Let’s do some linkage.
The Weekend Viewing Picks give you everything to you need for your viewing pleasure.
Let’s do this.
National
Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that primetime is the right time for college football.
Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Daily reports that ESPN has sold out its ad inventory for its new NASCAR non-stop initiative which will allow fans to see continuous race action while commercials run.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says NFL Network used some creative methods in Boston to promote its Bill Belichick documentary.
If you watched the Belichick documentary, then you probably know about the best scene which was the coach yelling at the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Mason who was trash talking. Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the video.
Brandon Costa from Sports Video Group notes that Sports Illustrated has released a new Football Rivals mobile app.
Sports Media Watch says ABC is doing well with college football in its first two weeks of the season.
SMW notes that last Saturday’s Notre Dame-Michigan game on ESPN in primetime did better than the previous week’s Fighting Irish game on NBC.
SMW says last week’s NASCAR race in Richmond garnered a four year ratings high for ABC.
Tony Manfred of the Business Insider Sports Page says sports bars got hit the hardest by DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket technical difficulties last week.
Steve Lepore from Puck The Media has NHL Network’s preseason schedule that begins next week.
Joe Favorito says sports brands are now jumping into the corn field maze craze.
Awful Announcing has this week’s network TV on-screen typos.
Parade talks with ESPN’s Erin Andrews.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn from the Boston Globe writes about some ex-Patriots players who have made the transition to TV.
Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald talks about 98.5 The Sports Hub winning the prestigious Marconi for Best Sports Station in the country over a former winner, WEEI.
Bill Doyle at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette praises the NFL Films documentary on Bill Belichick.
The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir looks at a rare film that followed the late Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto and other ex-Pinstripers to Austria for an exhibition game in 1994.
Daniel E. Slotnick of the Times writes that former New York Jet and broadcaster Sam DeLuca has passed away.
Newsday’s Neil Best talks with statistician Steve Hirdt about his career and getting to work a “home” game for this week’s edition of Monday Night Football.
Neil says SNY is fortunate to have the Jets as a partner to help viewers forget about the Mets.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is angry at everyone.
The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for YES analyst Ken Singleton.
Jerry Barmash in Fishbowl NY writes that MSG Network brings back its signature hockey studio show for another season.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that local sports anchor Andrew Catalon gets a call-up to the NFL on CBS in October.
Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record talks with MLB Network’s Brian Kenny about why he left ESPN after almost a decade and a half.
Ken has more with Brian Kenny in his column.
Ken is tired of NHL Network rerunning last season’s playoffs.
South
Serena Moyle of the Tallahassee (FL) Democrat profiles ESPN’s Erin Andrews as she’s in town for the Oklahoma-Florida State game.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says you watched the NFL in droves last week.
David says ESPN is treating Longhorn Network differently than its other entities.
Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman writes that Longhorn Network will pick up one Oklahoma State basketball game.
Mel has some news and notes.
Gina Mizell of the Oklahoman says ESPN is keeping a close eye on Oklahoma State and Texas A&M for a potential College GameDay visit.
Midwest
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Fox Sports Ohio expands its pregame show tomorrow to air highlights of Johnny Bench Night.
John says a local radio station has fired a long-time sports reporter and other parts of its staff.
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks with a long-time Division II college football radio voice.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says some local Time Warner Cable subscribers will have access to this Saturday’s Wisconsin game.
Bob explains why the Wisconsin game isn’t on TV.
Bob says the Brewers’ Prince Fielder will be seen in a profile on TBS Sunday.
Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.
Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says all of the Blues games will be televised for the first time ever.
West
Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that ESPN’s deal with BYU has now become a recruiting tool for the school.
Matt Solinsky of the Desert (CA) Sun says the NFL Network documentary on Patriots coach Bill Belichick is definitely “must see TV”.
John Maffei from the North County Times tries to discover what the holdup is for the San Diego Padres’ TV and radio rights.
Jim Carlisle at the Ventura County Star says Time Warner Cable has signed a long-term deal for California’s high school championships.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times talks with the Fox NFL Sunday crew.
T.J. Simers of the Times writes that Vin Scully can cause trouble at home.
Also from the Times, Eric Sondheimer has details of the Time Warner deal with the California Interscholastic Federation.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Jay “The Rat” Mariotti is determined to get the last word on his tumultuous year.
Tom has some media moves that didn’t make his column.
Tom says MLB Network will air a special on statistics.
Canada
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says an 8 year delay will help Steve Moore in his lawsuit against Todd Bertuzzi and the NHL stemming from an incident in Vancouver.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada has finally made some moves to fill some personnel holes.
And that’s going to conclude the links for this Friday.
