These are the last press releases from Monday and I’m going to bed after this.
This is from NBA TV. We learn that Brent Barry joins the league-owned network as a studio analyst.
Two-time NBA Champion Brent Barry Joins NBA TV as Studio AnalystNBA TV Announces L.A. Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder as First Fan Night of the Season
NBA TV today announced the addition of two-time NBA Champion and 14-year veteran Brent Barry to its announcer roster for the 2009-10 season. Barry will work as a studio analyst for NBA GameTime, the network’s live studio show filled with highlights, analysis, commentary and live look-ins at games being played across the league. Barry will join on Monday nights, beginning Monday, Nov. 2, alongside host Andre Aldridge and analyst Eric Snow. He will also contribute to The Jump on NBA.com, a new, live interactive show every Tuesday hosted by Kyle Montgomery and former Orlando Magic sharp-shooter Dennis Scott.
Barry is the newest studio analyst on the network’s impressive roster which includes Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber, 14-year veteran Steve Smith, Snow and Scott. Barry is best known for his three-point shooting in which he currently ranks 10th all-time in career three-point field goals made. Barry spent 14 years in the NBA with six teams including the L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
NBA TV will take the court for its first week of Tuesday Fan Night with the Lakers @ Thunder match-up, as voted upon by fans on NBA.com. The game will air on Tues., Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. (ET) with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Chris Webber and Kevin McHale on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Fan Night voting will continue on NBA.com from Tues., Nov. 3 (8 a.m. ET) – Thurs., Nov. 5 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for Tues., Nov. 10 between:
· Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats
· Washington Wizards @ Miami Heat
· Denver Nuggets @ Chicago Bulls
· Portland Trail Blazers @ Memphis Grizzlies
· Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks
· Oklahoma City Thunder @ Sacramento Kings
NBA TV’s new show All-Access with Ahmad, airing every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. (ET) provides viewers a front row seat for his one-of-a-kind interviews with the game’s biggest personalities to capture the candid and compelling personal stories of basketball’s best.
NBA TV will also feature live games on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. (ET) with the Denver Nuggets @ Atlanta Hawks and on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. (ET) with the Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings.
NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
ESPN announces multi-platform coverage of the year-ending Breeder’s Cup this weekend.
Two-Day Breeders’ Cup on ABC, ESPN & ESPN2
Nine Live Hours November 6-7
The 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships on November 6-7 from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., will receive nine hours of live coverage, including 2.5 hours on ABC. The 26th running of the Breeders’ Cup will feature 14 races over two days on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.The action will start on ESPN2 with Championship Friday, Nov. 6, from 3:30-7 p.m. ET with six Breeders’ Cup Championship races. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the racing action will continue with ABC airing the Championships from 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET and ESPN from 3:30-7 p.m ET.ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile will simulcast live the ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts.Joe Tessitore will host the telecasts with analysts Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss. Kenny Mayne will work with handicapper Hank Goldberg. Jeannine Edwards, Jay Privman, and Caton Bredar (on horseback) will serve as reporters. Nick Luck is the European horse analyst and Tom Rinaldi will interview key personalities in the sport. Bill Nack and Rick Reilly will contribute essays and features, while Trevor Denman will call the races. Chris Connelly will provide celebrity interviews.
TECHNOLOGY
ESPN’s coverage of the Breeders’ Cup will use the latest technology, including 40 cameras:
- All in high definition
- Cameras on two cranes, a helicopter, a truck, inside the starting gate and in the stewards’ room
- Rail camera running above all the horses in the saddling barn
- X-Mo camera at the finish line
- Touch screen technology for handicapping the races
FEATURESFeatures on The Breeders’ Cup telecasts will include:· Jockey Kent Desormeaux’s year: After Big Brown lost Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, Kent is back, this time riding Summer Bird· Jockey Corey Nakatani, whose grandparents were held at an internment camp at Santa Anita during WWII· Hall of Fame Trainer Bob Baffert· Rick Reilly learns to call a horse race· The difference in how horses from the USA and Europe are trained· Bill Nack’s vignettes on every horse in the Classic
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Fri., Nov. 6 — ESPN2, 3:30- 7 p.m.
- Breeders’ Cup Marathon
- Breeders” Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
- Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
- Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf
- Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
- Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic
Sat., Nov. 7 — ABC, 1-3:30 p.m.
- Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf
- Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
- Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint
Sat. Nov. 7- ESPN, 3:30-7 p.m.
- Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
- TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile
- Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
- Emirates Airlines Breeders’ Cup turf
- Breeders’ Cup Classic
MULTI-MEDIA COVERAGE
- ESPN360.com: Simulcast of the ESPN and ESPN2 coverage on Friday and Saturday.
- SportsCenter: News and information during Breeders’ Cup Week.
- ESPN.com: Countdown Clock started on October 1 through Friday, November 6.
- ESPN Radio: News and Information coverage.
- First Take: News and Information coverage.
