FACTS NEED TO GET IN THE WAY.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH MEDIA

Chris Mortensen doesn't get extra combat pay just because he's been enlisted as the A-1 information contributor in ESPN's multi-level assault leading up to this weekend's NFL draft extravaganza, a non-event that's become so Kiper-iffic that two networks will share the burden of ubercoverage this year.

Mort's reports these past few weeks mark some of the few times you won't see an ESPN employee hyperventilating on camera about something overheard from an NFL source drooling propaganda about an upcoming bait-and-switch draft-day maneuver.

Still, Mortensen admits as he's being sucked into the hype machine, he's trying his darndest to maintain some dignity while others become collateral damage.

``It's absolutely a minefield out there, much different that it used to be,'' admitted Mortensen,in his 16th year as part of ESPN's NFL draft coverage that started rather modestly in 1980. ``I findmyself suppressing a lot of information the last two weeks because even I'm not sure if I'm nailing it down the way I want to. The stuff I hear in February is probably much more accurate than what's out there now.

``I may have good information to share with the audience, but I'm definitely more reluctant, and I admit as I become more experienced in this, I'm dubious and leery of when teams contact me trying to plant something. Any team that calls me now unsolicited sends up a red flag.''

If it seems ESPN's self-indulgent programming has resulted in a higher caloric intake this time around, it's because the league moved the annual business meeting back a couple of weeks due to the Easter and Passover holidays. In 1988, the league agreed to make the draft a weekend show, and there's no turning back on that one. Now, it wouldn't be surprising if the league and ESPN didn't nudge the draft from late April into early May to give every media outlet even more time for hyperbole.

``I have nightmares about this,'' said Mortensen, who started his journalism career in Southern California at the Daily Breeze in Torrance and finally crossed over into TV after shining as an NFL reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ``I hope we get the draft back to an earlier time, but now that we see the results of everyone watching, I fear that'll never happen. Overkill is working for the NFL as far as more intrigue and publicity.

``Look, is it becoming overhyped with more programming? Absolutely. It takes away from the prep work that I usually need for this weekend's show. But I haven't heard anyone complaining. I wish viewers didn't love it more but it only means we're going to have to do more.''

--HELMET-TO-HELMET CONTACT: ESPN and ESPN2's 17-plus hours of coverage (starting Saturday at 9 a.m., then picking up Sunday at 8 a.m. until the last team gasps) has somewhat friendly competition this year from the league's own NFL Network, whose 36 million home saturation hardly measures up to ESPN's 90-million plus.

The NFL Network, ironically, plans only to go 12 hours Saturday (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and four hours Sunday. It has some NFL European League games that prevent it from even more saturation.

With their sets built inside New York's Radio City Music Hall about 75 feet apart, and an agreement about who gets to interview what draftee first based on the odd or even pick number, ESPN producer Jay Rothman doesn't see the NFL Network's involvement as a real threat. Now.

``I'm confident that we're the voice of record in all 32 draft rooms and there's no concerns behind the scenes,'' said Rothman, a part of every ESPN draft show and recently named as the ESPN ``Monday Night Football'' game producer. ``It's a survival of the fittest show and once we're on the air, we're only worried what we put on the screen.''

--WHAT ELSE IS LEFT? Pete Williams had to limit himself to only a few pages on the TV coverage in his new book ``The Draft: A Year Inside the NFL's Search for Talent'' ($24.95, 328 pages, St. Martin's Press), but what struck him about the media's role in all this was the amount of ancillary TV programming that has developed related to the draft, and how much more that could be squeezed out.

For example, the NFL Network announced this week it has acquired the rights to the Senior Bowl, one of the most established college postseason all-star games that serves as a showcase for future NFL talent.

``You can't overstate the popularity of this event hijacking the NBA and NHL playoffs and the start of the baseball season,'' Williams said. ``At some point, the NFL Network and ESPN will probably be televising all these college pro days, minicamps, agent days, personal trainer workouts. Where we're drawing the line is anyone's guess. The next step for the NFL Network will probably be to do regular-season college games.

``The possibilities are probably endless.''

As long as the NFL draft has evolved into this ``Deal or No Deal'' game- show mentality for the viewers guessing along at home, why not have Howie Mandel host the freakin' thing some day?``Rich Eisen (the former ESPN anchor and current host at the NFL Network who will anchor its draft coverage) said he always aspired to be (``The Price Is Right'' host) Bob Barker's successor, and you see some of his mannerisms are like his,'' Williams noted. ``Maybe there's more to it than that.''

WHAT SMOKES

--Congrats to Sherman Oaks' Dan Avey, remembered by many as the Kings'radio analyst (paired with Jiggs McDonald and eventually Bob Miller in the '70s) who received the 2,310th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a Wednesday ceremony in front of the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. The monument had to be quickly fixed before the ceremony, as it originally read ``David Avey'' until a member of his family spotted the mistake that morning. During his 30 years in L.A., Avey had a long run at KFWB-AM (980) and is the current afternoon drive news anchor at KABC-AM (790). He also taught broadcast writing at CSUN and sports public relations at USC. Coming up on the cemented star list is KCBS Channel 2's Jim Hill (May 9) and the Kings' Miller (early October, even though he was approved for a star in 2005 but had the ceremony delayed because of the NHL lockout.) Miller is also working on a book, ``Tales of the L.A. Kings,'' which should be out by September.

--Are you for or against the name Versus as a sports network? Either way, OLN, the Comcast-owned channel in 63 million homes recently known as the Outdoor Life Network, will change to Versus in September in time for the new NHL season. The name? Well, because, as network president Gavin Harvey says, ``(it is) a word that perfectly captures the essence of our brand.'' Meanwhile, OLN and the 12 million subscriber Dish Network finally kissed and made up, meaning the NHL playoffs are now available on the satellite cable system's Channel 151.

WHAT CHOKES

--Having lost the broadcast rights to USC, KMPC-AM (1540) did the next worst thing: Became the L.A. affiliate to Notre Dame football, starting this fall. At least the station will have USC on for one game: Nov. 25, when the Trojans face the Irish.

--Say it ain't so, Nellie: It was painfully evident that Keith Jackson knew he was closer to the end than about to add another year as the voice of college football when, in the moments after the 2006 USC-Texas Rose Bowl national title game for ABC, he said in the TV compound: ``This would be a pretty good game to go out on.'' The 77-year-old long-time Sherman Oaks resident, who made his retirement official Thursday, said in a statement: ``The people at ABC and ESPN did everything they could to get me to come back, but sometimes you know when it's time to hang it up. And I felt it was time. I appreciate their efforts.'' As we appreciate yours. At least we'll have the Gatorade spots.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) no caption (Chris Martensen)

(2) no caption (Keith Jackson)

Box:

(1) WHAT SMOKES (see text)

(2) WHAT CHOKES (see text)