ITEM ONE:

MNF: TOP FIVE FIRST TWO WEEKS

The new seasons are here -- in football and fall television programming. But one thing never seems to change – the popularity of ABC’s NFL Monday Night Football. It is the longest running prime-time entertainment series in television history (29 years). And, judging from the first two weeks of the NFL season, it is as popular as ever. Monday Night Football finished among the top five highest-rated TV programs in Weeks 1-2 of the season. The Labor Day telecast featuring the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos against the New England Patriots was the highest-rated program of the week (September 7-13), drawing a 14.8 national rating, which equates to 14.7 million TV homes. The San Francisco 49ers-Washington Redskins telecast of September 14 was the fourth highest-rated program of the TV week (September 14-20), earning a 12.7 rating. Both games were the highest-rated ABC-TV shows of the week. New shows? America sticks with an old favorite.

ITEM TWO:

BUCS OPEN NEW STADIUM WITH A BANG – LITERALLY

Those far-roaming Buccaneers finally dropped anchor in Tampa Bay last Sunday – and did it with a blast. The Buccaneers, on the road for all of preseason and the first two games of the regular season, opened their brand-new RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM in front of 64,328 fans – and one pirate ship. The massive recreation of a pirate galleon sits in the north end zone of the stadium, called "Buccaneer Cove." It was a hit with fans before and during the game – particularly in the second half. Thousands of fans toured the boat and had pictures taken in front of it. After a scoreless first half, the Buccaneers – and the ship – ignited, scoring 27 points on four touchdowns to defeat the Chicago Bears 27-15. Each score was greeted with a blast from the ship’s cannons. "The stadium is great," said GIL MULROONEY of St. Petersburg. "The layout, the logistics, the way the place actually looks. It’s worth the price of admission." In other words, the Bucs’ new stadium is "ship shape."

ITEM THREE:

CHARGERS SEND KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL – WITH TICKETS IN HAND

A lot of youngsters in San Diego didn’t mind going back to school this September. That’s because, thanks to the San Diego Chargers’ "Touchdowns for Youth" program, good school attendance last spring meant they would be rewarded with free tickets to Chargers games this fall. In the program, student attendance was monitored in April and May of 1997 and ’98. To earn Chargers tickets, schools had to record total attendance of at least 95 percent in both years, or an attendance increase of at least two percent. Those that did received tickets from the Chargers and an increase in state funding. Due to California regulations, schools lose about $25 a day for each child’s unexcused absence. So if San Diego schools were able to boost their attendance by just one percent, that would mean an extra $4 million in revenue. "The Chargers tickets are a major event this year," says MARY LOUISE MARTIN, principal of San Diego’s Wilson Middle School. "It’s not necessary that attendance goes up the next day, but once self-esteem goes up, then attendance and grades go up."