CBS has acquired MaxPreps, an online high school sports network. The network will become a unit of CBS-owned CSTV (College Sports Television). The deal was announced by Brian Bedol, president and CEO of CSTV.

"From the professional sports covered by CBS Sports and CBS Sportsline to the collegiate athletics covered by CSTV," Bedol said, "this acquisition expands CBS's portfolio of sports programming and brings a spirited community of athletes and a highly desirable demographic into our reach."

MaxPreps provides information on nearly 80,000 high school football and more than 500,000 high school basketball games played annually. It has more than 1 million high school athletes registered in its database.

"Sports fans and participants are among the greatest beneficiaries of the advancements in video delivery technology," Bedol said.

Jesse Jackson, CBS Sports and Wendy Williams Meet with Dr. Boyce ...

Syracuse, NY (PRWeb) April 5, 2007 -- Syracuse University Professor and regular ESPN and CNN commentator Dr. Boyce Watkins met this week with the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Vh-1 host Wendy Williams and CBS Sports to discuss the financial state of Black America. Dr. Watkins also participated with Billy Packer, NCAA President Miles Brand, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Clark Kellogg and others in the CBS Special "Pay for Play", in which the question of athletic compensation was explored by CBS. On "The Wendy Williams Experience", Dr. Watkins explained the need for African-Americans to stand together and stop their own financial exploitation by others. He includes the NCAA, predatory lenders and others as financial victimizers of African-Americans.

Dr. Watkins, a strong advocate for single parent black families, believes that the NCAA should share its revenue with the families of the players.

Toyota Texas Bass Classic to be Broadcast Nationally by CBS Sports

HOUSTON - CBS Sports will broadcast a one-hour special this Mother's Day, reprising the action in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the $1 million professional fishing tournament to be held on Lake Fork April 13 - 15. The broadcast will be a historic first for a bass fishing tournament, taking the sport to a nationally televised audience.
During the tournament, the TTBC action will also be broadcast on Versus (formerly Outdoor Life Network), featuring 30-minute highlights of the action of each day.
With more than 50 million anglers, the sport of fishing is one of the most popular in the United States. "Our 160 anglers are very excited about this awesome event, and feel that the broadcast should have a large and receptive audience," said Gene Ellison, executive director of the Professional Anglers Association, the voice of professional anglers.

CBS To Build New High-Def Hub

(Broadcasting & Cable) _ CBS arrives at this year's gathering of the National Association of Broadcasters with a mission: to finalize equipment plans for the new 32,000-square-foot, multimillion-dollar origination facility the network is building in its New York broadcast headquarters.

More than three years in the planning, the new Media Distribution Center (MDC) will be a file-based, high-definition program-playout facility designed to carry CBS and its various distribution platforms into the digital-Click for the lowest price on dmnobieblanktelevision');" onMouseOut="hideAd();" class=Hotlink>television future. The facility will handle program playout for the East Coast, West Coast and regional-network feeds. It will also link, via fiber and satellite, to CBS Click for the lowest price on dmnobieblanktelevision');" onMouseOut="hideAd();" class=Hotlink>Television City in Los Angeles, as well as the network's live-news and sports operations in New York.

Smizik on TV: KDKA sports anchor finally gets talk show

One of the more amazing things about local radio the past few years is that of all the various openings there have been for talk-show hosts, John Steigerwald never was given his own program. ESPN Radio 1250, Fox Sports Radio 970, KDKA-Radio and WPBG (NewsTalk 104.7) all have filled slots, but none went to Steigerwald.

As a full-time sports anchor for KDKA-TV, Steigerwald can't work just any shift, but for someone as knowledgeable, as well-spoken and as highly opinionated as Steigerwald you'd have thought they'd find a spot.

At last, someone has.

WTZN-FM (93.7)/The Zone, a CBS-owned station, has given Steigerwald, who briefly did a Saturday morning show on Fox Sports Radio a few years ago, an hour every weekday at 9 a.m. "The John Steigerwald Show" is worth a listen.

Steigerwald says his show is about "sports and other stuff," and sometimes the other stuff takes precedence.