A Huge Pile of Press Releases to Review

This is going to be a long post. Get ready to scroll for a while. Let’s do this without further delay.

“LIVE AT WIMBLEDON” STREAMING COVERAGE ANNOUNCED BY NBC SPORTS & ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS CLUB

First-Ever Widely Available Free Wimbledon Streaming in U.S. Features Live Matches From Multiple Courts, Alternate Camera Angles, On-demand Replays & More “Live at Wimbledon” is Accessible at NBCSports.com & Wimbledon.org

NEW YORK – June 22, 2009 – NBC Sports and the AELTC combine to present Live at Wimbledon, providing live streaming and on-demand access to The Championships, Wimbledon it was announced today. The Live at Wimbledon video experience, which will be powered by Microsoft Silverlight, marks the first time that coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon will be widely available in the U.S. via free, live online streaming.

The All England Club's U.S. network partner, NBC Sports, is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Breakfast at Wimbledon and is in its 41st consecutive year as the broadcast home of Wimbledon. NBC Sports will present more than 38 broadcast hours of coverage over nine days from Wimbledon beginning this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, and includes live coverage of the Gentleman's and Ladies' Finals. All matches televised by NBC Sports are available online at Live at Wimbledon via NBCSports.com and Wimbledon.org. 

In addition to NBC Sports broadcast coverage, Live at Wimbledon will offer live streaming of up to four concurrent courts, on-demand replays of the best matches from every day of The Championships, alternate camera angles for NBC Sports semifinal and final match coverage, daily video highlights, and Golden Moments from the Wimbledon archive, including an on-demand replay of the classic 2008 Gentlemen's Finals between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, that NBC Sports' John McEnroe said was the "greatest match we've ever seen."  

Live at Wimbledon will be available starting today, the first day of The Championships, Wimbledon with on-demand coverage. Live streaming of NBC Sports coverage and additional matches will begin on Saturday, June 27, concluding with the Ladies' Final on Saturday, July 4 at 9 a.m. ET and the Gentlemen's Final on Sunday, July 5 at 9 a.m. ET.  

The Live at Wimbledon video experience will be powered by Microsoft Silverlight and offers the first implementation of Live Smooth Streaming for U.S.-based audiences. Silverlight and Live Smooth Streaming enable NBC Sports and Live at Wimbledon to deliver true high definition (HD)-quality streaming video for both live NBC Sports broadcast and on-demand coverage. Live at Wimbledon users will also be able to experience digital video recorder (DVR)-like controls, such as the ability to pause live action, skip back to drive their own instant replays, and join live broadcasts mid-event. Microsoft partnered with application service provider iStreamPlanet to build the Live at Wimbledon video player and handle content acquisition, encoding, and origin hosting with Akamai providing the delivery of the content.  

"NBC Sports has a proud tradition of Wimbledon coverage, and we are even prouder to extend our coverage online with the all-new Live at Wimbledon," said Perkins Miller, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports & Olympics, Digital Media.
"Tennis fans in the U.S. can now widely follow Wimbledon online both live and on-demand, and the quality of the Live at Wimbledon video player will only enhance their viewing experience."  

"Building on the success of the NBCOlympics.com broadcast of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, we're excited to partner with NBC Sports once again to provide Silverlight and the unique capabilities of Live Smooth Streaming to power Live at Wimbledon," said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Platform at Microsoft Corp. "Silverlight enables NBC Sports to provide Wimbledon fans true HD-quality video content and DVR-like features, dramatically improving the quality of the online viewing experience over previous years."

During the Wimbledon fortnight, ESPNews will add a live morning show to its schedule featuring updates from SW19 in London.

ESPNEWS Adds Live Morning Show During Wimbledon

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, June 23, ESPNEWS will televise a live half-hour program weekdays at 10 a.m. ET to focus on Wimbledon, with highlights, live look-ins to matches and post-match press conferences, along with other sports news. The program will complement ESPN2’s extensive day-long coverage which starts at 7 a.m., and will continue until Friday, July 3. The extended coverage from Wimbledon will continue throughout the day on ESPNEWS.

