Fox Vows to Treat NFL With ‘Reverence’

If TV critics were wondering how the NFL might feel on the Fox network, the new broadcast home of the National Football Conference for the next four years, they received a fair idea Friday when Fox kicked off its leg of the semi-annual gathering for them in Pasadena with all the energy of a Super Bowl halftime show.

Critics received an “NFL on Fox� gym bag and a jersey with their name embossed on the back, both products licensed by the NFL. Then Fox screened a music video of hard-hitting football clips intercut with commentary from Fox characters, ranging from the Simpsons to the Bundys, all to the tune of the Beatles’ “Revolution No. 9.�

But despite appearances, network executives vowed that the NFL will retain its dignity when broadcasts begin on Fox this fall.

“We’re not going to trivialize it. Homer Simpson will not be in the broadcast booth,� said David Hill, the Australian head of Sky Sports, the United Kingdom’s only dedicated sports channel, until media magnate Rupert Murdoch brought him over six days ago to preside over the newly formed Fox Sports division.

“We realize we’ve been given a sacred trust, in sporting terms, and we’re going to treat it with a reverence it deserves,� Hill said. “What you will see different is promotions, marketing and the pregame show.�

Lucie Salhany, Fox Broadcasting Co. chairman, echoed Hill’s sentiments: “The NFL is a tradition. We are not going to deliver a bad telecast. We respect it, we paid a lot of money for it, and even though this is a four-year deal, we want (football) forever.�

In December, Fox outbid CBS for NFC broadcast rights for a whopping $1.56 billion. Fox is also talking with the International Olympic Committee about acquiring broadcast rights to future Olympics in Fox’s effort to become a major sports broadcasting presence, part of Salhany’s plans to “build and broaden the reach of this network,� which up until now appealed primarily to young viewers.

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Although Fox executives would not elaborate, they indicated they were in negotiations with at least some of CBS’ longtime football personnel, most notably commentator John Madden, to join Fox.

But in other ways, Fox hopes to improve on NFL broadcasts. The pregame show will expand from 30 minutes to one hour and become a “combination of ‘NFL Today,’ ‘60 Minutes’ and ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ � Hill said.

Hill also hopes to inject some youth in the broadcasts to “strike a ratio of old graybeards . . . and bright young kids . . . not only in front of the camera but behind the camera.�

Fox believes it will enhance the value of the NFL by bringing in more youthful viewers. According to the network, the NFL has lost 40% of male viewers between the ages of 18 and 34 over the past 10 years.

In programming news, Sandy Grushow, Fox Entertainment group president, announced that the network has made a three-year production deal for “The Simpsons� and has picked up “Living Single� and “The X-Files,� Fox’s best performing new series, for next season.

He also confirmed that Howard Stern will definitely not be joining the Fox network in late night to replace the failed “Chevy Chase Show.� Fox has its hands full with football and does not expect to relaunch its late-night franchise until possibly next year, he said.

Meanwhile, to keep momentum during the summer, when the other networks are mostly in repeats, Fox will introduce two new characters to its ensemble series “Melrose Place� in May, and then will spin them off into their own summer series from producer Aaron Spelling, “Models Inc.� One character will be Heather Locklear’s mother, who runs a successful modeling agency, and the other the agency’s star model.