Sportsnet loses exec Laura Mellanby, Sportsnet's vice-president of programming, will announce on Monday that she is leaving the specialty channel for a top job at Rupert Murdoch's Star Channel in Asia, sources say.
Mellanby, who is from Toronto and has been with Sportsnet since its launch in 1998, is expected to join Star Channel in August. She will be based in Singapore. Will CBC be a player? The CBC will learn in the next few weeks if it is a player in the sports cable business.
The network's bid to own 10 per cent of Sportsnet hinges on Rogers Communications being able to acquire control of the channel.
Sources say a series of talks between the CBC's representative, Alan Clark, the former head of CBC Sports, and Rogers Communications have taken place over the past year.
The CBC feels it needs a sports cable partner to compete with the CTV/TSN/Outdoor Life Network alliance in negotiations for major sports properties, such as National Hockey League rights, which will be open for bids in a few months.
At the Sportsnet board level there is support for a CBC partnership from 20-per-cent shareholder Fox Sports, but it is not clear how enthusiastic Rogers is about teaming up with the CBC, a public company.
Rogers, in addition to attempting to purchase CTV's 40 per cent of Sportsnet, also has a side agreement to acquire 10.1 per cent of the channel held by Molson Breweries.
The industry buzz has CTV selling its share of Sportsnet in July. Speculation on CHUM It is widely speculated that Telemedia's chain of radio stations in Western Canada and Ontario, including FAN 590 in Toronto, are in play and will be sold if the right offer is put on the table.
Sources close to Corus Entertainment say the media content giant, which owns a network of radio stations, is not interested.
Who might be? Many view the CHUM group, which launched a nation-wide sports network in May, as a logical suitor.
CHUM's Team 1050 is in a battle with the FAN in the rich Toronto market, and buying out the competition would be the quickest way to end hostilities. CHUM would amalgamate the talent on the FAN and Team 1050, keep all-sports on the FAN, because it has wider distribution in Ontario than Team 1050, and return 1050 to music or some talk format.
Other groups interested in the Telemedia stations could be Standard Broadcasting and the Rogers chain of stations. In the long term, Rogers, which owns the Toronto Blue Jays, may view the Telemedia properties as key to establishing a Jays network in Ontario and Western Canada. 'Pun-boy' strikes It must have been a struggle, but Ron MacLean, the CBC's serial punster and purveyor of off-coloured jokes, was able to control himself, for the most part, during his work as host of the National Hockey League awards show on Thursday.
There were a few lapses, but nothing as cheesy as last year when he talked about Ottawa Senator Alexei Yashin "scoring" with model Carol Alt and a couple of hunting dogs "mounting."
Plenty of young children, after all, tune in to the show.
This year, MacLean's one-liners included something about the only thing in Canada to match the pair of Ray Bourque and Patrick Roy belonged to somebody on Bay Watch. And after mentioning the dancers on the awards show, he segued to, "speaking of firm," meaning the firm involved in the balloting.
Dumb, yes, but commendable in its restraint, given MacLean's attachment to locker room humour.
Best moments of the show:
The opening, with tenor Russell Watson singing Funiculi-funicula.
Art Ross Trophy winner Jaromir Jagr thanking teammate Mario Lemieux, with whom he was allegedly feuding, for helping him win the award.
More kind words about Lemieux from Hart Trophy winner Joe Sakic.
Colorado forward Shjon Podein's emotional acceptance of the Clancy Award for humanitarian contributions. Child sports writer Sportsnet Unplugged, Sportsnet's eight-episode summer pilot with host Mike Toth, debuts June 26. The 30-minute show will air weekly and is described as a cross between TSN's Off the Record, and the Jim Rome Show.
Toth says the show will open with a feature, followed by one-on-one interview with a sports figure and conclude with a panel discussion.
If journalistic experience counts for anything, Toth, who co-anchors Sportsnet's 10 p.m. SportsCentral, brings plenty to the table. At the age of 12, he covered sports for a weekly newspaper in Bassano, Alta., east of Calgary, which was owned by his father Vic.
"It was kind of a mom-and-pop operation," Toth said. "I was in the dark room, doing headlines and writing about school sports. Mom was the gossip columnist in town. It was a family operation."
Toth, 37, worked in broadcasting in Calgary and had a brief stint at TSN before joining Sportsnet three years ago. What to watch The CBC carries Toronto Blue Jays-Montreal Expos tonight at 7 p.m. EDT and tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
TSN's coverage of the third and fourth rounds of the U.S. Open golf tournament starts today and tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT.
The Canadian men's under-20 national soccer team opens its World Youth Championship schedule against Iraq in Cordoba, Argentina. It's on Sportsnet tomorrow at 8 p.m. local time.
TSN's Business of Sports, tomorrow at 11 a.m., examines Philadelphia 76er star Allen Iverson's new image. EDT. Truth and Rumours can be reached by phone (416) 585-5335; fax (416) 585-5290; E-mail: truth@globeandmail.ca