Fang's Bites

NBC Sports Network Crowing About 1st Quarter Viewership

I received this from NBC Sports Network today touting its viewership in the first quarter of 2013. The release states that viewing of the network is up 14% across the board as compared to this time last year.

Thanks to live NHL programming for most of the quarter, NBCSN has seen a 14% rise in viewership in primetime (not counting the first three weeks of the quarter which did not have any NHL games due to the lockout).

MLS on NBC Sports Network had an 8% increase from last year’s first quarter.

And looking at IndyCar, its only race of the quarter had a 78% increase from NBCSN’s first race from last year, however, it’s a bit apples-oranges as the first race of the IndyCar season was on ABC rather than NBC Sports Network.

Here’s the press release in which NBC Sports Network is beating its proverbial chest and yelling out a primal scream.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK SEES DOUBLE DIGIT Q1 VIEWERSHIP GAINS

In Direct Comparison to Q1 2012 (Minus 3 Weeks of NHL Games and NHL All Star Weekend), Viewership on NBCSN is up 14%
7 of the 10 Most-Watched NHL Games in Network’s History Occurred in Q1 of 2013
First IndyCar Telecast of Season is up 78%
Dan Patrick Show on NBCSN up 58% Compared to Time Period in 2012

NEW YORK—April 8, 2013 – Buoyed by seven of the 10 most-watched NHL games in the network’s history, NBC Sports Network viewership rose 14% in the first quarter compared to first quarter in 2012, according to data released by The Nielsen Company. Additionally NHL programming, including the newly-created Wednesday Night Rivalry games, was up 58% compared to Q1 in 2012, the best start in the network’s history; The Dan Patrick Show viewership is up 58% compared to time period in 2012 Q1; the opening IndyCar telecast rose 78%; and MLS games are up eight percent over last year.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS:

There was no NHL programming for the first three weeks of the quarter in 2013, including no NHL All-Star Weekend programming. When removing the first three weeks of NHL programming (including All-Star Weekend) to form a direct comparison, NBC Sports Network was up 14% in primetime compared to first quarter 2012 (193k viewers vs. 170k viewers) and up 14% on total day (65k viewers vs. 57k viewers).

• In the Adult 18-49 demo, viewership is up 12% for primetime and 10% for total day for ALL programming (no NHL exclusions);
• NBC Sports Network’s audience got younger. Median age in first quarter of 2013 was 44 in primetime, down from 47 for first quarter in 2012.
• NBC Sports Network averaged 193k viewers in primetime (8-11 p.m.) and 65k viewers for total day (6 a.m. – 6 a.m.) during first quarter of 2013, both up from the first quarter in 2012 (191k and 63k, respectively including NHL programming).

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS:

NHL: NBC Sports Network delivered seven of the 10 most-watched regular-season games in the network’s history (NBCSN/VERSUS/OLN) during first quarter 2013, including the top two most-watched.

• NBCSN’s 38 games in the first quarter averaged 428k viewers, up 34% from the 2012 first quarter average, the best start for the NHL on NBC Sports Network in the network’s history.
• NBC Sports Network’s 10 Wednesday Night Rivalry games, newly-developed this season, averaged 680k viewers, an increase of 55% compared to the Wednesday night exclusive game average in first quarter 2012.

TOP 10 MOST-WATCHED NHL GAMES ON NBCSN/VERSUS/OLN

MATCHUP	DATE	AVERAGE VIEWERS
BRUINS-RANGERS	01/23/13	956,000
FLYERS-PENGUINS	02/20/13	901,000
BRUINS-FLYERS	10/06/11	874,000
BLACKHAWKS-WILD	01/30/13	827,000
CANADIENS-BRUINS	03/03/13	813,000
CANADIENS-BRUINS	03/27/13	773,000
BRUINS-CANADIENS	02/06/13	771,000
PENGUINS-FLYERS	12/14/10	750,000
FLYERS-PENGUINS	10/07/10	730,000
AVALANCHE-BLACKHAWKS	03/06/13	720,000

INDY CAR: The 2013 IndyCar season debuted on NBCSN with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 24. The race delivered 388,000 viewers, a 78-percent increase vs. last year’s first race on NBC Sports Network (218,000).

