Start Spreading the News: Networks Have Stories to Tell

One nice thing about this city is that, unlike Los Angeles, so many places are centrally located.

CBS and NBC are only a few buildings apart. And ABC is a short taxi ride away, if one wants to check up on the Al and Brent Corp., where, so far, Al Michaels and Brent Musburger are coexisting.

For now, Musburger has retreated to an Al pine cabin in Montana, while Michaels is resting at his home in Brent wood.

Meanwhile in Manhattan, a reporter makes the network rounds.

CBS is buzzing as the network heads into another big weekend of NBA playoffs.

Len Elmore, who lives in Manhattan and will work this weekend’s Laker-Sun telecasts in Phoenix with Verne Lundquist, takes a few moments to chat.

Elmore, a former Maryland All-American and NBA player for 10 seasons, is also a graduate of the Harvard Law School.

He was working as an assistant district attorney but took a leave of absence at the start of the basketball season.

CBS noticed Elmore’s broadcasting skills while he was doing Atlantic Coast Conference regional telecasts, a job he got in 1985 after retiring as a player.

Elmore says that when he goes back to being an attorney, it will probably be in private practice.

Ideally, he would like to continue in broadcasting.

“It would be nice to stay in broadcasting for 20 years, but I know I can’t count on that,” Elmore says. “All I can do is keep working hard and trying to improve.”

With CBS losing the NBA to NBC next season, Pat O’Brien’s future is somewhat in doubt.

O’Brien began doing his “At the Half” segments for CBS during the 1983 playoffs, and the network has finally given him an expanded forum--the new half-hour pregame program, “The Basketball Show.”

The name was O’Brien’s idea. “Only about three people liked it, but one of them was (CBS Sports Executive Producer) Ted Shaker and he’s the one who counts,” O’Brien says.

Adds O’Brien: “I never cared for the name, ‘At the Half,’ but I’ve gotten used to it.”

Whatever it’s called, a show with O’Brien as the host is usually a good one.

Asked if he is among the candidates for new host of “NFL Today,” O’Brien, appropriately humble, says: “Now, you don’t really think that I’m going to be the guy to replace Brent Musburger, do you?”

Not a bad idea, though.

If CBS can’t find a spot for O’Brien, he might end up at Prime Ticket.

John Severino, Prime Ticket president, would like to have O’Brien as the main anchorman of a new nightly half-hour sports news show scheduled to begin Oct. 1.

Prime Ticket has already hired Sol Steinberg from Channel 4 to produce the program, giving him a six-figure salary.

At NBC, the big topic of conversation is the Thrilla in Manila, revisited. The classic third fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in 1975 will be shown as part of the network’s “Sports Showcase” series Saturday at 2 p.m.

Publicist Denise Bomberger showed a reporter a tape of the show shortly after it was given the final touches Thursday.

The prefight footage is tremendous. It’s Ali at his best.

One scene shows Ali with Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, and he is accompanied by his mistress, Veronica, whom he introduces as his wife.

This scene makes the national news back in the United States. Ali’s second wife, Belinda, sees it and is on the next plane to Manila.

At ABC, they’re still talking about one of the great moments in sports television--the replay of trainer Carl Nafzger calling the Kentucky Derby for 92-year-old Frances Genter, Unbridled’s owner.

Nafzger’s commentary: “He’s a winner, he’s a winner, he’s a winner, Mrs. Genter, he’s a winner, he’s a winner,” is reminiscent of Russ Hodges exclaiming, “The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant,” in 1951.

Al Michaels’ reaction to Nafzger’s call: “You couldn’t get it to look that way in a movie if you did 50 takes.”

A perfect summation.

At a well-attended luncheon the other day at the Waldorf-Astoria, ABC’s Frank Gifford was given a lifetime achievement award.

Gifford said one of the reasons he is so involved in charitable work such as the March of Dimes and the Special Olympics is because of something he’ll never forget.

“I was working the 1972 international Special Olympics for ABC,” Gifford told the gathering. “In the 60-yard dash, one runner was clearly ahead, but stumbled and fell.

“The second-place runner, who obviously would have won the race, stopped right in front of the finish line and went back to help the fallen runner.

“It was one of the most touching things I’ve ever seen.”

At the NBA office, located around the corner from CBS, former Laker publicist Josh Rosenfeld, now the director of international public relations for the league, offers some interesting statistics.

Rosenfeld says that the playoffs will be shown, live or on tape, in 75 countries, including China.

“We’re seen on six of the seven continents,” he said, “every one except Antarctica.”

Two stations in Yugoslavia carry NBA telecasts, and as many as 900,000 will tune in to watch the Lakers’ Vlade Divac, according to Rosenfeld.

TV-Radio Notes

CBS will show NBA doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. The first game Saturday is a national telecast, Detroit at New York, with Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown and reporter Tim Brant. After that game, 88% of the country will get the Lakers at Phoenix, with Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore and Lesley Visser. Other viewers will see Portland at San Antonio.

On Sunday, the first game, Chicago at Philadelphia, will be shown nationally. The announcers will be James Brown, Tom Heinsohn and Jim Gray. This telecast will be Heinsohn’s last for CBS. Please, no tears. Actually, CBS executives speak fondly of Heinsohn and give him credit for a lot of behind-the-scenes help. . . . Sunday’s Laker-Phoenix game is scheduled to be shown in only about 25% of the country. For the rest, it will be Detroit at New York.

Gabe Kaplan, KLAC’s new sports-talk host, picked Unbridled to win Saturday’s Kentucky Derby on his show last Friday. He said the horse would probably go off at 18-1 for those betting at Hollywood Park. It went off at 21-1 in Inglewood. . . . Add Kaplan: A recent guest was boxing promoter Bob Arum, who at one time was an attorney for the Department of Justice. Asked Kaplan: “If you were still with the justice department, would you be a boxing fan?” Arum: “No, I’d have everyone indicted.”