ESPN Family of Networks College Basketball Games For 2/3 Through 2/6/11

Yup, we have your college basketball games for this weekend including where College GameDay is headed.

Men’s College Basketball: No. 1 Ohio St. Twice & College GameDay at No. 11 Kentucky at No. 23 Florida

ESPN’s upcoming men’s college basketball schedule includes two telecasts involving undefeated No. 1 Ohio State and College GameDay at No. 23 Florida for a showdown against conference foe No. 11 Kentucky (televised Saturday, Feb. 5, at 9 p.m. on ESPN). The morning edition of College GameDay is aired at 10 a.m. on ESPNU and continues on ESPN at 11 a.m. while the one-hour evening edition will be televised at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The show is hosted by Rece Davis with analysts Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps. Additional highlights:

• ESPN will televise No. 1 Ohio State twice in four days as the Buckeye’s host Michigan on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. and visit No. 20 Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m.
• ESPNU will televise two games involving teams ranked in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll on Saturday, Feb. 5, beginning with No. 7 Connecticut at Seton Hall at 7 p.m. followed by No. 3 Texas against Texas Tech at 9 p.m.
• Four of ESPN’s five telecasts on Saturday, Feb. 5 will feature at least one ranked team, concluding with the No. 11 Kentucky at No. 23 Florida matchup at 9 p.m. Additional games include: West Virginia at No. 12 Villanova at noon, No. 16 Texas A&M at Baylor at 2 p.m. and North Carolina State at No. 5 Duke at 6 p.m.

Date	Time (ET	Game	Network
Thu, Feb 3	7 p.m.	Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State Bob Wischusen & Stephen Bardo	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Georgia Tech at Miami Mike Patrick & Len Elmore	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
		Wofford at College of Charleston Rich Hollenberg & Adrian Branch	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	No. 8 Notre Dame at DePaul Beth Mowins & Mike Kelley	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Tennessee at Auburn Rece Davis & Mark Gottfried	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
		Murray State at Tennessee State Dan Gutowsky & Mark Adams	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	Gonzaga at Portland Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
	11:30 p.m.	Pacific at UC Santa Barbara Todd Harris & Miles Simon	ESPNU
Fri, Feb 4	7 p.m.	Harvard at Princeton Ryan Burr & Tim O’Toole	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Iona at Fairfield Doug Sherman & Dereck Whittenburg	ESPNU
Sat, Feb 5	11 a.m.	Saint Louis at Xavier Sam Gore & Dickey Simpkins	ESPNU
	Noon	West Virginia at No. 12 Villanova Sean McDonough & Dan Dakich	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Butler at Cleveland State TBD & Kara Lawson	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
	1 p.m.	Northern Iowa at Drake Mitch Holtus & Mac McCausland	ESPNU
	2 p.m.	Baylor at No. 16 Texas A&M Jon Sciambi & Fran Fraschilla	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Rhode Island at Temple TBA & LaPhonso Ellis	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
	3 p.m.	Green Bay at Milwaukee Jim Barbar & Dave Kaplan	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Memphis vs. Gonzaga (Spokane) Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Iowa at Indiana Bob Wischusen & Stephen Bardo	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
	5 p.m.	Central Michigan at Kent State Dan Gutowsky & Mark Adams	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	North Carolina State at No. 5 Duke Mike Patrick & Len Elmore	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Mississippi at Arkansas Carter Blackburn & Mark Gottfried	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
	7 p.m.	No. 7 Connecticut at Seton Hall Beth Mowins & Mike Kelley	ESPNU
	8 p.m.	Loyola Marymount at St. Mary’s (CA) Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
	9 p.m.	No. 11 Kentucky at No. 23 Florida Dan Shulman & Dick Vitale	ESPN / ESPN3.com
		Texas Tech at No. 3 Texas Dan McLaughlin & Sean Farnham	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at Fresno State Mark Neely & Jalen Rose	ESPNU
Sun, Feb 6	2 p.m.	No. 1 Ohio State at No. 20 Minnesota Dave O’Brien & Dan Dakich	ESPN / ESPN3.com

We’re done for the night.

ESPN & ESPN Radio Live Schedule From Fort Worth For Tuesday

Day 2 of Super Bowl Week for ESPN begins once again with Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN2 and ESPN Radio. And you have a whole slew of live programming from Sundance Square in Fort Worth. Hannah Storm also joins the fray hosting Media Day from Cowboys Stadium with Darren Woodson. Check out what’s in store for you on Tuesday.

ESPN and ESPN Radio Super Bowl XLV Programs Originating Live from Sundance Square in Fort Worth – Tuesday, Feb. 1

ESPN’s multimedia coverage of Super Bowl XLV continues Tuesday from North Texas with Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb scheduled to make a special guest analyst appearance on SportsCenter Special and NFL Live (2-3:30 p.m. CT). Hannah Storm and three-time Cowboys Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst Darren Woodson will also provide live reports from Super Bowl Media Day at Cowboys Stadium on SportsCenter (9 -11 a.m.). ESPNEWS and ESPN Radio will also provide reports.

All ESPN TV and radio shows are originating live from Sundance Square (195 West 3^rd Street) in Fort Worth throughout the week and fans are encouraged to attend. Tuesday’s schedule highlights (all times CT):

5 a.m.         Mike and Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)
Hosts: Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic
Guests: ESPN sr. NFL writer John Clayton (5:30 a.m., by phone), ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale (6:15 a.m., phone), Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs (6:30 a.m., phone), NFL analyst Cris Carter (7:15 a.m.) and former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown (9 a.m.),

9 a.m.         First Take/1^st and 10 (ESPN2)**
On-site (in order of appearance): Brown (8:30 a.m.).

9 a.m.         The Herd (ESPN Radio/ESPNU)
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guest: Brown (11:15 a.m.) and Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King (12:15 p.m.)

8 a.m.         SportsCenter (ESPN)
Host: Storm. Analyst: Tom Jackson and Woodson
Note: Storm and Woodson will report live from Media Day (9-11 a.m.) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington

Noon          Around the Horn (ESPN) … to air at 4 p.m.**
On-site: Bill Plaschke (Los Angeles Times)

1 p.m.        Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)
Hosts: Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo
Guests: Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (3:15 p.m.) and former Titans running back Eddie George (3:30 p.m.)

2 p.m.        SportsCenter Special / NFL Live (ESPN)
Host: Mike Tirico/Trey Wingo. Analysts: Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski and Mark Schlereth.
Guests: Packers running back Ryan Grant, George and McNabb.

3 p.m.        SportsNation (ESPN2)
Hosts: Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd
Guests: Grant and Chargers wide receiver Patrick Crayton

3:30 p.m.    Rome is Burning (ESPN)
Host: Jim Rome
Guests: ESPN.com sr. writer Jeffri Chadiha

3 p.m.        Pardon the Interruption (ESPN) … to air at 4:30 p.m. **
On-site: Michael Wilbon

5 p.m.        SportsCenter (ESPN)
Host:  Greenberg. Analysts: Golic and Woodson.

7 p.m.        SportsCenter (ESPN Deportes)
Host: Ciro Procuna. Analysts: Raul Allegre and Alvaro Martin

8 p.m.        SportsCenter (ESPN) (to air at 10 p.m.)
Host: Steve Levy. Analysts: Cris Carter and Trent Dilfer

All times CT

Note: Commentator and guest schedules subject to change
** Select interviews/segments originating from North Texas

And I have one more release coming up.

Golf Channel Welcomes NBC Personalities To Morning Drive

To celebrate the marriage of Comcast and NBC, Golf Channel’s Morning Drive show will welcome several NBC on-air personalities to its airwaves. People from CNBC and NBC Sports will be guests on the show co-hosted by the arrogant Erik Kuselias and Gary Williams. I haven’t seen the show since it premiered and until Kuselias is removed from the program, I have no intention to watch it.

Here’s the press release complete with guest list for this week’s show.

NBC On-Air Personalities Special Guests on Morning Drive All Week

Morning Drive: Weekdays, 7-9 a.m. ET, Live on Golf Channel

ORLANDO, Fla., (Jan. 31, 2011) – Members of NBC and NBC Sports’ on-air teams are scheduled to join Golf Channel’s live morning show, Morning Drive, as special guest contributors this week, discussing headlines in the world of golf, sports, business and entertainment.

NBC Sports golf analyst Gary Koch and CNBC anchor Nicole Lapin led the way as guest contributors on today’s Morning Drive. Lapin, anchor for CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange, will join the show each morning to provide the “CNBC Business Report” with the business headlines of the day.

Also scheduled to join Morning Drive hosts Erik Kuselias and Gary Williams this week:

-         Matt Lauer, co-anchor, TODAY (Friday)
-         Bob Costas, host, Football Night in America (Tuesday)
-         Cris Collinsworth, NFL analyst, NBC Sports (Tuesday)
-         Tony Dungy, NFL analyst, NBC Sports (Friday)

Morning Drive, Golf Channel’s new live morning show, airs weekdays live from 7-9 a.m. ET, with audio streamed live at www.GolfChannel.com/morning-drive.

That will do it.

CBC Sees Great Ratings for NHL All-Star Weekend

This was a great weekend for the NHL All-Star Weekend on both TSN and CBC. Canada’s public network had the NHL All-Star SuperSkills Competition and the All-Star Game. Both events garnered record ratings. Just under 2.4 million Canadians watched the All-Star Game. We have the official press release from CBC Sports.

2011 NHL ALL-STAR GAME ON CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA SMASHES RATINGS RECORDS

Super Skills Competition also sets new all-time high

Both Sunday night’s NHL All-Star Game and Saturday’s NHL Super Skills Competition were record-setting ratings smashes for CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA, according to BBM overnight data.

The 2011 All Star Game on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA drew an average audience of 2.389 million viewers, a huge 56 per cent increase over viewership of the last NHL All-Star Game played in 2009 in Montreal, when 1.527 million tuned in (there was no game last year due to the 2010 Winter Olympics).

“This is a testament to Canada’s passion for NHL hockey and the comprehensive coverage on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada,” said David Masse, Senior Director, CBC Sports. “Our goal is to always provide the very best in live sports coverage and these record numbers signify that we’re accomplishing that and viewers are responding.”

This year’s unique format pitting Team Staal versus Team Lidstrom resulted in an exciting finish with the perennial all-star Detroit defenceman pulling out an 11-10 victory. That close game lead to a viewing audience peaked of 3.35 million at 6:55 p.m. ET with Team Staal pressing for the tie.

This marks the highest rating in 13 years for an NHL All-Star Game on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANDA, and obliterated the previous high of 1.67 million viewers at the 1999 All-Star Game.

The weekend long broadcast got off to a flying start with 864,000 Canadians tuning into Hockey Tonight pre-game show with host Ron MacLean.

The NHL Super Skills Competition followed and was also a record-setter, drawing an audience of 2.446 million and peaking at over three million at two different points during the broadcast.  The average audience was 78 per cent higher than the previous high of the 1.371 million that tuned in to the last Skills Competition, held in Montreal in 2009.

And TSN which had the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft saw an average viewership of  1.5 million for the hour and a half telecast.

