NO TRIVIAL PURSUIT FOR DONOHO AT FOX SPORTS NET, HE HAS TIME TO REPORT.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

Time out for TV trivia:

Question: What current Los Angeles TV sportscaster was born in Puerto Rico, lived as a kid for awhile in Africa, graduated from Missouri, began his broadcasting career in Grand Rapids, Mich., worked in Cincinnati, once did NFL play-by-play for NBC and appeared as himself in the movie ``Blue Chips''?

Ted Dawson? C'mon, we said current.

Wasn't Nick Nolte in ``Blue Chips''?

One more hint? Take a hike.

As long as Todd Donoho works in this town, that three-word phrase will always follow. But it's his latest job, as co-anchor of the fledgling 11 p.m. Regional Sports Report for the Southern California edition of Fox Sports Net, that puts him in the position to take a chance.

After nine years of the prefab rip-and-read, try-to-tell-a-joke sportcast at KABC Channel 7, Donoho has had to somewhat reinvent himself. Mainly, it's because he's got what other sportscasters in this city might give up their AFTRA cards for - time, as in a whole half-hour of it each shift.

``I remember going out to lunch with the station general manager at KABC once and he asked if there were any problems,'' Donoho said the other day before heading over to do a nightly Fox sportscast. ``I said, `Well, the only thing is that we've been cut from 4 1/2 minutes to 2 1/2 minutes for sports. It's really hard to get the scores and highlights in with all the teams we have to cover.'

``He looked at me and said, `Do we have to run scores?'

``I responded, `Does the weatherman have to give temperatures?' ''

Two months later, management told him to take a hike.

But the move was a blessing.

Donoho and his wife, Paula, together got to watch oldest son Kevin play two seasons as a standout wide receiver at Hart High in Newhall, where the team won two Southern Section titles. Donoho was able to coach his youngest son, Scott, in flag football plus spend more time with his middle son, Jeff, and his academic pursuits.

Donoho also helped research a best-selling book, ``And the Crowd Goes Wild,'' a CD collection of the greatest calls in sports broadcasting history.

``But as much as I enjoyed the time off, I started getting antsy,'' Donoho admitted. ``I love the area - I didn't want to move, so I had to see who had the best opportunity.''

Fox Sports Net's half-hour local sports news show, which had been struggling to find an identity, was the right fit for Donoho and the cable channel.

``If anyone can do a meaningful sportscast in 2 1/2 minutes, God bless 'em,'' said Donoho. ``I was very frustrated by that. At least I had `Monday Night Live' as an outlet.

``But here, on most nights we can do expanded updates on every local game and actually look at what happened and why. And it's totally different.''

For example: Donoho went as a reporter to UCLA last week to do a story on the basketball team's upcoming game against USC - the same day rumors heated up about Rick Pitino coming in to replace coach Steve Lavin.

Donoho did his features but also had an interview with Lavin. Not only did several local TV affiliates miss having a reporter at UCLA that day, but those that did could only run a soundbite or two from Lavin - and most went with the coach's quote about how Pitino was an ``opportunist.''

Fox Sports Net's Regional report had 2 1/2 minutes alone on the Lavin-Pitino story, plus another minute of player reaction and another minute of co-host discussion. And in addition to Lavin's ``opportunist'' quote, they had soundbites to show how Lavin's attitude about the whole story was more tongue-in-cheek than genuinely upset.

``They can't get the proper context of the story in that short amount of time,'' said Donoho of the local sportscasts. ``That'll always be a problem.''

For as long as he's been in these parts, Donoho has had no problem making sports trivia part of his game.

It was the main prop of his ``Monday Night Live'' show for KABC Channel 7. Before that, his ``Time Out For Trivia'' show for the old Financial News Network made him the ``Commissioner of Trivia.''

For the past 13 years, he's been the sports update guy who asks listeners to ``Stump the Commissioner'' on the popular KLOS-FM ``Mark and Brian'' weekday morning radio show.

It's not out of the question that show could return in some form as a Fox Sports Net show.

``If something like that came up, I'd love to do it,'' Donoho said. ``I miss doing it. It's a great formula with the phone-in part. But that's not the reason I'm at Fox right now.''

In due time, Todd. In due time.

THE RANKINGS: L.A. TV ANCHORS/REPORTERS

Each year, it's a different puzzle. Do the local TV guys and gals represent a branch of broadcast journalism or are they just there to get a laugh and roll the video? Do they have the drive to get the whole story or is this a vehicle they're driving to get a sit-com/game-show host/weatherperson position?

Even though Jim Hill and John Ireland may put in the most overtime, Curt Sandoval may be the most underrated and Claudia Trejos does the best simultaneous bilingual broadcast, we know it's all about a pretty face.

And personality. And popularity. And a bit of ego-stroking, with the chance to get a Screen Actors Guild membership for those movie cameos as ``local sportscaster.'' So here we try again to determine who's the best at looking good in the L.A. TV sports market - both genders - with your chance to vote via mail (P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills CA, 91364), e-mail (tomhoffarth(at)dailynews.com) or phone (818) 713-3661.

We'll give you until Feb. 1 to vote and post the results in time for Valentine's Day. Defending champion Rob Fukuzaki of KABC Channel 7 will break all ties - and hearts - if a recount is needed.

Rank each of the following with a 1-2-3 vote, and go as far as you want. The boys and girls will be judged separately, and write-ins will be accepted (so Stu Nahan has a shot):

MEN

- Carlos Del Valle, KNBC Channel 4

- Todd Donoho, Fox Sports Net

- John Fricke, Fox Sports Net

- Rob Fukuzaki, KABC Channel 7

- Rick Garcia, KTTV Channel 11

- Steve Hartman, KCBS Channel 2

- Tony Hernandez, KTLA Channel 5

- Jim Hill, KCBS Channel 2

- Derrick Horton, KCAL Channel 9

- John Ireland, KCAL Channel 9

- Randy Kerdoon, KTTV Channel 11

- Barry LeBrock, Fox Sports Net

- Bret Lewis, KCBS Channel 2

- Alan Massengale, KCAL Channel 9

- Ken Rodriguez, Fox Sports Net

- Fred Roggin, KNBC Channel 4

- Curt Sandoval, KABC Channel 7

- Randy Sparage, Fox Sports Net

- Gaard Swanson, Fox Sports Net

- Bill Weir, KABC Channel 7

- Write-in candidate:

WOMEN

- Michelle Bonner, KCOP Channel 13

- Lisa Guerrero, Fox Sports Net

- Tanya Memme, KCBS Channel 2

- Suzy Shuster, Fox Sports Net

- Claudia Trejos, KTLA Channel 5

- Write-in candidate:

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: (color) Todd Donoho is enjoying a half-hour of reporting time nightly after years of trying to do his job in less than five minutes per show.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

INSIDE THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS; FOX'S SPORTS WEST 2'S LOCAL BROADCASTS ARE AN EXPERIENCE FOR ALL.(SPORTS)(Statistical Data Included) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH The Media

The sight of a 35-foot television truck squeezing through the narrow service roads on the Canoga Park High campus Thursday afternoon as it headed for the dirt track next to the football field could have easily caused a commotion.

But almost like another rocket launch, what teen-ager isn't used to seeing a TV truck these days? Even when it's there to televise a couple of rival teams playing on their field.

It's nearly seven hours before kickoff, but the groundwork for Thursday night's El Camino Real-Taft game on Fox Sports West 2 already had started in earnest. Eighteen crew members were uncoiling cables, uncrating cameras and winding wires around the grass field to transform the otherwise unassuming piece of land into a temporary outdoor TV studio.

Within a few hours, there'd be 30 members of the production team on site, including announcers Jim Watkins and John Jackson. And when the game ends at about 10 p.m., they'll all disappear in about an hour.

(Actually, Pacific Bell workers were there the day before to install additional phone lines and set up the transmitter equipment for Fox's production).

A group of students from a P.E. class jog around the track at about 2 p.m., but otherwise don't notice the casually dressed technical folk unless they have to hurdle over a wire or avoid a forklift. Only the sheep and chickens penned across the way that belonged to the school's Future Farmers of America club seemed to be making noise about what was going on.

``In a lot of ways, this set-up is more interesting to watch than before a Lakers or Dodgers game,'' said Micah King, the game's producer who looks no older than one of the Canoga Park High students.

King, a 27-year-old Long Beach State grad, has been working on the Fox Sports pregame shows for the Lakers and Dodgers, where all the trucks have to do is pull in, plug in and do a show. King appreciates the opportunity to do a live sporting event, which is what he aspires to do as a full-time career.

The reason this comes off looking like a college-quality telecast on TV has a lot to do with the equipment put into these shows by Fox, in its second year of a deal with the CIF to televise a football game of the week.

If ratings for these games appear as nothing more than a blip on the cable ratings radar, it serves many purposes for Fox to do them. It's file footage of local stars who eventually go on to play for USC or UCLA and can be used on either school's half-hour sports shows. Games are picked up on satellite dishes by recruiters as well as media members who vote in national polls. Even a live game, like the Mater Dei-De La Salle contest earlier this year, is of interest to the Fox Bay Area regional outlet.

And, as was the case Thursday night, it fills a programming void. Before the NBA lockout, a Clippers game had been penciled, which would have forced the El Camino Real-Taft game to a delayed broadcast. Instead, high school football went live.

King, who has rotated this season on the FSW2 high school football game of the week with John Heffner and Dave Frederick, knows this is just as much a hands-on experience for him as it is for much of the crew manning the cameras and loading the graphics.

``None of us are the front-line guys,'' said King without sounding condescending. ``Everyone here has had limited experience, so this really is learning on the job.''

Technical director Ismael Soto finds the most interesting part of these games is when high school students come by during the telecast to look in the truck at all the monitors, or talk to the cameramen about what they do.

``The students love to poke around; it's just like getting job information for them,'' said Soto, who has worked on half the games this season. ``These schools bend over backward to help us out anyway. Many go beyond the call of duty.''

Added King: ``I never had this kind of access when I was in high school. All I ever saw was the big truck outside. I never knew what was in it.''

Or, how one of those rigs could ever make it through a narrow gate on a high-school campus.

