Fox Unable to Find Much of a Downside to Rams’ Departure
If the Rams end up moving to St. Louis, don’t expect Fox to make a big stink about not having an NFC team in the nation’s No. 2 television market.
For one thing, the Rams don’t generate good ratings here. Sunday’s game at Chicago got a 9.9 Nielsen in Los Angeles. The San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, on NBC at the same time, got a 9.5. And NBC’s second game, Cleveland at Pittsburgh, which was unopposed by NFL football, got a 15.4.
Another thing, without the Rams in Los Angeles, Fox would be able to show doubleheaders here whenever the Raiders were on the road.
Said David Hill, president of Fox Sports: “We’ve said before, there is nothing in our contract with the NFL that requires an NFC franchise in Los Angeles. It’s an NFL matter. We’ll let them handle it.”
If the Rams were consistent winners who drew big numbers, it might be more of a concern to Fox.
But Hill said, “It would still be a league matter. My belief is, television has no right to tell a sport how to conduct its business.”
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New Year’s doubleheader: It has been a good year for Fred Roggin, and 1995 is looking even better.
On Jan. 1, after the Orange Bowl, Channel 4 will carry consecutive Roggin shows.
First, about 8:30 p.m., will be “Sports Bowl ‘94,” Roggin’s 12th year-end special for Channel 4. Then comes a rerun of Roggin’s “Top Secret Television II,” which is being shown nationally by NBC.
NBC has also picked up another of Roggin’s shows, “Too Good to Be True,” first shown last August. The second installment, “Too Good to Be True II,” will be televised sometime early next year.
Meanwhile, his Sunday night sports wrap-up show continues to do well, averaging a 6.5 rating, while other stations have dropped half-hour Sunday sports shows. Channel 7 now runs a movie at 11:30, and Channel 2 has “Hard Copy” at 11:30.
As for “Sports Bowl ‘94,” some of the sound effects are corny, and some of the footage has been seen before, but overall, Roggin and producers Mike Cunningham, Greg Dowling and Kevin La Beach have put together another winner.
“Sports Bowl ‘93” got a 20 share last Jan. 1, and did even better when it was repeated after the Super Bowl.
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New beginning: Roy Firestone, whose last regular half-hour “Up Close” show, featuring Wilt Chamberlain, will be on ESPN tonight at 9:30, said this is not an end of an era.
“I like to think of it as the beginning of a new era,” he told many who either work or have worked on “Up Close.”
A party was held on the set in Hollywood on Monday to commemorate Firestone’s final regular “Up Close” taping, when George Raveling was the guest. The Chamberlain show was taped earlier.
Firestone thanked his behind-the-scene workers, people such as Bob Seizer, the executive producer for the first 13 of the 14 years Firestone did the show, and current executive producer Debra Vogel. Others mentioned were Cindy Katz, Josh Kaplan, Jason Schirn, Ron Gralnik, John Carlin and Todd Fritz.
Firestone will do 13 one-hour prime-time specials for ESPN, plus many “Sunday Night Conversations” for “SportsCenter.”
Firestone’s first prime-time special, to be shown Jan. 21, will feature Pete Rose, Jerry Jones and Chris Webber.
“We’ve already taped Rose and Webber, and both interviews went extremely well,” Firestone said. “I’m really excited about doing these specials.”
Chris Myers will take over Firestone’s role on the daily, half-hour “Up Close” shows Jan. 23.
“I’m thrilled to death for Chris,” Firestone said. “He’s a good friend and I know the show is in good hands.”
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The crew on Fox’s NFL pregame show seemed to be generally pleased that Jimmy Johnson will be sticking around.
Said Howie Long: “Sure, I guess I could look it as though I’d have more air time if Jimmy was gone, but in this case, he’s such a good guy I’m glad he’s staying. I’ve known Jimmy since he coached me in the (1980) Blue-Gray game, and he’s the same guy now as he was then.”
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Add Long: He chided his employer, Fox, pretty well on last Sunday’s show.
First Johnson said, “I turned down a substantial amount of money to stay in television. Money is not the answer.”
Then Long said, “You’ll fit right in here.”
The comment drew applause from the crew working the show at the Fox studios in Hollywood.
John Madden may be making $7.5 million a year, but the little people sure aren’t getting rich.
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Skeptics are saying Johnson, despite having signed a three-year contract with Fox, may still bolt for a coaching job.
“If in two months I am offered $10 million to coach in Tavernier (where he lives in the Florida Keys), I would turn it down,” he said.
Johnson and Hill, his Fox boss, say there is no window or loophole that will let Johnson out of his contract.
But a source familiar with such contracts said Johnson can be restricted only to where he works in television, that the contract can’t restrict him from going into another profession--such as coaching. One thing the new contract will do is require Johnson to be on the set every Sunday next season. No more staying home in Tavernier and communicating via satellite.
That’s good news for Fox but bad news for fish lovers who will miss the aquarium in Johnson’s living room.
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Ratings game: Johnson’s orchestrated “announcement” accomplished the desired effect. Fox’s pregame show got a national rating of 5.5 overall and a 6.4 the second half hour. NBC’s half-hour “NFL Live” show Sunday got a 4.1.
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TV-Radio Notes
The NFL is playing a Saturday schedule this weekend because of the Christmas holiday, but the cupboard won’t be bare on Sunday. ABC offers a college football doubleheader, the Blue-Gray game at 9 a.m. and the Aloha Bowl at 12:30 p.m., and NBC has an NBA doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m. It will show Seattle at Denver, followed by New York at Chicago. These are NBC’s first NBA telecasts of the season. The next one will be Jan. 22. . . . There is one Sunday NFL game: Detroit at Miami on ESPN at 5 p.m.
Recommended viewing: Curt Smith, author of the critically acclaimed “Voice of the Game,” a definitive history of baseball broadcasting, has written and co-produced a 90-minute documentary that goes by the same name. It will be on ESPN Sunday at 9 a.m. Be sure to set the VCR. In one segment, Harry Caray talks about how he started his trademark tradition of leading the crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” It started in 1976 when he was with the White Sox and owner Bill Veeck tricked him into singing into the PA system. Caray explains Veeck’s thinking: “Everyone would sing along because they knew they couldn’t sing any worse than I did.”
The fourth Southern California Sports Broadcasters Awards luncheon will be held Feb. 1 at Lakeside. Jim Lampley will emcee the event. Nominees for best radio sports talk-show host are KABC’s Steve Edwards, XTRA’s Lee Hamilton and KMPC’s Joe McDonnell. McDonnell is not working in radio these days. He quit KMPC because of lack of sports-talk opportunities. . . . Deacon Jones filled McDonnell’s old role this week on KMPC’s morning show and is being considered for the job permanently.
Speaking of awards, the Jim Healy tribute put together by Steve Bailey, John Felz and Bob Rowe has won a Golden Mike. . . . Fred Dryer was a guest on KABC’s “Sportstalk” Wednesday night and was tremendous. Years ago, Dryer gave up a promising sportscasting career to become an actor. Acting’s gain was sportscasting’s loss. . . . Nice guy Geoff Witcher, who has been down on his luck, has been hired to do the “Dodger Confidential” programs for KABC radio. He replaces Eric Tracy, now the co-host of “Sportstalk.” . . . Chris Schneider, formerly of KMPC, is the program director and afternoon drive-time host of a new all-sports station in Cincinnati. . . . Baseball preview: Yes, there will be baseball in 1995. A preview of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes’ California League season will be broadcast on KMNY (1600) Sunday at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and again Jan. 1 at the same times. Joe Castellano is the host.