CBS says U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover will appear on the Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday.

NEW YORK, June 22 – 2009 U.S. Open golf champion Lucas Glover will present the Top Ten List on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Tuesday, June 23 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. In only the second victory of his PGA Tour career, Glover shot a final round 3-over par 73 to take the rain-delayed tournament Monday, finishing with a two-shot victory over runners up Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Ricky Barnes.

Also on the LATE SHOW Tuesday will be author and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and musical guests MSTRKRFT with John Legend. The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN is a production of Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Barbara Gaines, Maria Pope, Jude Brennan and Rob Burnett are the executive producers.

NBC has rescheduled the U.S. Open Challenge, originally supposed to air this past weekend, for the July 4th holiday.

GOLF DIGEST U.S OPEN CHALLENGE RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JULY 4 ON NBC SPORTS  Event Featured Jordan, Timberlake, Roethlisberger Playing Bethpage Black 

NEW YORK -- June 22, 2009 - NBC Sports' broadcast of the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 4 at 2 p.m. following NBC Sports' coverage of the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Final. The event had been originally scheduled for broadcast yesterday leading into NBC Sports' final round U.S. Open coverage but weather delays forced programming changes.

Michael Jordan, Ben Roethlisberger, Justin Timberlake and amateur winner Larry Giebelhausen all set out with the goal of breaking 100 at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park, the site of the 2009 U.S. Open Championship.

The group played all 18 holes of the Black Course from the back tees under strict USGA rules.

In the December 2008 issue, Golf Digest asked readers to send in a six-word essay on why they thought they could break 100 at Bethpage Black. The four finalists were narrowed down from 73,581 essays that were submitted. Larry Giebelhausen a police lieutenant of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the online vote with "I'm a cop, I'll shoot low."

Golf Channel tells us that a new original series hosted by actor Anthony Anderson premieres on Tuesday.

GOLF CHANNEL CHRONICLES THE GAME OF LIFE THROUGH THE GAME OF GOLF WITH NEW ORIGINAL TELEVISION SERIES GOLF IN AMERICA

Golf in America Sneak Preview

10-Part Series, Hosted by Anthony Anderson, Premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 22, 2009) – GOLF CHANNEL’s newest original series, Golf in America, will travel coast-to-coast to discover never-before-told stories, larger-than-life characters and inspirational people to capture the spirit of the game of golf. Hosted by film and television actor Anthony Anderson (Law & Order, Transformers), the 10-episode series premieres this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.

Whether it is a one-of-a-kind golf course situated within the walls of a Louisiana prison, or how golf is being used as both physical and psychological therapy for wounded soldiers returning from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan – Golf in America will chronicle stories in stunning HD from celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Donald Trump to everyday people across the country who are all unified by the sport. GOLF CHANNEL’s Rich Lerner, Kelly Tilghman, Jim Gray, Brandel Chamblee and John Feinstein are among the contributors that will help bring Golf in America stories to life as series correspondents.

Tuesday’s premiere episode features the triumphant tale of a group of friends who attempted their annual winter golf pilgrimage to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina via Flight 1549 which landed in the Hudson River; Bethpage Black, the first public course to host the U.S. Open; and a massive underground bunker constructed for Congress during the height of the Cold War hidden beneath the stately resort of The Greenbrier in the hills of West Virginia.

Golf in America airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on GOLF CHANNEL.

NBA.com and NBA TV outline their NBA Draft coverage.

NBA TV and NBA.com Suit Up for 2009 NBA Draft with Extensive Multiplatform Coverage

NBA TV and NBA.com will provide fans with all-access coverage leading up to, and continuing throughout, the 2009 NBA Draft, which will be held at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday, June 25th.

For the first time, Tennessee Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl will join NBA TV’s draft night coverage to provide a unique perspective on the NBA Draft Preview Show at 6 p.m. ET and the 2009 NBA Draft Recap at Midnight ET. In addition, Pearl will provide blogs on NBA.com titled “Pearl’s Gems” with his insight on the NBA Draft and prospects.

