AXS TV, the cable channel owned by Mark Cuban, AEG, CAA and Ryan Seacrest, will now simulcast HuffPost Live programming from 10 AM-4 PM. HuffPost Live has been seeking cable distribution for months (as we have noted), though the deal with AXS will not result in lucrative carriage fees that makes cable such an appealing place for programmers, according to the NY Times‘ Brian Stelter.

In an interview, Roy Sekoff, the president and co-creator of HuffPost Live, did not rule out full-blown cable distribution in the future. He said AXS provided “a way to get on now,” emphasizing “now.”

The telecast will start on May 13. It will be shown weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time (the first half of HuffPost Live’s daily output), replacing the random assortment of repeats that AXS currently schedules during the day. Mr. Sekoff said The Huffington Post was not paying for the distribution, and AXS is not paying for the programming; the arrangement is mutually beneficial, he suggested, something that Mr. Cuban affirmed in a separate interview.

The deal also unites The Huffington Post with Dan Rather, the former “CBS Evening News” anchor who now hosts “Dan Rather Reports” on the channel.

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Summerall, 82, died of a heart attack at a Dallas hospital yesterday. He’d gone in for hip surgery. Some tributes on Twitter:

“He was a terrific broadcaster, a great guy, they didn’t come any better on TV,” Larry King.

“The late Pat Summerall was a great broadcaster who once happened to be a good football player. Early on, was a NYC radio morning host. RIP,” Keith Olbermann.

“Pat was not only good, he was easy to listen to. That’s a rarity in today’s show biz TV sports world,” Len Berman.

“For those of us who make a living in front of a microphone, Pat Summerall was one of the guys who defined the job,” Steve Inskeep, NPR

“RIP Pat Summerall. I will remember you as an entrepreneur first and foremost,” Mark Cuban

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In addition to CBS, AXS is owned by Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest, live events company AEG and talent agency CAA. According to the companies, CBS will provide the network with live programming, and will offer marketing support.

The deal also reunites CBS with Dan Rather, the former “CBS Evening News” anchor.

AXS is the TV home for “Dan Rather Reports,” the investigative journalism series Rather launched after his memorable and ignominious departure from the broadcaster. Rather and CBS ended their decades-long partnership after a story about President Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service was put in doubt. Rather would end up suing CBS, spending more than $2 million of his own money on the lawsuit.

By becoming a minority owner in AXS, CBS now has a rooting interest for “Dan Rather Reports” to succeed.

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The transformation begs the question, what happens to HDNet’s signature news program, “Dan Rather Reports”? The answer: very little.

According to Cuban, Rather’s program will remain on the channel, though it will have more live elements than it currently does. He told Brian Stelter at the New York Times:
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Five years ago, Rather accepted Cuban’s offer to put together a new show without knowing all that would be involved or even much about him. He recalled walking into a business that rents temporary real estate and the receptionist calling back to her boss, “There’s someone here who says he’s Dan Rather and he wants to rent office space.”

Rather also spoke about his former home at CBS, and some of the people who still work there:

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An audio clip has surfaced from June 30 of DeSean Jackson calling a listener a “gay-ass f****” on the All Out Show with Rude Jude and Lord Sear on Sirius XM radio.

A caller by the name of Troy went on the uncensored satellite radio show and asked Jackson if he’s “had his d**k knocked in the dirt [indecipherable].”

The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver didn’t take kindly to the question and berated the caller with a homophobic slur.

Something tells me Jackson will get a pass considering the NFL has bigger issues on its plate at the moment.

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ESPN Films on Classic will showcase films for 50 hours each weekend starting at 10 p.m. ET every Friday through midnight every Sunday.

“One of the things that makes sports storytelling so captivating is that when a pivotal moment happens, it is almost instantly considered ‘classic’, said Keith Clinkscales, SVP, content development and enterprises. “With 30 for 30, we were able to prove that classic sports stories resonate with a large and diverse audience so our intent with “ESPN Films on Classic” is to create a permanent destination for this genre. We feel this is a natural brand extension for ESPN Classic, which already features documentary and historical programming.” continued…

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The two round and plump men agreed that if the Mavericks lose the Finals, Barkley will wear a Speedo on South Beach during a radio interview with Le Batard.

