MEDIA CREDENTIALS: Inside Sports Media

ESPN to Hire San Francisco Chronicle Reporter
(Howard Bloom) - ESPN is set to hire one of the San Francisco Chronicle reporters who broke the Balco steroids scandal, marking the sports network's latest move to deepen its roster of journalists who honed their skills in the print world. Mark Fainaru-Wada's move to the cable channel comes on the heels of its recent hire of Rick Reilly, a long-time columnist for Sports Illustrated, to do commentaries for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN.com and the ESPN television networks. Fainaru-Wada and fellow reporter Lance Williams were the Chronicle duo behind the March 2004 bombshell exposé that San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees and other players obtained steroids from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or Balco, a nutritional supplement lab linked to other elite athletes. ESPN recently launched a newsmagazine, "E-60," that offers a serious, investigative take on the world of athletics. For several years it has aired the "Outside the Lines" program, which also offers an in-depth look at important figures and topics in sports.

ABC to Broadcast MLS Cup
(ESPN) - ABC, the broadcast television home of Major League Soccer and FIFA World Cup events, will present live coverage of the 2007 MLS Cup Sunday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. from RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. The broadcast, presented in high definition, will feature the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution in a rematch of the 2006 MLS Cup that will conclude ABC’s 12th season of coverage of Major League Soccer.

Four Networks to Bid on U.S. Open
(Sports Business News) - ESPN, Versus, Tennis Channel and incumbent USA Network have talked with the U.S. Tennis Association about getting the rights, which will cost USA Network more than $20 million in 2008, the last year of its existing deal. The USTA, which owns and operates the Open, has an option to nullify that final year, sources said, though such a move is unlikely given the amount USA is contracted to pay.