- Rome is Burning: Both Jim Rome’s radio and Rome is Burning programs will be on location at Santa Anita Friday, Nov. 6.
- ESPN Motion: Breeders’ Cup clips, including all Breeders’ Cup World Championship races.
- Mobile ESPN: Featured Breeders’ Cup section on ESPN’s Mobile Web.
- ESPN International: coverage in Pacific Rim (including Australia and New Zealand), Latin America, Caribbean, Atlantic (including Africa and the Middle East) networks and on TSN in Canada.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships has announced that Race 2 on Friday November 6, will bear the name: Jimmy V “Don’t Give Up…Don’t Ever Give Up!”(R) in honor of The V Foundation for Cancer Research. CEO, Nick Valvano will be there to present the trophy to the winner of this race.
Racing of another kind for the ESPN family of networks this weekend, the motor kind.
Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from Texas on ABC
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is down to three races to go and this weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for 500 miles on Sunday, Nov. 8. ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Dickies 500 airs on ABC beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30 p.m. ET. The race’s green flag is at 3:30 p.m.
Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, co-owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Live from Texas on ESPN2
ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend as the series races at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The live, flag-to-flag telecast airs Saturday, Nov. 7, at noon ET, with the green flag at 1:01 p.m. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.
Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, co-owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.
Evernham, Craven, Said on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham, Ricky Craven and Boris Said will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Mike Massaro hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m., and Saturday at 12:30 a.m. (late Friday night). Massaro will be joined by Said for the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, Nov. 8, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. The weekend wrap-up edition airs at 10 p.m. Sunday. Nicole Manske and Marty Smith will report from the speedway for both programs. .
NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Manske and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.
Petty, Earnhardt Documentaries Air on ESPN Classic
Seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be featured in episodes of the ESPN signature series SportsCentury airing this week on ESPN Classic.
The episode featuring Earnhardt airs Thursday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. ET, while the Petty program airs Sunday, Nov. 8, at 8 a.m.
ESPN2 To Air NHRA Sportsman Series Racing
The NHRA Sportsman Series will be in action from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as ESPN2 televises highlights on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. ET.
The Sportsman Series is the developmental series for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Also this week, ESPN Classic will air highlights from the 2004 F
ram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 9, at noon.Traxxas TORC Series Action on ABC Sunday
Action from the Traxxas TORC Series returns to ABC on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1:30 p.m. ET with an event in Las Vegas. The premier short-course racing series with the top stars in off-road racing, this exciting form of door-to-door action is appearing on both ESPN2 and ABC this season.
Pro Pulling League Action Airs Sunday on ESPN2
The Pro Pulling League, which features modified trucks, tractors and other vehicles, will be in action on Sunday, Nov. 8, in a half-hour program beginning at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The programs will feature highlights from an event held in Hamburg, N.Y. The league is sanctioned by the American Tractor Pulling Association.
Golf Channel has started running a three part series on Ken Green who lost his right lower leg following a car accident that claimed the lives of his brother, his girlfriend and his dog earlier this year.
Ken Green’s Road to Recovery Chronicled in Golf Central Three-Part Feature
Preview: Ken Green Three-Part Golf Central Feature
ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 2 — Golf Central (tonight – Wednesday, 6 p.m. ET) will feature a three-part story chronicling professional golfer Ken Green’s road to recovery following a tragic motor accident that killed his brother, girlfriend and his dog in June. The only survivor of the accident, Green had his right leg amputated below the knee.
In his first national television interview since the accident, Green discusses the events that led to the accident and his goal of returning to competition on the Champions Tour. Green also will delve into the highs and lows during his PGA TOUR career, including his battle with depression and estrangement from his family; his emotional reunion with his sister following the accident and the support he has received from his peers as he attempts to make a comeback.
GOLF CHANNEL’s Rich Lerner will report the three-part feature, re-airing Thursday – Saturday on Golf Central at 6 p.m. ET.
Finally, Fox Soccer Channel announces that its ratings went up in its first year of viewing measurement.
FOX SOCCER CHANNEL SCORES RATINGS INCREASES ACROSS THE BOARD DURING FIRST YEAR-TO-YEAR COMPARISONS
Los Angeles, CA (November 2, 2009) – Fox Soccer Channel has scored rating and audience increases across all network programming and key demographics during its first year as a Nielsen rated channel, it was announced today.
Month-to-month comparisons from Sept. 29-Oct. 26, 2008 vs. Sept. 28-Oct. 25, 2009 demonstrate significant increases in total day viewers, English Premier League and Italian Serie A match telecasts as well as ancillary and news programming. Fox Soccer Channel demonstrated a 125% average audience increase (27,000 vs. 12,000) in total day viewers in Oct. 2009 compared to Oct. 2008, while in the men 18-49 demo the same measurement is up 200% (15,000 vs. 5,000).
“These ratings for Fox Soccer Channel prove that our network delivers a large, attractive audience, particularly in the male 18-49 demographic,” said David Sternberg, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fox Soccer Channel.