• It was also the second-best season-opener for NBC Sports Network’s IndyCar coverage (since 2009) behind only the 2010 race from Sao Paulo, Brazil (410,000).
• In the advertiser-coveted Adult 18-49 demo, the race delivered 126,000 viewers, up 91% vs. last year (66,000).

MLS: NBCSN’s six MLS matches in first quarter averaged 112k viewers, an increase of eight percent over last year’s first quarter matches.

• NBCSN’s primetime MLS Rivalry Day match on March 16 (Portland at Seattle) drew 209k viewers, the second most-watched MLS game on NBCSN (excluding games that had an Olympic lead-in).

THE DAN PATRICK SHOW: Viewership for The Dan Patrick Show (41k average viewers) rose 58% from the M-F 9 a.m. – Noon time period in first quarter of 2012.

That is all.

NBC Sports Group Goes All In on MLS This Saturday

This Saturday, NBC and NBC Sports Network will combine to provide 10 hours of live MLS coverage. This will include the airing of three complete games and for the first time, whiparound coverage of four other games. It’s an unprecedented day for MLS and something that will give soccer aficionados some one stop destination when NBC Sports Network begins its coverage at 3 p.m.

NBC will begin the day with the airing of New York vs. DC United at 12:30 p.m. with the network’s main voices of Arlo White, Kyle Martino and host Russ Thaler at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

Then White, Martino and Thaler will hoof it to NBC Sports’ new world headquarters in Stamford, CT to host studio coverage of MLS Breakaway, an NFL RedZone-type show, which will provide whiparound coverage of six games. NBC Sports Network will provide full game coverage of Chicago vs. Sporting Kansas City and Seattle vs. Portland.

MLS Breakaway will provide cut-ins to Montreal vs. Toronto, Philadelphia vs. New England, Columbus vs. San Jose and Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado.

Let’s look at the coverage plans for what will be a smorgasbord for MLS fans.

NBC SPORTS GROUP TO PRESENT 10 CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER ON MLS RIVALRY SATURDAY

Coverage of Seven Live Games, Including Three Complete Games and Four Live Look-ins on MLS Breakaway Highlight Coverage this Saturday, March 16 on NBC and NBC Sports Network Beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET
Rivalries Include: D.C. United at N.Y. Red Bulls, Chicago Fire at Sporting Kansas City and Portland Timbers at Seattle Sounders
MLS Breakaway “Whip-Around” Show Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET Hosted by Arlo White, Kyle Martino and Russ Thaler from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.

NEW YORK – Mar. 13, 2013 – NBC and NBC Sports Network will present unprecedented wall-to-wall Major League Soccer coverage with 10 consecutive live hours of seven games this Saturday, March 16 beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Every MLS game played on Saturday will be covered, including three live games – one on NBC and two on NBC Sports Network. A special two-and-a-half hour studio “whip-around” show, MLS Breakaway (5:30-8 p.m. ET on NBCSN) will cover all four games being played at that time. It is hosted by NBC’s MLS broadcast team of Arlo White, Kyle Martino and Russ Thaler – who will also call the N.Y. Red Bulls-DC United game earlier in the day – from NBC Sports Group’s new International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.

Coverage on Saturday begins on NBC at 12:30 p.m. ET with a playoff rematch as the New York Red Bulls host D.C. United, from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Coverage continues on NBC Sports Network with two more games: Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire at 3 p.m. ET, and a Cascadia Cup matchup as the Seattle Sounders host the Portland Timbers at 8 p.m. ET.

FROM HARRISON, N.J. TO STAMFORD CONN.: NBC Sports Group’s MLS announce team of White (play-by-play) and Martino (“Between-the-Benches” analyst) and Thaler (host) will call the Red Bulls-DC United game on NBC from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., and, immediately after the game ends, will travel to the new NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., to host MLS Breakaway, a “whip-around” studio show showcasing coverage of the rest of Saturday’s MLS games (Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution, Columbus Crew vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids).