ESPN 2011 BracketBusters Field Is Set

ESPNU announced the teams that will take part in the 9th annual BracketBusters event. It’s now expanded to a three day event. Eleven games will be played involving mid-Major teams that hope to make an impression on the NCAA Tournament Committee in March. Let’s take a look at the field.

ESPN BracketBusters: 11 Games, Teams from 13 Conferences

Pairings for the ninth annual BracketBusters – a three-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Championship hopefuls Friday, Feb. 18 – Sunday, Feb. 20 – were announced live on ESPNU’s 2011 BracketBusters Selection Show tonight, Monday, Jan. 31. The field features No. 21 Utah State in addition to seven teams receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

BracketBusters will feature 11 nationally televised games over three days, selected from a 114 eligible teams – the largest pool in the event’s history. ESPNU and ESPN2 will each air five games; all ESPN2 contests will be simulcast on ESPN3.com. The Feb. 20 game with two teams ranked in the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) top 31 – No. 29 Cleveland State at No. 31 Old Dominion at 1 p.m. will air either on ESPN or ESPN2 (determined approximately one week before the game).

No. 21 nationally ranked Utah State will play at St. Mary’s (CA), who dropped out of the top 25 this week, Saturday, Feb. 19, at 9 pm. ET on ESPN2. Other anticipated matchups include Virginia Commonwealth at Wichita State on Friday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and Missouri State at Valparaiso on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

This year’s BracketBusters pool consists of teams from 13 conferences, including five from the Colonial Athletic Association, three apiece from the Horizon League and Missouri Valley Conference and two from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Highlights:

• Utah State is ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll;
• Seven teams are receiving votes in the coaches poll – Cleveland State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s (CA), Valparaiso, Virginia Commonwealth and Wichita State;
• 17 of the 22 teams are ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI): Cleveland State (29); Utah State (30); Old Dominion (31); George Mason (33); St. Mary’s (CA) (34); Missouri State (45); Wichita State (49); Virginia Commonwealth (51); Drexel (53); Northern Iowa (54); Valparaiso (55); Kent State (78); Vermont (85); Montana (94); College of Charleston (95); Hofstra (96) and Wright State (99);
• 12 teams have 15 or more wins against Division I competition: Cleveland State; College of Charleston; Fairfield; George Mason; Missouri State; Northern Iowa; Old Dominion; St. Mary’s (CA); Utah State; Vermont; Virginia Commonwealth and Wichita State;
• Utah State is one of only nine teams nationally to reach the 20-win plateau this season and the only team in the pool to own an undefeated record in conference play;
• Five 2010 NCAA Championship participants: Montana; Northern Iowa; St. Mary’s (CA); Utah State and Vermont.

2011 BracketBusters Schedule (All times are Eastern and are subject to change)

Date	Time	Game	Network
Fri, Feb 18	7 p.m.	Virginia Commonwealth at Wichita State	ESPN2
	9 p.m.	Kent State at Drexel	ESPNU
Sat, Feb 19	11 a.m.	Hofstra at Wright State	ESPNU
	1 p.m.	Austin Peay at Fairfield	ESPNU
	3 p.m.	Iona at Liberty	ESPNU
	5 p.m.	Missouri State at Valparaiso	ESPN2
	5 p.m.	Vermont at College of Charleston	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	George Mason at Northern Iowa	ESPN2
	9 p.m.	No. 21 Utah State at St. Mary’s (CA)	ESPN2
	11 p.m.	Montana at Long Beach State	ESPN2
Sun, Feb 20	1 p.m.	Cleveland State at Old Dominion	ESPN or ESPN

And that’s it.

ESPN on ABC Gets Good Overnight Rating for Celtics-Lakers

For yesterday’s late NBA game on ABC, the network received a 5.0 overnight rating for the glamor matchup between the Boston Celtics and defending champions, Los Angeles Lakers. Pretty good and the it’s ties the highest rated non-Christmas Day NBA game on the network.

Celtics/Lakers Delivers 5.0 Overnight Rating; Ties Highest Rating for Non-Christmas NBA Regular-Season Game on ABC

The Boston Celtics’ 109-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers – part of an NBA Sunday Showcase doubleheader on ABC Jan. 30 – delivered a 5.0 overnight rating, tying a Lakers/Cleveland Cavaliers broadcast (Feb. 8, 2009) as the highest-rated, non-Christmas Day, NBA regular-season game ever on ABC. This year’s Celtics/Lakers matchup surpassed the comparable game last season – Lakers at Celtics, which posted a 4.4 rating – by 14 percent.  In Boston, the game delivered a 10.3 metered market rating to become the highest-rated, non-Christmas Day, NBA regular-season game ever on ABC.  The 11.1 rating in Los Angeles marked the second highest-rated, non-Christmas Day, NBA regular-season game on ABC.

Preceding the Celtics/Lakers showdown, the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat generated a 3.1 overnight rating, an increase of 48 percent compared to last year’s Denver/San Antonio broadcast (2.1 overnight). In Oklahoma City, the game garnered an 11.1 metered market rating, the best rating for a NBA regular-season game on ABC locally. The game posted a 6.8 metered market rating in Miami.

There you have it.

Comcast SportsNet in Philly & DC to Celebrate Black History Month

Got releases from both Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic over their programming throughout February which is Black History Month. Both regional sports networks will air special programming and have features to celebrate the history of African-Americans and note their contribute to sport in both areas. First, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s release.

COMCAST SPORTSNET CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

PHILADELPHIA-(January 31, 2011) – Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia celebrates Black History Month with feature profiles of prominent members of our sports community discussing the impact race has had on sports, plus the personal struggles of local sports heroes.

Throughout Black History Month, viewers will get to know local athletes, coaches and sports legends that impacted the lives of others through sports. In addition, Comcast SportsNet’s on-air personalities and sports celebrities will share their personal stories of inspiration through a series of vignettes that will air throughout the month.

The inspirational stories are as varied as the people who tell them.  Viewers will hear personal stories from Comcast SportsNet’s Derrick Gunn, Marshall Harris and Ron Burke, plus The Comcast Network’s Art Fennell and Robert Traynham. Philadelphia athletes including the Sixers’ Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand and Lou Williams; the Eagles’ Leonard Weaver, the Phillies’ Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins also share their personal stories with viewers.

Every Friday during “Daily News Live,” the panel will explore the connection between sports and race. Topics will range from areas of progress to areas needing improvements, plus players and coaches as role models.  Scheduled guests include: former 76er and current “Sixers Postgame Live” analyst Marc Jackson, along with Sixers community ambassador World B. Free, Philadelphia Eagle Winston Justice, former Eagle Reggie Wilkes and Philadelphia Daily News sportswriters Marcus Hayes and John Smallwood.  Throughout the month on “SportsNite,” Comcast SportsNet will profile local and national stories that promote the spirit of Black History Month.

February’s edition of “Net Impact Philly” profiles three local African-Americans that are making an impact in the Philadelphia community: former Temple University Men’s Basketball Coach and Hall of Famer John Chaney; championship boxer Bernard Hopkins and Trayvon King, a junior and star point guard at Martin Luther King High School.  Chaney and Hopkins share the lessons they have learned on the way to being at the top of their sports, while King talks about goals to make a difference in his community and walking the halls of the high school named after the Civil Rights leader.  “Net Impact Philly” also looks back at Hilldale Park located in Darby, PA and home of the “Hilldale Daisies” professional baseball team which played in the Negro Leagues between 1910 and 1932. “Net Impact Philly” debuts on Monday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet and Wednesday, February 16 at 7 p.m. on The Comcast Network.

After the jump, I’ll have Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic’s release.

(continue reading…)

Fox To Air “Road To The Super Bowl”

It’s an annual part of Super Bowl Weekend, the NFL Films-produced “Road To The Super Bowl” program which usually airs on the network broadcasting the Big Game. This year, Fox will have it and it’s scheduled to air on Sunday at noon Eastern time. We have details in this release from the National Football League.

NFL FILMS’ “ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL” DEBUTS ON FOX AT 12:00 NOON ET ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

41^ST Year of TV’s Longest-Running, Most-Honored Annual Sports Special

One-Hour Special Culled From 1.7 Million Feet of Game Film &

400 Hours of Game Audio from 133 Coaches & Players

How did the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers advance to Super Bowl XLV in North Texas?  Re-live the journey as only NFL Films can present it on “Road to the Super Bowl” on Super Bowl Sunday, February 6 at 12:00 Noon ET on FOX.

“Road to the Super Bowl” begins with Kickoff Weekend and chronicles the 2010 NFL season utilizing NFL Films’ signature captivating video and sound from on the field and in the locker room from exclusive player and coach wirings.

“For those who love football, this show is red meat,” said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “No interviews, no talking heads, all action.”

“Road to the Super Bowl” is the longest-running (41 years) and most honored (28 Sports Emmys) annual sports special. “Road to the Super Bowl,” which debuted following the 1969 season, was culled by NFL Films producers from more than 1.7 million feet of game footage to 980 feet for the one-hour special.  In addition, more than 400 hours of audio were captured from 133 exclusive coach and player on-field wirings.  Original orchestral music, including a 60-person choir, was used in producing the show.

Over the last two hours, it’s been quite fast and furious with the press releases. I’ll have to see if I have any more.

NFL Crows About Pro Bowl Ratings

Just as Fox crowed about its Pro Bowl ratings, the NFL is doing so as well. Again, the ratings were 7.7 with a 12 share. The total viewership added up to 13.4 million people on average making last night’s game the most watched in 14 years.

2011 PRO BOWL MOST WATCHED  NFL ALL-STAR GAME IN 14 YEARS

MOST-WATCHED ALL-STAR GAME FOR ANY SPORT SINCE 2009

Following a record-setting regular season and playoffs, the NFL posted the most-watched Pro Bowl in 14 years.

The 2011 Pro Bowl on FOX was watched by an average of 13.4 million viewers – the highest mark since the 1997 Pro Bowl (13.5 million viewers on ABC). The Pro Bowl is the most-watched all-star game in any sport since 2009 (2009 MLB All-Star Game, 14.6 million viewers on FOX).

This year’s viewership is up nine percent from 2010 (12.3 million viewers) and a 53 percent increase from 2009 (8.8 million viewers).

The 2011 Pro Bowl was played the week before the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year.

That’s going to do it.

Urban Meyer Joins ESPN As College Football Analyst

He retired last year only to return for one more year and then retire once again. This time, Urban Meyer won’t be returning to coaching, at least for the foreseeable future. The former Utah and Florida coach joins ESPN to become a game and studio analyst. Meyer will contribute to College GameDay as well as SportsCenter and College Football Live. Meyer’s first assignment for ESPN will be on National Signing Day on Wednesday.

We have the official release from ESPN.

Urban Meyer Joins ESPN as Studio & Game Analyst

Will Debut on ESPNU National Signing Day Special Feb. 2

Former University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer, who won two BCS National Championships in six years, will join ESPN as a college football game and studio analyst. He will make his debut Wednesday, Feb. 2 as a studio analyst during ESPNU’s 10-hour ESPNU National Signing Day Special.

As part of the agreement, Meyer will work a weekly regular-season game (specific assignment to be determined) and select post-season bowl games. He will also provide studio analysis throughout the year on ESPN’s daily College Football Live program; NFL Draft, spring games; and bowl games, including during the network’s on-site BCS coverage.

