Weekly media column version 12.16.11

What's included in this week's media column (linked here): Charles Barkley has his first weigh-in on the NBA's decision to start Christmas Day and the Clippers-vs.-Lakers new rivalry wrinkles, plus Time Warner Cable's proposed coverage of the CIF state football championships and some interesting college football TV ratings.

What's not included is the assessments by TNT's Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal about whether the Clippers have overtaken the Lakers in NBA superiority with the addition of Chris Paul.

Smith's take: "They'll be all about cross-over dribbling and lob dunks. Talent-wise, I'd buy a ticket to see them play. But when I walk into that (Staples Center) building, the purple and gold is about winning. The Clippers have had exciting players in the past but never won. Can they win with this excitement?"

Added O'Neal: "It's the yin and yang effect. For the Clippers, no one else is talking about Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups . . . The Clippers aren't the little brother anymore. They're all grown up now."