Time to give you some links this evening.
We start out with some sad news. This link comes courtesy of the Boston Sports Media Watch, Bill Burt of the Lawrence (MA) Eagle-Tribune reports in his blog that the son of Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan has died. The Boston Globe has the story which states that Keith Ryan apparently took his life. It’s a horrible story. Bob Ryan is one of the nicest men in the sports media and I will certainly have him and his family in my thoughts tonight. Bruce Allen of BSMW gives his sympathies to the Ryan family. And David Scott does as well.
If you’re wondering why Michael Wilbon didn’t appear on “Pardon the Interruption” today, it was because he suffered a minor heart attack very early this morning. The Sports on My Mind blog has the story. Michael is ok.
Over to Newsday’s Neil Best who writes that NFL Network host Rich Eisen is frustrated with Cablevision and Time Warner cable. Neil follows that story up with a post on his blog. And Neil tells us that the Patriots’ interview session with coach Bill Belichick was a snoozefest.
Joe Strupp of Editor & Publisher says this Super Bowl has the most media credentials ever. Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life magazine says Super Bowl XLII has the potential to be the most watched ever. John Consoli of Mediaweek writes that Foxsports.com will have plenty of webcasts and online coverage from Super Bowl XLII.
Ryan Sharrow of the Baltimore Business Journal writes that the Baltimore Ravens will air its preseason games on WBAL-TV which is part of the same company that has the games on radio.
Joel Sherman posts in the New York Post’s TV Sports blog that former Yankees pitcher David Cone will be an analyst on the YES Network.
Some ratings news from the Sports Media Watch blog. First, we get word that the ratings for the NHL All Star Game on Versus were up. It was a small increase, but an increase nonetheless. Next, the 4th round of the Buick Invitational featuring a Tiger Woods runaway beat the late NBA game featuring LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Paulsen also tells us that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on NBC finished fourth on Saturday night. Fourth!
Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the telecast on NBC showed that figure skating is not on life support.
In what has to be described as earth shattering news, Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in his Farther Off the Wall blog that the Lingerie Bowl will be a no-show for the second year in a row. Curses!
The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty reports in his Best Seat in My House blog that NBC has chosen the Anaheim Ducks-Detroit Red Wings game for its NHL Game of the Week on February 10.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that the Carolina Hurricanes have signed a contract extension with FSN South to air 65 games a season for at least the next five seasons.
John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News writes that San Francisco sports radio station KNBR wants to bring Tony Bruno into the fold. Bruno who was on the air on Sporting News Radio has left due to a contract dispute.
The Ski Channel has signed a distribution deal with Cox Cable as R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel tells us.
That’s it. Back tomorrow.
