Super Team, Superstation Perfect Match, Right?

Ted Turner hasn't attended many Atlanta Braves games this year, despite his team's remarkable resurgence. The owner did make it to the opener of a pivotal three-game home series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 13, but the Braves lost. Three days later, the Braves got a much bigger jolt when base-stealing star Otis Nixon was suspended for failing a drug test.

The Braves may yet overcome that shock to win their first National League Western Div. championship since 1982. But even if the team falls short, its surge from the majors' worst record in 1990 should pay big dividends for parent company Turner Broadcasting System Inc. well into next season. That's good news for TBS shareholders, because the televised baseball business is headed into high-risk terri-tory over the next few years. It will be risky for viewers, too: Regular-season Braves games may move from superstation WTBS-TV to a pay-per-view setup.