As I look at my Review of Real Sports for 12/23/08, I realize I may have gone too long on that post and instead of cutting and pasting, maybe I should have linked to each segment, but then it would I actually like having the original reviews. It’s something I should think about for next year, but anyway, it’s done and it’s going to remain as it is.
Let’s do some linkage tonight. Some interesting stories have surfaced since I last did links earlier today.
Newsday’s Neil Best reports that SNY is considering Chris Carlin as the Mets pre and post game host. Neil says the NFL is going to suspend its silly, archaic and prehistoric blackout rules for one week and allow all markets to have double doubleheaders on Sunday.
Kyle Stack of Newsday sister publication, amNew York, writes about the launch of the MLB Network on January 1.
T.J. Donegan asks in the Sports Media Journal why can’t NFL studio shows be like NBC’s old NFL Live of the 1990’s.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell explains why the New York Yankees can commit to $423.5 million in guaranteed money during this offseason.
Joe Favorito has a good post on the lack of Return of Investment for schools participting in non-BCS bowls.
Laura Nachman says a former Philadelphia TV meteorologist was mentioned during ESPN’s Monday Night Football cablecast.
The Washington Post’s Leonard Shapiro has former Redskins quarterback Sonny Jurgensen remembering an interview he conducted with the late Sammy Baugh.
Roger van der Horst of the Raleigh News & Observer says former Duke guard Jason Williams is working with ESPN again this season. Roger says Time Warner Cable is taking exception to a description of ESPNU as “ESPN Unavailable”.
Radio Ink Online says Atlanta gets its second ESPN Radio affiliate.
Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News gets Cowboys voice Brad Sham to clarify why he chose to communicate directly to Barry’s readers.
Dan McGrath of the Chicago Tribune says Tony Kornheiser feels he’s finally settling in with Monday Night Football.
The Chicago Daily Herald says Comcast SportsNet has made a new hire.
Comcast and the NFL Network have made an agreement that would allow Twin Cities viewers to watch the Insight Bowl featuring the University of Minnesota. Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has more on the story.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the newest sports station in town is not broadcasting yet, but has already made a splash by obtaining the rights to the Rams starting next season.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the timeline of the whole Rob Parker/Rod Marinelli story. Tom notes that December 23, 1951 was the date of the very first coast-to-coast televised NFL title game.
The always lovely Lisa Guerrero writing in the Los Angeles Times’ Fabulous Forum blog has her list of Naughty and Nice sports figures for 2008. I agree particularly about her sentiments about the abortion that came out of the mouths of the Jonas Brothers at Texas Stadium Thanksgiving Day.
Some links from the Sports Media Watch. First, CBS was the big winner, coming out with a rare regional singleheader win for NFL Week 16. Second, the SMW has the overnight weekend ratings. Third, Monday Night Football finished the season on an up note for ESPN. But fourth and last, the NFL Network had some disconcerting news for its third season as a game rightsholder.
Gina Keating of Reuters reports that ESPN plans to launch three interactive features for its channels in 2009.
From the Interactive TV Today blog, we find that ESPN has launched an update for its ESPN360 live streaming player.
Steve McClelland of Adweek says NBC has rejected the idea of a shared 30 second Super Bowl spot.
There you have it for now.