In addition, Meyer will contribute to ESPN’s popular Saturday morning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot series (from his game site), make weekly appearances on ESPN Radio, and provide analysis on SportsCenter and additional ESPN outlets.

Meyer, who won more than 100 college football games in a 10-year span, recently served as a guest studio analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the BCS National Championship Game. He appeared on SportsCenter, College GameDay, College Football Live, and during the pregame, halftime and postgame segments.

“Football has played an extremely important role in my life for the past 25 years and ESPN has given me an incredible opportunity to join its world-class team and share my passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the game with fans across the country,” said Meyer.

Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production, added, “Coach Meyer brings a fresh voice and a contemporary knowledge of the game. As he showed during BCS coverage, his ability to communicate the strategic aspects of the game and his incredible track record for success will serve college football fans everywhere.”

For his first assignment, Meyer will appear from ESPNU’s studios in Charlotte, N.C., for the network’s National Signing Day programming from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET. It will include in-depth analysis, top prospects announcing their college decision live and live interviews with as many as 20 coaches. SportsCenter and ESPNEWS will provide live look-ins and updates on high-ranking commits throughout the day.

Meyer – with 25 years of coaching experience, 10 as a head coach — resigned from Florida at the conclusion of the 2010 season. In his six years with Florida, he guided the Gators to a pair of BCS National Championships, two Southeastern Conference Championships, three Southeastern Conference Eastern Division crowns and a January bowl game each season, including three BCS Bowls. Meyer is the first coach to win two BCS National Championships, is one of only two coaches in SEC history to win outright national titles and one of five coaches to win a pair of National Championships in his first four years at a school.

He became the first coach in Football Bowl Subdivision history to post consecutive 13-win seasons (2008 and 2009) and is the only coach to record three 13-win seasons in a four-year span. Prior to joining Florida, Meyer spent two years with the University of Utah (2003-04), leading the Utes to a 12-0 record and the first BCS appearance by a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference in his second year.

He began his head coaching career at Bowling Green from 2001-02. In his first year, Bowling Green went from a 2-9 record to post their first winning season since 1994 with an 8-3 finish. A year later, he guided the program to a 9-3 record. Meyer’s 17-6 record at Bowling Green included a 5-0 mark against BCS teams and two wins over ranked opponents.

Previous to becoming a head coach, Meyer was an assistant at Notre Dame (1996-2000), Colorado State (1990-95), Illinois State (1988-89) and Ohio State (1986-97). A 13th-round pick in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in 1982, he played two years in the Atlanta Braves’ organization. He played as a defensive back at the University of Cincinnati before earning his degree in psychology in 1986. He went on to earn a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio State in 1988.

That will do it.

HBO To Re-Air “Lombardi” Documentary This Week

One good thing about HBO is that if you miss the original airing of a program, you have multiple chances to see it. This week, the critically-acclaimed documentary, “Lombardi” which originally aired in December returns for five re-airings. The doc will be shown twice this week on HBO, three more times on HBO2.

HBO SPORTS^® AND NFL FILMS EXAMINE THE LIFE OF FOOTBALL’S GREATEST COACH IN LOMBARDI

MULTIPLE REPLAYS SCHEDULED LEADING UP TO SUPER BOWL XLV

The Emmy^®-winning combination of HBO Sports and NFL Films explores the fascinating career and life of football’s most revered coach in LOMBARDI, a critically-acclaimed documentary on the storied former head coach of the Green Bay Packers.  The film premiered this past December on HBO and the network will present multiple replays of the 90-minute special in the lead-up to Super Bowl XLV as the Green Bay Packers prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium.

HBO playdates:  Friday, Feb. 4 (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday, Feb.  6 (9:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Wednesday, Feb. 2 (11:30 p.m.), Thursday, Feb. 3 (1:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.)

All times are ET/PT.

The New York Post wrote, “HBO Sports presents one of the best sports documentaries ever made for TV, “Lombardi,” and, whether or not you are a football fan, you just can’t miss it.”

The Denver Post observed, “Even dedicated Packers fans might fight to find gems of biographical information covered in this extraordinary film produced by HBO and NFL Films.”

This will conclude our dealings for now.

ESPN Announces New ESPN Radio iPhone App

Just out today is the latest version of the ESPN Radio iPhone mobile app. It means you can listen to your favorite ESPN Radio shows without a radio. In addition, you can hear podcasts as well as local radio SportsCenters. It’s all on the iPhone app.

New ESPN Radio iPhone App:  Unprecedented Personalization and Social Media Features

Enhanced app includes Searchable Audio, myESPN Favorite Teams Integration, Location-Based Functionality and More

ESPN today unveiled ESPN Radio 3.0, its newest and most personalized iPhone app to date. The new version of the app,continues to provide millions of ESPN Radio listeners access to live, crystal clear radio streams from more than 20 ESPN Radio stations – including fan favorite ESPN Radio network shows Mike & Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd and more – the latest SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes; popular podcasts like the B.S. Report with Bill Simmons; select play-by-play broadcasts, including the college football Bowl Championship Series; and live scores, newsfeeds and text messaging directly to ESPN Radio and ESPN affiliate stations. ESPN Radio 3.0 is available now to current users via a free upgrade and to new users for download on iTunes for $2.99.

“The ESPN Radio app has been one of the most successful apps since its launch in September 2009, spending the better part of the last 16 months as the most downloaded paid sports app in the marketplace,” said Marc Horine, vice president of digital media for ESPN. “Our latest version takes app personalization to new heights, providing millions of ESPN listeners a custom, world-class audio experience to specific teams, shows, podcasts, and stations.”

New features and enhancements focused on personalization include:

• myESPN: Customized audio of favorite teams automatically pulled into the app (set up directly in the app or through ESPN.com);
• My Favorites: Collection of favorite stations, shows and podcasts from both local and national content;
• Searchable Audio: Search tens of thousands of audio clips by topic (player, team, sport, league, etc.);
• Audio On-Demand: Pause, rewind and fast forward on-demand audio;
• Geo-location-based Functionality: Enables a ready list of the closest ESPN affiliate stations;
• Podcasts: More than 40 ESPN Radio podcasts available, including the Award-Winning B.S. Report with Bill Simmons and Fantasy Focus, as well as Pardon The Interruption, Around The Horn and Football Today;
• SportsCenter Updates: Local and national 24/7 ESPN Radio SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes;
• ESPN Local: News and daily SportsCenter video updates from ESPN’s local sites: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York;
• Play-by-Play Broadcasts: Listen in real-time to select play-by-play for events like college basketball and the college football Bowl Championship Series;
• Social Media Integrations: Share what users are listening to via Facebook and Twitter;
• ESPN Bottomline: The latest news and scores in the world of sports.

The launch of ESPN Radio 3.0 marks the 10th anniversary of ESPNRadio.com, which in 2010 remained the most listened to live stream of any terrestrial broadcaster in the world – reaching more than three million unique users per month (source: Omniture) and one million unique listeners per month, more than double the previous year (source: Ando Media).  ESPNRadio.com also was the largest, most listened to talk format stream, both terrestrially and via Internet-only streaming, generating nearly 10 million total sessions per month, up 33% in 2010.  In addition, ESPN Podcasts recorded a year-to-year increase of more than 23%, reaching 156 million downloads through ESPN PodCenter and iTunes). This includes The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, which logged more than 42 million downloads in 2010.

To download the ESPN Radio app from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/espn-radio/id330029818?mt=8

And that’s it.

Westwood One Announces Its Crew For Super Bowl XLV

The NFL-related releases keep rolling in. Westwood One Radio tells us that Kevin Harlan will call his first Super Bowl for a national audience this Sunday. He’ll be joined by Boomer Esiason in the booth and James Lofton and Mark Malone on the sidelines. Also joining Westwood One for Super Bowl Sunday will be Jim “The Decision” Gray and Scott Graham. Here’s the skinny from Westwood One.

WESTWOOD ONE ANNOUNCES ALL-STAR BROADCAST TEAM FOR SUPER BOWL XLV

-- Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, Mark Malone, James Lofton, Jim Gray and Scott Graham –

--- Multi-Platinum Country Trio Lady Antebellum Kicks Off Coverage with a Special Version of Their Song “Stars Tonight” —

New York, NY – January 31, 2011 – Westwood One, the exclusive network radio home of the National Football League (NFL), is proud to announce the all-star broadcast team for Super Bowl XLV featuring: Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, Mark Malone, James Lofton, Jim Gray and Scott Graham. Super Bowl XLV airs live from the Cowboys Stadium in North Texas on Sunday, February 6, 2011 as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers.  Super Bowl XLV will be heard on over 650 radio stations across America.

Beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET, the Monday Night Football broadcast team of Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason will call their first Super Bowl together. Hall of Fame Packers receiver James Lofton will patrol the Green Bay sidelines and former Steelers quarterback Mark Malone will report from the Pittsburgh sidelines. Jim Gray hosts the pregame and halftime shows, as well as provides interviews and insight from athletes and celebrities in attendance, and Scott Graham kicks off the coverage hosting Super Bowl Preview at 3:00 p.m. ET, followed by Super Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET. Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Irvin will also contribute to the Westwood One Super Bowl pregame show.

GRAMMY award winning trio Lady Antebellum will kick off Westwood One’s coverage of Super Sunday with a special version of their song “Stars Tonight” mixed together with highlights of the Green Bay Packers’ and Pittsburgh Steelers’ seasons as they continue their quest for the Vince Lombardi trophy.  The reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year’s current album NEED YOU NOW has spawned three consecutive number one hits and was recently certified TRIPLE PLATINUM bringing the group to a career total of over five million albums sold. In addition, Westwood One’s Super Bowl game broadcast will kick off live from Cowboys Stadium with a special rendition of Little Engine Records recording artist, Sean Patrick McGraw’s song “Git Yer Cowboy On”, off his current EP My So Called Life.

“They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this Super Bowl matchup may just prove them right,” said Howard Deneroff, Executive Producer and SVP of Westwood One Sports. “The Packers and the Steelers are two of the most storied franchises in sports, and our all-star broadcast crew is eagerly anticipating kickoff and bringing all the excitement of Super Sunday to millions of listeners nationwide, and to our troops overseas.”

Super Bowl XLV will also be heard on American Forces Radio Network which provides programming to America’s military forces around the globe. The American Forces Radio Network serves over one million men and women in uniform, Department of Defense personnel, American Embassies and Consulates in over 175 countries and territories as well as on more than 250 U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command ships at sea. In addition, Westwood One’s Super Bowl broadcast will also be heard on nfl.com/fieldpass for the first time. Fans looking for the station in their area airing the broadcast can visit www.westwoodone.com/superbowl. The website will feature a nationwide station finder and announcer bios from Westwood One’s broadcast crew.

And I have another announcement for you, but it has nothing to do with the NFL or Super Bowl.

Sirius XM Announces Coverage Plans for Super Bowl XLV

The official satellite radio partner of the National Football League has announced coverage plans including international broadcasts of the Super Bowl. In addition to the multiple language broadcasts (14 in all or XIV in Super Bowl vernacular), we have special Super Bowl-themed programming as well as Mad Dog Radio broadcasting live from Radio Row at the NFL Media Center. Here are the details from Sirius XM.

