Time to open up the notebook as we approach the second week of the NCAA Tournament. Quite a few items to get to…
Sporting News picks up a story from sister publication Sports Business Journal by John Ourand and David Broughton on the NHL's TV ratings since the lockout. Suffice to say like the NBA a year ago, ratings both locally and nationally have gone up significantly from the previous season. And Chicago has seen a huge ratings bump thanks to its early regulation unbeaten streak.
Speaking of the Sporting News, Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead reports that about a dozen writers and editors were fired on Wednesday including some high profile reporters. Here's hoping they all find work soon. I hate to see people lose their jobs.
On the day we learned America's Long National Nightmare Tim McCarver would be leaving Fox at the end of the 2013 World Series, Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has details of his upcoming departure. McCarver was a long-standing fixture on the Awful Announcing Mount Rushmore. While I'm not one to subscribe to the theory that he was against certain teams in the booth, my problems with McCarver included his tendency to belabor points, over analyze and make the most insane points. It was as if he continually spoke Japanese to a hearing impaired person for six hours.
The NCAA Tournament which lends itself as an onlline event broke a record last week for live video streams doubling all of 2012's numbers in just the first week. Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that a lot to do with the increased streams is the fact that Turner Sports did away with the $3.99 fee for the March Madness Live app and simplified the authentication process to watch video.
Mike McCarthy at Advertising Age explores whether a congratulatory Facebook ad by Nike Golf for Tiger Woods was a bit too much following his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on a unique radio partnership between ESPN and CBS Radio that puts the Browns on three radio stations, taking the rights away from powerhouse Clear Channel Communications. There won't be any changes to the booth as Jim Donovan and Doug Dieken will continue to call the games, but unlike when the team was on Clear Channel, there won't be any conflicts with the Indians to which CC also has the rights. Also, there will be an increase in Browns programming on the three stations.
ESPN saw the best ratings for the recently completed NCAA Wrestling Championships in nine years.
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and California recently announced their studio plans for both the Giants and A's respectively.
In the Houston Chronicle, David Barron writes that the city's mayor is fed up of the disputes that are keeping Comcast SportsNet off local cable and satellite systems.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says CBS's venerable NCAA Tournament team of Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are aging gracefully before our eyes.
That will close the notebook for now. Another edition will come in a few days.
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