Programming Briefs
By Staff -- Multichannel News, 9/21/2003 8:00:00 PM
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Items:
NFL Players Union Blitzes 'Playmakers' Tennis to Serve Up Menu of Tourneys TLC's New 'Sweep' Cleans Up in Nielsens Court TV Collects 'Trace Evidence' |
NFL Players Union Blitzes 'Playmakers'
New York— The National Football League Players Association is attempting to sack ESPN's new series, Playmakers, because of the way players are negatively portrayed.
The NFLPA has asked ESPN to take the weekly series off the air. The series depicts a fictional pro team, replete with a ruthless owner, a drug-addicted star running back and an unsympathetic coach.
The players union's comments came on the heels of similar remarks from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who recently said the series is a "gross" mischaracterization of the sport.
But an ESPN spokesman said the series will remain on the air, despite the NFLPA's objections, adding that some players have actually requested cameos on the show.
The series does not accurately portray the NFL, he said, adding that viewers can tell the difference between a documentary and a drama.
Tennis to Serve Up Menu of Tourneys
Santa Monica, Calif.— Highlighted by first-ever, complete live coverage in the U.S. of the semifinals and finals of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup, The Tennis Channel is serving up an array of major events and tournaments as the sport winds down this year.
From Sept. 19-21, Tennis will provide live coverage of the 2003 Davis Cup semifinals from Melbourne, Australia, and Malaga, Spain.
The channel will also carry the Davis Cup finals live Nov. 28-30. On the women's side, Tennis will present the 2003 Fed Cup, with semifinal and final ties, live from Moscow Nov. 19 to 20 and Nov. 22 to 23, respectively.
The network's Women's Tennis Association Tour coverage features semifinal and final coverage from Leipzig, Germany, Sept. 27 to 28.
Next at the net: semifinal and final telecasts of the Kremlin Cup from Moscow Oct. 4 to 5, followed by live coverage of the championship match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Oct. 12.
Later in October, the Association of Tennis Professionals men's tour takes center stage on Tennis with 140 total hours of coverage of the Tennis Masters Madrid from Spain Oct. 13 to 19 and the BNP Paribas Masters from Paris Oct. 27 to Nov. 2.
TLC's New 'Sweep' Cleans Up in Nielsens
Silver Spring, Md.—TLC's new home makeover show Clean Sweep, boosted by a fresh installment of Trading Spaces as a lead-in, produced a 2.7 household rating and a 3.1 mark among women 25 to 54 during its Sept. 13 debut (from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.).
The new show beat ABC, NBC and CBS, as well as all ad-supported and premium cable with the aforementioned demo that night.
Clean Sweep, which pits husbands against wives and girlfriends vs. boyfriends in competitions to turn around disastrous rooms, moved into its regular weekday 6 to 7 p.m. time slot Sept. 15. TLC's initial order for the strip is 60 episodes.
Court TV Collects 'Trace Evidence'
New York—Court TV has ordered seven episodes of Trace Evidence: The Case Files of Dr. Henry Lee (working title).
Due to premiere in early 2004, each one-hour episode will feature a pair of the more than 6,000 cases the renowned forensics expert has played a role in solving. Lee will return to the crime scene, speak with investigators, police, prosecutors and lawyers, and then go back to the crime lab to explain how he reached his conclusion.
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