Pregame shows for N.Y. O&Os

Network flagship stations rev up

By CLAUDE BRODESSER

NEW YORK -- The Gotham network flagship stations of NBC and CBS are both trying to cash in on their networks respective loss and gain of the NFL. WNBC, the NBC flagship, is expected to announce on March 12 that it has struck a deal for an NFL pregame show hosted by Jim Fassel, New York Giants' head coach. The show should garner some audience, even without any NFL games to follow it, media buyers said.

The deal is for at least 16 half-hour Saturday shows, sources at the New York Giants said. He will be accompanied by Mike Breen, currently the voice of the New York Knicks and host of "Mike and the Mad Dog," which airs on the CBS-owned New York sports station WFAN-AM.

Meanwhile, WCBS, the CBS O&O, announced Wednesday that it, too, will have a half-hour NFL pregame show, hosted on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. by New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells and former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms. Unlike WNBC, its pregame shows will be followed by AFC games; CBS acquired the rights to the NFL's AFC games package in January. Seeking to recoup some of the cost of the $4 billion package through local ad sales, it will also run "Game Day" with CBS-owned WFAN-AM morning host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo on Sundays at 11 a.m. and a NFL-wide wrap-up program at 11:35 p.m.