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the Chicago Fire at Sporting Kansas City will be called by the team of JP Dellacamera (play-by-play), Robbie Earl (“Between the Benches” analyst) and Rob Carlin (host). John Strong (play-by-play), Brian Dunseth (“Between the Benches” analyst) and Jim Kozimor (host) will be at CenturyLink Field in Seattle to call the Sounders vs. Portland game.

“Our goal is to be the destination for soccer fans, and MLS Rivalry Saturday provides a perfect vehicle for them to enjoy the games they love,” said Pierre Moossa, Coordinating Producer for NBC Sports Group’s soccer coverage. “During MLS Breakaway, Arlo, Kyle and Russ will guide viewers through all the exciting soccer action and provide a balance between all four games.”

WHITE ON MLS BREAKAWAY: “Saturday is going to be a high-octane, adrenalin-fuelled day, which Kyle, Russ and I are very excited about. This type of show has never been done before in U.S. Soccer, so we are stepping into the unknown. But with a talented editorial team behind us, we can’t wait to provide some compelling television. It’s going to be an energetic show, containing all the best action from these key rivalry battles in MLS. The rest is up to the teams. Hopefully, they’ll provide some great goals and storylines to keep everyone entertained.”

Full Coverage of NBC Sports Group’s Rivalry Saturday Coverage (All Times ET):

Game	Away	Home	Start Time	Network
Game 1	D.C.	New York	12:30 p.m.	NBC
Game 2	Chicago	Kansas City	3 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 3	Toronto	Montreal	4 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 4	New England	Philadelphia	5 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 5	San Jose	Columbus	5:30 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 6	Colorado	Salt Lake	6 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 7	Portland	Seattle	8 p.m.	NBCSN

*MLS Breakaway “Whip-Around” Coverage

NOTE: Due to WNBC’s commitment to cover the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, coverage of D.C. United at New York Red Bulls can be seen in the New York DMA on NBC Sports Network and Cozi TV, a new national network developed by the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The D.C. United-New York Red Bulls game is also available live across the country on NBC Sports Live Extra, the NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platform.

To Find Cozy-TV click here: http://www.cozitv.com/get-cozi-tv/

To Find NBC Sports Network click here: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/ and use the channel finder.

That’s it.

Some Wednesday Linkage

Let’s do some linkage while I have some time.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand notes NBC’s hiring of Tiger Woods pal Notah Begay to its golf team. He replaces Dottie Pepper who went to the PGA of America.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand profiles ESPN PR pioneer Rosa Gatti who is retiring from the network after working there since the early days.

John & Tripp Mickle write that NBC remains as a wild card in the NASCAR Sprint Cup talks.

Over to the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center where Manny Randhawa definitely had an agenda in an interview with Deadspin editor Tommy Craggs over the site’s Manti Te’o coverage. Craggs shoots down several of Randhawa’s loaded questions.

To the Bleacher Report where King Kaufman analyzes the Craggs interview. It should be noted that Randhawa did some writing for B/R, but not now.

Michael O’Connell of the Hollywood Reporter says thanks to the Super Bowl and the Grammys, CBS will win the February sweeps while NBC without the NFL has fallen harder than a 3 ton boulder.

In Multichannel News, Broadcasting & Cable’s Tim Baysinger writes about ESPN getting out of the UK and selling its channels to BT Group.

At The Sherman Report, Ed Sherman notes that Leigh Montville is still producing high quality columns.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell says NASCAR needs to find a way to keep the increased audience that watched the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Sports Video Group tells us that the MLS’s FC Dallas has signed a TV rights deal with Time Warner Cable. Fox Sports Southwest previously held the rights.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says the Iron Pigs announcers will call some Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training games.

Eric Deggans from the Tampa Bay Times writes about the shaky debut of CBS Radio’s FM sports radio station.

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds Radio Network has switched games to air Aroldis Chapman’s Spring debut.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch says it’s time to end the live postgame interviews.

Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times says ESPN’s Brent Musburger autographed a Katherine Webb poster.

Mark Blaudschun of A Jersey Guy looks at ESPN and the Big East getting back together again.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog says the proposed NHL realignment is good for TV, but not necessarily good for some teams.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media wonders how Olympic hockey would look on CBC and NBC.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news.

And we’ll end it there for now.

