Fox College Sports to Debut in the Fall

Fox Sports Net announced Tuesday the creation of Fox College Sports, a three-pronged digital network dedicated to college sports. It will be available on three channels, each offering sports from a different region -- East, Central or West.

The network, set to debut this fall in about 20 million digital cable homes, is an offshoot of Fox Sports Digital Nets, which was launched three years ago.

“Its success has brought us to a point where it’s ready to evolve into a younger brother of Fox Sports Net,” said Bob Thompson, president of Fox Sports Networks.

Fox College Sports will be a competitor of CSTV, which started a little more than a year ago.

Thompson said the two networks should complement each other.

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KTLA Channel 5 will announce today that it has hired Chicago sportscaster Damon Andrews, news director Jeff Wald said. He will replace Tony Hernandez, who left the station in mid-April.

Andrews has been with Fox Sports Net in Chicago since 1997. He is scheduled to start at KTLA on Aug. 2.

Channel 5 is owned by the Tribune Co., which also owns The Times.

-- Larry Stewart