SOUND BYTES

By Tom Hoffarth E-mail: sptmediaaol.com

WHAT SMOKES

NFL profiteer Michael Ovitz comes off as a ``very compelling, bright, charming guy who has a vision and a reputation for making dreams happen,'' said reporter Tom Murray, whose two-part interview with the man trying to bring football to Carson airs during the new episode of ``Goin' Deep'' magazine show for Fox Sports Net (airing on Fox Sports West at 9 p.m. Sunday).

New Jersey Nets never-at-a-loss-for-worry forward Jayson Williams and teammate Keith Van Horn are guests tonight (11:30 p.m.) on HBO's ``Chris Rock Show'' to talk about the NBA labor situation. On CBS' ``Late Show'' with David Letterman on Wednesday, Williams blurted out about NBA commissioner David Stern: ``Good guy, great guy, brilliant guy, but did you see his new beard? Here goes a 5-foot-2 inch Jewish guy, right, sitting across the table from 7-foot black guys from the ghetto and he's cutting off their million dollar checks every month - and he thinks he's scaring them with that beard. You got to come better than that Dave.''

NBA players have been muttering about a boycott of NBC and Turner during the lockout, calling them co-conspirators since both TV networks will soon pay the owners rights fees even with canceled games. To which Dick Schaap said on ESPN's ``The Sports Reporters'': ``Does this mean Michael Jordan is no longer going to confide in Ahmad Rashad? How are we going to get Michael's innermost thoughts with Ahmad's probing questions? How will journalism survive?''

Mike Lupica's show on ESPN2 has been canceled, reportedly because of low ratings, high production costs and the fear his ego would implode with the coming of High Definition Television.

WHAT CHOKES

Speaking of Ahmad: NBC's ``NBA Inside Stuff'' shows the fallout of no player participation. On Saturday's show, for example, the ``inside stuff'' is about Lakers trainer Gary Vitti, a gym dedication to WNBA star Lisa Leslie, pieces on new Sacramento assistant coach Byron Scott and new Milwaukee head coach George Karl, plus a retrospective on the career of Washington GM Wes Unseld.Calm down, kids. Your folks can tape it for you if you miss it.

Terry Bradshaw's beard.

Fox announced it will buy $2 million worth of additional TV advertising to promote its Fox Sports News cable show. As if this idea hasn't crossed their minds - take that cash and bring over Keith Olbermann.

By the way, Fox Sports News has yet to hire a studio analyst to replace Craig Simpson, who split last summer to become a CBC-TV analyst in Canada. Cammi Granato, Jim Fox and the Kings' Russ Courtnall have been substituting so far. Suggestion: Take the Kings' Ray Ferraro. Please. The 34-year-old has done it before on ESPN and has been fighting off injuries the past few seasons. And it would give the team a break by not having someone take penalties in key situations.

NBC, the edgiest sports network on TV, has come up with an unusual concept to air this summer called the ``Gravity Games,'' featuring 11 ``adrenaline-based'' sports including biking, inline skating, street luge, wakeboarding . . . hey, if you're thinking this is just a knockoff of ESPN's wildly successful ``X-Games,'' well, you're WRONG. ``We're always looking for exciting new programming concepts,'' said NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol, who apparently doesn't have cable.

WHAT SMOKED ON LOCAL TV

The top 10 Nielsen-rated sports events (with their share numbers) on L.A. television from Oct. 29-Nov. 4:

Event Date Station Rt/Sh.x

NFL: San Francisco-Green Bay 11/1 Fox 16.2/35

NFL: Dallas-Philadelphia 11/2 KABC 14.5/24

NFL: Denver-Cincinnati 11/1 KCBS 9.2/22

NFL: Oakland-Seattle 11/1 ESPN 7.6/13

NFL: Minnesota-Tampa Bay 11/1 Fox 6.8/16

NCAA: Washington-USC 10/31 KABC 6.0/16

NCAA: Stanford-UCLA 10/31 FX 3.7/8

Tour Golf championship 10/31 KABC 2.9/6

NCAA: Baylor-Notre Dame 10/31 KNBC 2.7/8

Tour Golf championship 11/1 KABC 2.3/5

Note: Fox Sports West 2's ``Clipper Classic'' on 11/1 had a 0.2 rating.

x-One rating point equals 50,092 TV homes in Los Angeles; a share is the percentage of all the TV sets in use at that time.

CAPTION(S):

2 Boxes

Box: (1) SOUND BYTES (See Text)

World Poker Tour[R] Season VII Premiers January 4 on Fox Sports Net. - China Weekly News

WPT Enterprises (NASDAQ:WPTE) and Fox Sports Net (FSN) announced the World Poker Tour[R] (WPT) Season VII television schedule, debuting the first of 26 action-packed episodes on January 4, 2009 during FSNEs Sunday Night Sports Block. Rounding out the sports lineup on FSN, WPT joins the ranks of Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association.

oFSN is pleased to be the new home of the WPT, the foremost brand in televised poker,o said George Greenberg, FSN Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. oThis season promises the biggest names, the highest stakes and the most drama and we are very excited to watch all the action unfold.o

Season VIIEs new one-hour, two-part format continues to provide sports-style analysis and high-stakes hands from WPTEs world-renowned tournaments. Season VII also gives viewers a front-row seat to watch poker history, anticipating such milestones as the $400 million mark for prize money awarded and the 100th WPT Poker-Made Millionaire crowned. Fans will also see many familiar faces back at the final table, including WPT Season IV Player of the Year Gavin Smith, Mike oThe Moutho Matusow and David othe Dragono Pham.

oNot only are we excited to bring our seventh season to the airwaves, weEre ecstatic to be a part of one of the leading networks for sports, FSN,o said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President, and CEO. oTogether, WPT and FSN continue to bring the action into living rooms and put fans on the edge of their seats.o

Hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten are back to call the action, while a new faceuWPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leathermanujoins the team to conduct sideline interviews. The action is recorded from the most prestigious gaming destinations on the WPT circuit: Bellagio in Las Vegas, The Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont., Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, and Bay 101 in San Jose, Calif.

All 26 Season VII episodes airing on FSN are sponsored by FullTiltPoker.netO, one of the leading websites in poker instruction. Additionally, Southwest Airlines returns as the Official Airline of the World Poker Tour.

In addition to airing WPT action, FSN is also the network home for ClubWPT.com. Viewers can catch all ten ClubWPT.com episodes during a TV marathon airing Christmas Day on FSN.

In early January, WPT will launch a channel finder on www.WorldPokerTour.com, giving fans easy access to the full World Poker Tour and ClubWPT.com TV schedules on FSN, including show times and channels in your area. About WPT Enterprises, Inc. WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:WPTE) is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. WPTE has led innovation in the sport of poker since 2003, when it ignited the global poker boom with the creation of the World Poker Tour[R] (WPT) television show. Based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments, WPT is now broadcast globally and will premiere its all-new seventh season on Fox Sports NetEs national sports network in the United States in 2009. WPTE also offers a unique online subscription and sweepstakes-based poker club, ClubWPT.com, which operates in 38 states across the U.S. Additionally, WPTE owns and operates WPT China, a multi-media company based in Beijing specializing in television production, online and mobile games supporting the WPT China National Traktor Poker TourO. WPTE has a 10-year exclusive partnership with the China Leisure Sports Administrative Center to market and build the sport of poker in China. WPTE also participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. For more information, visit www.worldpokertour.com. (WPTEG) ABOUT FOX SPORTS NETWORK FSN is the nationEs leading provider of local sports. FSNEs 19 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 80 million homes across the U.S. FSN serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. FSN also produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 1,600 in high definition. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football.

Keywords: WPT Enterprises.

Fox Sport Net is out to provide something 'Xtra' - Chicago Sun-Times

Not long ago, all the local network affiliates had Sunday nightsports shows following their 10 o'clock newscasts that were must-seeTV for any sports fans interested in the day's action.

But now, of the three traditional network affiliates, only WMAQ-Channel 5 has a Sunday night sports show. WGN-Channel 9 and Fox-32have solid Sunday night shows, but ESPN has become the destinationfor more and more fans looking for comprehensive coverage.

Fox Sports Net, though, is hoping to change that, at least duringthe baseball season. The all-sports network debuted 'Chicago BaseballXtra' two weeks ago with hopes that it will become appointmentviewing for Cubs and White Sox fans.

'We feel like it's a good opportunity,' said Don Graham, the vicepresident of programming and production for FSN. 'With what's goingon with local news, this is a very good alternative to that. If youwant to know what's going on with each team and what's coming up,this is the place to be.'

The half-hour show, which will run every Sunday at 10 p.m.throughout the baseball season, will recap the past week and lookahead to the upcoming week for the Cubs and Sox. Game analysts SteveStone and Darrin Jackson will provide reports on their respectiveteams, but most of the analysis on the show will be provided instudio by Joe Girardi and Ron Kittle.

For Girardi, this is his first year of retirement, and he sayshe's excited about starting a broadcasting career. Besides his workwith 'Chicago Baseball Xtra,' Girardi will do analysis on 25 gamesand make up to 15 studio appearances for the Yankees' YES Network.

'I like doing games because you're more involved,' said Girardi,who still lives in the Chicago area. 'But I like being involved withthe [FSN] show because it gives me an excuse to watch both the Cubsand the Sox.'

Kittle, who won't manage the Schaumburg Flyers this season, viewshis role on the show as a way to stay in the game.

'I'm looking to get back into baseball next season as a manager ora coach,' he said.

'Chicago Baseball Xtra' is fast-paced and crams a lot into 30minutes. There's little doubt the show will have a big impact ifeither (or both) the Cubs or Sox are involved in a pennant race laterin the season.

'I think the show is going to be a destination for Chicagobaseball fans,' Graham said. 'You'll get more information than anyother place.'

FULL ACCESS: Viewers who watched ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball'between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres last weeknoticed a significant change this season for national telecasts.During the game, the ESPN broadcast team of Jon Miller and Joe Morganhad a brief conversation with Giants manager Felipe Alou, andreporter Sam Ryan also interviewed each starting pitcher shortlyafter they left the game.

'Baseball has worked with its broadcast partners lately to enhancethe broadcasts,' Fox Sports president Ed Goren said. 'The new thingis making players available. If a pitcher throws seven innings andallows just one run, it's a nice element ... to have an interviewwith him before the game ends.'

