Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 21, 1993 TAG: 9308210044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ WSLS will have viewers program the station's NFL telecast schedule this season.
Through a weekly toll-free telephone computer poll, Channel 10 is asking viewers to vote for the NFL game they want to see each Sunday from among NBC's regional offerings. The "Name the Game" line is a democratic process that has worked well elsewhere, including Norfolk; Raleigh, N.C.; and Birmingham, Ala.
WSLS sales manager Randy Smith introduced the concept after moving from Birmingham earlier this year. Jim DeSchepper, vice president and general manager of WSLS, said the plan is "a natural" because Channel 10 gets all of NBC's feeds via satellite anyway.
"It's also a way for a station showing AFC games in a market with an NFC home team to be more interactive," DeSchepper said. "We know this is the Washington Redskins' market. This way we will show another game most of our viewers tell us they want to see."
On NFL Sundays for years, viewers have chosen, with channel selectors or remote controls, between NFC regional games on CBS - usually a Redskins game in this region - and AFC regionals on NBC. Channel 10 is offering viewers more of a choice.
WSLS was part of the Baltimore Colts' TV market via NBC until Pittsburgh built its Super Bowl dynasty in the '70s. Once the Colts moved to Indianapolis and the Steelers faded, local viewers saw a smorgasbord of AFC teams. Some Miami, some Cleveland, some Buffalo. In recent years, DeSchepper said, WSLS sports director Greg Roberts has chosen the games for his station.
Now, the choice is yours. WSLS' only commitment to NBC is that the Roanoke station must air a game in the time period (1 p.m. or 4 p.m. kickoff) designated by the network. That is done to alleviate head-to-head battles - losing ones - in the ratings against the Redskins.
DeSchepper said voting for the Sept. 5 opener will begin Aug. 29. Viewers with a Touch-Tone phone may call 1-800-VOTE-TEN (1-800-868-3836) each week until 11 a.m. Wednesday, when WSLS will tabulate the results and announce the game selected on the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
For the 1 p.m. opener on Sept. 5, the ballot includes Cincinnati-Cleveland, Kansas City-Tampa Bay, New England-Buffalo, Miami-Indianapolis and Denver-New York Jets.
There's another intriguing aspect to this process. Maybe the results will show which AFC team is the favorite in the Roanoke-Lynchburg region. WSLS is to be applauded for the move.
\ PAY GAMES: Cox Cable Roanoke's subscribers will be among the 22 million homes with access to pay-per-view telecasts of ABC's regional college football telecasts this season. That's double last season's number of potential homes, a reflection of the move from Showtime to ESPN Enterprises as the PPV distributor.
ABC will offer pay-per-view of regional games that aren't televised on its affiliates. Cox Cable will be able to provide one of those games to subscribers weekly, for $8.95, or a 12-game season for $59.95. More details on the Cox plans will be available soon.
About 12,000 viewers nationwide bought ABC's PPV football last year.
\ O'NEIL'S EXIT: The resignation Thursday of Terry O'Neil as NBC Sports' executive producer was stunning, leaving many in the industry speculating the 16-time Emmy winner walked because he was forced out by NBC Sports' president, Dick Ebersol.
That was denied by both parties. O'Neil has left to form an investors group to purchase a major sports franchise. The target of O'Neil's group is an NFL team, reportedly New England or Miami. Tom Roy, 34, NBC's lead producer for its NBA package, will replace O'Neil.
The reports of Ebersol-O'Neil friction were fueled by what O'Neil has left behind. NBC has the 1994 Super Bowl, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a new six-year baseball agreement that includes three World Series and an NBA contract renewal through 1998.
However, O'Neil, who previously worked for ABC and CBS, reportedly was offered a contract extension that included a significant salary cut. That made his decision easier.
\ COACHES: WSLS will air the state's two Division I-A football coaches' shows consecutively on Sundays this season. Frank Beamer's Virginia Tech show airs at 11:30 a.m., followed by George Welsh's UVa show at noon. . . . CNN begins its college football year with "College football Preview" at 10:30 a.m. today and the "College Coaches Corner" opener at 10 a.m. Sunday.
\ DEALS: The plan for baseball's new regular-season TV schedule on ABC and NBC has been resolved. ABC will start airing games the week of the All-Star Game with a Saturday telecast, followed by two Mondays and three more Saturdays before NBC airs games on six consecutive Fridays to end the season. All games will be in prime time. . . . NBC Sports and the Breeders' Cup have extended their agreement to televise the November horse racing card through 1999. The current agreement was scheduled to expire after the 1994 races. NBC was a founder of the Breeders' Cup and has televised all nine previous events.
\ NUMBERS: A Paul Azinger-Greg Norman playoff and a competitive leader board made last weekend's PGA Championship the second-most watched golf tournament of the year behind the Masters and the highest-rated PGA since 1985. Sunday's final round was seen in a PGA-record 6.1 million homes, and the two-day Nielsen rating was up 49 percent from 1992. . . . Hockey fans should be clamoring for their cable systems to pick up ESPN2, which signs on Oct. 1. ESPN2 will televise 75 NHL games this winter, while ESPN airs 26 games and the playoffs.
by CNB