LOS ANGELES : TV to Air 20 Hours of Super Bowl Promotions

Televised hype has always been part of the days leading up to the Super Bowl, but this year Los Angeles residents will get an added dose--about 20 hours worth.

The city has joined with the National Football League in offering four days of pre-Super Bowl promotions on the same cable channel that now broadcasts City Council meetings.

“Whether you have a game ticket or not, this partnership will help all fans in Los Angeles that week to participate in the Super Bowl,” Mayor Tom Bradley said in a statement.

The segments will include behind-the-scenes looks at game preparations, press conferences with NFL officials and profiles of Super Bowl players from Southern California. For those attending the game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, there will be a freeway map showing anticipated congestion as well as information on alternative routes.

The programming--which will air on Channel 35 from Jan. 28 until game day on Jan. 31--will range from hourlong shows to short segments. The NFL is paying the city $85,000 for the TV time.

Rabid fans of city government who don’t know a free safety from a touchback won’t be disappointed, either. Coverage of the City Council meetings will continue uninterrupted, although the replay that now airs on Sunday will be pushed from 10 a.m. to noon.