WIN Network Takes the TV Jackpot, to Air Lottery Show

The California lottery plans to broadcast its wheel-spinning jackpot extravaganzas every week after “Monday Night Football” over a group of television channels calling themselves the Winning Image Network or WIN.

The shows will be seen over KABC in Los Angeles; KGO in San Francisco; KOVR in Sacramento-Stockton; KGTV in San Diego; KJEO in the Fresno-Visalia area; KNTV in Salinas- Monterey; KEYT in the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo area; KRCR in the Chico-Redding area; KBAK in Bakersfield; KVIQ in Eureka, and KESQ in Palm Springs.

All the channels are affiliated with ABC, which airs “Monday Night Football” beginning at 6 p.m. On nine of the stations, the shows will immediately follow the football broadcast, but in Los Angeles and San Francisco it will be seen sometime between 10 and 11 p.m. after “Hardcastle and McCormick.”

The WIN network was selected over three other bidders after several weeks of negotiations. Although lottery officials have not yet signed a formal agreement with WIN, spokesman Bill Seaton said Tuesday, “We don’t anticipate any problems.”

Lottery Director Mark Michalko said WIN “came closest” to meeting the demands of the lottery--to produce a prime-time show in both Spanish and English at no cost to the state.

WIN will, in effect, be paying the state for the opportunity to broadcast the show by providing a substantial amount of free air time for promotional advertisements.

In return, WIN network channels expect to reap large revenues from the commercial time they will sell before, during and after the shows.

The weekly half-hour productions--to begin within two or three weeks after the start-up date of the lottery--will feature 10 contestants spinning a huge, 100-slot wheel for the chance to win $2 million. The contestants will be chosen by lot from among all those who win $100 during the instant “scratch-out” games.

Lottery officials will announce the date of the first lottery games today in Sacramento.

Veteran Hollywood television producer Fred Tatashore--Dinah Shore’s producer for several years--will coordinate the wheel-spinning events, which will be switched to another prime-time slot when football season ends.

The WIN network is negotiating with the Spanish International Network to broadcast the show over various Spanish-language channels in the state.

Lottery officials have not yet picked the radio stations that will carry the jackpot drawings.