Time For Some Tuesday Links

Let’s do some Tuesday links. Lots of stuff to get to.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that Bob Costas is receiving his share of criticism for his anti-gun commentary during halftime of Sunday Night Football.

Busted Coverage has video of Bob Costas telling Dan Patrick that he’s not backing off on his anti-gun comments.

Michael Katz of USA Today’s Game On blog recaps Vin Scully’s first and way too brief foray into Twitter on Monday.

From Yahoo’s Cagefighter, the great Maggie Hendricks tells us that Mixed Martial Arts viewing will be different in 2013.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says Universal Sports will be moving its operations from Los Angeles to the Comcast Media Center in Denver.

From Advertising Age, Brian Steinberg writes that Mercedes-Benz plans to bring out some big guns for its Super Bowl ad in February.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell notes that Lincoln cars are looking to make a return to Super Bowl advertising.

Tom Conroy of Media Life Magazine reviews the new NFL Films-produced Travel Channel documentary series on the Cleveland Browns support staff.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report reviews two documentaries that debut this week.

The Nielsen Wire says the Los Angeles Lakers are the most marketable of all NBA teams.

Steve Burton of WBZ-TV in Boston is the only one reporting that the NHL Lockout is close to ending.

Bill Carter of the New York Times says Bob Costas put the spotlight on himself with his anti-gun Sunday Night Football halftime commentary.

The New York Daily News reports that the Jets have renewed their radio rights deal with ESPN Radio New York.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY says YES Network had its best ratings ever for a Nets game.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says Monday night’s Giants-DC NFL Team contest hit the ratings jackpot for ESPN.

Chris Korman of the Baltimore Sun writes that the Orioles are denying yesterday’s Sports Business Journal report that Fox Sports attempted to buy MASN.

Sarah Kogod from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog tells us that many DC-area athletes stayed up to watch Robert Griffin III on Monday Night Football.

Erik Wemple at the WaPo talks about sports networks tackling political topics.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times reviews what happened on sports television over the weekend.

The Fort Pierce (FL) Tribune reports that the local ESPN Radio affiliate will continue to produce nightly sports report for the local NBC and Fox stations.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says Jim Deshaies’ departure for Chicago is a big loss for the Astros.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says Fox is close to purchasing Sports Time Ohio and gaining the rights to the city’s MLB team.

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talks about the Cubs hiring a new analyst.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned from the weekend.

Joe Flint from the Los Angeles Times says NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football is eating into the ratings of the league’s other TV partners.

Sports Media Watch notes that the MLS Cup had a slight decline in its overnight ratings as the game moved from a Sunday night to late Saturday afternoon.

The Huffington Post has video of ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit giving Northern Illinois blackboard material by ripping the team’s invitation to the Orange Bowl.

That’s where I’ll end it today.

ESPN is All Over MLS Cup 2012

This Saturday, ESPN will air the final game of the MLS season, MLS Cup 2012 live from Carson, CA as the Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo.

Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman will call the game on ESPN. Monica Gonzalez will work the sidelines. Max Bretos will host the broadcast with analysts Alexi Lalas, Kasey Keller and Alejandro Moreno of Chivas USA.

As this game marks the end of David Beckham’s career with the Galaxy, ESPN will air an interview with the long-time soccer star conducted by Julie Foudy.

ESPN will give MLS Cup 2012 big game coverage 19 cameras and 12 on-site commentators.

Here’s a preview from the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

MLS Cup 2012 on ESPN HD and WatchESPN

Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET
David Beckham’s Last Competitive Match with Los Angeles Galaxy; SportsCenter Conversation with Beckham

ESPN’s 17^th season of televising Major League Soccer action will conclude with the live presentation of MLS Cup 2012 featuring three of the league’s best known stars – David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane – leading the Los Angeles Galaxy/strong> vs. Houston Dynamo, led by Brad Davis, on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 4:30 p.m. ET, from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The match will also be available on WatchESPN.

MLS Cup will be David Beckham’s last competitive match with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The former England National Team captain joined MLS and the Galaxy in July 2007. He will try to go out on top for the third time after leading Manchester United and Real Madrid FC to league titles in his final seasons in England and Spain, respectively. Beckham sat down this week for a one-on-one interview with ESPN’s Julie Foudy that will air on several editions of SportsCenter, beginning Thursday, Nov. 29, at 9 a.m.