SiriusXM Presents Comprehensive Coverage of Super Bowl XLV

14 different broadcasts of Super Bowl XLV in 10 languages

Wide mix of sports and entertainment programming; Sirius NFL Radio, Mad Dog Radio, Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole Radio, Maurice Jones-Drew’s SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio show and SiriusXM Hits 1 to broadcast live from Radio Row in North Texas

NEW YORK – January 31, 2011 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, announced today that it will broadcast Super Bowl XLV in 10 languages, offering listeners 14 different live broadcasts plus a wide mix of sports and entertainment programming from North Texas throughout Super Bowl Week.

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 6 (6:00 pm ET), SiriusXM will air an expanded lineup of live play-by-play broadcasts of Super Bowl XLV from Cowboys Stadium.  The 14 different game calls will be available to Sirius subscribers and XM subscribers with the “Best of Sirius.

• Pittsburgh Steelers broadcast – Sirius 123 / XM 102
• Green Bay Packers broadcast – Sirius 125 / XM 103
• National Radio broadcast – Sirius 124 / XM 124
• BBC Radio broadcast – Sirius 122 / XM 106
• Mexican/Spanish language broadcast – Sirius 91 / XM 104
• Spanish broadcast – Sirius 90 / XM 105
• Chinese broadcast – Sirius 130 / XM 109
• Russian broadcast – Sirius 158 / XM 113
• French broadcast – Sirius 126 / XM 107
• Japanese broadcast – Sirius 121 / XM 110
• German broadcast – Sirius 113 / XM 111
• Hungarian broadcast – Sirius 153 / XM 112
• Dutch broadcast – Sirius 127 / XM 108
• Danish broadcast – Sirius 152 / XM 114

Starting Monday, January 31, Sirius NFL Radio will broadcast live every day from the NFL’s Radio Row in downtown Dallas, offering listeners all the latest news and analysis leading up to the biggest game of the year, plus dozens of interviews with players, coaches, league executives and celebrities in town for the event.  Available to listeners nationwide on Sirius channel 124 and XM channel 124 with the “Best of Sirius” programming package, Sirius NFL Radio features a lineup of expert hosts that includes Joe Namath, John Madden, Gil Brandt, Derrick Brooks, Rich Gannon, Pat Kirwan, Jim Miller, Bob Papa, Tim Ryan, Ross Tucker, Peter King, Adam Schein and Bryan McGovern.

On Media Day, Tuesday, February 1, Sirius NFL Radio will broadcast live from Cowboys Stadium from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm ET, offering one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and NFC Champion Green Bay Packers.  On Saturday, February 5 (6:00 pm ET), Sirius NFL Radio will provide live coverage as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 is announced.  Listeners will hear the live announcement as well as one-on-one interviews with the newly elected Hall of Famers.

Renowned sports talk host Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will be in Dallas all week to host his daily show, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from Radio Row (2:00-7:00 pm ET).  The show is the anchor program for SiriusXM’s all-sports talk channel, Mad Dog Radio (Sirius channel 123, XM channel 144).  On Saturday, February 5, Russo will host a special Saturday edition of Mad Dog Unleashed live from Radio Row.

Jamie Foxx is taking The Foxxhole, his exclusive 24/7 comedy and entertainment channel, down to Dallas to broadcast live from the hot spots, interviewing celebrities and athletes and the biggest names in town, bringing listeners up close and personal coverage of the sporting world’s biggest party. Jamie kicks off the festivities February 4 at 3:00 pm ET with a special live show from Radio Row on The Foxxhole (Sirius channel 106, XM channel 149).

On Thursday, February 3, Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will be on Radio Row to host his SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio show, Runnin’ with MJD, live at 7:00 pm ET.

SiriusXM personalities Nicole, Rich, Stanley T. and Ryan from the SiriusXM Hits 1 Morning Mash Up show will broadcast from Radio Row Friday, February 4, and SiriusXM’s The Covino & Rich Show, hosted by Steve Covino and Rich Davis on SiriusXM Stars Too (Sirius channel 108, XM channel 139), will broadcast live from Dallas throughout the week.

Willie Nelson & Family’s Super Bowl-eve performance will air live from the Palladium Ballroom in Dallas on Saturday, February 5 at 10:00 pm ET on Willie’s Place, Sirius channel 64, XM channel 13.

As the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, SiriusXM broadcasts every NFL game live nationwide, from the preseason through the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.  Fans can also tune into Sirius NFL Radio, for the only radio channel dedicated to the NFL 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Visit www.sirius.com/superbowl for information about Super Bowl coverage.

I have even more stuff coming up. Yes I do.

Today’s Viewing Schedule For NFL Network

This is what we have for you today on NFL Network as it starts its Super Bowl Week coverage in earnest.

NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM SUPER BOWL XLV PROGRAMMING NOTES – MONDAY, JAN. 31

Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year Award Announced on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl at 7:00 PM ET

For the first time on national television and live in prime time, The Associated Press’ Defensive Player of the Year award will be unveiled tonight at 7:00 PM ET during NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl on NFL Network.

Below is the announcement schedule for each award on NFL Network:

Tuesday, Feb. 1:                     Offensive Player of the Year
Wednesday, Feb. 2:                Coach of the Year
Thursday, Feb. 3:                    Rookie of the Year** (not an AP award)
Friday, Feb. 4:                         Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year
Saturday, Feb. 5:                    Comeback Player of the Year
Sunday, Feb. 6:                      Most Valuable Player – Announced on NFL GameDay Morning

Team Arrivals Kick Off NFL Network’s Super Bowl Coverage Today

Schedule of team arrivals and media availability:

2:30 PM ET:                Pittsburgh Steelers Media Availability
4:30 PM ET:                Green Bay Packers Arrival
6:15 PM ET:                Green Bay Packers Media Availability

Guests on NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl

The following guests will appear on NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl at 7:00 PM ET:

- Interview with Packers linebacker Clay Matthews

Quotes from NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl:

- Scott Hanson and Jamie Dukes discuss the future of Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d81e05590/Howdy-Hines-Steelers-arrive-in-Big-D?module=HP_video

“You must come see this stadium. You may not get Super Bowl tickets but all I can say is this is the most incredible structure I have ever seen in the history of sports.” – Jamie Dukes on Cowboys Stadium

“When we list the Steelers offensive line, we list the number of starts each player has. You don’t do that for any other offensive line. So whatever the magic has been for the Pittsburgh Steelers and how they’ve been able to win football games, they’ve been able to plug guys in and get the job done, and I don’t envision a scenario where they won’t do that this week.” – Jamie Dukes on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line

“This guy is without question the leader of this franchise. … This has always been Hines Ward’s offense. He’s the guy that’s rallying the troops.” – Jamie Dukes on Pittsburgh WR Hines Ward

Preview of Michael Irvin’s Sitdown Interview with Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger:

On what it means to play in the Super Bowl after the events this offseason:

“I’ve always said that a part of me wants to be the best football player I can be for the city of Pittsburgh, for the fans all over the world. Most people in this world are up for second chances and the city of Pittsburgh is no different. One part of that is to give them an opportunity to get to the Super Bowl. To win one would be even more helpful, but that’s not all of who I am or who I want to be. But is it a part of it? Yes. Is it something special that I can say back to the city, back to the fans ‘Here you go, I’m excited now for you to see me now off the field this offseason, get ready for next year?’ Yes. I am so happy that we have the opportunity to do that for the fans all over the world.”

MONDAY, JANUARY 31 NFL NETWORK’S SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD) – Live announcement of AP Defensive Player of the Year, Steelers and Packers arrivals plus interviews with players and more
8:30 PM – America’s Game: 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers (HD)
9:30 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Super Bowl Performances (HD)
10:30 PM – Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players: #50-41 (HD)
11:30 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Coming up on Tue., Feb. 1 – LIVE COVERAGE OF MEDIA DAY STARTING AT 10:00 AM ET

- NFL Network analysts will be available at Media Day at approximately 11:10 AM until 11:45 AM ET in the lunch area for interviews: Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Warren Sapp, Kurt Warner, Brian Billick and Daryl Johnston.

- NFL.com Media Day coverage: Fans can choose what they want to watch on NFL.com cameras from Media Day (Tuesday, February 1 at 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT) at Cowboys Stadium, the home of Super Bowl XLV. There will be one camera covering each of the 12 featured members of the competing teams, as well as one camera with NFL Network and NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson reporting from Media Day.

- Premiere of Sound FX specials

• 8:30 PM ET – Sound FX: Best of Super Bowls

Done. More coming up.

9:30 PM ET – Sound FX: Best of 2010 Season

The 2011 Pro Bowl is The Most Watched in 14 Years? Why?

Fox Sports is very happy with the ratings for last night’s Pro Bowl game. Over 13 million viewers watched the game giving the network a very solid 7.7 rating with a 12 share. It’s the most watched Pro Bowl game since 1997 when it was on ABC and the highest rated since 2000 when it was also on ABC. And the Pro Bowl steered Fox to a primetime win? Come on, people. You actually watched the Pro Bowl? I’m shocked. I really am, but it was football so fans wanted to fill a void from the Championship games last weekend.

Here’s the press release from Fox Sports.

PRO BOWL IS MOST-WATCHED IN 14 YEARS

DALLAS — The 2011 PRO BOWL packed a Hawaiian punch last night earning a 7.7/12 with 13.4 million viewers on FOX, making it the most-watched since 1997 (13.5 mill.) and the highest-rated since 2000 (8.6/15).

Compared to last year’s game, the 2011 PRO BOWL is up +8% in rating (7.7/12 vs. 7.1/11) and up +9% in viewership (13.4 mill. vs. 12.3).  Last night’s game improved over last year by +5% among Adults 18-34 (4.1 vs. 3.9), and by a substantial +34% among Adults 25-54 (6.3 vs. 4.7).

The PRO BOWL gave FOX an easy win for the night with a 4.7 among Adults 18-49.  ABC was second (2.1/6).  In fact, the PRO BOWL beat the combined performance of both second-place ABC and third-place CBS (1.9/5).

New Orleans topped all markets for the Pro Bowl with a 21.0/28, followed by Milwaukee with a 15.6/23 despite the fact that Packer players were held out of the game in preparation for the Super Bowl.

More releases coming up.

Going For Some Monday Linkage

Ok, let’s do some linkage while I can squeeze some in. I had to meet a deadline earlier. I think I’m safe for now.

Starting with Michael Hiestand of USA Today, he wonders if the PGA Tour can generate ratings if Tiger Woods isn’t winning tournaments.

Michael also has some of the upcoming sports viewing for the week.

Tom Weir of USA Today’s Game On blog wonders how a year without the NFL would be like.

Mathew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal has a fascinating look at the meticulous notes prepared by college basketball analyst Bill Raftery.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry notes that last week was a big one for breaking news on Twitter.

To Press Coverage and Dan Levy who feels the Associated Press might not be doing the NFL any favors.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter writes about a Canadian company that wants to launch a third sports network to compete with TSN and Rogers Sportsnet.