Said Fox Sports chairman David Hill: 'I firmly expect we'll seemore of that in the coming years. As we move forward, I think theplayers will make themselves available. I see the wall coming downgreatly.'

It didn't seem that long ago that Goren and Hill were ticked atcommissioner Bud Selig for blowing off an interview with Fox afterthe 2002 All-Star Game, but both credit Selig with innovativethinking to make the broadcasts more attractive for fans.

BIG DEAL: The timing of Barry Bonds' 660th home run Monday wasuncanny. On 'Pardon the Interruption,' Tony Kornheiser and MichaelWilbon said the mark wasn't that significant and that ESPN -- thenetwork their show is on -- was making too much of it.

Minutes later, ESPN interrupted PTI to show a Bonds at-bat live.Bonds went deep to tie Willie Mays for third on the all-time list. Itwas a dramatic moment, and I'm sure viewers around the country werehappy ESPN showed it live.

When PTI resumed, Kornheiser and Wilbon still weren't impressedand didn't change their positions.

I love PTI, but they both missed the boat on this one. The momentwas significant for this reason: For 30 years, the top three on theall-time homer list were Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays. Nowyou have to add Bonds to that list.

Fox Pan American Sports establishes its first HD platform on the Intelsat network.(CONTRACTS) - Wireless Satellite and Broadcasting Newsletter

Intelsat, Ltd., a provider of fixed satellite services and the first global satellite operator to provide international digital transmissions of high-definition (HD) content, announced that Fox Pan American Sports, one of the world's largest Spanish-language sports programming ventures, will launch its new HD channel on the Intelsat network. Fox Pan American Sports signed a multi-year contract for capacity on Intelsat's IS-805 satellite, located at 55.5 degrees W, to distribute its HD programming throughout Latin America.

Fox Pan American Sports delivers Fox Sports in Latin America and Fox Sports en Espanol reaching over 37 million households throughout the Americas.

These networks transmit first-class live event programming that includes the NFL, MLB, Formula 1, Barclays English Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, and the two largest and most prestigious soccer tournaments in Latin America--the Copa Santander Libertadores and the Copa Nissan Sudamericana.

'Latin America is a large territory with passionate sports fans who demand to watch their favorite local and international teams throughout the year. We are committed to finding new ways to deliver the best and most diverse sports programming to our loyal viewers.

Our single platform HD rollout through Intelsat's IS-805 satellite will set a new standard in live event sports programming in Latin America that will significantly benefit all our viewers,' said Jim Ganley, COO for Fox Pan American Sports.

'We have enjoyed a long relationship with Intelsat and we are confident that its heritage in HD delivery will ensure our loyal viewers receive the highest quality programming from Fox Sports.'

'Sports continue to lead in the proliferation of HD and we are now witnessing a growing demand for such HD programming in Latin America,' said Carmen Gonzalez-Sanfeliu, Intelsat's Vice President, Latin America & Caribbean. 'We will continue to build our HD neighborhoods in order to ensure efficient, high value distribution for our customers, meeting their business growth objectives.'

Fox unveils news channel lineup; will feature 16 hours of live programming daily.(Fox News Channel) - Broadcasting & Cable

Will feature J6 hours of live programing daily

Fox News Channel will feature 16 hours of live programing weekdays when the network debuts to an estimated 12 million homes on Oct. 7.

Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes said at an unveiling of the network's programing lineup in New York on Sept. 4 that the company will be spending 'north of $100 million' on the planned service. He said it is hard to project how many subscribers will be needed to break even but that conventional wisdom in the cable industry generally puts the figure at 25 million. FNC also will look to expand distribution internationally, he said.

Ailes declined to discuss specifics on the advertising front. He said, however, that executives at the cable operation are in talks with Fox Broadcasting's Jon Nesvig, president of sales, about possible joint sales efforts. Ailes said there will be no infomercials on the new network.

A key element of FNC will be live news updates every half-hour around the clock. The news channel will start the day with continuous news updates (6-9 a.m. ET) and switch to an hour newswheel format from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Throughout the entire 6 a.m.-5 p.m. time period, FNC will provide updated news reports each half hour, followed by 20 minute segments focusing on a single topic (health, entertainment, business, culture, religion, crime, travel, psychology and politics).

Early evening and prime time hours will be filled with hour blocks of news programing hosted by key network personalities Neil Cavuto (formerly with CNBC's Market Wrap); former Inside Edition anchor Bill O'Reilly; Fox News political correspondent Mike Schneider; Catherine Crier (formerly with ABC and CNN), and conservative radio commentator Sean Hannity (alongside a yet-to-be-named liberal counterpart). During the overnight period (10 p.m.-6 a.m.) the network will feature repeat programing with news updates.

FNC weekend programing will include a mix of repeats and such originals as call-in show Pet News (Saturday, 9-11 a.m.); Fox on Sports (Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon); Fox on Medicine (Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.); archival series Fox Movietone News (Saturday, 1-2 p.m.); call-in show Money News Now (3-5 p.m.); Cavuto on Business (Saturday, 6 p.m.), and That Regan Woman, with publishing executive Judith Regan (Saturday and Sunday, 9-10 p.m.).

FNC already has 400 staffers in place, representing about 90% of the full team, said Ailes, adding that only one or two more anchors will be hired and that those discussions are drawing to a close.

Ailes, formerly a conservative campaign strategist and producer of The Rush Limbaugh Show, also provided a glimpse of the editorial thinking behind the planned news channel. He said that FNC will seek a balance that often is lacking in TV news. Citing a recent example, he said that reporters repeatedly have asked presidential candidate Bob Dole how he will pay for his proposed 15% tax cut, but they have failed to ask President Clinton how he will pay for his proposed social programs.

Ailes said he also is emphasizing to his reporters that being first with a story is not everything. He asked them last week to watch a videotape of the distraught mother of suspected (but never charged) Atlanta Olympics bomber Richard Jewell and to put themselves in her shoes.

'There's too much of a quickness in TV news to find black hats and white hats,' Ailes said. 'It's important to be fast, but it's even more important to be fair.'

Ailes was hesitant to predict any shakeout among a growing list of news services that ranges from established player CNN to newcomer network MSNBC. 'There may be room for five or six,' Ailes said. 'We don't know.'

FOX NEWS CHANNEL

ANOTHER FOX SPORTS OUTLET? IT'S YOUR CALL : THE 4TH ANNUAL BEST AND WORST OF THE L.A. SPORTS MEDIA SPORTS ANCHORS/REPORTERS.(SPORTS) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Tom Hoffarth

The billboards, bus signs, commercials and scrolls across the bottom of a screen during those Lakers telecasts try to keep the message simple:

Fox Sports West 2 is coming.

Call your cable operator.

Or call your satellite dish provider.

Or don't, and see what happens.

With the Jan. 27 launch date just more than a week away, Fox Sports West's anticipation has turned into frustration. Southern California cable operators don't seem to find any urgency to add this - or any other sports-related channel - at this time.

There are some 175 cable systems in Los Angeles, San Diego, Arizona and Hawaii that currently carry Fox Sports West, which in November changed names from Prime Sports. Of that, Fox has targeted about 150 systems that service 2-1/2 million subscribers for FSW2 because the focus will be live local coverage.

At this point, the San Fernando Valley's two largest cable operators show no signs of being on board for the start. CVI in the West Valley, which is owned by Fox rival Time Warner, and TCI in the East Valley are among the holdouts. Two biggies in the greater L.A. area - Continental and Century - are also noncommittal.

``We're somewhat baffled why the cable operators don't all seem to want this channel immediately,'' Fox Sports spokesman Vince Wladaka said, trying to launch a preemptive strike.

With the ongoing battle for cable space among sports-content channels like ESPNEWS, CNN-SI, Classic Sports, Outdoor Life and Speedworld - and some systems haven't even added ESPN2 and fX yet - Fox Sports West 2 would seem to have a heavyweight fight on its hands.

Except FSW2 feels it has a home-court advantage.

The Kings, Lakers and Angels will stay on FSW along with the Pac-10 national package. FSW2 programming will focus on:

A 40-game Dodgers package starting in April. It's the team's first non-pay cable package ever, considered to be the big ticket seller for the new channel. FSW2 will likely use Vin Scully on play-by-play.

The Ducks, Clippers, UCLA and USC, which immediately leave FSW and move next door. UCLA fans, in particular, have been vocal about not being able to watch basketball games when the team has been on fX.

A weekly high school game with Tom Kelly and Michael Cooper - the focus at this point on prep basketball heading into the playoffs. Harvard-Westlake is bound to make several appearances in the next few months.

At 4 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday, there's the seventh and eighth races live from Santa Anita. When the meeting changes, they'll go to Hollywood Park.

A weekday morning schedule that includes a simulcast of XTRA-AM's morning radio show with Steve Mason and John Ireland.

Logically, local programming should win out. Logic doesn't always navigate a cable system.

Finances are the first concern. A new channel will charge the cable system a certain fee, based on the number of subscribers. The last move a system wants to make in the public relations department is raising monthly rates. FCC regulations only allow rates to be raised once a year.

Fox Sports West has tried to sidestep that hurdle, practically offering FSW2 for free to operators just to get the ball rolling. It has also offered incentives to sign up by Jan. 27.

Channel capacity is another factor. The cable box may show a bunch of unused channels, but there's a reason. The operators may not have caught up with the technology to use them all. So most won't add a channel unless it drops another, and they can't drop a channel without a 30-day notice to the customers.

Then there's office politics.

The Time Warner-owned systems recently fell into the control of media maverick Ted Turner, and have been at odds recently with News Corp., the Rupert Murdoch-run ship that includes all the Fox Sports properties.

The marketing slogan ``call your local cable operator'' also has hot and cold effects. The campaign for a national sports channel launch might last a month or so. The cable operators' strategy has been to wait it out. As the newness of the channel wears off, viewers discover it wasn't that essential after all.

With FSW2, there will be live games nightly, year-round. The ``newness'' will never wear off.

And there's the theory that cable operators actually become so perturbed by a barrage of phone calls, they'll purposely not put on the channel. It happens.

So what makes more dollars and sense? You'll probably have to call your cable company to find out.