The NBA Draft coverage will be fully integrated with multiplatform content on NBA TV and NBA.com, with unprecedented opportunities for fans to interact with the NBA TV analysts, voice their opinions and access detailed information about each draft selection.

In addition to pre and post-draft analysis, an expert panel of announcers including host Rick Kamla, analysts Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Pearl will provide Instant Analysis of key draft selections that will be available exclusively on NBA.com. NBA Insider David Aldridge will be on-hand for NBA TV and NBA.com with breaking news updates about trades. Also, reporter Craig Sager will be on hand at Madison Square Garden in New York City to interview players moments after they are selected in the draft via the Virtual Green Room, streamed on NBA.com. NBA Assistant Director of Scouting Ryan Blake will be in New York to provide scouting reports and draft analysis of international players throughout the night.

“The level of interactivity and depth of our 2009 Draft coverage is unprecedented as we deliver broad professional analysis and exclusive content generated by players and fans across our TV, Internet and Wireless platforms” said Bryan Perez, SVP and GM of NBA Digital. “We are thrilled to add Bruce Pearl to our industry leading analyst team as he brings great energy and insight having coached against many of the draft prospects on a collegiate level.”

NBA TV will offer original studio programming leading up to the NBA Draft including:

• NBA GameTime: Coming Attractions (Tuesday, June 23, 7 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla, analyst Steve Smith, NBA Insider David Aldridge and Ryan Blake review the NBA.com mock drafts to anticipate possible selections for the 2009 NBA Draft.

• NBA GameTime: Interactive Draft Room (Wednesday, June 24, 7 p.m. ET): Host Andre Aldridge and NBA Insider David Aldridge will interact with fans during a live webcast on NBA.com from 4-5 p.m. ET. The show will use interactive platforms including NBA.com Fan Forums and NBA TV’s Twitter account to generate fan content, questions and comments related to the draft. The Interactive Draft Room will air on television at 7 p.m. ET.

• Division Review Shows (Friday, June 26, 7 — 10 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla and NBA Insider David Aldridge break down each division, team-by-team, to assess the impact of the draft on the team. Each team segment will also be available on NBA.com.

• NBA.com will also offer additional exclusive content including: player blogs from draft prospects Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough and Stephen Curry; an exclusive interview with DKV Joventut player Ricky Rubio from Spain; a live press conferences of the top draft selections; a live draft trade chart to track team trades; prospect profiles and highlights; photo galleries, polls and fan reaction via NBA.com’s Fan Voice forums.

This leads into ESPN’s plans to air the NBA Draft this Thursday.

ESPN, Inc. to Present 63^rd Annual NBA Draft

Draft Televised in HD For First Time

For the seventh consecutive year, ESPN will provide exclusive live coverage of the NBA Draft Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET from the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. ESPN’s NBA Draft telecast will be available in high definition – for the first time – on ESPN HD. Stuart Scott will host ESPN’s coverage with college basketball analyst and Draft expert Jay Bilas and NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Additional contributors will include international basketball expert Fran Fraschilla; college basketball analyst Dick Vitale (via satellite); on-site reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz; on-site interviews by Mark Jones; green room interviews by Lisa Salters; and field reporter Rachel Nichols from Tarrytown, N.Y., site of the New York Knicks’ training facility.

ESPN’s comprehensive multimedia presentation of the NBA Draft will also include a live broadcast on ESPN Radio; a live simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV; SportsCenter Specials on ESPN June 22-24; expanded ESPNEWS coverage; ESPNU and ESPN International programming; ESPN Mobile Properties content; comprehensive reporting and analysis on ESPN.com; and an ESPN The Magazine Draft preview (on newsstands now).

ESPN’s Draft telecast will display a constant crawl on-screen graphic at all times – including during commercial breaks – continuously providing up-to-the-minute Draft updates including picks, trades, team-by-team summaries, player stats, the results of ESPN.com’s interactive polling in real time, Bilas’ “Best Available” prospects and Fraschilla’s top international prospects. The crawl will also feature team needs, which will include perspectives from Jackson and Van Gundy. Additionally, those viewing the NBA Draft via ESPN HD will have access to this information and more throughout the entire telecast (with information included within the side columns of the screen).