Anthony Crupi from Mediaweek says a lockout by the NFL could turn disastrous for the league, its TV partners and its sponsors.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age reports that CBS has rejected an NFL Players Association ad that would have aired on CBS College Sports this week.

Steve McClellan of Advertising Week writes that NBC’s Cris Collinsworth and Wipeout’s Jill Wagner will host a new syndicated lifestyle series starting this week.

The Huffington Post says Fox has rejected a Super Bowl ad that has religious overtones.

AllAccess notes that ESPN Radio has released the latest version of its iPhone app today.

Mike Walker of Golf Magazine says CBS saw higher ratings for the final round of yesterday’s PGA Tour stop from last year.

From across the Atlantic, James Robinson of The Guardian/The Observer writes about upstart ESPN UK trying to battle the  well-established Rupert Murdoch-owned Sky Sports.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe notes that NESN will be airing a Red Sox Town Hall tonight.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is in a foul mood today.

Newsday’s Neil Best has some Monday thoughts.

Ray Didinger of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia lobbies for NFL Films founder Ed Sabol to get a call for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Patty Tascarella of the Pittsburgh Business Times reports that the Penguins lead the NHL in the local US TV ratings.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times provides his thoughts on the sports weekend.

Shannon J. Owens at the Orlando Sentinel writes about Stuart Scott’s latest battle with cancer.

Mark Norando of the New Orleans Times Picayune says the NFL Films-produced America’s Team documentary on the Saints Super Bowl XLIV-winning team is now available for download.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says this Sunday’s Super Bowl could break a viewership record despite having small markets involved.

Barry profiles ESPN’s senior coordinating producer of the network’s NFL studio shows, Stephanie Druley.

Leigh Munsil of the Morning News writes about ESPN’s kickoff of Super Bowl week in Fort Worth with Mike & Mike in the Morning.

Pete Alfano from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says even with bitter cold temperatures forecast for the Metroplex, ESPN is steaming ahead with plans to air shows live from Sundance Square this week.

Gordon Dickson from the Star-Telegram writes that Super Bowl planners are facing the worst-case scenario with winter weather and potential traffic snarls.

The Star-Telegram has a slideshow of ESPN’s start to Super Bowl week at Sundance Square.

Kathy Vetter of the Star-Telegram says the NFL’s Super Bowl media center opened quietly yesterday.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that a local sports reporter is leaving for Dallas.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Sentinel feels Super Bowl XLV won’t surpass last year’s viewership record, but I’m going to disagree with him.

Crain’s Chicago Business’ Ed Sherman explores the unique trust that is the Green Bay Packers ownership.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post lists some of his dreaded sports broadcasting cliches.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.

In the Toronto Globe and Mail, Bruce Dowbiggin feels NHL All-Star Weekend was a mixed bag for the league’s Canadian TV partners.

The Globe and Mail picks up a Canadian Press story chronicling how curling delayed CBC’s coverage of the All-Star Game.

Sports Media Watch has a quick glance on how the NBA postseason will begin on the league’s TV partners.

SMW also has some various ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media wonders if MLB on Fox and Stanley Cup Final on NBC will go head-to-head during Memorial Day Weekend.

Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer says a popular anchor with Fox Soccer Channel is leaving after 9 years.

And we’re going to end it there.

Michelle Beadle’s Rejected Super Bowl Ads

New Friend of Fang’s Bites Michelle Beadle recently went to Los Angeles to shoot some Super Bowl ad parodies. They’ll air on ESPN2′s SportsNation this week. Big kudos go out to SportsbyBrooks which got the first glimpse of the sample reel. Check out Michelle as the eTrade Baby, the Budweiser frogs, Betty White and Mean Joe Greene. Great stuff. Here’s a sample.

What can you say, but great job!

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

AHL
AHL All-Star Game from Hershey, PA – Altitude Plus/Comcast SportsNet Calfornia/Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus/Fox Sports Detroit/Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Midwest/FSN Pittsburgh/MSG Plus/STO, 7 p.m.

College Basketball
men’s
Louisville at Georgetown – ESPN, 7 p.m.
Maryland Eastern-Shore at Hampton – ESPNU, 7 p.m.
New Hampshire at Vermont – Comcast SportsNet New England, 7:30 p.m.
Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona – Fox College Sports, 8:30 p.m.
Texas at Texas A&M – ESPN, 9 p.m.
Alabama State at Texas Southern – ESPNU, 9 p.m.
Seattle at Loyola Marymount – Fox College Sports, 9 p.m.

women’s
Duke at UConn – ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Boston College at Wake Forest – Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports South/NESN, 7 p.m.

MLB
MLB’s 20 Greatest Games/#16 – MLB Network, 8 p.m.
2011 Red Sox Town Hall – NESN, 9 p.m.

NBA
Denver at New Jersey – NBA TV, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
Antiques Roadshow – PBS, 8 p.m.
Intervention: Jenna – A&E, 9 p.m.
Lie To Me – Fox, 9 p.m.
Imagine: John Lennon – VH-1 Classic, 9 p.m.
Skins – MTV, 10 p.m.
Border Wars: Super Sunday – National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Conan – TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.

ESPN & ESPN Radio Kick Off Their Super Bowl Coverage on Monday

At Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth, TX, ESPN will kick off its week-long coverage of Super Bowl XLV. It all begins with Mike & Mike in the Morning on both ESPN2 and ESPN Radio. We have lots of stuff from ESPN in regards to its programming on Monday.

ESPN and ESPN Radio Kickoff Super Bowl XLV

Weeklong Coverage from North Texas Monday at 5 a.m. CT

Multiple Programs Originating Live from Sundance Square in Fort Worth

ESPN’s multimedia coverage of Super Bowl XLV kicks off Monday, Jan. 31, at 5 a.m. CT and continues throughout the week with more than 90 hours of domestic television and 55 hours of radio programming originating live from Sundance Square (195 West 3^rd Street) in Fort Worth, Texas.  Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Scott Van Pelt Show, NFL Live, SportsCenter, SportsNation and Sunday NFL Countdown are among the ESPN shows based in North Texas throughout the week. Additionally, First Take, Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption, Outside the Lines, and Rome is Burning will have daily interviews, guests, panelists and segments from Super Bowl all week.

Chris Berman, covering his 29^th Super Bowl, will anchor Monday’s 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter from Sundance Square.  Cris Carter, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, Mark Schlereth, Darren Woodson and Trey Wingo will be among the ESPN personalities who will appear on various programs throughout the day from ESPN’s main set as they get fans ready for Sunday’s game between the Packers and Steelers.

ESPN television and radio shows will be open for public viewing all week and fans are encouraged to attend. Monday’s schedule (all times CT):

5 a.m.         Mike and Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)

Hosts: Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic

Guests: Sports Illustrated sr. writer Peter King (5:45 a.m., by phone), ESPN sr. NFL writer John Clayton (6:15 a.m., phone), Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons (6:30 a.m., phone), former Packers Super Bowl champion LeRoy Butler (7 a.m., phone), three-time Cowboys Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst Darren Woodson (7:30 a.m.), and legendary NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall (8:30 a.m.)

9 a.m.         First Take / 1^st and 10 (ESPN2) **

On-site: Former three-time Pro Bowler Simeon Rice (10:30 a.m.)

9 a.m.         The Herd (ESPN Radio/ESPNU)

Host: Colin Cowherd

Guest: Super Bowl champion quarterback and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer (11:15 a.m., phone) and Super Bowl champion quarterback and NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner (12:15 p.m., phone)

1 p.m.        Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)

Hosts: Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo

Guests: Super Bowl champion linebacker and ESPN analyst Antonio Pierce (12:30 p.m., phone), Chicago Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs (1:15 p.m., phone), former three-time Pro Bowler Simeon Rice (2:30 p.m.) and Hall of Fame Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett (3:30 p.m.)

2 p.m.        SportsCenter Special / NFL Live (ESPN)

Hosts: Mike Tirico and Trey Wingo. Analysts: Jackson, Jaworski and Woodson.

3 p.m.        SportsNation (ESPN2)

Hosts: Michelle Beadle and Cowherd

Guests: Brothers Remi Ayodele, New Orleans Saints defensive tackle, and Akin Ayodele, Buffalo Bills linebacker, and Dorsett.

3 p.m.        Pardon the Interruption (ESPN) … to air at 4:30 p.m. **

On-site: Michael Wilbon

3:30 p.m.    Rome is Burning (ESPN)

Host: Jim Rome

Guests: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley

5 p.m.        SportsCenter (ESPN)

Host: Greenberg. Analysts: Golic and Schlereth

7 p.m.        SportsCenter (ESPN Deportes)

Host: Ciro Procuna. Analysts: Raul Allegre and Alvaro Martin

8 p.m.        SportsCenter (ESPN) … to air at 10 p.m.

Host: Chris Berman. Analysts: Carter and Schlereth

Note: Commentator and guest schedules subject to change

** Select interviews/segments originating from North Texas

All times CT

You’re done here.

Our Sunday Linkage

Time for some Sunday linkage. Let’s see what’s out there.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News takes a look at where the NHL stands as far as its media partners, sponsorships and ratings are concerned.

Mike writes that Golf Channel received good ratings for Tiger Woods’ 2011 debut to the PGA Tour on Thursday.

In the Business Insider, Larry Kramer, the founder and CEO of CBS Marketwatch.com, says Erin Andrews’ endorsement of Reebook is causing troubles for ESPN.

Writing in Variety, the Biz of Sports’ Maury Brown explores the problems that could arise if an NFL lockout occurs.

Mike Barnes in the Hollywood Reporter says Fox Sports is merging the two footballs, American and worldwide, for Super Bowl Sunday.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News places the blame squarely on TNT for Tracy Morgan’s comments about Sarah Palin that went over the top.

In the New York Post, Phil Mushnick gets on donors who give big bucks to big-time college sports.

In the New Jersey Newsroom, Kyle Franco says Turner Sports is ready to put its stamp on the NCAA Tournament.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says it’s officially Super Bowl Week when the hype begins.

Scott Kendrick of the Florida Times-Union writes that ESPN’s new Longhorn Network is not good for the Big 12.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times notes that Sun Sports will pick up a handful of Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training games in March.

Shannon Owens of the Orlando Sentinel tells us that TMZ will produce a segment for Fox’s Super Bowl pregame focusing on the parties in the Metroplex.

Pete Alfano of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says ESPN is ready to unveil its Super Bowl set in Sundance Square.

Barry Tremel from the Daily Oklahoman feels the new Texas Network could spell the death knell for the Big 12 Conference.

J. Brady McCullough of the Kansas City Star recaps College GameDay’s visit to the Lawrence, Kansas yesterday.

Chris Sieroty of the Las Vegas Journal-Review says casino sports books could take a big hit if the NFL lockout wipes out regular season games.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that NHL Hall of Fame announcer Bob Miller of the LA Kings will get another HOF honor.

Susan Krashinsky of the Toronto Globe and Mail says a new company has thrown its hat into the ring to launch another sports network in Canada.

Sports Media Watch has its Weekend Ratings Predictions.

Joe Favorito notes that the NHL has gotten the job done in growing its brand during All-Star Weekend.

I think we’re done here.