In case of emergency - specifically, the cable goes out - use the following information to help navigate through the black hole of local sportscasters who can, for what it's worth, come in with a decent pair of Radio Shack rabbit ears:

THE TOP 3 WHO WOULD NEVER CONFUSE THE SUPERMARKET ``GLOBE'' WITH THE BOSTON GLOBE

1. Tom Murray, KCAL-Channel 9: When he wears a press credential, it's not for access to the media buffet. A consistently hard-working, fact-finding journalist who just happens to be on television.

2. Bill Seward, KCBS-Channel 2: One of these days, he won't be thought of as the city's most overlooked sports anchor. By then, he'll be working at ESPN.

3. John Ireland, KCAL-Channel 9: There's a reason why the newcomer made the cut and long-timer Gary Cruz didn't during a recent employee evaluation by the new ownership. Ireland earns his paychecks.

THE TOP 5 WHO AT LEAST HAVE A REPUTATION AS ``NICE GUYS'' GOING FOR 'EM

1. Ed Arnold, KTLA-Channel 5: One of the few who realizes his self-importance isn't all that important.

2. Tony Hernandez, KCOP-Channel 13: Keeps re-inventing himself.

3. Rick Garcia, KTTV-Channel 11: Fox's NFL package has increased his exposure and he's making the best of it, ``90210'' sideburns and all.

4. Rory Markas, KCBS-Channel 2: This weekend gig gives him more exposure than doing Clippers games on radio.

5. Rob Fukuzaki, KABC-Channel 7: It's a shame he's the only Asian-American sports anchor in this melting pot.

THE TOP 2 WHO'VE MILKED THIS FOR ALL IT'S WORTH AND HAVE NO REASON TO LEAVE

1. Stu Nahan, KTLA Channel 5: ``Mr. Good Guy'' continues to be the model employee in the station's ``Exploit the Elderly'' program.

2. Jim Hill, KCBS-Channel 2: Don King could lure him away someday for another pay-per-view heist - maybe as a greeter for a Las Vegas hotel - but Hill can do better to stay here as something of a role model to the African-American broadcast hopefuls. Or, just find a way to do both.

THE TOP 3 MISCAST WEATHERMEN WHO SHOULD BE DOING ``STORMWATCH '97'' UPDATES

1. Fred Roggin, KNBC-Channel 4: He perfected the airborne virus that eventually created an outbreak of vidiot savants. Unfortunately, that contribution to mankind can get lost in a sea of producers, writers, technicians, video editors, makeup artists, hair stylists, tailors, dentists and accountants. Freddy actually had a chance to break free for some ``news'' reporting during the '96 Summer Games in Atlanta. As was NBC's coverage, Roggin was plausibly believable.

2. Todd Donoho, KABC-Channel 7: As if his act on ``Monday Night Live!'' doesn't expose him as a sports trivia game-show host crying out for help, he's hanging onto the Cinderella story of how Pat Sajak once took a hike from local master forecaster to ``Wheel of Fortune'' megastar.

3. Randy Kerdoon, KTTV-Channel 11: Fritz Coleman.

THE TOP 1 WE'RE HOLDING JUDGMENT ON

1. Newy Scruggs, KCOP-Channel 13: He's got a new half-hour show debuting Sunday called ``Talking About Sports'' (9:30 p.m.) The premise, like the title, is simple: Have a live guest, take phone calls, and spotlight L.A. athletes - pro, college and preps. What a novel idea.

THE TOP 2 WHO CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED

1. Carlos Del Valle, KNBC-Channel 4: If the new television ratings were applied to sportscasts, Del Valle's appearances would be ``TV-Y.'' As in: Why won't someone help him on the pronunciation of simple names, teams, places and things? And why does his immediate superior (F. Roggin) keep him around? Maybe to feel immediately superior?

2. Rick Lozano, KABC-Channel 7: He got into the business in a strange way. They were giving out random-priority wristbands for ``Monday Night Live,'' and he got in the wrong line. It was the one for ``Desperately Seeking Sportscaster.'' Too bad Gary Cruz, Artie Ojeda or Gary Apple aren't around to pad his fall.

THE NOT-FOR-L.A. ONLY LINEUP

Fox Sports News might be anchored in Hollywood, but it's by no means an L.A.-only tugboat. All eight Fox cable affiliates glean regional and national info from the ``SportsCenter''-type show. Because of its local sparkle and the chance to break a story relating to one of our local teams (it helps that Jim Harrick's son works there), we're all set to rank the Fox Sports Newsies, whose primary function is to narrate over the fuzzy-grade highlight tapes without getting smothered in the set decorations:

1. Craig Simpson: His slashing NHL analysis has been the surprise hit of the recently launched show.

2. Jeannie Zelasko: The one place safe from her launching into an explanation on how Kevis smothers out the male testerone that causes hair loss.

3. James Worthy: How smooth was the live interview he did last week with Lakers newcomer Robert Horry? He's worthy.

4. Alan Massengale: Always seems one sentence away from hopping on the desk and breaking out in ``On The Good Ship Lollipop.''

5. Suzy Kolber: A quick fashion tip: Before you go to New Orleans as part of Fox's Super Bowl coverage, have wardrobe burn all those Donna Karan retro-Avon lady leisure suits. Maybe they're in style, but on you, it's visually distracting and highly unflattering for someone lucky enough to escape the X-Games.

6. Dewayne Ballen: On the ball.

7. Kevin Frazier: Jim Rome's former fX sidekick has a nice presence.

8. Ken Walls: Played Jack Palance's stunt double in ``City Slickers 2.''

9. Randy Sparage: He's cut down on his Poor Boy sandwiches. He's still the poor man's Chris Berman.

10. Tom Kirkland: Like the Borg in ``Star Trek,'' resistence to him is futile. But it's absolutely necessary.

This is the second of a four-part annual ratings of the best and worst of L.A. sports media. Next week: The play-by-play broadcasters.

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FOX RACE COVERAGE FINDS POTHOLES.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH Media

Eventually, it'll happen. It has to. Remember, this is a Fox production.

If not during Sunday's whoop-de-dooed coverage of the Daytona 500, then sometime soon thereafter, Fox will have figured out how to make the lead car on the race track glow like an old hockey puck.

That, and much more in the way of audio, graphics, rolling ticker, camera angles and Darrell ``Jaws'' Waltrip's insight is what to expect when the network-with-a-'tude takes over NASCAR coverage to start a major- league-level, six-year, $2.4 billion commitment it shares with NBC.

Although one of the story lines at Daytona this week has been how the new Dodge cars will do, the question from the TV side is how Fox will dodge controversy with its new broadcast partners.

``Will the cars glow?'' lead race announcer Mike Joy repeated. ``It's not a question of if but when. We may not have it for Daytona, but we are looking at technology where you can push a car number button up in the booth, and it will put a colored halo around that car for a couple of seconds.

``It may sound a little awkward, it may look a little awkward at first. But that's a lot better than using a telestrator and drawing a circle around a car, because by the time you finish drawing the circle, the car's not in it anymore.''

The so-called Super Bowl of NASCAR - we prefer to call it The Big Race at the Beginning - might not be the best place to road test something like a glowing car.

Although the Fox commercial blurb for its NASCAR coverage is ``motor sports as you know it will change forever,'' neither Fox Sports chairman David Hill nor Fox Sports executive producer will throw anything out there if it isn't ready for visual irritation. But that's what the network has been monkeying with for the last week and a half at Daytona.

It used the Bud Shootout last Sunday, the Twin 125 event Thursday and will include the NAPA 300 Saturday as live-event warmups before Sunday's race coverage starts at 8:30 a.m.

Compared to when Fox leapt into coverage of the NFL, Major League Baseball or the NHL over the last seven years, Goren calls gathering talent from CBS, ESPN and its own garage for this motor sports project is ``bigger than anything we have ever done. . . . I think this is the most complicated and difficult launch in the short history of Fox Sports. This is like launching an Olympics for the first time. You compound all of that by making your first broadcast the Super Bowl of the sport.''

Hill, who says he wants Fox to ``explain the mystery of the sport'' with its coverage, says he's most ``stoked'' about the sound enhancements, especially designed to occasionally let viewers hear the race for several laps without broadcasters twangin' and yammerin' over it. The segments, which Fox will has called ``Crank It Up'' and showed off a few times on its Twin 125s coverage Thursday on Fox Sports Net, might be dangerous to your living room's health.

``If you have surround-sound, that's the time to just watch your windows because they could be shattering in the process,'' Hill boasted.

And that's even without Jimmy Kimmel.

--It's their turn: Part of the Fox strategy for covering NASCAR will be putting events on Fox Sports Net and FX cable channels, including magazine shows. Some cable systems don't have either, so the plan in Murdochland is that this will cause NASCAR fans to raise a ruckus.

Fox plans to put the May 5 race from Richmond, Va., and the June 10 race from Michigan on cable. Thursday's Twin 125 races were on Fox Sports Net.

An added element to Fox's ownership rights is that ESPN gets shut out on credentials for its ``RPM 2Night'' show, which is viewed as a competitor to Fox's new ``Totally NASCAR'' magazine-type show. ESPN can cover NASCAR events now only through ``SportsCenter'' news reporting, but even that has been spotty this week.

Kind of a tough spot for ESPN, which helped the sport become a corporate giant with its coverage through the '80s and '90s before the Fox-NBC deal. Small consolation is that ESPN has been allowed to keep the 24-event NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which begins with today's live telecast from Daytona at 8 a.m.

--Minor controversy: What Hill refers to as a ``storm in a carburator'' - Fox's decision in last Sunday's Bud Shootout to reveal the names of some car sponsors during pre-race intros but leave out others who didn't buy advertising time on the broadcast - has been resolved.

Fox won't do it anymore. Enough said.

``When (NASCAR) revealed the amount of angst it caused, we took time to think about it and realized we're in a marathon, not a sprint,'' said Hill. ``Frankly, it was only a 20-second thing in a three-hour telecast. We were just trying to give a bump to the people who backed us.''

The policy at Fox hasn't changed as far as identifying racers and cars - it's name and number. Neither ABC nor CBS made it a practice to refer to drivers or cars by their primary sponsors because, frankly, it's too wordy.

The analogy from race director Arnie Kemptner: ``In an NFL game, we don't say, `Gosh, did you see Ray Lewis with that Riddell helmet and the Nike shoes, knock the crap out of that guy?' ''

Then again, if it means mentioning Mark Martin's No. 6 Viagra-sponsored car, maybe it's best to leave the Fox attitude in the pits.