Other MLS Cup 2012 Storylines:

• MLS Cup 2012 is a rematch of last year’s Cup in a 1-0 Galaxy victory over the Houston Dynamo;
• The Dynamo and the Galaxy are two of four Major League Soccer (MLS) teams with multiple championships;
• Los Angeles, in its record eighth MLS Cup, is seeking to be the second team with four MLS titles (joining DC United) and the third team to win consecutive MLS Cups (DC in 1996 and 1997; and Houston in 2006 and 2007);
• Alexi Lalas was Galaxy president and GM when Beckham arrived at the club from Real Madrid in 2007 – the first move by AEG (Galaxy’s parent company) to turn the Galaxy into what Lalas calls the “SuperClub;”
• ESPN’s lead match analyst Taylor Twellman, in his first MLS Cup TV booth role, was a leading MLS striker in the 2000s. Twellman and the New England Revolution played in the MLS Cup four times (2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007) – losing two times each to the Galaxy and Dynamo;
• Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena is seeking his fourth title after becoming the only manager in the MLS to win three championships last year;
• Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear will join Arena with his third title if Houston wins on Sunday.

English-language Commentators:

• In the booth: Adrian Healey (play-by-play) and Taylor Twellman (analyst), both making their MLS Cup debut;
• Sideline reporter: Mónica González;
• Studio (from site): Host Max Bretos with analysts Alexi Lalas and Kasey Keller, joined by Chivas USA striker Alejandro Moreno.

MLS Cup 2012 TV highlights:

• 19 cameras, including two super slo-mo cameras, a steadicam, a Jib cam, two POV cameras, and the Goodyear blimp;
• Offside Line, which displays a virtual line affixed to the last defender on replays to show viewers whether the referee’s offside decision is accurate;
• On-site studio set with Bretos, Lalas, Keller and guest analyst Moreno;
• A David Beckham conversation – The former England captain and one of the most-popular stars in soccer sat down this week for an in-depth interview with ESPN’s Julie Foudy.  Excerpts from the conversation will air pre-game;
• 12 commentators – In all, ESPN will have 12 commentators at the MLS Cup:  Bretos, Gonzalez, Healey, Keller, Lalas, Moreno, Steve Nicol and Twellman (English); and Richard Mendez, Hernan Pereyra, Elmer Polanco, Jorge Ramos and Giovanni Savarese (Spanish)

ESPN Deportes Radio

ESPN Deportes Radio will provide live coverage of MLS Cup 2012 on Saturday, Dec. 1, beginning at 4 p.m. ET with a one-hour pre-match program. Soccer experts Jorge Ramos (play-by-play) and Hernan Pereyra (analysis) will call the match from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Elmer Polanco and Noe Vasquez will report pitch-side. Ramos and Pereyra will kick off coverage on Friday, Nov. 30, with a special Jorge Ramos y Su Banda live show from the stadium at 4 p.m.

SportsCenter

On Thursday, Nov. 29, beginning with the 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET edition, SportsCenter will air a conversation with David Beckham – the former England National Team captain’s first extensive, one-on-one television interview since he announced last week that Saturday’s MLS Cup will be his last competitive match with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The interview was conducted by ESPN’s Julie Foudy, former U.S. Women’s National Team Captain and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic Gold winner.

Beginning Friday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m., through kickoff on Saturday, Dec. 1, all editions of ESPN’s flagship news program SportsCenter (ESPN and ESPNEWS) will feature MLS Cup 2012 segments – matchup previews, interviews with key players, et al – including reports and analysis from Carson, Calif., by booth commentators Healey and Twellman, as well as contributions by the studio team of Bretos, Lalas, Keller and Moreno.

ESPN Deportes Studio

ESPN’s 24-hour Spanish-language network will provide surround studio coverage of MLS Cup 2012.  Highlights:

• ESPN Fútbol Center: ESPN Deportes’ program which provides in-depth “game around the game” reports, previews and analysis of marquee international soccer events, will feature MLS Cup 2012.

