Let’s do our notebook for this hump day. We begin with some late news that came out on Tuesday.
NEWS
It appears that new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will be involved in ESPN’s coverage of next Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press has the story.
Fox Sports is claiming victory among the NFL TV partners says its average of 20.7 million viewers a week is the second-highest in its history of airing the NFC. The average rating/share for the games (of which Fox is omitting its early morning game in London which brings down the average) was 12.0/25. And the network says the average rating for its late afternoon window was 15.5/29 and just under 27 million viewers.
But one of the best fact-checkers in the business, Paulsen at Sports Media Watch notes that NBC actually finished ahead of Fox in both ratings on viewership.
Now to our linkage.
LINKAGE
Robert Channick of the Chicago Tribune reports that WGN-TV has re-upped with the Cubs. After the Cubs signed a contract with Disney’s WLS TV for 25 games last month, it was thought that long-time incumbent WGN was still in the running. And it happened on Tuesday. So Comcast SportsNet Chicago will air most of the Cubs game, WGN will air 45 games and WLS 25. All of the contracts expire in 2019 and it’s thought that the Cubs will venture into a regional sports network of its own. A reminder, Cubs games will no longer be aired nationally on WGN America, but they will be seen locally on WGN-TV, Channel 9 in Chicago. Jerky move by Tribune.
To the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center where Ed Sherman looks at the power of Stuart Scott’s personality.
Also at the NSJC, Michael Bradley says ESPN should continue Scott’s legacy by finding his successor.
Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable looks back at Stuart Scott’s career in local television pre-ESPN.
Back to Ed Sherman this time at his regular site, he writes that golfer David Duval will be getting a bigger role at Golf Channel.
Former Deadspin’er John Koblin, now writing for the New York Times goes behind the NFL’s “No More” anti-domestic violence campaign. By the way, there’s no word if we’ll see that ad in the Super Bowl.
Cindy Boren at the Washington Post’s Early Lead has ESPN’s explanation as to why Skippy Bayless was not suspended for saying Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is an alcoholic and a lair.
Scott Allen at the WaPo’s DC Sports Bog tells us that the Wizards are setting ratings highs this season.
Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post says one local sports radio station is heading into some uncharted waters.
The Toronto Sports Media blog has a Hockey News writer regretting his choice of words while responding to a tweep after this week’s World Junior Hockey Championships.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
The basketball version of College GameDay premieres on Saturday, January 17 from Ames, Iowa and the campus of Iowa State for the Big 12 matchup of Kansas and the Cyclones that night at 9 p.m. ET. Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Seth Greenburg and Jay Williams will man the GameDay desk starting at 10 a.m. ET until noon on ESPNU and ESPN and again at 8 p.m. before the game.
After a break for the holiday, golf is back this week with the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and the European Tour’s South African Open Championship. Golf Channel airs both tournaments starting on Thursday.
PGA TOUR
Tournament of Champions
Dates: Jan. 9-12
Venue: Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course), Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday — 4:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-4:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday — 1-7 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-2 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday — 5-9:30 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-5:30 a.m. (Replay)
Monday — 4-8 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Sunday — 2:30-5 p.m. (Live)
Note:
Early Third Round Coverage Airing on Sunday on NBC, 2:30-5 p.m. ET: NBC will air early third round coverage on Sunday afternoon from 2:30-5 p.m. ET, with third round coverage concluding on Golf Channel Sunday evening from 5-9:30 p.m. ET.
Golf Channel, NBC Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Steve Sands / Dan Hicks
Analyst: Frank Nobilo / Johnny Miller
Tower: Gary Koch / Mark Rolfing
On Course: Roger Maltbie / Notah Begay / Jerry Foltz
Interviews: Steve Sands / Todd Lewis
Golf Central Road Show Broadcast Team:
Host: Ryan Burr
Analyst: Brandel Chamblee / Notah Begay
Reporter: Todd Lewis
EUROPEAN TOUR
South African Open Championship
Dates: Jan. 8-11
Venue: Glendower Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday — 3:30-5:30 a.m., 7:30-10:30 a.m. (Live) / 12:30-4:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday — 7:30-10:30 a.m. (Live), (Beginning of second round on tape delay, 5:30-7:30 a.m.)
Saturday — 5:30-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday — 5:00-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Steve Burkowski
Play by Play: Warren Humphreys
Analyst: Denis Hutchinson
On Course: Julian Tutt
The NBA on TNT is back with a Thursday doubleheader, Houston at the hapless New York Knicks (it’s too bad TNT couldn’t flex that game out) and Miami at Portland.
NBA on TNT Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Game / Commentators |
| Thursday, Jan. 8 | 8 p.m. | Houston Rockets @ New York Knicks Marv Albert, Reggie Miller, Chris Webber, Rachel Nichols |
| 10:30 p.m. | Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers Kevin Harlan, Greg Anthony, Lewis Johnson |
|
| Post-game | Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith |
And that will end the notebook for today.