NBA Draft production elements:

• Jay Bilas’ in-depth analysis of the top prospects;

• video conferencing with 15 team headquarters (Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indiana, Los Angeles Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, Phoenix, Portland and Washington) providing immediate access to the key team personnel in this year’s Draft;

• “Draft Cam” from the Draft rooms of the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 1 pick in the Draft), Memphis Grizzlies (No. 2 Draft pick) and Minnesota Timberwolves (three first-round selections), providing a unique window to the decision makers as they make their selection;

• more than 130 player highlight packages featuring top prospects;

• behind-the-scenes video of prospects as they endure testing and measurements at the Chicago Pre-Draft camp;

• a special production shoot involving several of the top players in the Draft including Stephen Curry (Davidson), DeMar DeRozan (USC), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), James Harden (Arizona State), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Ty Lawson (North Carolina) and Hasheem Thabeet (UConn), providing content for a wide range of purposes – promotions, bumps, features, etc.

Draft commentator highlights:

• Dick Vitale, ESPN NCAA basketball analyst since 1979 and a former NBA coach, will appear via satellite;

• Fran Fraschilla, who has done extensive overseas scouting, will report on and evaluate the international field of players;

• Mark Jones will conduct interviews with the NBA draftees on site once they are selected;

• Lisa Salters will interview key figures (players, their families, college coaches, etc.) in the league’s Green Room;

• ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ric Bucher will cover breaking news, including trade talks;

• ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz will report on breaking NBA Draft news, along with information pertaining to college players;

• Rachel Nichols will report from Tarrytown, N.Y., the site of the Knicks’ training facility. The Knicks hold the No. 8 pick in the Draft.

2009 NBA Draft Preview – June 24 at 10 p.m.
Stuart Scott, Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will preview the NBA Draft in a live program on ESPN Wednesday, June 24, at 10 p.m. from Madison Square Garden. Analyst Fran Fraschilla and reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz will also contribute to the telecast. The one-hour preview will include live interviews with prospects, features, athlete profiles and in-depth analysis of team needs.

ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio’s exclusive, live national coverage of the NBA Draft will tip off Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. with Marc Kestecher hosting and Will Perdue, Steve Lavin and Doug Gottlieb providing analysis and player profiles. ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ric Bucher will serve as on-site reporter providing behind-the-scenes information.

SportsCenter Specials June 22-23

ESPN2 will televise 60-minute SportsCenter Specials Monday, June 22, at 10 p.m. and Tuesday, June 24, at 9:30 p.m. Matt Winer will host the shows with analysts Jalen Rose (Monday and Tuesday), Len Elmore (Monday), Doug Gottlieb (Monday) and Steve Lavin (Tuesday), and reporters J.A. Adande and Andy Katz.

ESPNEWS

ESPNEWS will offer extensive Draft coverage with daily content including analysis from Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla and reporters Andy Katz and Ric Bucher, along with interviews with Draft candidates; NBA Draft preview segments; interviews with team executives; and live coverage of post-selection player news conferences.

ESPNU

ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise games featuring NBA Draft prospects Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26. Draft prospects to be featured include DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), James Harden (Arizona State), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Jrue Holiday (UCLA) and Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut).

ESPN International

ESPN International will offer a live telecast of the NBA Draft in the Atlantic (sub-Saharan Africa) and Pac-Rim regions.

ESPN.com

Content leading up to the Draft:

• ESPN’s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, with his popular NBA Draft Diary;

• Chad Ford, Andy Katz, Chris Sheridan and Marc Stein reporting on the latest Draft news, trade talk and relative storylines;

• Ford’s Mock Draft 6.0 (June 23) and 7.0 (June 25, with updates throughout the day), predicting all first- and second-round picks;

• Ford’s podcast with NBA Draft insiders;

• John Hollinger’s Draft Rater – Hollinger’s new formula which projects NBA performance for college prospects and international players;

• Mock Draft Machine, allowing users to be the general manager for each franchise;

• Video breakdown of all the top NBA Draft prospects;

• ESPN.com’s Original Digital video feature “The Rookie: Blake Griffin,” plus a behind-the-scenes feature on this year’s hot prospect;

• TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott interviewing Draft prospects leading up to the draft;

• Conversation pages for each team’s fans to discuss the Draft;

• Ford’s 2009 NBA Draft Workout Tour (including special Insider content from the Reebok Camp in Treviso, Italy);

• Ford’s Insider content from the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.