• ESPN Deportes SportsCenter: The flagship news, highlights and information program will present post-game analysis of MLS Cup 2012.

Additional Coverage:

• ESPNFC Press Pass (ESPNEWS, weekdays at 2 a.m. ET overnight): The ESPN international soccer debate and opinion program will feature a special MLS Cup edition on Friday.  International versions of the program will also air on ESPN International networks across several regions.
• ESPN Deportes’ NACION ESPN, Spanish-language specific version of SportsNation, and Cronometro, the Spanish-language version of Around the Horn, will feature MLS Cup 2012 branded segments.

ESPN International

ESPN International will televise MLS Cup 2012 on ESPN networks in 120 countries and territories covering more than 47.8 million television homes including coverage Africa, Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, South America and the United Kingdom. The game will also be simulcast on ESPN’s international broadband platforms in the U.S., Australia, Brazil and Latin America.

ESPN Deportes’ MLS Spanish-language commentators Richard Mendez and Giovanni Savarese will be on-site to provide match commentaries for the MLS Cup 2012 on ESPN International’s Latin America networks. Other highlights:

• ESPNFC Press Pass Special – “Beckham’s Goodbye to Hollywood” (ESPN UK, Friday at 10 p.m. GMT): ESPN UK will air a one-hour special examining the midfielder’s six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Adrian Healey will host with former New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol, and guest appearances by Twellman, Lalas, and others. (The special will also air in more than 100 countries);
• International Studio Programming: Several ESPN International programs Capitanes en ESPN and SportsCenter (Latin America), ESPN Radio Formula (Dos Mexico), will provide coverage.

ESPN Digital Media

• ESPNFC.com soccer writers Jeff Carlisle and Roger Bennett will anchor the site’s coverage featuring key MLS Cup 2012 stories, including match previews, player profiles, matchup analysis and “Cover it Live” during the MLS Cup match. The digital service will also provide users with highlights and analysis, using the Match HQ as the definitive digital destination for the live event.

And that’s it.

Some Quick Thursday Links

I’ll do a few links on this Thursday. Can you believe it’s November already?

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the NBA’s television partners are still setting their lineups as the season begins.

Hiestand reports that the Mitt Romney campaign is throwing a monkey wrench at ESPN in its attempts to get the GOP Presidential candidate to appear on the Mike & Mike radio show.

Sports Business Daily looks at some of the sports facilities in the Northeast that sustained damage due to Hurricane Sandy.

Patrick Rishe of Forbes says NBC is betting that soccer will produce eyeballs for NBC Sports Network.

Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter says Lakers fans are still shut out from seeing their team’s games on several cable and satellite providers.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says TNT had to revise its NBA plans tonight after the Knicks-Nets game was canceled.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek talks with the polarizing Frank Caliendo about his move from Fox to ESPN.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says the World Series on Fox may have finished with its lowest ratings ever, but it was still able to gain a victory over NBC in the important 18-49 demographic.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with NBC/NFL Network’s Alex Flanagan about her crazy schedule during football season.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell goes over the New York City Marathon’s first live national TV coverage since the 1990′s.

Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times talks with Captain Blowhard about his new role on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.

Jerry Barmash of FishbowlNY notes that WFAN will begin its FM simulcast on Friday.

Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Goalkeeper blog talks with an NBC Sports exec about the acquisition of the English Premier League.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV writes in Press Box about Baltimore’s sports radio ratings.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says Comcast SportsNet has hired a replacement for the opening left behind by Kelli Johnson who left for CSN Houston last month.

LSUSports notes that Tiger alum Lolo Jones will be the celebrity prognosticator on College GameDay this Saturday.

Mike Graham at the Dallas Morning News discusses Texas Tech’s new media rights deal with Fox Sports.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that the big cable and satellite providers have not made a deal with Comcast SportsNet for the Rockets games.

David said the Rockets’ season opener scored lower ratings as compared to last year.

The Oklahoman’s Mel Bracht talks with women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman about her new role as studio analyst for Thunder games.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes a former Indianapolis Colts cheerleader becoming a popular Windy City TV personality.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says a Real Salt Lake MLS playoff game next week may not be on live TV.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times says the Lakers updated their fans on the carriage dispute between several providers and Time Warner SportsNet.

