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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