Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 29, 1995 TAG: 9508010003
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
With the Redskins and expansion Carolina Panthers both in the NFC, the Fox Network will be the primary telecast carrier of those teams. When they share a time slot, viewers in the Roanoke-Lynchburg TV market are likely to see Washington.
"That's the first inclination,'' said Janice Delson, vice president of programming and talent for Fox Sports. ``Virginia is part of the Redskins' market. North Carolina [which has been a Redskins' region until this season] will get the Panthers. The state line, that's the dividing line.''
There are dates, like the first Sunday of the season, when both teams will appear on the network. The Fox games for WJPR/WFXR (Channels 21/27) on Sept.3 are Carolina-Atlanta at 1 p.m. and Arizona-Washington at 4.
In Week 2, Washington is on NBC, Carolina on Fox. And both will air Christmas Eve, too, at 4 p.m., when they meet in a season-closer at RFK Stadium.
Delson said the delivery of a second game on a Fox doubleheader Sunday ``will be made on a case-by-case basis.'' Last year, Roanoke-Lynchburg in most instances got another NFC East matchup besides the one involving the Redskins.
That could change some weeks if the Panthers "are competitive,'' Delson said, although she added that Fox has a great appreciation for the ratings strength of the NFC East, led by the Dallas Cowboys.
Delson said Fox also will take into consideration station desires and viewer comment on the NFL schedule. However, even after the Panthers complete their stadium and move to Charlotte, Southwest Virginia viewers will be delivered the Redskins.
The reason is obvious: There are more than three decades of Redskins' TV loyalty and ratings strength here, although in a geographical sense, most of the market is closer to Charlotte than Washington.
The Panthers play the first game in their NFL history today, against fellow rookie Jacksonville at Canton, Ohio. ABC's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game (2:30 p.m., WSET) is a national telecast.
It also is the only Carolina or Washington preseason game that will be televised into the Roanoke-Lynchburg market in 1995.
YOUR PICK: The AFC regional Sunday games sent to Roanoke-Lynchburg will primarily be the viewers' choice. That's because WSLS (Channel 10) will use its ``Name the Game'' toll-free poll to select games most Sundays.
It's the third straight year Channel 10 has opened at least a portion of the NBC schedule for the audience's selection.
It's not exactly a democratic process. Like some Chicago elections, the slogan might be, ``vote early and often,'' and usually the numerous Pittsburgh and Cleveland fans in the market do.
KICKOFFS: Another referendum on baseball's popularity will be the NFL preseason telecasts in the next month. Last year, with baseball in a work stoppage for three weekends of the NFL exhibition season, football had great ratings.
The 1994 preseason ratings were the highest in five years, a 7.9 (percentage of U.S. TV homes) for network games. Two ABC Monday night exhibitions were the highest-rated preseason dates since '88.
With baseball playing, it will be intriguing to see whether viewers stick with football's warm-up or baseball's dog days.
STRIKE OUT: The finish of The Baseball Network on NBC and ABC should be titled, ``The Hunt for Baseball October.'' The question that month won't be ``Who's on first?'' but ``Who's on Where?''
In dividing the 1995 postseason after neither got the playoffs or the World Series in 1994, the networks went to an extreme. Not only will they share the three rounds of the postseason, they will just about alternate games in the World Series.
If there's a Game 7 in the World Series, the network hasn't been decided. ABC has Game 1, NBC has 2-3, ABC 4-5, and NBC 6. Since viewers will be searching nightly, perhaps Game 7 could go to the Discovery Channel.
Viewers will have to jump between ABC and NBC for the two playoff rounds, which will be aired regionally. So, even if you find the games, you'll only see half of what has been telecast in the past.
You also can bet you won't hear Al Michaels telling World Series viewers to tune to NBC the next night for Game 2. He'll be reading a "Home Improvement'' promo, just as Bob Costas will be telling viewers to watch "Seinfeld'' on NBC rather than Game 4 on another network.
TRACKSIDE: WDBJ (Channel 7) returns to New River Valley Speedway tonight for its fourth live racing show in the last two years, with an October date remaining.
"The WDBJ 250'' will air from 9-11 p.m. in two 125-lap late model races. Channel 7 sports director Mike Stevens will have the call, with Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell as the analyst, Robin Reed roaming the stands and Steve Mason in the pits.
The NRV show last July did a 9 rating in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market, about triple the Nielsen for regular-season games from The Baseball Network. By comparison, that's about half of the local audience for the Daytona 500.The track and the Roanoke station have done well with the arrangement, so don't be surprised if it continues in 1996.
SERVING: The return of Monica Seles to competitive tennis - if an exhibition is that - comes today on the ``CBS Sports Show'' when she meets Martina Navratilova at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
Before the match in the two-hour show (2 p.m., WDBJ), a Pat O'Brien interview with Seles taped July18 in Sarasota, Fla., will air. O'Brien asks Seles about the stabbing that took her from the sport for 21/2 years.
AROUND THE DIAL: Home satellite-dish owners have until Monday to order the ``NFL Sunday Ticket,'' which offers all regional telecasts, for $119. Then the price rises by $20. Commercial subscribers such as restaurants and bars will pay a minimum of $399 for the season package. ... Home Team Sports' college football schedule this season will include live telecasts from the Southeastern and Pacific 10 conferences most Saturdays. ... NBC and Turner Sports' TNT and TBS have announced their 1995-96 NBA schedules. NBC has 25 regular-season games, including eight possible appearances by Orlando and Chicago, seven by Phoenix and two-time defending champ Houston. TNT and TBS combine for 70 games, with 14 dates apiece for the Magic and Bulls, 12 for Charlotte and New York and 11 for the Suns.
by CNB