Checkbook is closed at HBO

There are some places in broadcast journalism where the checkbook is kept locked away in the desk drawer and journalism is practiced.

At HBO, where ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" has taken home eight of the last 10 sports journalism Emmys, there's a set policy.

''We will not pay for an interview for `Real Sports,' " said HBO spokesman Ray Stallone. ''That includes some of the tricks that have gone on in the business, such as paying to license photos from you.

''It's a firm policy. Bryant is comfortable with the reality that we'll miss interviews and move on from there. All the time, people are trying to figure out ways around the policy. We have to have a standard, and we enforce it."

The same holds for HBO's sports documentaries.

''We want to feel that we've treated the subject fairly and not been a partner," said Stallone.

''Because of that, we don't pay anyone."

That leads to a lot of rejections for interview requests.

''Some former teammates and old-timers have been asked to do a lot of these and ask for payment," he said. ''But we just don't do it. Once you start, where does it end?"

For its studio shows, such as ''Costas Now," or ''Inside the NFL," HBO will pay for talent [analysts, newsmakers] to fly in and be part of a panel.

At ESPN, the situation is similar.

''We've got a number of former coaches and managers on the payroll," said Vince Doria, vice president of operations and news. ''But we don't pay anyone who would be the subject of a story or a news source, where we would for a player or coach who works as an analyst during the playoffs."

Having those resources available also establishes a relationship between that person and the network, especially if he goes back to coaching, a la Bill Parcells, George Karl, Bobby Valentine, and Buck Showalter.

ESPN, too, has lost interviews for its documentary series ''SportsCentury."

''There's a fine line between being a paid contributor and an unpaid guest," said Doria. ''There have been a few times when people were hired as consultants. But there are also people who've been asked to sit for interviews many times and get to the end of their rope. You understand when they ask, ''Should I get some compensation?"

A fair question, but this time the answer is no.

BILL GRIFFITH