XFL Makes Wise Move With Weisman

The immediate reaction to the news that Vince McMahon, chairman of the World Wrestling Federation, plans to start a pro football league is to snicker. Others have tried to compete with the NFL--and failed. Remember the USFL? And the World Football League?

But maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss McMahon and his proposed XFL, which would include Los Angeles among its eight franchises and begin a 10-week season in February 2001.

McMahon does have a decent track record. The WWF lost $100 million in 1995, but made $28 million in the six-month period that ended Oct. 29.

WWF’s “Raw Is War” show on Monday nights on USA averaged a 2.5 rating in 1995, a decent rating, but last year the average was a 6.0. It has been the highest-rated non-sports show on cable the last 42 weeks in a row.

So can McMahon have that kind of success with a real sport?

The key to the XFL’s success is probably television. To head up the television side of the XFL, McMahon recruited one of the best in the business, Michael Weisman. For now, he’s being called a consultant.

Weisman was with NBC from 1972 to ‘89, and was executive producer of sports from 1983 to ’89. Now Fox’s lead baseball producer, he is known for an innovative mind and an eye for announcing and production talent. If McMahon can spot football talent the way Weisman can spot broadcasting talent, we may have something here.

Weisman has one edict: Make the telecasts interesting.

“We’ll have full access and be able to do anything we want,” Weisman said. “That’s the advantage of owning your own league. I’ve been told, ‘You are limited only by your imagination; you can take the viewers where they’ve never been before.’ I’m excited about that opportunity, and also the opportunity of finding new talent--people who one day may be working the Super Bowl.”

The WWF has no television deal yet, but with its ties to the USA network and UPN (Channel 13 in Los Angeles), those would seem to be logical outlets. There is already talk of a weekly prime-time game on UPN.

COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT

Sometimes television programmers are just plain dumb, particularly when it comes to sports. CBS affiliates had a tremendous opportunity to do a good thing Monday by showing Tiger Woods’ historic sixth victory in a row. Rain had wiped out the first round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and pushed the final round to Monday.

At first, CBS planned to farm out the final round to ESPN, but later decided to give it to its affiliates. Some affiliates on the West Coast balked because of daytime soap operas, so the network decided that East Coast coverage would be live but West Coast coverage would be delayed two hours until 3 p.m.

However, Channel 2 in Los Angeles delayed it an hour later than the network had specified. Channel 8 in San Diego showed it at 1:38 a.m., and some markets didn’t show the golf at all.

Channel 2 showed the golf at 4 p.m. so as not to have to preempt the “Price Is Right” at 3 p.m., even though the golf got a 4.2 rating and the “Price Is Right” a 2.6. Live coverage got 5-plus ratings in some markets.

The Golf Channel showed the entire final round the next night, but by then it was too late. CBS had already angered golf fans in many of its markets.

Next time, CBS, just give it to cable so it can be shown live everywhere.

QUESTIONABLE MOVE

Radio and television outlets receive $195 million a year from the government to run its anti-drug advertising, but are required to provide an equal amount of free ad time or make a donation to the anti-drug campaign.

In 1998, the government decided to reward networks with credits for programming with anti-drug themes. News programs were excluded. But the Washington Post has reported that ESPN got $800,000 in credits for news segments on athletes with a drug history.

A spokesman for the government’s Drug Control Policy office said ESPN stories weren’t considered news in the classic sense and that the pieces had athletes reflecting on the role of drugs in their careers. The Post noted that Darryl Strawberry apparently did a lot of reflecting because ESPN got credit for seven segments on him.

ALL-STAR WEEKEND

NBC has Sunday’s NBA All-Star game, and TNT has everything else connected with the game in Oakland, beginning tonight at 7 with a one-hour preview of the festivities.

Saturday at 9 a.m. is the “NBA TeamUp Celebration,” and at 1 p.m. is a rookies game featuring the class of ’98 against the class of ’99. The slam dunk competition returns for the first time since ‘97--minus defending champion Kobe Bryant--as part of the “All-Star Saturday” show at 5 p.m. Laker Coach Phil Jackson encouraged Bryant not to compete.

Also included in “All-Star Saturday” is a three-point shootout, a skills competition involving two-person teams made up of an NBA player and a WNBA player, and a million-dollar shot.

Sunday’s game will be seen in 205 countries. Heidi Ueberroth, NBA executive vice president, said it is the largest global audience ever for the game.

NBC producer David Neal said both coaches, one referee and a few players, including Shaquille O’Neal, will be wearing tiny microphones during the game.

Bill Walton, who will be working an HDTV telecast with Mike Breen and Steve Jones, said, “Breen and Jones have asked that my microphone be removed.”

SHORT WAVES

Something gaining in popularity almost as quickly as professional wrestling did is Toughman, which features ordinary tough guys. Toughman has reached pay-per-view status, with the Toughman World Championships today at 5 p.m. on cable and DirecTV going for $19.95. . . . Meanwhile, Showtime offers more legitimate boxing Saturday at 10 p.m. . . . ESPN presents its eighth ESPY Awards show Monday at 5 p.m., this time from Las Vegas. Phil Mushnick, in TV Guide, called the event “a smarmy burlesque sell that is designed to attract insolent children, ages 9 to 90.” On a more positive note, the show does attract the biggest names in sports. . . . Highly respected Scott Ackerson, who came to Fox from ESPN in 1994 to produce the NFL pregame show, was named executive producer of Fox Sports Net’s “Fox Sports News.”

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for Feb. 5-6.

SATURDAY

*--*

Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Golf: AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2 2.9 9 Gymnastics: Aussie Haircare Invitational 4 2.6 8 Track and field: Millrose Games 4 2.5 8 College basketball: California at UCLA 7 2.1 7 College basketball: Connecticut at Michigan State 2 1.3 4 Horse racing: Donn Handicap at Gulfstream 11 1.0 3

*--*

*--*

Cable Network Rating Share Hockey: All-Star superskills competition ESPN 1.6 3 America’s Cup: Challenger finals, Race 9 ESPN2 0.8 1 Tennis: Davis Cup, U.S. at Zimbabwe ESPN2 0.5 2 Pro basketball: Dallas at Clippers FSN2 0.5 1 College basketball: Stanford at USC FSN2 0.5 1 Horse racing: San Vicente Stakes FSN 0.4 1

*--*

SUNDAY

*--*

Over-the-air Channel Rating Share Pro football: Pro Bowl 78.0 17 Pro basketball: Miami at New York 4 4.2 13 Pro basketball: Sacramento at Philadelphia 4 4.2 11 Golf: AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2 3.8 10 Hockey: NHL All-Star game 7 1.9 5 College basketball: Ohio State at Michigan 2 0.8 2

*--*

Cable Network Rating Share Soccer: Women, U.S. vs. Norway ESPN 1.2 5 Bowling: Chattanooga Open ESPN 0.8 2 Tennis: Davis Cup, U.S. at Zimbabwe ESPN2 0.7 2 Drag racing: NHRA Winternationals at Pomona ESPN2 0.6 1 Pro basketball: Chicago at Clippers FSN2 0.5 1 Golf: Senior Royal Caribbean Classic ESPN 0.4 1 Horse racing: San Antonio Stakes FSN 0.2 0

*--*

Note: Each rating point represents 51,350 L.A. households. Cable ratings reflect the entire market, even though cable is in only 63% of L.A. households.