iN DEMAND Names Sports Announcers for Sports in Demand Courtside

Business Wire, Oct 5, 2000

Sports & Broadcast Editors/Tennis Writers & Columnists

NEW YORK--(BW SportsWire)--Oct. 5, 2000

Tennis Superstar Virginia Wade To Co-Anchor

PPV Broadcast of World's Top-Ranked Women Tennis Players

In Coverage of Five Tournaments

iN DEMAND, the nation's leading pay-per-view network, has named tennis legend Virginia Wade and sports commentator Randy Rosenbloom as co-anchors for exclusive coverage of five international women's tennis tournaments on the Sanex WTA Tour, an exclusive presentation of Sports iN DEMAND COURTSIDE.

Sports iN DEMAND COURTSIDE will feature play-by-play and commentary by two of the most highly-skilled sports broadcasting professionals in the business. Wade made a name for herself on the WTA Tour as a Top 10 player throughout the 1960s and 70s. A veteran play-by-play sports announcer, Rosenbloom has been the voice for 24 different sports over the past 20 years, winning AP Radio Awards on four different occasions.

The COURTSIDE package is the first, proprietary sports package for Sports iN DEMAND, the iN DEMAND programming franchise whose mission is to bring the best in sports from around the globe to cable TV customers. Courtside joins the NBA LEAGUE PASS and the NHL Center Ice as one of the cornerstones of Sports iN DEMAND.

Wade and Rosenbloom are slated to preside over 18 days of courtside coverage from the Sanex WTA Tour featuring the world's top-seeded players in tournaments that span four countries and five cities - Germany (Filderstadt and Leipzig), Austria (Linz), Switzerland (Zurich) and Japan (Tokyo).

Beginning October 4, iN DEMAND will provide 50 hours of live broadcast coverage of the early rounds through the semifinals of Sanex WTA Tour events in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, plus the finals for the Tokyo, Japan event. The action will consist of four exciting European tournaments that will include a total of 31 matches over a four-week period that begins on Wednesday, October 4 and runs through Saturday, November 4. The package will also feature bonus coverage of the semifinals and finals of the Toyota Princess Cup from Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, Oct. 8 - Monday, Oct. 9.

"We are thrilled to have signed two of the most highly regarded and professional sports broadcasters for the debut of our first-ever original, branded sports presentation," said Rob Jacobson, iN DEMAND's Senior Vice President Distribution/Product Development. "Bringing with them years of sports knowledge and background in broadcasting, Virginia and Randy are certain to provide exciting and detailed commentary for fans throughout the tournaments."

"We feel iN DEMAND has put together a strong team in the broadcast booth," said Bart McGuire, CEO, Sanex WTA Tour. "Virginia Wade's background in tennis and experience in broadcasting will bring to iN DEMAND's coverage a high level of insight and knowledge of women's tennis that will enhance the experience for the viewers."

One of Great Britain's greatest women's tennis players ever, Wade was ranked as high as No.2 in the world and ranked in the Top 10 from 1967-1979. She currently is No. 4 on the all-time victory list with 839 match wins and has captured 55 pro singles titles. Wade won the US Championship in the first year of Open Tennis in 1968, captured the Australian Open in 1972 and achieved her lifetime goal by winning Wimbledon in 1977. In 1982, she became the first and only woman ever elected to the prestigious Wimbledon Committee and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1989.

With a distinctive voice and a wealth of knowledge in sports stats, Rosenbloom first became the announcer for UCLA basketball games on ESPN in 1981. Additional radio assignments included UNLV football (1982-1985), NFL Raiders coverage (1993), Olympic boxing for Westwood One (1996). On television, Rosenbloom was the Sports Director for KADY-TV, handled play-by-play coverage for Prime Ticket Network from 1986-1989. Currently, he is co-host for Valley Sports 2 on Time Warner Cable, does play-by-play announcing for KLCS-TV/Los Angeles and covers Ivy League football and basketball on DirecTV.

The iN DEMAND-branded presentation is a first for the pay-pay-view network and another step in its mission to offer television fans a dependable destination for the best in sports and entertainment. "Courtside will bring fans exciting women's tennis they can't see anywhere else," Jacobson said. "The global appeal of women's tennis right now makes this a natural addition to Sports iN DEMAND along with the NBA LEAGUE PASS, the NHL Center Ice, boxing, wrestling, college sports and professional soccer matches from around the globe."

The Sanex WTA Tour tennis package will include the following tournaments:

-- Porsche Tennis Grand Prix from Filderstadt, Germany, Wednesday, October 4 - Saturday, October 7.

-- Swisscom Challenge from Zurich, Switzerland,Wednesday, October 11 - Saturday, October 14.

-- Generali Ladies Linz from Linz, Austria, Wednesday, October 18 - Saturday, October 21.

-- Sparkassen Cup International Grand Prix from Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, November 1 - Saturday, November 4.