Content on Draft night:

• ESPN.com NBA Draftcast, a real-time application displaying picks, stats, analysis, chats and videos;

• Breaking news on NBA Draft night trades from Ric Bucher, Chad Ford, Andy Katz, Chris Sheridan and Marc Stein.

• Chats with players after they are selected in the Draft;

• Ford’s pick-by-pick instant analysis;

• Ford’s team-by-team draft grades;

• Live chats between Draft picks;

• Live SportsNation polling;

• Katz’s Draft recap;

• ESPN Radio live streaming Draft coverage;

• ESPN television interviews with top picks;

• Conversation pages for each team fans to discuss team prospects and position;

• TrueHoop Live Blog of NBA Draft from Madison Square Garden; content also distributed thru Abbott’s Twitter feed;

• TrueHoop Network pick-by-pick reaction from team bloggers;

• Player reaction to the draft on ESPN.com video.

Post-Draft day:

• 2010 NBA Draft Index;

• 2010 NBA Draft Top 100;

• Conversation pages for each team’s fans to discuss team prospects and position;

• Jay Williams; team-by-team analysis on ESPN.com video;

• Analysis from ESPN TV commentators at the NBA Draft on ESPN.com video

ESPN Mobile TV

ESPN Mobile TV will provide full simulcast coverage of the NBA Draft and ESPN’s industry-leading mobile Web site will have a special Draft section allowing fans to follow all the selections in real time. Fans will also be able to sign up for mobile alerts, providing instant selection updates and breaking news. ESPN MVP on Verizon wireless will feature news, updates, alerts management and video clips from the NBA Draft.

ESPN The Magazine

ESPN The Magazine’s current issue (on newsstands now) offers a preview of the NBA Draft including a Mock Draft featuring current players making the picks for their respective teams. Top five picks:

1) L.A. Clippers (selected by Ricky Davis) – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

2) Memphis Grizzlies (selected by Rudy Gay) – Hasheem Thabeet, UConn

3) Oklahoma City Thunder (selected by Russell Westbrook) – James Harden, Arizona State

4) Sacramento Kings (selected by Spencer Hawes) – Ricky Rubio, Spain

5) Washington Wizards (selected by Antawn Jamison) – DeMar DeRozan

We get a preview of the next webisode of Mayne Street.

New Mayne Street Tuesday: Kenny & Colin in a War of Words

The latest episode of ESPN.com’s original scripted series Mayne Street (debuts Tuesdays at 9 a.m.) is loaded with familiar personalities including Colin Cowherd and Barry Melrose. In this installment, Cowherd insults Kenny and chaos ensues. ESPN star Kenny Mayne continues to play himself in a fictionalized version of life at a sports television network. Mayne’s reoccurring foils consist largely of his fictional production crew, as well as other ESPN personalities.

Mayne Street joins a lineup of video that is among the most popular online. ESPN.com captures nearly 50 percent of the total minutes spent by users viewing online sports video. In April, ESPN.com came in #1 in the Sports category with 72.3 million total streams, 59 percent more than the closest competitor for the month.

This has been broached by other blogs and I’ve been trying to ignore it, but here’s a release on Chris Berman getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Great.

Berman to Receive Star on H
ollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame committee announced that ESPN’s long-time host Chris Berman has been selected to receive a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame as a tribute for his body of work in sport television. Berman, along with 28 others from the worlds of motion pictures, television, live theater, and recording, will be honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in the coming year. Other honorees include Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Adam Sandler, Jimmy Kimmel, Russell Crowe, Roy Orbison, John Cusack, Van Morrison, ZZ Top, Sam Waterston and Ringo Star. The recipients were chosen among more than 200 nominees. Berman joined ESPN shortly after the network launched. The company will celebrate its 30th anniversary September 7.