Videos of the Week: Funny Australian Open Interviews

I don’t know what got into the water in Melbourne over the last two weeks, but tennis players showed some spunk and personality during postmatch interviews and press conferences throughout the fortnight. That is a very good thing too as tennis tries to regain popularity in the United States. If players continue to show humor instead of the boring same old, same old answers, then we might see some more of tennis in the highlight shows.

Let’s start with Caroline Wozniacki who decided that she would take control of a postmatch press conference after learning that reporters called her “boring.”

The following day, Caroline decided to have some fun with the media saying she got cut by a kangaroo. This ended up not being true.

Caroline did apologize for pulling one over the media on her Twitter account.

But these interviews pale in comparison to Kim Clijsters’ interview with Todd Woodbridge of Australia’s 7 Network after her second round match. Kim and Todd are friends off the court and they like to tease each other. This has become viral.

Of course, there’s Li Na’s funny interview after her semifinal win over Wozniacki. Every wife and girlfriend could identify with Li’s comments about her husband’s snoring, inspiration to win, remembering the date of her wedding anniversary and dealing with her mother. As you can see from the reaction of 7 Network’s Sam Smith, she must have felt like the straight man to Li Na’s classic lines. Li became a worldwide star thanks to this interview.

And finally after losing a hard fought three set match in the women’s final to Clijsters, Li made some very funny comments about her husband again.

If I work for Breathe Right strips, I sign Li Na and her husband to an endorsement contract right away. What a great two weeks of tennis. Now, it’s to the winter tournaments here in the States, then the clay court tournaments leading to French Open in May.

We’re done here. Nice to have the Videos back again.

NFL & Twitter Team Up For An Exclusive Super Bowl Section

Announced on Friday, the NFL and Twitter announced that with a credit card company, they have launched a special section where fans can interact with one another about Super Bowl XLV. We have details right here.

@NFL & @TWITTER LAUNCH GO INSIDE SUPER BOWL XLV – #SB45

Follow Super Bowl conversations from Twitter on www.nfl.com/visa

The NFL is encouraging fans to GO INSIDE SUPER BOWL XLV through the official online Super Bowl XLV destination featuring Twitter content. “Go Inside Super Bowl XLV” is an innovative way for fans to engage with and be a part of Super Bowl XLV using Twitter. It launched Friday on www.nfl.com/visa.

“Go Inside Super Bowl XLV” will provide fans with a single location to experience the most relevant Super Bowl XLV chatter happening on Twitter, including coverage of the event from all angles. It will include Tweets from some of the best people covering Super Bowl XLV and will pull in Tweets about the game, the NFL (@nfl), the Green Bay Packers (@packers) and Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers). This resource also will feature Tweets from NFL executives, media personalities, NFL players, Visa and celebrities contributing to telling the story of Super Bowl XLV on Twitter.

“Go Inside Super Bowl XLV” also will provide fans an easy way to send Tweets to players or include mentions of them in their Tweets by clicking on player photos. Fans also may contribute to the conversation by tagging their Tweets with #SB45, the official hashtag of Super Bowl XLV.

”Over the last year we’ve seen Twitter at the center of fan engagement at major international sporting events sponsored by Visa. Learning from these experiences, we have worked with Twitter and the NFL to bring the world’s conversation about Super Bowl together in one place,” said ANTONIO LUCIO, Chief Marketing Officer, Visa Inc.

“We believe this is a great opportunity to provide unique coverage of America’s premier sporting event and to allow our fans from all over the world to experience Super Bowl week in an innovative way,” said HANS SCHROEDER, NFL SVP of Media Business Development. “We are excited to work with Visa and Twitter to make this possible.”

“Twitter lets fans anywhere experience the excitement and energy of the Super Bowl together, in real-time. ‘Go Inside Super Bowl XLV’ takes this one step further, distilling that conversation and excitement in a single place. We’re excited to be working with Visa and the NFL to help fans experience the Super Bowl in a new way,” said ADAM BAIN, Twitter’s President of Global Revenue.

“Go Inside Super Bowl XLV” will be featured prominently on www.superbowl.com, the NFL’s official online destination for all things Super Bowl XLV. Fans may access it via the web or mobile web by visiting www.nfl.com/visa.  Visa (@VisaNFL) will run a supporting campaign on Twitter with Promoted Tweets and Promoted Trends to generate greater awareness of “Go Inside Super Bowl XLV.”

Features of Go Inside Super Bowl XLV include:

• Featured Tweets: Displays Tweets from NFL executives, media personalities, NFL players, discount offers and celebrities.
• Pulse: Graphic depiction of the most-frequently tweeted words and phrases.
• Map View: Highlights which key words/phrases are being tweeted in various NFL cities across the United States as well as across the world.
• Team Matchup: Depicts the conversations happening on Twitter about the two competing teams with a team-colored field reflecting the volume of team-related Tweets and team-specific trending topics. The field representation will shows which team is dominating the Twitter conversation at any point in time as shading will shift to reflect the ebb and flow of Tweets.  Below each team will be a listing of the “Latest Tweets” (Tweets from fans), “Top Tweets” (most retweeted), and “Featured Tweets” (mix of players & official accounts related to the teams).
• Timeline: A timeline is integrated through all features, enabling users to follow the conversation or trends on a specific day or during a specific part of the game. Users also have the ability to replay the timeline leading up to and throughout Super Bowl XLV to see how the trends changed over time.
• Topic of the Day: Super Bowl-themed questions or conversation starters followed by fans’ Tweets in response.

That will do it for tonight.

NFL To Unveil New Super Bowl-Themed Mobile Apps

I have two NFL-themed press releases. Two posts here. The first one deals with the NFL unveiling two new mobile apps. They’re the first mobile apps for the Super Bowl. I just wish the NFL would make its mobile app for the regular season worthwhile to download, but that doesn’t apply to this post. Anyway, we have an announcement on the apps right here.

SUPERBOWL.COM DELIVERS NFL FANS INFORMATION, ANALYSIS, VIDEO & IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE GO

For The First Time Super Bowl XLV Goes Mobile with The Official Guide & Game Program

NFL fans will be able to experience all aspects of Super Bowl XLV at SUPERBOWL.COM with dynamic video programming, new community features, in-depth event coverage from reporters and expert analysts, plus an interactive trivia challenge.

For the first time, the NFL is making available to fans two Super Bowl-themed mobile apps to complement SUPERBOWL.COM.  THE SUPER BOWL XLV OFFICIAL GUIDE is the perfect mobile companion for any fan looking to navigate North Texas and Super Bowl XLV.  The first feature is an interactive event guide that provides detailed information about North Texas.  The guide lists NFL events that are open to the public throughout the region and contains a 3D map rendering of areas of North Texas integrated with Yelp, Citysearch, Urbanspoon and Google to put the region in fans’ hands. The map includes a social location service integration to see who is checking in and where. The second feature is a precise 3D rendering of Cowboys Stadium with a complete map of the interior, including restrooms and concessions clearly marked. The game day guide also lists Super Bowl Sunday parking detail, including the ability to locate a parking lot and the stadium entrance convenient to a specific seat at the game. “The Super Bowl XLV Official Guide” is available for free from the iTunes App Store (on iOS devices) and at www.itunes.com/appstore and on the Android Marketplace.

THE SUPER BOWL XLV GAME PROGRAM is a first ever digital version of the iconic souvenir program optimized for a tablet. With additional interactive content, the Program chronicles the Green Bay Packers’ and Pittsburgh Steelers’ road to Super Bowl XLV, captures memories of past Super Bowls and recaps key moments from the 2010 season. “The Super Bowl XLV Game Program” is available for free from the free and at www.itunes.com/appstore.

SUPERBOWL.COM contains detailed information on events during the week, a visitor’s guide and how to buy Super Bowl XLV tickets. Fans may visit SUPERBOWL.COM to find out locations around North Texas of all official NFL Shops at Super Bowl XLV as well as information about The NFL Experience, pro football’s interactive theme park. Fans may follow @nfl and @superbowl on Twitter for the most up-to-date information on player and celebrity appearances at The NFL Experience.

Fans may watch live online streaming of the week’s biggest events including Super Bowl XLV Media Day, the Commissioner’s news conference, the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 and much more.

Users may choose what they want to watch from the NFL.com cameras on Media Day (Tuesday, February 1 at 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT) at Cowboys Stadium, the home of Super Bowl XLV.  There will be one camera covering each of the 12 featured members of the competing teams, as well as one camera with NFL Network and NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson reporting from Media Day.

NFL.com also will feature a powerful lineup of reporters and analysts, including senior columnist Vic Carucci, senior writers Steve Wyche and Jason La Canfora, analysts Bucky Brooks and Gil Brandt and former NFL personnel executive Pat Kirwan. Information and insight from NFL Network reporter Albert Breer, and analysts Michael Lombardi, Solomon Wilcots, Sterling Sharpe, Jamie Dukes and others round out the comprehensive coverage. In addition, NFL Blog Blitz, powered by SportsFanLive.com, will continue their coverage of the NFL teams from the fan’s perspective.

On game day, fans around the globe can listen to international radio broadcasts of Super Bowl XLV. NFL.com will stream broadcasts from 11 countries including Spain, Germany, China, Russia and Japan.

For the eleventh consecutive year, fans will be able to vote for the Super Bowl XLV MVP on NFL.com. In addition, fans also will be able to visit NFL.com on web-enabled mobile devices to vote for the MVP. In the fourth quarter of the game, fans, along with a media panel, will select the MVP, who will be awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy. Combined votes on NFL.com and web-enabled mobile devices will count 20 percent towards the MVP.

Fans can test their Super Bowl knowledge with the NFL Two-Minute Trivia Super Bowl game.  To prepare for the challenge, check out the comprehensive history section that includes watch highlights from the first 44 Super Bowl games.

The other NFL-themed press release is coming up.

NBA TV Announces Fan Game & Other Contests

This week, NBA TV has five games including a Wednesday doubleheader in place of ESPN as the network carries college basketball. Here’s the sked.

Fans Select Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers for NBA TV’s Fan Night on Tuesday, Feb. 1

NBA TV to Air 24 Hours with Kevin Love on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET

NBA TV’s Tuesday Fan Night game will feature the Houston Rockets at the Los Angeles Lakers winning with 49-percent of the fan vote on NBA.com. The game will air on Tues., Feb. 1 at 10:30 p.m. (ET) with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Kevin McHale and Chris Webber on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 10:00 p.m. (ET). The night will tip off with host Rick Kamla and analyst Steve Smith on NBA GameTime at 8 p.m. (ET) to check in on games throughout the league.

Fan Night voting will continue on nba.com/nbatv/fannight from Tues., Feb. 1 (8 a.m. ET) – Thurs., Feb. 3 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for Tues., Feb. 8 between:

· Philadelphia 76ers @ Atlanta Hawks

· L.A. Clippers @ Orlando Magic

· San Antonio Spurs @ Detroit Pistons

· Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder

· Toronto Raptors @ Milwaukee Bucks

NBA TV will present a day in the life of Minnesota Timberwolves rising star Kevin Love when the network presents 24 Hours with Kevin Love. The episode premieres on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. (ET), prior to Fan Night.