Joe Flint of the Times says uncertainty about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ TV rights is influencing the reluctance of cable and satellite providers in regards to picking up the Time Warner regional sports network.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned over the last week.

Sports Media Watch says Hurricane Sandy may have affected the ratings for the Celtics-Heat NBA season opener on TNT.

Steve Lepore at SB Nation’s Puck The Media says English Premier League games on NBC Sports Group should compliment the NHL, not compete with it, whenever it returns from its dreaded lockout.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth looks at some various sports radio news from across the country.

The Big Lead notes that ABC is considering to option a sitcom based on ESPN’s Sage Steele.

And that will do it.

Some Tuesday Links

I hope those of you in the Mid-Atlantic states are ok after Hurricane Sandy. I’m lucky to still have power after yesterday’s gusts in Southern New England. I know many are not. Hopefully you’re ok after Sandy and you can start getting back to normal. Let’s do some linkage for you.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks about the World Series’ ratings.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report wonders why the World Series ratings continue to decline.

Ed goes behind the scenes with ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Ed has an interview with Jay “The Rat” Mariotti.

Michael O’Connell from the Hollywood Reporter says the World Series ratings fell from last year, but still won their respective nights.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes the 2012 World Series fell way below its previous record low.

Tim looks at NBC’s deal with the English Premier League.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News talks with MLB Network head honcho Tony Petitti about obtaining the rights to the next two World Baseball Classics.

Mike says Univision has signed the rights to the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age talks about the World Series’ low ratings.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life says Fox won Sunday night with an NFL overrun and the World Series.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that WFAN begins its FM simulcast on Friday.

NBA on TNT voice Marv Albert writes in the New York Times about welcoming the Nets to Brooklyn.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Fox has changed the NFL game being sent to the Capital Region for the second consecutive week.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the college football TV schedule for Week 10.

Pete has the NFL TV schedule for Weeks 9 and 10.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record notes the MLS Playoffs start this Wednesday.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with NBA TV’s Chris Webber about the Wizards.

Tom Jones in the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the weekend ratings.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says a former Sooner basketball player will be the analyst for several Oklahoma games this season.

Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post is a fan of NBC’s Tony Dungy.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the West Coast Conference gets a TV deal.

EPL Talk looks at the new NBC Sports-English Premier League deal.

Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing analyzes what airing English Premier League games means for NBC and NBC Sports Network.

The EPL also made a new rights deal in Canada.

Sports Rantz looks at some radio and sports broadcasts affected by Hurricane Sandy.

And that will be it for now.

Some Quick Wednesday Linkage

Let’s do some links now.

Austin Karp at Sports Business Daily says the MLB TV partners saw record low ratings this season.

Sports lllustrated’s Richard Deitsch reviews ESPN2′s first foray into pro hockey since losing the NHL in 2005.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Bob Costas is back calling postseason baseball for the first time since 2000.

Chris Strauss at USA Today says Monday Night Football on ESPN easily beat the MLB League Division Series on TBS.

Gary Mihoces of USA Today writes that former NFL’er, Monday Night Football analyst and actor Alex Karras has died.

Len Pasquarelli writing for SI.com has this remembrance of Karras.

At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski recaps ESPN2′s telecast of Tuesday’s KHL game.

The Sherman Report’s Ed Sherman talks with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit about a resurgent Notre Dame program.

Ed says it appears that White Sox TV analyst Steve Stone won’t be splitting up with Ken Harrelson.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes that Andrea Kremer is joining NFL Network.

Diego Vasquez of Media Life Magazine looks at Philadelphia where there are a lot of radio and TV deals and where sports radio remains hot.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has video of an awkward CNBC interview of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in regards to …. Tim Tebow.

Michael Bradley from the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says the media has to appeal to fans to show compassion in the wake of Kansas City fans cheering the injury to Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel.

Ryan Hannable at Boston Sports Media Watch talks with NESN’s Jenny Dell about her first season as the regional sports network’s Red Sox on-field reporter.

