Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!looking!clarinews From: clarinews@clarinet.com (JEFF HASEN, UPI Sports Writer) Newsgroups: clari.sports.misc Subject: Broadcast Column: Sportscast Keywords: misc sports Message-ID: Date: 17 Jan 90 20:50:48 GMT Lines: 63 Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com ACategory: sports Slugword: sportscast Priority: major Format: regular ANPA: Wc: 664; Id: s1785; Sel: ns--s; Adate: 1-17-345pes; Ver: sked; Ref: adv19 Codes: ysz.rxx. Note: Advance for Friday, Jan. 19 LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Just when it appeared juggling acts and dancing bears were becoming a trend on Super Bowl pregame shows, CBS decides to deal strictly with the game. ``It's a football show on pro football's biggest day,'' CBS Sports Executive Producer Ted Shaker said this week. ``We're not going to do a bunch of talent challenges or silent minutes. That's never been our style.'' Michael Weisman, the former NBC Sports executive producer, introduced in 1986 the silent minute in which the screen went blank and last year a theatrical talent competition among NFL players. In hopes of keeping the two hours moving, Shaker has broken the show into four parts. The first 30 minutes will review the past season, the second 30 minutes will look at the 1980s and glance toward the `90s. Half of the second hour features a chronicle of the final two days of preparation and a segment from Leningrad with a platoon of Marines. The final 30 minutes will focus on the matchup. Shaker said he is not bothered by the perception that the Super Bowl will be a one-sided bore. ``This game has become so much a part of the American culture,'' he said. ``The whole country almost comes to a stop. It's an unofficial national holiday. ``All we can ask for is an exciting game. Maybe in the long run all the talk of the 49ers' dominance will help to motivate the Broncos. But people are going to watch the Super Bowl regardless of who plays in it.'' Super Bowl ratings peaked in 1982 when San Francisco's 26-21 victory over Cincinnati brought a a 49.1 Nielsen number for CBS. Last year's 20-16 win by the 49ers over the Bengals earned NBC a 43.5. ``It's been between 42 and 46 the last few years,'' CBS Sports President Neal Pilson said. ``I'd anticipate the same rating for this one.'' The pregame show Jan. 28 begins at 3 p.m. EST. Switching channels: Pilson refused to speculate on upcoming negotiations for NFL rights. It has been reported CBS will bid for Monday night football, an ABC institution for two decades. ``I'm not prepared to discuss what we're doing on Monday night football or Sunday afternoon football,'' he said. ``What about the current package (where CBS has the desirable NFC rights)? What about our Monday night (prime time) schedule where we're doing quite well, thank you?'' NBC is expected to push for the NFC package when the talks begin following the Super Bowl XXIV. ... The ACE awards, trying to become cable's version of the Emmys, have gained in prestige, but can they be taken seriously when rookie Benny Parsons of ESPN wins for best sports analyst and Paul Ryden of TBS gets the nod for sports show host? The cable year belonged to Chris Berman, who incidentally has never won an ACE award. Berman's ``NFL GameDay'' did take the sports news series category. ... Dan Dierdorf, who had removed the ``oohs'' and ``aahs'' from his fight desription in recent ABC bouts, reverted to bad form during the pay-per-view telecast of George Foreman vs. Gerry Cooney. Showtime's delayed telecast will be shown twice -- including Saturday night at 9 p.m. in CST and 10 p.m. elsewhere. ... John Madden of CBS takes a critical view of football betting lines. ``I've always thought they were stupid,'' he said. ``I never understood it when I was a coach. I never knew what it was. It seems like the coaches and players are in one game and someone is betting on another game. _A_d_v_a_n_c_e_ _f_o_r_ _F_r_i_d_a_y_,_ _J_a_n_._ _1_9