Disney, Fox Still Have a Score to Settle

The splitting of Fox Sports West into a second channel caused quite a stir, and now there are more corporate war games in sight.

It appears that Disney, which has ESPN, the Angels and Mighty Ducks under its umbrella, is planning to start another Southern California regional sports network, in one form or another.

Although neither side would comment, it is expected to be announced today that Fox Sports West and Disney have settled the lawsuits that resulted from the creation of Fox Sports West 2 in January.

The Ducks sued after being relegated to Sports West 2. Fox countered with an antitrust suit against Disney, ESPN and the Ducks. There were other suits as the Angels and Ducks tried to break off from Fox Sports West.

Those suits have been settled, but that’s no sign that things are now hunky-dory with Disney and Fox. Anything but.

According to sources, Fox offered Disney big bucks

to lock up the Angels and Ducks for a long period of time--10 years or so. Disney said thanks, but no thanks.

Both parties then agreed to call off all legal action. As part of the settlement, the Ducks will have one more season on Fox Sports West 2, and the Angels will have two more, after this one, on Fox Sports West.

After that, they will be free to go to ESPN LA or whatever Disney calls its proposed regional sports network--one more channel Century Communications will refuse to carry.

There is also talk that Disney may put its night-time regional sports on an existing channel.

The Ducks and Angels alone would not seem to be enough to start a regional sports network. Disney also needs an NBA team. Michael Eisner, Disney chief executive officer, has been trying to persuade Clipper owner Donald T. Sterling to sell so that Disney could move the Clippers to the Pond of Anaheim.

But Sterling isn’t selling, not even for the $175 million to $200 million Eisner is said to be offering. He has said, though, that he might reconsider after he has owned the team for 20 years, which is three years away. But even if Sterling were to sell to Disney, there would still be the matter of the Clippers’ long-term contract with Fox Sports West.

The prospects are intriguing. The Angels, Clippers and Ducks in one corner, the Dodgers, Lakers and Kings in the other, along with USC, UCLA and the Pacific 10 Conference.

All this makes it a little more understandable why Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp., the parent company of Fox, are trying to buy the Dodgers, as well as hoping to pick up minority interests in the Kings and Lakers.

Murdoch is lining up the arsenal--and then some--he would need to take on Disney.

NEW JUNGLE DWELLERS

Interesting array of guest hosts Jim Rome lined up to do his syndicated radio show while he takes a two-week honeymoon. First it was agent Leigh Steinberg coming on with frequent fill-in host Newy Scruggs and plugging all his clients.

After a taped show on Tuesday, it was Jim Lampley giving it a go in the jungle on Wednesday. Maybe his best smack was questioning Rome about giving Steinberg all that free air time.

Thursday, it was Sean Jones, who has retired from football and will be a regular on TNT’s “Pro Football Tonight” show this season. Jones, who didn’t make the mistake of trying to copy Rome, did a pretty nice job.

Today it will be ESPN’s Andrea Kremer.

“Andrea is the Will McDonough of NFL reporters among women,” Lampley said on the air, “but I can’t quite envision her talking smack.”

She may not need to. Her guests today include John Daly.

Tom Lasorda joins Scruggs next Wednesday and Thursday. Wonder if Fred Claire and Bill Russell will tune in?

SCHEDULE CHANGE

Channel 9 televised Thursday night’s Angel game against the New York Yankees instead of televising tonight’s game against the Boston Red Sox so it could show tonight’s Raider exhibition game at Phoenix live at 7 p.m. rather than on tape delay. Only problem is, Channel 9 will miss Bret Saberhagen’s return to the majors after a two-year absence because of major reconstructive shoulder surgery. Saberhagen, now with the Red Sox, has been pitching successfully in the minor leagues the last two weeks. . . . Fox Sports West couldn’t pick up tonight’s Angel game because it has the San Diego Chargers at Minnesota at 5 p.m.

SHORT WAVES

Golf’s popularity continues to grow: TBS reported an 83% increase in its PGA Championship ratings over last year, and CBS reported a 52% increase. . . . The Golf Channel has a marquee event, the Arnold Palmer Golf Gala, on Monday that it will televise live at 9:30 a.m. and repeat in two blocks Monday at 6 p.m. and Tuesday at 6 p.m. Arnold Palmer teams up with Tiger Woods to take on Tom Lehman and PGA champion Davis Love III in an 18-hole match at Ligonier, Pa., to benefit the Latrobe Area Hospital. To widen its viewing audience, the Golf Channel offered its signal free to non-affiliates for two days. But no Southern California cable company accepted the offer for fear subscribers might like the channel and want it permanently. Of course Century was among those. Century’s motto seems to be: Why do anything to please subscribers?

The USA network’s U.S. Open tennis coverage begins Monday. Weekday coverage will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again from 4:30 to 8 p.m. On Monday at 4 p.m. USA will televise a John McEnroe special that should prove to be interesting. . . . The Classic Sports Network will televise the seven top U.S. Open matches of all time, as selected by Bud Collins. The shows will run from 3-9 p.m. Saturday and then 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The No. 1 match, McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg in the 1980 final, will be shown Sunday at 6 p.m.

ABC will televise the finals of the “Nike NFL Air It Out” four-on-four flag football tournament Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Two amateur teams compete to take on a team of NFL players--quarterback Jeff Hostetler, safety Carnell Lake, running back Terrell Davis and wide receiver Eddie Kennison. . . . Former USC and NFL quarterback Sean Salisbury has been hired as a college football sideline reporter by ESPN2. He is also still being considered for a weekday sports anchor job at San Diego’s Channel 10.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for sports programs Aug. 16-17.

SATURDAY

*--*

Event Ch. Rating Share Golf: PGA Championship 2 4.6 14 Gymnastics: Women’s U.S. Championships 4 4.2 8 Pro football: Buffalo vs.Green Bay 4 4.1 12 Baseball: Angels at Baltimore 9 4.0 10 Pro football: New Orleans at Oakland 9 3.6 11 Wide World of Sports: IAAF Hercules track meet 7 2.7 7 Beach volleyball: Women at Hermosa Beach 7 2.6 8 Pro basketball: WNBA, Houston at Charlotte 4 2.4 7 Tennis: RCA Championships 4 2.1 7 Baseball: Seattle at Chicago White Sox 11 1.6 5

*--*

SUNDAY

*--*

Event Ch. Rating Share Pro football: Denver at New England 4 6.5 18 Gymnastics: Women’s U.S. Championships 5 5.6 11 Golf: PGA Championship 2 4.7 13 Baseball: Angels at Baltimore 9 3.9 10 Soccer: CONCACAF Champions Cup 34 2.4 7 Tennis: RCA Championships 4 2.4 7 Soccer: MLS, N.Y/N.J. at Kansas City 34 1.1 3 Auto racing: IRL True Value 200 7 1.0 3

*--*

Note: Each rating point represents 49,424 L.A. households.