Networks Profit From End of Lockout

It goes without saying that Laker and Clipper television carriers Channel 9 and Fox Sports West are relieved by Wednesday’s NBA settlement.

“Sports represent about a third of our business, so you can imagine what it meant to take the Lakers and Clippers out of the equation,” said Don Corsini, Channel 9’s vice president and general manager.

“It’s like NBC losing ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘ER.’ ”

Corsini wouldn’t comment on financial losses, but industry sources placed them at more than $2 million for the last quarter of 1998 alone.

Fox Sports West’s losses were about the same.

“We took a hit, no question about that,” said Arthur Smith, executive vice president of programming and production for Fox Sports Net, which includes Fox Sports West and West 2. “And it was more than just financial.

“When you don’t have a home team like the Lakers, it affects other programming.”

For instance, weaker lead-in programming means lower ratings for Fox Sports News. Also, cross-promotion is affected.

Neither Channel 9 nor Fox Sports West officials can figure out how many games they will televise until a schedule is determined. But they figure to televise as many as possible to make up for lost advertising revenue.

Channel 9 was to televise all Laker road games except those on NBC and Fox Sports West was to televise the home games. Channel 9 was to do 20-25 Clipper games, and Fox Sports West 2 had several Clipper games on its schedule.

NBC will have lost nine telecasts by the end of January, and has also lost the All-Star game, which was scheduled for Feb. 14 in Philadelphia but has been canceled.

TNT and TBS will have lost about 50 NBA telecasts by Jan. 31.

But despite the lack of NBA basketball, and the lack of NFL football, TNT fared well in the ratings. TNT averaged a 2.2 rating in 1997 and ranked No. 1 among all cable networks, and it averaged a 2.1 last year and ranked No. 2 behind the USA Network.

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The Clippers are still without a coach, but they do have a new radio announcer for broadcasts on new flagship station KXTA 1150.

It will be announced today that Michael Smith, a former player, will serve as the commentator with Ralph Lawler handling the play-by-play on non-televised games, while Smith will do the play-by-play alone on televised games.

Smith, who starred at Los Altos High and Brigham Young, has play-by-play experience on Western Athletic Conference games. The Boston Celtics made him the 13th overall pick in the 1989 draft, and he played for the Clippers during the 1994-95 season after signing as a free agent.

Smith replaces Rory Markas, whose contract was not renewed. Markas is now the USC radio play-by-play announcer.