Fans can stay connected to the latest NBA action every Tuesday with The Jump, a live, interactive show designed for the ultimate NBA fan.  Fans can submit questions and comments via NBA.com, Facebook or Twitter.  Host Kyle Montgomery, analyst Dennis Scott, Brent Barry and ‘chat-master’ Sekou Smith will respond and give their comments and analysis on everything happening around the league. The show will stream live on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. (ET) on NBA.com and air at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (ET) on NBA TV.

The Beat returns this week to prep fans for game action with news and storylines across the league with host Marc Fein, regular contributors David Aldridge, SLAM’s Lang Whitaker as well as reporters from across the country.  The Beat airs Feb. 1 at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

NBA TV GAMES OF THE WEEK:

JANUARY 31– FEBRUARY 5

NBA TV  SCHEDULE (all times ET): Jan. 31 – Feb. 5
MONDAY, JAN. 31
7:00 – 9:30 p.m	NBA Regular Season: Denver Nuggets  @ New Jersey Nets		Local Announcers
TUESDAY, FEB.1 Fan Night
10:30 p.m.– 1:00 a.m.	NBA Regular Season: Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers		Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber, Kevin McHale
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2
8:00 – 10:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: New Orleans Hornets @ Oklahoma City Thunder		Local Announcers
10:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.	NBA Regular Season: Chicago Bulls @ L.A. Clippers		Local Announcers
SATURDAY, FEB. 5
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: Atlanta Hawks @ Washington Wizards		Local Announcers

Fans Select Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers for NBA TV’s Fan Night on Tuesday, Feb. 1

NBA TV to Air 24 Hours with Kevin Love on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET

NBA TV’s Tuesday Fan Night game will feature the Houston Rockets at the Los Angeles Lakers winning with 49-percent of the fan vote on NBA.com. The game will air on Tues., Feb. 1 at 10:30 p.m. (ET) with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Kevin McHale and Chris Webber on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 10:00 p.m. (ET). The night will tip off with host Rick Kamla and analyst Steve Smith on NBA GameTime at 8 p.m. (ET) to check in on games throughout the league.

Fan Night voting will continue on nba.com/nbatv/fannight from Tues., Feb. 1 (8 a.m. ET) – Thurs., Feb. 3 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for Tues., Feb. 8 between:

· Philadelphia 76ers @ Atlanta Hawks

· L.A. Clippers @ Orlando Magic

· San Antonio Spurs @ Detroit Pistons

· Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder

· Toronto Raptors @ Milwaukee Bucks

NBA TV will present a day in the life of Minnesota Timberwolves rising star Kevin Love when the network presents 24 Hours with Kevin Love. The episode premieres on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. (ET), prior to Fan Night.

Fans can stay connected to the latest NBA action every Tuesday with The Jump, a live, interactive show designed for the ultimate NBA fan.  Fans can submit questions and comments via NBA.com, Facebook or Twitter.  Host Kyle Montgomery, analyst Dennis Scott, Brent Barry and ‘chat-master’ Sekou Smith will respond and give their comments and analysis on everything happening around the league. The show will stream live on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. (ET) on NBA.com and air at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (ET) on NBA TV.

The Beat returns this week to prep fans for game action with news and storylines across the league with host Marc Fein, regular contributors David Aldridge, SLAM’s Lang Whitaker as well as reporters from across the country.  The Beat airs Feb. 1 at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

NBA TV GAMES OF THE WEEK:

JANUARY 31– FEBRUARY 5

NBA TV  SCHEDULE (all times ET): Jan. 31 – Feb. 5
MONDAY, JAN. 31
7:00 – 9:30 p.m	NBA Regular Season: Denver Nuggets  @ New Jersey Nets		Local Announcers
TUESDAY, FEB.1 Fan Night
10:30 p.m.– 1:00 a.m.	NBA Regular Season: Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers		Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber, Kevin McHale
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2
8:00 – 10:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: New Orleans Hornets @ Oklahoma City Thunder		Local Announcers
10:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.	NBA Regular Season: Chicago Bulls @ L.A. Clippers		Local Announcers
SATURDAY, FEB. 5
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: Atlanta Hawks @ Washington Wizards		Local Announcers

That will do it.

NBC Chooses Boston-Detroit As NHL Flex Game For February 13

The National Hockey League and NBC Sports have announced their choice for February 13′s NHL Game of the Week. It’ll be an Original Six matchup as the Boston Bruins take on Detroit at Joe Louis Arena. Here’s the official announcement from the National Hockey League.

BOSTON BRUINS AT THE DETROIT RED WINGS IS NBC SPORTS’ “NHL GAME OF THE WEEK” ON SUNDAY, FEB. 13

Original Six Matchup “Flexed” For National Broadcast

NEW YORK (January 27, 2011) –The Sunday, February 13, Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings game has been flexed as NBC Sports’ “Game of the Week” and will be played at Joe Louis Arena at 12:30 p.m. ET, the National Hockey League and NBC Sports announced today.

The Bruins lead the Northeast Division due in no small part to Tim Thomas’ heroics in goal. Currently leading the League in shutouts (seven), save percentage (.945) and goals-against-average (1.81), Thomas will return to his home state of Michigan along with fellow All-Star Zdeno Chara and the rest of the Bruins to face the Red Wings.

Led by 2011 NHL All-Star captain Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg, the Red Wings have shown their depth by holding their place near the top of the standings despite injuries to several key players, including star center Pavel Datsyuk. They currently lead the Central Division.

NBC Sports’ “NHL Game of the Week” on Feb. 13 will be the return match of a rare home-and-home series between these inter-conference foes; they meet for the first time this season on Feb. 11 in Boston (in HD on NHL Network-US, FS-D+ and NESN.) The two clubs have met 576 times over 85 NHL seasons.

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING

At least 13 days prior to the scheduled game, one game is selected for broadcast on NBC. All NBC games will be broadcast on Sundays and all games will be presented in HD. Games not flexed to NBC will be available to the teams’ regional carriers and remain at the originally announced start time. The Feb. 13 match-up was first announced on the Thursday, Jan. 27, edition of “NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman” on NHL.com and SIRIUS XM Radio airing from 6-7 p.m. ET. All subsequent flexed games will be announced on NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Upcoming 2011 NBC Game of the Week Regular-Season Flexible Schedule

         |                                 |
 Feb. 6  |PITTSBURGH AT WASHINGTON         |12:30 p.m. ET
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Feb. 13 |BOSTON AT DETROIT                |12:30 p.m. ET
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Feb. 20 |HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA            |12 – 6 p.m.
         |                                 |ET
         |Washington at Buffalo (regional) |
         |Detroit at Minnesota (regional)  |
         |Philadelphia at NY Rangers       |
         |(regional)                       |
         |Pittsburgh at Chicago (national) |
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Mar. 6  |Philadelphia  at NY Rangers OR   |TBD
         |Buffalo at Minnesota             |
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Mar. 13 |Chicago at Washington  OR        |TBD
         |Los Angeles at Dallas            |
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Mar. 20 |NY Rangers at Pittsburgh  OR     |TBD
         |New Jersey at Columbus           |
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Apr. 3  |NY Rangers at Philadelphia  OR   |TBD
         |Minnesota at Detroit OR          |
         |Tampa Bay at Chicago             |
 --------+---------------------------------+-------------
         |                                 |
 Apr. 10 |Boston at New Jersey  OR         |TBD
         |Pittsburgh at Atlanta   OR       |
         |Detroit at Chicago OR            |
         |Dallas at Minnesota              |

That’s it for now.

Saturday’s Links

You’re linkage once again so let’s provide some now. I am putting together a Videos of Week for Sunday morning so look for that if you get up around 8 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow.

ESPN Ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer writes his last column in his role of overseer and apologizes for his lack of writing.

Nellie Andreeva of Deadline.com reports that CBS is picking up two sitcoms based on two ESPN personalities, one extremely annoying, the other not so much.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable writes that DirecTV wants to settle a dispute with Northwest Broadcasting that is keeping several local channels off the satellite provider and preventing subscribers from possibly seeing the Super Bowl.

Milton Kent from Fanhouse says ESPN’s Stuart Scott will undergo chemotherapy after having cancerous tissue removed. Our best to Stuart.

Milton says Fox’s Terry Bradshaw will be tickled pink if he gets to hand the Super Bowl Trophy to his old team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Lucia Moses from Mediaweek says after a two year absence, Sports Illustrated is bringing back its Super Bowl party in Dallas.

The Nielsen Ratings Wire blog looks into the factors that are causing the NFL’s TV ratings to increase at an astounding rate.

Bill Cromwell of Media Life Magazine says Comcast has a long road ahead to pull NBC out of its current doldrums.

One quick aside. You may have noticed that as of yesterday, I recommended a non-sports NBC program in the Weekend Viewing Picks for the first time in about a year. Now that Jeff Zucker is gone from running the network into the ground, I have ended my primetime and late night boycott of NBC. I had only put NBC sports programs in the Viewing Picks since the Conan debacle last year. If I feel an NBC program is worthy of being recommended, I will place it in the Picks. Right now, absolutely none of NBC’s primetime lineup (The Cape? A Minute To Win It? Perfect Couples? What the hell are those?) appeals to me. We’ll see if the upcoming programs are of any quality. For now, baby steps for NBC. And no, please don’t sell me on “Friday Night Lights”. That has no appeal to me whatsoever.

Back to the links.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life says there is plenty of buzz over the Super Bowl ads again this year.

E.J. Schultz of Advertising Age says Snickers is hoping comedienne Roseanne will do in this year’s Super Bowl what Betty White did for the candy bar in last year’s Super Bowl ad. I’ll be honest. Everyone loves Betty White. Roseanne doesn’t have that same appeal.

Ken Wheaton of Ad Age has one of the two silly Go Daddy.com Super Bowl ads.

Wayne Friedman of MediaPost writes that the NHL is not only seeing higher TV ratings, but is also seeing more revenue from corporate sponsorships.

Tanya Irwin of MediaPost’s Marketing Daily notes that the NFL is teaming up with Visa to produce an exclusive Twitter feed for the Super Bowl.

One story that surfaced earlier this week and I wasn’t able to get to it. This comes from Allan Brettman of The Oregonian who points out the conflict of interest of ESPN’s Erin Andrews endorsing Reebok after reporting in the BCS about some problems about Nike shoes.

Katie Thomas of the New York Times now picks up the story and further explores the problems this brings.

Don’t forget last year when ESPN’s Jenn Brown was going to be the spokesperson for Icehouse beer and after Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch pointed out the conflict of interest, the deal was nixed.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News writes that Fox’s Terry Bradshaw will be excited if he hands the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Green Bay Packers.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Midwest radio powerhouse KMOX is expanding its sports coverage.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the Best and Worst of SoCal’s analysts.

Tom has his extensive media notes.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid provides the very funny postmatch comments by Li Na after the Australian Open women’s final.

Sports Media Watch notes that NASCAR will have later start times for its late season races.

Steve Lepore of Puck the Media has the ten most watched and least watched NHL games on Versus thus far this season.

We’ll end it there for now.

College Basketball Viewing Picks for 01/29 & 01/30/11, All Times Eastern

Men’s Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports on TV

Saturday, January 29

College GameDay, live from Lawrence, KS – ESPNU, 10 a.m./ESPN, 11 a.m.