--Gearing up: The History Channel, which has sponsored Busch Series cars in recent years, has a two-hour special (Saturday, 8 p.m.) called ``The History of Stock Car Racing'' that takes the sport from its bad-boy bootleg-running beginnings through the corporate-sponsored monster it has become.

Not glossed over are the several key driver deaths that have occured over the 50-plus years of organized racing. Commentary from Junior Johnson, Buddy Baker and former ABC pit reporter Chris Economacki move the show along at a quick, but effective pace.

Waltrip, who retired from racing last year to join the Fox team, also says on the documentary: ``It's a beautiful art form when it's done right. Driving a car the way it's supposed to be when the driver uses his head and not his foot . . . it's a beautiful thing to see a car go around a race track.''

Afterward, Fox Sports Net's latest segment of ``Beyond the Glory'' (Sunday, 9 p.m.) looks at the Petty racing family.

SOUND BYTES

WHAT SMOKES

--Reporting on the so-called Anna Kournikova computer virus that was infecting computer e-mail this week, KABC Channel 7 sportscaster Bill Weir announced on Monday's newscast, ``Every night we'll show you a clear picture of Anna, that way you get your daily intake and it won't jeopardize your files.'' Weir, however, said Thursday he discontinued the practice since ``they found a cure for the virus,'' plus, the story just kinda died a natural death. But we appreciate the effort.

--And from Fox Sports Net's Van Earl Wright on the subject: ``If you need to know just how lethal an Anna Kournikova virus can be, ask Pavel Bure or Sergei Fedorov.''

-- If any publicity is good publicity, NBC must be pleased with what its own are saying about the XFL. On a recent ``Late Night'' with Conan O'Brien, the host quipped about the ratings dip from week one to week two: ``I have to put the right spin on this because I'm also on NBC - apparently, it went through the toilet.'' Bob ``ME HATE XFL'' Costas, a guest on the show Tuesday night, added this observation: ``It has to be at least a decade since I first mused out loud, 'Why doesn't somebody combine mediocre high school football with a tawdry strip club?' Finally, somebody takes my idea and runs with it.''

WHAT CHOKES

--If Lifetime can squeeze in WNBA programming, why can't The Food Network feast on the NBA? Because, it's just stupid. Sunday at 9 p.m., a semi-regular show called ``NBA Cafe': Eat To Win'' with host/chef Bobby Flay reports to ``go behind the scenes with players'' to reveal what foods fuel them. First off: Shaquille O'Neal and his personal chef, Thomas Gosney, who supposedly makes the perfect club sandwich. Nice idea, but we see more harm than good with this considering this country's citizens' obsession with stuffing their faces. Potential shows could be ``Shawn Kemp's Dieting for Dummies,'' an hour-long program that includes a 55-minute nap; ``Calories In The Key,'' with former NBA foodaholic John ``Hot Plate'' Williams and his postplaying career as a sampler for a catering service, and, dare we even propose it, ``The Butt-Naked Chef'' with Dennis Rodman.

--Attention to ESPN ``SportsCenter'' anchors: The ESPYs are over. Stop referring to them. Jack Nicklaus, named to captain the President's Cup team Thursday, didn't cap off his week with the honor just because he was the ESPY lifetime winner on Monday.

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Photo: no caption (Shaquille O'Neal and personal chef Thomas Gosney)

Fox Sports' Spanish Net To Televise World Series.(Fox Sports World Espanol)(Brief Article) - Multichannel News

In a major coup for cable, Fox Sports World Espanol will offer live, Spanish-language telecasts of Major League Baseball's playoff and World Series games, starting this season.

The deal marks the first time a cable network has had live access to the Fall Classic; the Fox television network has exclusive broadcast rights to the games.

It's also Fox Sports World's inaugural telecast of a major event from a U.S. professional sports league. The network has telecast baseball games from Latin America and the Dominican Republic. Fox Sports World Espanol has about 2.2 million cable subscribers.

'We're pleased that Fox is willing to provide this service to the Spanish-speaking community,' Fox Sports World Espanol general manager Larry Gillman said.

Gillman anticipates that the deal will help expand distribution for his service.

'If this doesn't make us a must-carry service, it takes us pretty close to that point,' he said.

While Fox will continue to offer the Spanish Audio Production (SAP) feeds for its telecasts, Fox Sports World will produce its own telecasts and provide its own play-by-play announcers and analysts. The cable network, however, will most likely use Fox's live video feed, Gillman said.

'We will piggyback on Fox's technical signals, but we will have our own production crew and provide programming exclusive for our Spanish-speaking audience,' he said. 'This allows us to tailor the games to our audience so that we can focus on the players and storylines that are most interesting to our viewers.'

While the network will put 'as many resources as we can get' behind the marketing of the telecasts, neither Fox Sports World nor Fox Sports executives believe the Spanish-language version will harm the ratings for Fox's World Series broadcasts.

Fox Sports Net. - Broadcasting & Cable

With its 22 regional channels reaching 62 million homes, Fox Sports Net continues to expand. Already the sports cable network has outgrown its current Los Angeles and Houston facilities and is in the midst of a major overhaul of both of its operations centers to help support future growth. While Fox has already bought some major equipment for the facilities, Fox Sports Net's Vice President of Technical Operations, Mark Coleman, will have his hands full at this year's NAB.

The network is planning to move into a new Los Angeles master control center by September 1999 and will be expanding its Houston operation, which is expected to be up and running by December. Communications Engineering, Inc., a Newington, Va.-based systems integration firm, is building both facilities.

The two upgraded plants are 601 serial digital component and are based around Sony's Betacam SX format and Tektronix 256x256 routing. They will house all of the master control operations for Fox Sports Net and its regional cable channels, as well as for FX,

Fox Sports Net's new Los Angeles site is around the corner from TCI's National Digital Television Center (NDTC). Since it has a strategic partnership with TCI/Liberty, the sports network plans to move its transmission services from Globecast to NDTC.

Coleman says he hopes to create a seamless interface between the two locations and with its New York partner, Rainbow Media Holdings. Fox Liberty owns 50% of Rainbow Sports, which co-manages several of Fox Sports Net's regional networks.

'We would like to be able to have a virtual network where we could, through our Louth and our HP file servers, call up Los Angeles and Houston and have [the video file] appear at any location,' says Coleman. 'We're also looking to work with some of our providers like HP,' he adds, 'to see how far they have come in their development of WAN connections for our file server technology.'

This year Fox Sports Net has been rolling out its NDS compression system for satellite delivery to cable headends. The headends are equipped with Wegener MPEG-2 based integrated receiver decoders (IRDs).

'Now that we are having all of our product in the digital domain, we would like to be able to look for efficient ways to transport our product across the country for backhaul, says Coleman. 'We will also he looking at delivery systems, whether across land line or satellite, and [using the] efficiencies of the MPEG compression system.'

Compression, he says, has helped the network spend 'the right amount of money in the right place.' Since it began using the NDS 8:1 compression system, Coleman says, Fox Sports Net has turned back seven transponders, and plans to turn back even more transponders this year. Fox Sports Net currently shares 20 transponders with FX and other Fox/Liberty ventures.

Coleman also says he will be looking for digital backhaul services and is interested in seeing what MCI and AT&T have to offer. The network currently uses Vyvx for analog backhaul for live events.

Fox Sports Net uses National Mobile Television's trucks for production. Coleman says he will be looking to see if the company has added anything new to its production units.

Fox Sports also wants to improve its on-air look by adding the latest in broadcast graphics software.

'We use a fair amount of Avid Technology [nonlinear editors], so we need to see how far along they are and to see if there are any new developments in that area,' says Coleman. He will also be looking for software systems that can run regional sports information in the form of a ticker, 'to give it that regional flavor.'

High definition is not among Fox Sports Net's near-term goals. 'As far as I can tell, it's not in our foreseeable future,' Coleman says. 'That's not to say that we won't pick the right time and place to dabble in it.' The network will continue to 'watch the HD phenomenon,' he quickly adds, and upgrade its services whenever the opportunity arises.

FOX SPORTS NET PRIMED TO REVIVE ALL-SPORTS CHANNEL : STATION BREAK WHAT SMOKES.(SPORTS) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Tom Hoffarth

Go ahead and poke your head inside the big doors to see what's going on - just like Shaq, Howie and J.B. do on the commercials.

Stage 2 at the old KTTV news studios over on the Fox lot on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood has been transformed into a 5,000-square-foot sports eye-candyland.

Ceiling-to-floor and wall-to-wall banks of TV monitors. A digital ticker scoreline as big as a Westwood theater marquee. A Forum-sized, state-of-the-art video scoreboard hanging overhead. Watch out for that crane - it's a jib camera in the middle of everything, swooping around like a Tilt-a-Whirl.

Toto, we aren't in ``Press Box'' anymore.

Today, when Fox Sports Net comes crashing through the crepe paper, it'll be whooping it up as more than just having its name changed from Prime Sports.

The all-sports cable channel will be at the same place on the tube. The same guys doing the same games - Lakers, Kings, Ducks, USC, UCLA, Clippers, etc. - are back.

But with a Fox ``new attitude'' injection, which started a year ago when Rupert Murdoch's troops scooped up the regional network to help support the backbone of their other now-famous sports dynasty, viewers should forget what used to be and wonder what's going to come next.

Fox Sports News will be the circus hub of activity for Fox Sports Net, which are the seven regional affiliates - including Fox Sports West - that Murdoch bought at the recent Liberty Sports garage sale.

Along with regionals in the Southwest and Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, the Midwest and the East, there are about 20-million cable homes with access. Most, of course, are already plugged in, so it's not like ESPN trying to shove another new and improved juice bar down your throat.

Robert Banagan, the Fox Net V.P. of News, says the toughest part of all this will be coordinating a nightly live jigsaw puzzle with remotes from arenas across the country for updates of games that the other Fox regionals are covering.

``If you're into this, your 6-to-midnight will be spoken for every night,'' said Banagan, the 33-year-old Val Kilmer look-alike who commands a production crew of nearly 200.