One more release from ESPN. The new ESPN Chicago site is going to team up with the new Huffington Post Chicago website as part of a new sharing agreement.

ESPNCHICAGO.COM AND THE HUFFINGTON POST CHICAGO

ENTER INTO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT SYNDICATION AGREEMENT

ESPNChicago.com and The Huffington Post Chicago (huffingtonpost.com/Chicago) today announced an exclusive content syndication agreement in which HuffPost Chicago will provide ESPNChicago.com with news headlines and blog posts, and ESPNChicago.com will be the exclusive provider of sports content to HuffPost Chicago, including breaking news, opinion and sports calendars.

“Politics, news and sports play a unique role in the identity of Chicago,” said Marc Horine, vice president of digital partnerships and sales development for ESPN. “The combination of ESPNChicago.com and the Huffington Post Chicago brings to Chicago the best news sources and most varied and passionate voices.”

“It’s a natural fit for HuffPost Chicago to team up with ESPNChicago.com as they both offer the constant news updates, smart opinion and information that Chicagoans want online,” said Ben Goldberger, Editor of the Huffington Post Chicago. “We’re excited to bring ESPN’s mix of the best sports news, analysis and information to our sports-hungry readers.”

ESPNChicago.com sports content complements HuffPost Chicago’s unique blend of news and opinion, which ranges from politics and local news to food and style. The Huffington Post Chicago will supplement ESPNChicago.com’s local content which includes ESPN Radio 1000, and Chicago news, traffic and weather from ABC-owned TV station WLS.

I guess I had another ESPN press release in my inbox. Here’s what the network has planned for various motorsports events this week.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Nationwide Series on ABC from New Hampshire

The Magic Mile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., hosts the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend, and the race will air on ABC with a live, high definition telecast on Saturday, June 27, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. The race re-airs Sunday, June 28, at 3 a.m. on ESPN2 and again at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’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, owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

In other NASCAR-related programming this week, ESPN Classic airs the 1998 Daytona 500 NASCAR race from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, June 27, at 5 p.m.

Park Joins Daugherty, Brewer on NASCAR Now Roundtable

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Steve Park will join ESPN NASCAR analysts Brad Daugherty and Tim Brewer as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on ESPN2. The program airs Tuesday, June 30, at midnight ET (late Monday night). Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Mike Massaro slides into the host role for half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. Massaro also hosts the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, June 28, at the special time of 8 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Daugherty and Brewer will join Massaro on the set, while Shannon Spake and Angelique Chengelis will report from the track.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Nicole 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.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing from Ohio on ESPN2

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series travels to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, this weekend, and ESPN2 will air qualifying and eliminations action on a same-day basis. Qualifying from the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals airs Saturday, June 27, at 8 p.m., with eliminations airing Sunday at 7 p.m. Finals coverage re-airs Monday, June 29, at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

The series will make its third appearance at Summit Motorsports Park, which three years ago underwent a $4 million improvement project. The event closes the first half of the season and is the final one on the tour before teams head west for the grueling Western Swing, The event also is the site of the eight-car Pro Stock bonus event, the K&N Horsepower Challenge, the winner of which receives $50,000.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at noon to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.

Traxxas TORC Series Action on ESPN2 Sunday

Action from the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL re
turns to ESPN2 on Sunday, June 27, at 12:30 p.m. ET with highlights from the series event held in Crandon, Wis. The premier short-course racing series with the top stars in off-road racing, this exciting form of door-to-door action will appear on both ESPN2 and ABC this season.

The 2009 season features eight total rounds of racing. ESPN2 will air five rounds with three to appear on ABC, including a live telecast on ABC of the Crandon 40^th Anniversary of Off-Road Racing. Marty Reid, lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and selected NASCAR races, will call all of the Traxxas TORC Truck Series events on ESPN2 and ABC. Joining Reid will be long-time extreme sports announcer Tes Sewell and former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler as pit reporter.

