Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 20, 1991 TAG: 9104200116
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Cavaliers, who have an early season Thursday night date with Georgia Tech on ESPN, are scheduled four times on the J-P noontime series that stretches over 13 weeks this season.
On Sept. 7, UVa-Maryland will open the ACC schedule - to be aired regionally again by Lynchburg's WSET (Channel 13). The Cavaliers' other TV dates are against Clemson and North Carolina in October, and the Nov. 23 season closer in Charlottesville against Virginia Tech.
J-P has tentatively scheduled 15 games over 13 weeks. The schedule is subject to change, because ABC and ESPN have priority in selecting games for College Football Association schedules.
With the CFA moving to ABC from CBS, WSET (ABC affiliate) will preempt a potential six 12:30 p.m. CFA or Big Ten/Pacific 10 games for the ACC schedule.
"In this area, there's much more interest in the ACC than in any other conference," said WSET programmer Bailey Dwiggins. "If there's a conflict, we'll do the ACC."
\ The Big East's first football season will include a 10-week conference telecast schedule. Virginia Tech likely will appear on the Big East's noontime schedule twice, in consecutive weeks - Oct. 5 at West Virginia in the first Big East game in Hokie history and on Oct. 12 against Florida State at Orlando's Citrus Bowl.
Tech, which plays its spring game tonight at Lane Stadium, agreed to move what would have been a home game to Orlando at FSU's request for a minimum guarantee of $800,000. However, the Hokies retained the home-team TV rights to what will now be a non-conference game. Big East assistant commissioner and TV coordinator Tom McElroy said the Tech-FSU game is a good possibility for TV.
McElroy said the Big East will produce its own TV package, as it does in basketball. The 10-week schedule will run from Sept. 7 through Nov. 9. Some stations in larger markets already have been cleared, but no Roanoke-Lynchburg station has been secured to date.
\ The NBA playoffs start Thursday, and the first four days will include eight or nine telecasts on cable's TNT and NBC (WSLS, Channel 10). TNT has doubleheaders Thursday and Friday nights, and could have a prime-time game next Saturday or Sunday. NBC has afternoon doubleheaders both days next weekend.
TNT will air a minimum of 26 games and NBC could have 30 games, depending on the length of conference championship series and the NBA Finals, which are scheduled to begin June 5. Expect to see a lot of the Chicago Jordans, Boston Birds and Los Angeles Magic.
TNT's play-by-play men include Pete Van Wieren. His absence from Braves baseball telecasts on WTBS will be filled by Orlando Magic voice Chip Caray, who will work with his dad, Skip, and Don Sutton. The Caray-Caray team will share their first Braves' game Friday night in Houston.
When the Braves play the Cubs - in WGN and WTBS telecast games - in a May 3-5 series, the Atlanta-Fulton County stadium booth will house Harry Caray, Harry Caray Jr. (Skip) and Harry Caray III (Chip).
Holy cow!
\ ESPN's 6 1/2-hour NFL draft show Sunday starting at noon doesn't have a cast of thousands. It only seems that way. Chris Berman anchors the telecast, which in the early years the NFL allowed ESPN to do for free. Now, the cable network pays the NFL $250,000 annually for the draft, a cost that basically offsets the NFL staging expenses.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projects Virginia wide receiver Herman Moore as the 15th pick, by Pittsburgh. The Baltimore-based talent scout said the Redskins, with their first first-round pick since 1983 (cornerback Darrell Green) will go for Iowa running back Nick Bell with the 20th selection.
\ ESPN's NFL draft telecast wipes out a live show of the First Union 400 NASCAR event at North Wilkesboro, N.C. Before last year when ESPN got into baseball, the Winston Cup race was aired on same-day tape. Now, the North Wilkesboro tape telecast is scheduled Monday at 8 p.m.
The remainder of the Winston Cup races scheduled this season will be televised live.
\ Around the dial:
After ABC complained about its "Monday Night Football" schedule last season, the NFL must have listened. The schedule announced Thursday includes three appearances by the Giants, Bills, 49ers, Redskins, Eagles and Bears. The ABC season begins with 49ers-Giants and ends with Bears-49ers.
CBS begins its baseball season today (1 p.m., WDBJ) at the new Comiskey Park in Chicago. Jack Buck and Tim McCarver will call the Tigers-White Sox game.
The Peach Bowl is moving to Jan. 1 and ESPN, replacing the Gator Bowl in an 11:30 a.m. time slot and keeping New Year's bowls at seven. The Gator tried the New Year's slot and, with its ESPN contract up, moved to Dec. 29 night on WTBS. The Jan. 1, 1993 Peach Bowl will be played in prime time - going against the Orange and Sugar bowls on TV - and be the first college football game played in the 70,500-seat Georgia Dome, now under construction.
by CNB