The plan starts with a nightly 6-7 p.m. pregame studio show, hosted by Kevin Frazier with former Lakers star James Worthy to comment on the NBA side and ex-NHL headbanger Craig Simpson (what is it with Fox and ``The Simpsons''?) doing hockey insight. It'll feel much like the over-the-air Fox NFL or major-league baseball studio pregame shows - without anyone nicknamed ``Psycho'' or a relative of Harry Caray.

Then comes the game.

Then comes an immediate wrap-up, a combination of highlight packages but spiced up by live player interviews from the locker room and on-site comments from the broadcast teams. If the game ends at 9:42 p.m., no waiting until 10 p.m. for the news, which will be an intricate process of cutaways and standing-by no one of a faint heart should attempt at home.

The ``Fox attitude'' only goes so far, of course. No glowing Ducks pucks. Chick Hearn's partner on Lakers telecasts has not changed his name to ``L.L. Stu-Pac.'' Although it doesn't hurt that Kings analyst Jimmy Fox has that built-in marketing thing going for him.

In head-to-head competition with ESPN ``SportsCenter'' or CNN's ``Sports Tonight'' - plus the 24-hour all-sports news channels each will have launched by year's end - you'd think this sensory overload would put sports junkies into an optical coma.

``ESPN deserves the respect for how they've defined what sports news has become,'' said Banagan, a former feature producer for ``Baseball Tonight'' on ESPN. ``But we're not real competitors with them. What will motivate a Lakers fan to turn the channel after a game if they can get more in-depth Lakers news from our sources?

``We have to play to our strengths - the teams and the loyalty of the fans. And we have here network-quality TV for regional carriers.''

Alan Massengale, an original ``Press Box'' anchor, co-hosts the 10 p.m. to midnight show with former ESPN2 staffer Suzy Kolber. But the fact that less than half of the Prime Sports ``Press Box'' crew are included in the Fox Sports News renovation also indicates the new sign on the Santa Monica Boulevard offices in Century City isn't just for decoration.

``The one thing that won't change here is the local focus,'' said Kitty Cohen, the Fox Sports West general manager, who also hinted about increased high school coverage. ``We've had high-quality production, but Fox takes us to the next level.''

Tom Reilly, the former ``Press Box'' headman who has become the executive producer of assignments and special projects on Fox Sports News, was there at the humble beginning of ESPN's ``SportsCenter'' 17 years ago.

``This is nothing like that,'' he said, as he scanned the scurry of activity from his office.

``Nothing like this has ever been attempted,'' adds Banagan. ``It's not `Press Box' with new graphics. It's an entirely new visually and audio stimulating sports news and entertainment vehicle.''

Which trickles down to the print ads that suggest you boys go ahead and dump your girlfriend if she suggests you're watching too much sports on TV.

Hmmm. Sports or girls . . .

By the way, knuckleheads. It's just a joke. You can take this testosterone 'tude too seriously.

The dispute over why NFL ratings are taking a slide this season. Fox and NBC have been questioning the methods that Nielsen Research uses. Nielsen says its system is working just fine. Now, according to Inside Media, the two say the way Nielsen recruits new families to use the service is messing them up. Nielsen is trying to get more families in its 5,000-home sampling. According to Nick Schiavone, the Senior VP/Research for NBC, this is lowing NFL ratings. ``(It is) skewing homes to better educated, higher income (families) that watch less football.'' No duh.

One city's ex-team is another city's problem. At last count, the Raiders were 6,000 tickets short of selling out Monday night's home game against Denver, meaning ABC would have to black out the contest in the Bay Area if those duckets don't go. Sound familiar? In all three home games this season, the Raiders have failed to sell out, meaning Fox and NBC have had to black out the games locally.

What chokes

The birthing of ESPNEWS out into the big bad world. Initial indications are that Madonna's new baby will be seen by more people. ESPN says 1.5 million homes nationwide will get it - mostly satellite dish owners. Marcus Cable, which has a system in Glendale, says the soonest it'll have the third ESPN channel is Jan. 1. Today at 4 p.m., ESPN will step aside to simulcast parts of the new channel - ESPN2 did some of that Thursday - which gives viewers a snippet of what they could be seeing. ESPN, which reaches 70 million homes, maintains that ``consumer demand'' is the reason for this No. 3 son. It's not a bad idea. The production looks slick and simple. But it's that kind of thinking that has ``Nick at Night'' doing a tribute next week to the comic genius of the late Morey Amsterdam.

The way TV folks size up Fox's World Series ratings. The headlines scream that the six-game series drew a 17.4 mark/29 share - the third-smallest ratings ever for the Fall Classic. That's baseball's image problem rather than a reflection of Fox's production. The prime-time TV ratings for Oct. 21-27 show World Series Games 6, 5, 4 and 3 were the country's top four-rated shows of the week. Which again isn't that impressive when the TV world is littered with ``Townies,'' ``Mr. Rhodes'' and ``Clueless.'' How about the fact that the World Series outdrew NBC's coverage of the '96 NBA finals (16.7)? But wasn't the Chicago Bulls beating up on the Seattle SuperSonics kind of anti-climatic, and didn't this World Series involve the No. 1 TV market and the city that just hosted the Summer Olympics? You see. There's an element of ``Spin City'' to everything in TV ratings-speak.

The ``discovery'' Los Angeles magazine made in its November issue: Scott Ferrall is making noise on the radio!

A half-hearted attempt to enlighten readers about the KLSX-FM Lipstick City self-made phenomenon is mostly a rehash of the hash you've seen before on him - except why he was canned by XTRA-AM. (Actually, a second- and third-listen to Ferrall over the past few months shows that when he mellows out and actually talks to readers, he's pretty darn smart. And no one picks football games like he does.)

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Fox's big interactive game plan.(FOX Sports Net to introduce interactive TV) - Broadcasting & Cable

New Sports Active and Sports Extra will let fans use set-tops to select info, camera angles

In 1994, Fox Sports joined the TV sports landscape with lots of bells and whistles and hockey pucks that glowed. Unusual graphics, specially designed animation and even the Fox Box--which allowed viewers to know a game's score from the opening bell--were the Fox Sports signatures.

Now, Fox Sports is trying to make waves again: Coming to a digital set-top box near you in 2001 are Fox Sports Extra and Fox Sports Active, interactive services designed for the couch-potato quarterback to customize his viewing experience, or instantly get the scores and data he wants. Fox will be meeting informally with MSOs at the Western Show in Los Angeles this week to spell out more details.

With the two digital TV enhancements, viewers will be able to use their remote control to A) personalize their on-screen sports ticker; B) watch replays at will; and C) choose from which camera angle they want to watch a live game.

The interactive services also will allow viewers to order a pizza or buy movie tickets or a team's jersey, without even changing the channel. Fox will deal with cable and DBS operators to split revenues or cede commercial time in exchange for carriage.

If Fox Sports' interactive plans work, other Fox cable properties are waiting in the on-deck circle and will likely get interactive bells and whistles by the end of 2001, starting with Fox News and expanding to soon-to-be-launched National Geographic Channel and other co-owned cable networks like Health Net/Web MD, EX and Fox Family Channel.

Fox Sports Extra and Fox Sports Active are designed to accompany the 22 regional Fox Sports Net cable channels and select sporting events on Fox Broadcasting Co., like the Super Bowl or World Series. They are not separate networks or channels; rather they are digital attachments that take up a fraction of the bandwidth that cable operators use to beam Fox Sports Net to subscribers.

Two interactive services could be coming into digital households within the next several months. Logically, because DBS systems--already all digital--could act on Fox's interactive plans almost immediately and also need a competitive edge over cable, it is likely some of Fox's first deals could come there.

Fox Sports' coverage of the Daytona 500 in February will likely be the network's first interactive event. Digital viewers will be given the option to watch the race from cameras mounted in each car and from various vantage points around the track.

With its new contract with Major League Baseball, it's also safe to assume the World Series will he an interactive showcase over the next several years.

'I think people really do want this,' says Fox Sports Net President Tracy Dolgin. 'The most important thing that interactive TV is is a stickiness device for both the TV experience itself and a stickiness device for the programming that's on the TV as well Everything that we are doing to make the TV interactive, just makes the use of the TV more.'

SKY HAS BEEN THERE

Fox Sports programmers in the U.S. are not the first News Corp. entity to get going on the interactive front: Co-owned British Sky Broadcasting in London has been offering 4 million digital customers in the UK similar services for over a year and a half. Already up and running are Sky Sports Active and Sky News Extra, which allow viewers to choose camera angles and replays on popular soccer games and also receive added news coverage, including weather, entertainment and health segments.

'Fox has invested significant money and time and working on this first generation of interactive television services,' says Steven Kuo, Fox TV's senior vice president of business development. 'That's why we think we have a competitive advantage versus the other guys, not only because of the types of genres that we are talking about--sports and news--where we are already strong, but also because of all this expertise that we have within the News Corp. family, especially with Sky's experience in the field.'

Kuo and Eric Shanks, Fox TV's vice president of enhanced programming, have made numerous trips from their Los Angeles offices to London to learn from their colleagues at Sky.

Along with a quickly expanding staff in Los Angeles, the executives have put together business plans for the domestic interactive enhancements.

Fox Sports Extra, which will be the first service made available to U.S. digital viewers, is a combination of data and limited video. With Extra, viewers will tune to their Fox Sports Net channel and then click on the enhancement-pushing the incoming Fox Sports Net feed into the upper-right corner and filling the rest of the screen with what basically amounts to an Internet page of information.

Viewers can customize their own sports ticker and choose what scores and information they want to appear on their screen. During games, Fox Sports Extra viewers will be able to choose from different replay choices and even call up entire first-quarter or selected periods for replays. There are also trivia games and fantasy-league columns filled with statistics on individual players.

'Fox Sports Extra will always be available to viewers. It'll always be there for a quick fix of sports and news services,' says Shanks.

'Fox Sports Active is when you are watching a baseball game or a football game and you are interacting directly with that game. In a football game, for example, if the announcers are talking about one particular player, you can select with your remote which camera angle you want to look at that player with. You control your viewing experience.'

Highlights from the game the viewer is watching, as well as video highlights from other games and different sports, will be available with the touch of a button, Fox executives say.

Because a separate control room will need to be established to handle the video feeds from the game site, Fox Sports Active will not be offered on every game.