HBO previews Bryant Gumbel’s interview with Jim Brown and Bill Russell on Real Sports tomorrow.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

CONDUCTS A JOINT INTERVIEW WITH ICONS JIM BROWN AND BILL RUSSELL, WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS TUESDAY, JUNE 23

Janet Van Ham/HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 147th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JUNE 23 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

Segments include:

*Legends. In an exclusive joint interview, REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel sits down with two icons of the 1960s: gridiron great Jim Brown and basketball immortal Bill Russell. Beyond their hall of fame achievements, both were also outspoken figures in a turbulent period of racism, social activism and profound change. For this expanded segment, Brown and Russell reflect together on the extraordinary events of the era they helped shape, provide candid insights into present-day athletes and reveal the depth and importance of a previously untold friendship they’ve shared for nearly 50 years.

Producer: David Scott.

CNBC will air a documentary on Ultimate Fighting in July.

CNBC’S “ULTIMATE FIGHTING: FISTFUL OF DOLLARS” will premiere on Wednesday, July 29th at 10PM and 1AM ET. The documentary will re-air on Friday, July 31st at 1AM and Sunday, August 2nd at 10PM ET.

It's a hit business like no other. And CNBC is ready for a rematch.

Ultimate Fighting Championship – the premiere name in the sport of mixed martial arts.

CNBC takes a new look inside the biggest brand in brawling with "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars," a fresh take on CNBC's original Emmy-nominated documentary from 2007.

Correspondent Scott Wapner travels to Germany for the UFC's first-ever event in mainland Europe, and goes inside the Octagon with Dana White, the controversial front man, as well as billionaire backers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. Wapner also profiles a stable of skilled fighters who have helped the league grow from a dying franchise to a global sensation in less than a decade.

It's a mix of muscle and mayhem that is making money hand over fist.

CNBC's "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars" premieres Wednesday, July 29.

Finally, National Geographic Channel will start a new series next Monday on bringing us closer to rare species of fish.

HOOKED: VAMPIRE FISH

Monday, June 29, 2009, at 10 PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/hooked/4255/Overview

Trek to remote regions of the world for up-close encounters with monster fish armed with mouthfuls of razor-sharp teeth. In the Amazon, scientist Dr. Justin Grubich embarks on a risky expedition to record the dental imprints of two natural-born killers — th
e pacu, a cousin of the piranha with teeth and jaws that look human, and the “vampire fish.” Nicknamed for its 2-inch fangs, this megafish can literally “suck your blood.” By studying their bite impressions, Grubich hopes to learn how these river monsters are adapting to a food chain affected by pollution. Then, in the Congo, join the hunt for an elusive river assassin that bears teeth like a dragon and fights with the fury of a pit bull — the Goliath tiger fish. Down under in Australia, see a group of fishing daredevils reel in a great white as we’ve never seen before — using just a rod and reel, they swim bait out into shark-filled waters and pull in their catch … from shore, using a vehicle! In order to tag and track the migration and growth patterns of great whites, the ingenious team fashioned a special chair that hooks to a truck, allowing them to reel in their catch safely. Then, we come face-to-face with the long, broad snout and daggerlike teeth of the alligator gar in the southeastern United States.

BRAZIL: Ichthyologist, fish tooth, and jaw specialist, Justin Grubich, Ph.D., investigates tooth diversity in Characiform fishes of the Amazon. Here he holds open the mouth of a Payara, also known as the “Vampire Fish.” The Payara earns its “vampire” nickname with a set of two-inch daggers thrusting up from its bottom jaw. (photo credit © Julia Dorn)

In the new series of Hooked, we also feature fish biologist, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Zeb Hogan on a five-year mission to help preserve the world’s biggest freshwater fish.

Here’s a video preview for the series.

Video “Hooked on Hooked!” – If you’ve every reveled in the thrill of the catch, you are going to love this show hook, line and sinker:

As usual, great stuff from NatGeo. Thanks to the channel’s fine publicist, Minjae Ormes for sending these releases to me.

And that finally finishes this press release post.