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And Now - Even More Words From Our Sponsor

© F. Colin Kingston

News and Notes From The World of Television:

Television viewers got some good news and some bad news this week. The good news is that you have plenty of time to make yourself a snack during commercial breaks when you are watching television. The bad news is that commercials breaks are becoming longer and more frequent.

According to a study just released by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, prime time television commercial breaks during an average hour long program last an average of 16 minutes, 43 seconds. That is an increase of 59 seconds over just a year ago.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Spring marks the return of baseball. While it can no longer be considered the nation's past time, baseball and television still go together like a ball and glove. Several networks will be televising games this season. They are:

ESPN - televises 105 games on Wednesday and Sunday nights. They also have the rights to all regular season games on ESPN radio.

FOX - televises 25 Saturday games beginning on May 27th with the Boston Red Sox battling their arch-rival New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves battling the Houston Astros. They also have the rights to the selected divisional championship games, the 2000 National League Championship Series and the World Series.

FX Network - not to be confused with their parent FOX Network, FX will televise 26 Saturday evening games.

FOX SPORTS NET - televises 26 Thursday night games. They also have the regional cable rights to all 27 Major League Baseball teams.

NBC - televises the American League Championship series, the All-Star game and selected divisional playoff games.

I'm old enough to remember the days before cable. NBC's Saturday Game-Of-The-Week was truly a special event. It used to be the only time you could see games featuring teams outside of your area, except for the playoffs and World Series.

In many ways those were the good old days for baseball. Any game on a national telecast was special and it got big ratings. I used to get up extra early on Saturday so I could finish my Saturday chores (cutting the grass, pulling weeds etc.) in time to watch the ballgame. Ah, the innocence of youth.

I have a chart listing all 27 Major League Baseball teams along with their schedule of radio and television stations. If you have a question about the broadcasts of your favorite team, drop me an e-mail at F_Colin_Kingston@Suite101.com. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.