RE: Speedvision.
I participated in a Fox press conference at Sears Point last Saturday. It
was to mark Fox' final NASCAR telecast of the '01 season. NBC/TNT takes
over next week.
David Hill, the Brit Fox chairman who lives in SoCal, said they
were getting closer to concluding a deal with Speedvision. All his remarks
seemed to indicate Speedvision will cover NASCAR extensively. It was a
NASCAR audience so nobody, including me, asked if they would be dropping
the extended coverage of the SCCA's World Challenge, etc.
We don't get Speedvision on the Pleasanton cable system either.
What I did ask Mr. Hill was if the Fox network had any control over
its affiliates, particularly the situation that saw Channel 36-San Jose
(which isn't a Fox station but it was subbing for Channel 2 Oakland which
is) drop the final 10 laps of the NASCAR World 600 on Memorial Day weekend
and switch to Women's soccer.
The answer is they have no control at the network level.
--John Kelly
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