Both Fox Sports Extra and Active will be run out of Fox Sports' Los Angeles headquarters. When Fox News Extra gets running late in 2001, Fox's New York City offices will be ground zero for the interactive services.

INTERACTIVE LAUNCH

Getting the interactive services up to speed is one thing. Getting the cable operators and DBS providers to carry them is another. Fox sales executives are hearing plenty of questions from MSOs and DBS providers.

* Will it be a special pay service or regular feature for digital subscribers?

* What kind of advertising possibilities are there?

* How much bandwidth does it take up?

Those questions will all be answered, but the first real stumbling block is just getting the two enhancements up and running on all of the different cable and DBS services. Unlike British Sky Broadcasting, which is a DBS service and a content supplier all in one, Fox executives will only be supplying the content-making interactive distribution a tedious chore.

'It's really a mess right now here in the United States, in that there are no standards,' says Shanks. 'It's good that there is competition, and, hopefully, the best solution will win. But right now, it's almost like we produce the NFL on Fox and it only plays on Sony TVs. What if we had to produce five different feeds, one for a Samsung TV, one for a JVC TV? That's exactly the way it is right now interactively with the different MSOs and DBS operators.' Still, Shanks says, he can have the interactive services up and running within two months of an operators' order--he just needs a green light.

Fox executives say that, at least initially, subscribers won't pay. 'I don't think so. We will defer to the judgments of the distributors,' says Lindsay Gardner, executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing for Fox Cable Networks Group. 'We will create a business model that works for each distributor, and, from our discussions so far, the vast majority of distributors do not intend, at least for the first few years, to make this an added pay service.

Fox executives say advertising opportunities will be ample and British Sky Broadcasting has been successful with pizza delivery and other impulse buys. With each cable deal, Gardner says, there will be different types of advertising and e-commerce deals, some shared between Fox and the operators.

Fox Sports Extra will take up a minimum 5% of what an analog channel consumes; Fox Sports Active, a minimum of 10% of an analog channel's bandwidth.

'When we walk into the operators' offices, we say something that pretty much floors them,' says Gardner. 'We acknowledge that they are going to be contributing scarce bandwidth, which is precious to them, we know that. And what we basically tell them is, you provide us with the bandwidth we'll provide the service. And we offer some opportunities for operators to take some of our content and brand it themselves.'

WILL THEY COME?

Fox executives are dearly bullish on their new interactive ventures but also very cautious. As one top News Corp. executive likes to say, 'We don't want to kill the golden goose' by rushing the product. Fox executives from Sky say viewers only can take so much at a time.

A Fox in Manchester hen house? - San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA)

It's the end of the world as they know it ...

We'd like to tell nervous fans in England that they have nothingto fear from foreign ownership of one of their great sportsinstitutions.

But having been through six years of Australian Rupert Murdoch andhis Fox group controlling the Dodgers ... we advise Manchester Unitedfans to head for the bomb shelters.

The Fox years were the low ebb in Dodgers fortunes since ... oh,1930s Brooklyn. Enormous payrolls, mediocre and unlovable teams,dopey management. (Does the name Kevin 'Sheriff' Malone ring a bell?)

Murdoch never had seen a ballgame until he bought the Dodgers. Hedidn't care if they won or lost. He bought them only to anchor Fox'snew regional sports stations. That accomplished, he was keen to sell.

So, why did American Malcolm Glazer buy control of the famedsoccer club? Perhaps because it might be a great investment. Sportsfranchises sometimes can be like L.A. real estate. Buy, hold for abit, sell for a big profit.

Of course, Glazer might be out to get Man-U back to beingchampions of the Premier League. And Rupert Murdoch might havechecked the National League standings every morning, too.

People from Manchester are called Mancunians. Just thought you'dlike to know.

Have to give Glazer this: He owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, andthey won a Super Bowl on his watch. The Bucs never even played in oneuntil Glazer hired John Gruden away from the Raiders.

We're making headway, as a soccer nation, when many of us haveheard of Manchester United. David Beckham's former team. The RedDevils, all that.

However, we're not as far along as Tim Lieweke, boss of AnschutzEntertainment Group, would suggest.

AEG owns the Galaxy, which signed Landon Donovan. At Donovan'sintroduction, in March, Lieweke said he wants to see Major LeagueSoccer become 'one of the top two leagues in the country.'

Which means MLS will have to pass the NBA, or big-league baseballto get up there with the NFL, and that isn't going to happen inAnschutz's lifetime. Or yours or mine, either. Unless we get about100 million more immigrants in the next 10 years, or we live to 150.

Maybe he was just excited to be back in SoCal, but Landon Donovanpicked up on the Lieweke theme, back in March. 'There's somethinghappening,' Donovan said. 'You can jump on now or wait till later.We're part of something special, and I hope everyone realizes it.'

Drew Carey apparently 'realizes it.' The actor/comedian is aGalaxy season-ticket holder, and was at the Home Depot Center forDonovan's press conference.

Carey isn't Jack Nicholson, but it's a start.

In its TV promos, Fox invites viewers to watch 'Landon Donovan andcompany' play. Gotta wonder if ''company' gets annoyed by thatdesignation.

The Milton Bradley Baseball Academy? Two of them, no less. InBaldwin Hills and Long Beach. Maybe not the best idea, consideringBradley's, uh, volatile past. Might be one of those 'kids, do as Isay, not as I do' situations.

It took Angels manager Mike Scioscia a month, but he finally gotDarin Erstad out of the leadoff spot. Erstad has an on-basepercentage of .278 which is fine if you're a backup catcher but ascandal for anyone in the '1' hole.

The average fan probably believes Erstad is a better player thanfellow first baseman Hee-Seop Choi. He's not. Erstad has an on-basepercentage of .278 with 21 runs, two homers and 14 RBI in 153 at-bats ... to Choi's .407, 15, six and 18 in 93.

Early in the season, when Choi was struggling, we asked Dodgersgeneral manager Paul DePodesta how long he would stick with Choi. 'Atleast 300 at-bats,' DePodesta said. 'It takes a while for young guys.It took Cesar Izturis two years.'

Directors need to get away from those tight facial shots offrustrated ballplayers. Don't have to be a skilled lip-reader to pickup on the expletives being uttered by guys (Jeff Weaver) who justgave up homers.

Our ballplayer names of the day: Seattle Mariners reliever J.J.Putz ... and Cubs reliever Will Ohman. As in, 'Ohman, not him again.'

Homer Simpson's favorite ballplayer? Has to be Rockies farmhandScott Dohmann.

Aaron Rice doesn't have the prototypical pro baseball body, butneither did Kirby Puckett, Rice's body double. Rice can flat hitwhich is why he was the conference MVP at Cal State San Bernardino,and why he ought to be signed to a minor-league contract.

Those following the see-saw Phoenix-Dallas NBA playoffs seriessuggest the Suns are in trouble since the eye injury to guard JoeJohnson. Phoenix's bench is feeble.

Kudos: To NBA MVP Steve Nash, for scoring 48 points against Dallason Sunday.

Condolences: To Nash, who needed to score 58 just to forceovertime against Dallas, on Sunday.

Lookalikes: Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda, Hollywood legend MickeyRooney.

Where are they now? Jeff Conine, the Rialto native, is still withthe Florida Marlins. He's just scratching for playing time since theclub signed Carlos Delgado. Conine, 39 next month, gets $3 millionthis season whether he starts or sits.

They said it: 'The suggestions range from sheer pandemonium, tohurling thousands of beach balls on the pitch, to a Gandhi-esqueprotest of people just walking onto the field and sitting down.' aMan-U fan, on plans to protest Glazer's takeover, as reported by theLondon Sunday Times.

And finally: We're confident Malcolm Glazer knows as least as muchabout soccer as Rupert Murdoch did about baseball.

SPORTS NEWS: ENOUGH TO GO AROUND? - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

All sports all the time. ESPN made that concept work very nicely,thank you, even though initial reaction 22 years ago was: 'What canthey possibly show to fill up all that air time?'

Now we come to all sports news all the time.

If CNN and Fox can make it work with news, why can't it succeed insports?

The problem, of course, is getting both numbers to work - viewersand dollars.

For one thing, sports doesn't have cataclysmic events on a globalscale to swell ratings periodically and bring new viewers to thosechannels. Sports events of worldwide interest - Olympics, NBA Finals,America's Cup, World Cup - are covered by rights-holders. So arethere enough folks out there willing to tune in to an all-sports-news station for updates and highlights? The highlights that oncemade ESPN's 'SportsCenter' unique now are available to every localnewscast, even if they have less time to devote to sports.

Does sports generate enough stories that are compelling enough ona national scale to make the entire country tune in? Michael Jordan'sbig, but not that big.

Both ESPNews and CNN/SI have tried versions of the format, racingeach other to be first on the air, perhaps before the long-termplanning was in place. As each approaches its fifth birthday, theyremain works in progress, with only ESPNews remaining true to the all-news format.

ESPNews rolled out its relaunch Sept. 7 from Bristol, Conn. Downat CNN/SI in Atlanta, there is an ongoing process of diversifying thecontent to include live event coverage. With the Sept. 11 terroristattacks, and the cancellation of virtually all sports, the outletsare just now hitting full stride.

That the outlets were able to keep broadcasting and stay true tothe format had to be encouraging.

'ESPNews relied heavily on the vast resources of ESPN's news andinformation-gathering enterprise to focus on how the tragedy impactedsports,' said Mike McQuade, the senior coordinating producerresponsible for ESPNews production and content.

As part of the CNN/SI reorganization, CNN dropped 'SportsTonight,' with anchor Fred Hickman leaving the network. In addition,11 jobs were eliminated, even though the show will continue to air onCNN/SI.

The early race between ESPNews and CNN/SI was to get on the air.Then the goal became to get the channel into our houses. With CNN/SInow just past 20 million homes and ESPNews in 25 million, that questis ongoing. The ultimate question, however, is: How many people willwatch?

During all this time, Fox Sports Regional Network has taken adifferent approach, producing local sports telecasts in roughly 20 ofits 23 markets. Nationally, it is in 74 million homes.

In New England, ESPNews enjoys a double distribution, appearing ondigital cable tiers as well as on NESN, which is in roughly the samenumber of homes as FSNE.