11 a.m.
Temple at St. Joseph’s – ESPNU

noon
Florida State at Clemson – ACC Network

Louisville at UConn – Big East Network

George Mason at William & Mary – Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Comcast SportsNet New England/CSS/The Comcast Network

Georgetown at Villanova – ESPN
Xavier at Richmond – ESPN2

1 p.m.
CBS Coverage Map
Florida at Mississippi State – CBS
Minnesota at Purdue – CBS

Norfolk State at Morgan State – ESPNU

1:30 p.m.
Colorado at Baylor – Big 12 Network

Auburn at South Carolina – SEC Network

2 p.m.
NC State at North Carolina – ESPN
Bradley at Wichita State – ESPN2

3 p.m.
Syracuse at Marquette – ESPNU

3:30 p.m.
UCLA at Arizona – Fox Sports Net

4 p.m.
Virginia at Wake Forest – ACC Network

Wisconsin at Penn State – Big Ten Network

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech – Big 12 Network

Lafayette at American – CBS College Sports

James Madison at Delaware – Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Comcast SportsNet New England/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia/CSS

Tennessee at Ole Miss – SEC Network

BYU at New Mexico – Versus

5 p.m.
Towson at Old Dominion – ESPNU

6 p.m.
College GameDay, live from Lawrence, KS – ESPN

Air Force at TCU – CBS College Sports

Ohio State at Northwestern – ESPN2

Arkansas at Vanderbilt – Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports South/Fox Sports Southwest/Sun Sports

Colorado State at Utah – the mtn.

7 p.m.
Kansas State at Kansas – ESPN
St. Mary’s at Portland – ESPNU

8 p.m.
West Virginia at Cincinnati – Big East Network

UTEP at Tulsa – CBS College Sports

Pittsburgh at Rutgers – ESPN2

LSU at Alabama – Fox Sports South/FSN Rocky Mountain/Sun Sports

9 p.m.
Missouri at Texas – ESPNU

10 p.m.
Wyoming at San Diego State – the mtn.

Sunday, January 30

1 p.m.
Duke at St. John’s – CBS

2 p.m.
Providence at Seton Hall – Big East Network

4 p.m.
Iowa at Michigan – Big Ten Network

URI at UMass – Cox Sports RI

5:30 p.m.
Miami (FL) at Virginia Tech – Fox Sports Net/NESN

6 p.m.
Indiana at Michigan State – Big Ten Network

Central Michigan at Akron – ESPNU

7:45 p.m.
Maryland at Georgia Tech – Fox Sports Net/NESN

8 p.m.
Northern Iowa at Missouri State – ESPNU

10 p.m.
Washington at Washington State – Fox Sports Net

ESPN Unveils Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball Announcers

In a very good move, former MLB announcer-in-exile Sean McDonough now comes out of exile and will be utilized by ESPN for Monday Night Baseball. He replaces Dan Shulman who went to Sunday Night Baseball to replace Jon Miller. Sean, one of the best all-around announcers, did Red Sox games in the 1990′s into the early 2000′s before being inexplicably pushed out by NESN. He has sporadically called games for ESPN and has been used extensively to call the College World Series. Now, he joins Aaron Boone and Rick Sutcliffe.

On Wednesday nights, current Red Sox radio announcer Dave O’Brien will continue to call Wednesday Night Baseball for ESPN. He’ll be joined by former Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. So Mondays and Wednesdays on ESPN will have a Red Sox flavor.

Here’s the press release.

ESPN to Debut New Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball Commentator Teams

ESPN continues to revamp its signature Major League Baseball franchises with the introduction of new Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball commentator teams in 2011.  Sean McDonough will return to MLB in a season-long role as the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Baseball, joined by analysts Aaron Boone and Rick Sutcliffe.  Play-by-play commentator Dave O’Brien and analyst Nomar Garciaparra will form the new Wednesday Night Baseball team. In addition to their game responsibilities, Boone, Sutcliffe and Garciaparra will contribute to Baseball Tonight throughout the season.

McDonough has contributed to ESPN’s Spring Training and Opening Day telecasts, along with the College World Series, since 2000.  He called MLB games for the network, primarily Wednesday Night Baseball, from 1990-95.  McDonough will continue to provide commentary for ESPN college basketball and football telecasts, the College World Series and select golf events.

Last season, ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball commentator team included Dan Shulman and analysts Boone and Chris Singleton.  Shulman will be calling Sunday Night Baseball telecasts this season with analysts Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine.  Singleton will be paired with play-by-play commentator Jon Sciambi on ESPN Radio’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts. O’Brien and Sutcliffe mainly called Wednesday Night Baseball games in 2010, with Garciaparra joining them for select telecasts.

Sean McDonough
In addition to his ESPN responsibilities, McDonough has previously been the main play-by-play commentator for CBS’ MLB coverage (1992-93), calling regular-season games, the All-Star Game, NLCS and World Series.  With CBS, at age 30, McDonough became the youngest announcer to broadcast all nine innings of the World Series (since surpassed by Joe Buck at age 27).  McDonough was the television voice of the Boston Red Sox for 17 seasons (1988-2004).

Rick Sutcliffe
In addition to Monday Night Baseball, Sutcliffe will contribute to Baseball Tonight this season.  Sutcliffe, a former Cy Young Award winner, joined ESPN in 1998 and has most recently been paired with O’Brien on Wednesday Night Baseball (2008-10) and Monday Night Baseball (2002-07). Sutcliffe served as an ESPN Radio analyst from 1999-2001.  He has also provided analysis for MLB’s international coverage of the All-Star Game and World Series for several years.

Aaron Boone
Boone joined ESPN in 2010 following a 12-year Major League Baseball career. He will return for his second full season in the Monday Night Baseball booth, while also contributing to Baseball Tonight throughout the season. Boone worked for ESPN Radio as a guest analyst during the 2009 National League Division Series.

Dave O’Brien
O’Brien joined ESPN in 2002 and has served as the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Baseball (2002-07) and Wednesday Night Baseball (since 2008). O’Brien called ESPN-produced Division Series games airing on ABC Family in 2002. He had the call for both of Barry Bonds’ historic home runs – Nos. 755 and 756 – in 2007 on ESPN. He has also provided commentary for MLB’s international coverage of the World Series.

Nomar Garciaparra
In addition to being a Wednesday Night Baseball analyst, Garciaparra will continue to contribute to Baseball Tonight. Garciaparra, a six-time MLB All-Star, joined ESPN in 2010.  He primarily contributed to Baseball Tonight and select Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts last season.

That will do it for now.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Saturday, January 29

Boxing
World Championship Boxing/Jr. Welterweight Title, Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley – HBO, 10 p.m.

College Basketball Viewing Picks

College Hockey
Vermont at Merrimack – NESN, 7:30 p.m.
Michigan at Michigan State – Fox Sports Detroit, 8 p.m.
Alaska-Anchorage at Minnesota – Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.

ESPN Sports Saturday
30 for 30 – ABC, 4 p.m.
Winners Bracket – ABC, 5 p.m.

FA Cup
4th Round
Everton vs. Chelsea – Fox Soccer Channel, 7:30 a.m.
Stevenage vs. Reading – Fox Soccer Plus, 9:55 a.m.
Birmingham City vs. Coventry City – Fox Soccer Channel, 10 a.m.
Southampton vs. Manchester United – Fox Soccer Channel, noon
Torquay vs. Crawley Town – Fox Soccer Plus, 2 p.m. (same day coverage)

Figure Skating
U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Greensboro, NC
Pairs & Dance Free Skate – NBC, 3 p.m.
Ladies Free Skate – NBC, 9 p.m.

Golf
PGA Tour/Farmers Insurance Open, 3rd round – CBS, 3 p.m.

Lingerie Football League
Western Conference Championship
Los Angeles Temptation vs. Chicago Bliss – MTV2, 6 p.m.

Eastern Conference Championship
Philadelphia Passion vs. Tampa Breeze – MTV2, 8 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
Strikeforce – Showtime, 10 p.m.

NBA
Indiana at Chicago – WGN America, 8 p.m.
Atlanta at Dallas – NBA TV, 8:30 p.m.

NHL
2011 NHL All-Star Red Carpet Show – NHL Network, 5:30 p.m.
NHL Commissioner’s Press Conference – NHL Network, 6 p.m.
NHL Overtime – Versus, 6 p.m.

NHL All-Star Super Skills Competition – CBC, 6:30 p.m./Versus, 7 p.m.

NHL Super Skills Recap – NHL Network, 9 p.m.

Tennis
Australian Open/Women’s Finals, Kim Clijsters vs. Li Na – ESPN2, 3 a.m.
Australian Open/Men’s Doubles Finals – Tennis Channel, 5:30 a.m.

Entertainment
Kelsey’s Essentials – Cooking Channel, 2:30 p.m.
Cops – Fox, 8 p.m.
Primeval – BBC America, 9 p.m.
America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back – Fox, 9 p.m.
48 Hours Mystery: Every Picture Tells A Story – CBS, 10 p.m.
The Graham Norton Show – BBC America, 10 p.m.
Tailgate Warriors with Guy Fieri: Championship Finale – Food Network, 10 p.m.
Saturday Night Live with Jesse Eisenberg and musical guest Nicki Minaj – NBC, 11:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 30

College Basketball Viewing Picks

FA Cup
4th Round
Arsenal vs. Huddersfield Town – Fox Soccer Channel, 7 a.m.
Notts County vs. Manchester City – Fox Soccer Plus, 9 a.m.
Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur – Fox Soccer Channel, 11:30 a.m.

Figure Skating
U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Greensboro, NC
Men’s Dance Free Skate – NBC, 4 p.m.

Golf
PGA Tour/Farmers Insurance Open, final round – CBS, 3 p.m.

NBA
NBA Countdown – ABC, 12:30 p.m.
Miami at Oklahoma City – ABC, 1 p.m.
Boston at Los Angeles Lakers – ABC, 3:30 p.m.
Utah at Golden State – ESPN, 10 p.m.

NFL
2011 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl – Fox, 7 p.m.

NHL
NHL All-Star Pregame – NHL Network, 2 p.m.
NHL Overtime – Versus, 3 p.m.

2011 NHL All-Star Game, Raleigh, NC – CBC/Versus, 4 p.m.

2011 NHL All-Star Postgame – NHL Network, 8 p.m.
NHL Overtime – Versus, 9:30 p.m.

Tennis
Australian Open/Men’s Finals – ESPN2, 3 a.m.

Entertainment
CBS News Sunday Morning – CBS, 9 a.m.
Giada at Home: Big Game – Food Network, 10 a.m.
Sandra’s Money Saving Meals: Tex-Mex – Food Network, noon
10 Dollar Dinners with Melissa: Ten Dollar Tailgate – Food Network, 12:30 p.m.
60 Minutes – CBS, 7 p.m.
How Beer Saved the World – Discovery, 8 p.m.
17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award – TNT, 8 p.m.
Big Love – HBO, 9 p.m.
Californication – Showtime, 9 p.m.
Shameless – Showtime, 10 p.m.
Alaska State Troopers: Shots Fired – National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.