If the Heat lose, Le Batard will have to squeeze into the Speedo.

Enjoy, South Beach.

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The bowl game match up between a representative from the Southeastern Conference and the Conference USA champion was once a staple on ABC between 1966-1980.

Thanks to solid ratings and a an attractive time slot, ABC decided to once again air the bowl game, which will gain 16 million households as a result.

“We’ve enjoyed being on ESPN the last two decades,”AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart said. “But the chance to have our game on ABC, which is Disney-owned like ABC, raises us to another level. With ABC, we’ll have an additional 16 million households available to us so we can spread the message of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

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“Dan Rather Reports” on HDNet has been awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for the story, “The Price of an Afghan Bride” which aired on the network in March 2010 and was produced by Jenny Nordberg. “I could not be more proud of Dan and his team and the amazing product work that they do every single week, with a fraction of the budgets enjoyed by his counterparts.” said billionaire yet cost-conscious founder Mark Cuban. “This award is very well deserved by everyone working on this program and their dedication to excellence in reporting.”

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Mother Jones

Rather and Cuban get profiled, of course, but the most interesting section comes when Rather talks about the split between him and CBS. In particular when he claims that the reason why so few of his story ideas ended up on “60 Minutes” after he left the evening newscast were because Viacom was trying to curry favor with the Bush Administration.

New CBS News chairman, and “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager responded to that claim with a vehement denial:

“The fact that he keeps making these claims is outrageous,” says Jeff Fager, the show’s executive producer, who keeps pictures of Rather on his office wall even though the two have barely spoken in years. (Rather sued CBS, in part to unearth evidence of Viacom’s political meddling, but his case was dismissed in January 2010.) “I think he was distracted, and it was hard for him to focus on just doing stories,” Fager adds. “There might be something to his crusade, that the conglomerates in media don’t want to take the chance of investing in reporting because it is risky. But not this company.”

Rather responded to Fager’s comments by saying:

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Turner Sports announced today the launch of CharlesBarkley.com,the Internet home of the Inside the NBA analyst.

What can fans of “The Chuckster” expect from this website?

• Live Chats: Barkley will answer questions from fans during regular live video chats.
• Movie Reviews: Barkley will put his own spin on movie reviews including rankings of “Really Turrible” to “Not Turrible.”
• Rant and Rave: Barkley will provide fans with his colorful opinion on current topics in the news.
• Inside the NBA: Now fans can view their favorite clips and bloopers of Charles from Inside the NBA. continued…

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The French national team had a disastrous World Cup, one marred by in-fighting, poor coaching, and a general malaise. The squad was in desperate need of a reboot. You know what that means: New uniforms!

Nike went all out, producing a lovely 10-minute video that’s a promotion for the jersey and the new-look team. It features interviews with coach Laurent Blanc and star Florent Malouda, as well as a very detailed discussion of the new Nike kidt.

We can’t see the video making much of an impact State-side, but it could be huge in Europe. Quality advertising, if you ask us.

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Whoopty do.

The real reason to buy the game when it hits stores on March 29 are for the announcers narrating the project.

Jim Nantz and David Feherty headline the new commentary team in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters.

The “Voice of the Masters” and Feherty are two of the best in the business and should add another dynamic to what’s already a solid franchise.

No offense to Scott Van Pelt and Kelly Tilghman.

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Meyers will host the 19th annual ESPYs on July 13, 2011 from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The Weekend Update anchor joins a list that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Miller and Jamie Foxx of people that have hosted the ESPYs on more than one occasion.

While parts of the show fell flat, Meyers did a wonderful job with the opening monologue and poking fun at ESPN broadcasting The Decision.

Don’t believe me?

Watch below. continued…

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