The ESPNews relaunch involves a major graphic redesign. ESPN istryng to cram as much information on the screen as possible.Fortunately, the young male target demographic has the visual acuityto read the television equivalent of a box score on the screen.

'Sports fans have the ability to multi-task when they search forup-to-the-minute scores and stats,' said Bob Eaton, ESPN senior vicepresident and managing editor. Still, he says, the goal is to do it'without creating information overload on screen.' ESPN's bottom-line ticker continues to scroll through national ads, with an indextelling what's coming up next.

At CNN/SI, executive vice president and general manager SteveRobinson is enjoying the push NASCAR's pole qualifying and 'HappyHour' telecasts have given the station. CNN/SI shows the events live,then again in prime time.

'We still feel our strength is in news and immediacy with our CNNconnections, but we also bring good story-telling, especially withSports Illustrated's insider analysis and commentary,' he said.

Still, Robinson's goal is 50 million homes. That would make CNN/SI a more credible bidder for the rights to events that fit thestation's profile and mesh with its NASCAR, WUSA, Wimbledon, and newNational Lacrosse League programming.

The bottom line in all this is an ever-more-intense battle for asports audience that doesn't grow as fast as the number of outletsseeking its attention. And that's before we even get into thenetworks' Web sites.

NESN doubleheader

Next Saturday's Temple-Boston College football game will be a 3:30p.m. start on NESN. Not a bad lead-in to that night's Atlanta-Bruinsgame at the FleetCenter . . . The final week of Red Sox games hasproven tough to place on the screen. Monday through Wednesday's gamesat Tampa Bay are on NESN, as is the nightcap of Friday's day-nightdoubleheader. Thursday night's game in Baltimore and the first gameFriday are on Channel 25. Meanwhile, the Sox are hoping to announcetomorrow which outlet will air Saturday night's season finale (CalRipken's final game) . . . All sorts of events battle for our eyesearly this afternoon, including Sox, Patriots, and two auto races.Sox-Tigers (NESN, 1 p.m.) goes against Colts-Patriots (Channel 4, 1p.m.). Two motor circuits go head to head, with NASCAR in Kansas City(Channel 7, 1 p.m.) up against the Formula One US Grand Prix inIndianapolis (Channel 5, 1:30 p.m.). It's amazing to think the RyderCup would have been finishing up at the same time.

Fox-hunting: a country sport or simply savagery - The Scotsman

Sport: Simon Hart argues why a ban is unjust

WHEN considering the whole issue of hunting with dogs, we shouldstart with the Burns report, which was commissioned to inform thedebate, not to say whether the activity was good or not.

If we consider the report as providing us with a basis of fact -and this was the first such inquiry in 50 years - then we have abetter idea of the truth of the matter.

Lord Burns concluded that hunting with dogs was a form of foxpopulation control, rather than population reduction.

He found a lot of people did it, that most farmers were in favourof it and that groups with an interest in the land - such as theNational Farmers Union and County Landowners were also in favour.

It found that drag hunting was not an alternative and raised somepoints of concern - for example he said there were too many cases oftrespass on the part of the dogs .

Lord Burns did say - and this has been seized on by the anti-hunting lobby - that the activity can seriously compromise thewelfare of the animal, but he qualified this by saying that anyactivity which ends in the death of an animal will compromise itswelfare.

The fact of the matter is that the fox population has to becontrolled. There are several ways of doing this and fox-hunting,which is one of them, cannot be taken in isolation.

Those who suggest the answer is shooting foxes with a rifle donot take into account the practical difficulties. Gun licences canbe difficult to come by, it takes a lot of training to get to thatlevel of marksmanship and, with increasing public access to thecountryside, there is potential for serious accidents.

There is also the issue of jobs. Burns estimated that some 6,000to 8,000 jobs would be directly affected and up to 70 per cent morecould be indirectly affected. And remember this is not only aboutfoxhunting, but all forms of activity involving hunting with dogs.It could affect upland farmers trying to protect their stock usinglurchers, for example.

Foxhunting has become a political issue and it is one which isabout social retribution, not about protecting wildlife. What we sayto those who want to ban it is, yes, you might not like it, but ifwe live in a society that encourages tolerance then you do not havethe right to ban it.

Even Jack Straw, who commissioned the report and who probablyknows more about it than anyone else in parliament, appears tobelieve there is no case for an outright ban.

Introduce legislation or supervision, but to ban foxhunting wouldbe unworkable and unjust.

Simon Hart is director of the Campaign for Hunting

Savagery Les Ward says control should not be barbaric

THE case against hunting with dogs is simple. It is that, in amodern and civilised Scotland, to use dogs deliberately to chase,terrify, attack, cause suffering to and kill wild animals is crueland barbaric.

And if wild animals do ever need to be controlled, it should bedone as humanely as possible.

To the majority of the public, such a statement is not onlyreasonable but right.

Opinion polls time and time again show that an overwhelmingnumber of Scots, both urban and rural, want to see this intolerabletreatment of wildlife with dogs banned.

Not surprising, especially when you also consider that were suchtreatment to be inflicted on domestic animals like the cat or dog,the perpetrators would be universally condemned for their activitiesand quite properly prosecuted in a court of law for cruelty toanimals.

It should therefore always be remembered in this debate that inseeking an end to this uncivilised behaviour, not only are weconsidering animal cruelty but also standards of human decency.

Those who hunt are happy to set a pack of hounds on a fox, seethe animal run in terror for its life and if caught, watch as it isattacked and savaged by dogs, with death the only mercifulintervention. They see nothing wrong in putting terrier dogs downthe underground refuges of foxes in an attempt to 'bolt' the fox,knowing that if the fox refuses to move, either because it isphysically incapable or is defending its cubs, there is a realchance that a subterranean battle will ensue between the fox andterrier which can result in serious injuries for both dog and fox.

They enjoy setting two greyhounds on a hare and cheering as it isturned by the dogs as it tries to escape.

Their biggest cheers are often reserved for the time when thehare is caught and becomes a living rope in a tug of war as it ispulled and torn between the dogs.

The arguments trotted out by those who indulge or support huntingwith dogs are not dissimilar to those put forward many years ago indefence of slavery or putting small boys up chimneys - employment,it helped the economy and it is wrong for the majority to pick on aminority.

The fact is that society's standards of ethics and moralitychange from generation to generation and probably in our lifetime wehave seen greater changes in standards than a any other time inhistory.

Another change is now due - a change that will see, through theProtection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill, the abolition of thebrutal and barbaric practice of hunting with dogs.

Les Ward is chairman of the Scottish Campaign Against Huntingwith Dogs.

Fox Soccer Channel Teams Up with 2ergo to Develop FIFA World Cup™ iPhone Application. - Marketing Weekly News

With anticipation building around the world for one of the most popular events in all of sports, Fox Soccer Channel and 2ergo Americas, a leading international provider of mobile products and services, announced the availability of Fox Soccer Channel's 'Ticket to South Africa' iPhone app featuring coverage of the FIFA World CupTM. The application, sponsored by Audi, is available for download free of charge in Apple's App Store. World Cup™ soccer fans will be able to use the application for comprehensive and personalized coverage of the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, taking place in South Africa June 11 through July 11, 2010.

The application includes latest news, standings, fixtures, photos galleries, venue information, and World Cup history. Once the games begin in June, a scrolling ticker with live scores will appear offering one-click access to in-game match stats, play-by-play information, and video clips. iPhone users can follow all 32 teams and create a 'My Teams' list for quick access to their favorite team's headlines and information. Users can also share World Cup headlines with their friends by posting updates and content to their Facebook pages.

'Avid soccer fans look to Fox Soccer Channel to bring them expert coverage of the world's biggest stage,' said Bhavesh Patel, Vice President of Interactive Media for Fox Sports International. 'Working with a provider like 2ergo ensured that we were providing users a cutting-edge information service backed by their experience in developing high-quality, user-friendly iPhone applications. With our intensive coverage and analysis of the games wrapped into a beautiful and customizable format, we are providing the millions of fans with iPhones everything they need to know about this summer's FIFA World Cup when they want it and how they want it.'

'The growing popularity of smartphones and applications opens up a completely new brand-building channel for media and entertainment companies looking to interact with consumers,' said Michael Scully, Vice President of Marketing for 2ergo Americas. 'Fox Soccer Channel has created a valuable opportunity to reach new viewers as well as build a stronger relationship with existing ones. As soccer fans ourselves, we are thrilled to partner with Fox Soccer Channel to deliver immediate and personalized access to this summer's World Cup action to iPhone users.'

For fans unable to watch the games in person, Fox Soccer Channel's 'Ticket to South Africa' iPhone application will keep them up to date. The application is available on the Apple App Store and is being promoted via an ongoing Fox Soccer Channel advertising and web site campaign. Audi serves as the title sponsor of the application, and iPhone-optimized ads will be served within the application promoting Audi products. About 2ergo 2ergo is a leading provider of mobile software solutions for marketing, business, entertainment, and media. Its product portfolio includes an innovative suite of interactive messaging, mobile internet and publishing, smartphone applications, mobile ticketing and coupons, mobile security, and secure payment solutions to deliver a multi-dimensional approach to mobile marketing and mobile customer communications. 2ergo is used by businesses, brands, marketing agencies, publishers, and mobile network operators to take advantage of integrated mobile communications to increase sales, enhance customer experiences, mobilize business processes, and reduce costs. Brands such as FOX News, AT&T, Yahoo!, National Geographic Channel, O2, Rightmove, Ladbrokes, and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have all benefited from working with 2ergo. Headquartered in the UK, 2ergo's international presence spans North America, Latin America, India, and Australia. 2ergo is AIM listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:RGO). For more information, visit www.2ergo.com. About Foxsoccer.com Foxsoccer.com is America's most visited online soccer destination, serving as the most comprehensive source for year-round soccer with match highlights, headlines, stats, photo galleries and commentary from leading soccer experts and analysts. A complement to Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus, the web site educates and entertains soccer enthusiasts throughout the United States with coverage encompassing England's Barclays Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, Italy's Series A, Major League Soccer, Women's Professional Soccer, the Argentine First Division and the Australian Hyundai A-League, in addition to such global tournaments as the English FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup™ and CONCACAF Champions League™. In addition, live and on-demand match streaming is available via Foxsoccer.tv.

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