October 3, 2003
No. 373

EVEN IN PREMIERE WEEK, NFL SCORES HIGH
It was the first week of the new TV season and the fourth week of the NFL season.  This past week saw 55 new TV shows debut, from "Cold Case" to "Two and a Half Men."  Yet three of the 20 most-watched programs of the week (September 22-28) were NFL games. The FOX national game (Cowboys-Jets/Lions-Broncos) ranked 10th with 17.8 million viewers, ABC's Monday Night Football (Raiders-Broncos) was 12th with 17.3 million viewers, and the CBS single game (Patriots-Redskins) finished 19th with 14.7 million viewers.  "The American public has an insatiable appetite for football," says JOHN MANSELL of Kagan World Media.

FROZEN RINK OR "FROZEN TUNDRA"?  WOMEN PREFER THE NFL
MICHELLE KWAN or BRETT FAVRE?  The Packers' quarterback and his NFL peers rate among women higher than figure skating, according to a recent survey by the Octagon sports marketing agency.  Thirty-seven percent of the women polled aged 18-54 picked the NFL as the sport they are "most interested in" over figure skating (30 percent).  "While the NFL is a cherished pastime for men, it is by no means an exclusive male ritual," said Brandweek in reporting on the study.  "Of professional football's 120 million weekly viewers, 45 million (38 percent) are women."  The other sports preferred by women are gymnastics (26.5), Major League Baseball (25.5), the NBA and NHL (14 percent each).         

CHARGERS' DEAN SPANOS HONORED WITH GUTHRIE AWARD
San Diego Chargers President/CEO DEAN SPANOS and his wife SUSIE were honored in New York this week at the seventh annual Guthrie Awards Dinner to benefit the Huntington's Disease Society of America.  Spanos was presented with the 2003 Harold Leventhal Community Service Award by NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE.  The award honors those who are committed to making a difference in communities.  HD is an inherited, progressively degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of mental faculties and physical control.  Thirty-six years ago, singer WOODY GUTHRIE lost his battle with HD at the age of 55.  His widow, MARJORIE, began the Woody and Marjorie Guthrie Research Fund to help finance research to find a cure for the illness.  "This is truly an honor for us," said Spanos.  "We are grateful to be in a position to help the Huntington's Disease Society of America.  The disease has struck a member of the Chargers' family.  We know a cure is coming.  We just want to help it come as soon as possible."   

NFL HELPS KIDS LEARN TO READ & LEARN THE GAME
 They love football, and they should love to read as well.  That is the reasoning behind a new program between the NFL and Scholastic, Inc., the world's largest publisher of children's books.  The two have produced six football-themed books in a variety of formats for readers aged 7-12, ranging from titles such as "Record Breakers" to "Behind the Scenes."  Scholastic's School Book Clubs are offering the NFL titles in catalogs mailed to 30 million students in 85 percent of the nation's classrooms.  "Kids love reading when they are offered books about subjects they are interested in," says ELLIE BERGER, Scholastic vice president.  "Together, we are providing kids with the opportunity to read about football and the NFL."