schedule updates; social media integration; and real-time brackets, scores and stats across online and mobile platforms.

REGIONAL FINAL GAMES
SUNDAY, MARCH 25

Time (ET)	Network		Site	Game	Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
2:20 PM	CBS		Atlanta	Kentucky vs. Baylor	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
5:05 PM	CBS		St. Louis	North Carolina vs. Kansas	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager

And we’re done.

College Basketball Viewing Picks For 03/24 & 03/25/2012, All Times Eastern

Saturday, March 24

Men’s
NCAA Division II Championship
Bank of Kentucky Center, Highland Heights, KY
Montevallo vs. Western Washington — CBS, 1 p.m.

NCAA Division I Tournament
Elite 8
West Region
US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Announcers: CBS/Turner — Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller/Marty Snider (sidelines); Dial Global Radio — Dave Sims/Bill Frieder
#4 Florida vs. #7 Louisville — CBS, 4:30 p.m.

East Region
TD Bank Garden, Boston, MA
Announcers: CBS/Turner — Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Lesley Visser (sidelines); Dial Global Radio — Kevin Kugler/Pete Gillen
#1 Syracuse vs. #2 Ohio State — CBS, 7:05 p.m.

College GameDay — ESPN2, 11 a.m.
NCAA Tip-Off — truTV, noon
Road to the Final Four — CBS, 3 p.m.

Women’s
NCAA Tournament
Sweet 16
Des Moines, IA Region
Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA
Announcers: Beth Mowins/Stephanie White/Samantha Steele (sidelines)
#2 Tennessee vs. #11 Kansas — ESPN, noon
#1 Baylor vs. #4 Georgia Tech — ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

Fresno, CA Region
Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA
Announcers: Dave Pasch/Debbie Antonelli/Heather Cox (sidelines)
#2 Duke vs. #3 St. John’s — ESPN, 9 p.m.
#1 Stanford vs. #5 South Carolina — ESPN, 11:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 25

Men’s
NCAA Division I Tournament
Elite 8
Midwest Region
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO
Announcers: CBS/Turner — Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager (sidelines); Dial Global Radio — Wayne Larrivee/Fran Fraschilla
CBS, 2:10 p.m.

South Region
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Announcers: CBS/Turner — Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Tracy Wolfson (sidelines); Dial Global Radio — Ian Eagle/John Thompson
CBS, 4:55 p.m.

NCAA Tip-Off — truTV, 1 p.m.
The Best of College Basketball 2012 — CBS, 1 p.m.
Road to the Final Four — CBS, 2 p.m.

Women’s
NCAA Tournament
Sweet Sixteen
Raleigh, NC Region
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Announcers: Pam Ward/Rebecca Lobo/Allison Williams (sidelines)
#2 Maryland vs. #3 Texas A&M — ESPN, noon
#1 Notre Dame vs. #5 St. Bonaventure — ESPN2, 2:30 p.m.

Kingston, RI Region
Ryan Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
Announcers: Dave O’Brien/Doris Burke/Holly Rowe
#1 UConn vs. #4 Penn State — ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.
#2 Kentucky vs. #11 Gonzaga — ESPN2, 7 p.m.