Anthony Sulla-Heffinger, George King III and Mark Hale at the New York Post note that the Jets beat the Yankees head-to-head in the local ratings on Monday night.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times discusses WFAN’s move to the FM dial.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record also talks about WFAN going to FM.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette says a local sports radio station will air selected AHL games.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post says Nationals fans are angry about the early start time for today’s NLDS Game 3 against the Cardinals and the fact that it’s on MLB Network.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle gets Milo Hamilton’s reaction to the Astros letting go of its radio team.

David has some local and national ratings.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman has the ratings of various events over the weekend.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that Hall of Fame Reds voice Marty Brennaman will be throwing out the first pitch before today’s NLDS game against San Francisco.

Charles E. Ramirez, Ted Kulfan and Lynn Henning at the Detroit News remember long-time Red Wings public address announcer Budd Lynch who passed away this week.

Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune has new Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco talking about the league’s TV rights and possibly creating its own in-house network.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notices the omissions for the Ford C. Frick Award for the Baseball Hall of Fame Broadcasters Wing.

Tom talks with Jennifer Allen, the daughter of the late Los Angeles Rams coach George Allen, who narrates tonight’s NFL Network “Fearsome Foursome: A Football Life” documenary.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says losing Hockey Night in Canada would create huge holes for CBC in more ways than one.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says CBC is looking to fill NHL lockout holes with classic games as voted by viewers.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog says CBC is hurt the most as the NHL lockout goes further into the regular season.

The Classic Sports TV and Media site gives us a fascinating look at how ABC filled college football and MLB Postseason conflicts with its #1 announcer for both packages, Keith Jackson.

Joe Favorito has some suggestions on how MLB teams could make money during rain delays.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing looks at the Boston Globe’s crusty curmudgeon Dan Shaughnessy blaming the internet for just about everything wrong in the world.

Sports Media Watch notes that taped delayed English Premier League action on Fox beat a live MLS game on NBC.

And that’s going to do it.

Bringing Out Your Monday Linkage

Ok, time for some links on this Columbus Day holiday for some of you.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today has a bunch of news and notes in his Monday sports media column including a recap of the NFL Today interview with scab NFL referee Lance Easley.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says the first-ever MLB Wild Card Games did well for TBS last Friday.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says Time Warner Cable SportsNet has signed its first affiliate for its Los Angeles Lakers-centric regional sports network.

Over to Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report. He talks with Steve Madden, the man in charge of Sports on Earth, the joint venture between USA Today and MLB Advanced Media. Disclaimer: Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned blog affiliated with USA Today Media Group.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has video of San Diego Super Chargers safety Atari Bigby’s creative introduction on Sunday Night Football.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing notes that NBC’s Cris Collinsworth called New Orleans’ game-ending strip sack of San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers just before it occurred.

Brandon Costa at Sports Video Group says MLB Network prepared to air its first postseason games not knowing where they would be.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell tells us that MLB teams don’t keep any of the playoff ticket money the games generate.

Jim Romenesko notes how ESPN edited a blogger’s KKK-Rod headline.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says the Mets are looking for ways to refinance its huge debts through its regional sports network, SNY.

As usual, Phil Mushnick of the New York Post hates everything on television.

Jerry Barmash of FishbowlNY notes that long-time New York Knicks analyst John Andariese is retiring.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun says TBS stepped up to the task for the New York Yankees-Orioles game on Sunday.

David says CBS’ Ian Eagle got the job done during yesterday’s Baltimore Ravens-Kansas City Chiefs game while his partner, Dan Fouts did not.

Tom Jones from the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Fox Sports Florida will air all 81 Magic games this season instead of splitting them between FS Florida and Sun Sports.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle says the Astros are considering replacements to its radio team of Dave Raymond and Brett Dolan who were let go last week.

David says ESPN’s Jon Gruden brings his enthusiasm for the NFL to Monday Night Football.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviews the CBS NFL Today interview of former scab referee Lance Easley.

Missouri Sports Magazine notes that the Kansas City Royals have set a ratings record for the 2012 season.

Dusty Saunders from the Denver Post says Sunday gave sports fans plenty of action to watch.

Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic says there are a number of candidates to replace the Diamondbacks TV team of Daron Sutton and Mark Grace who were let go by the team after the season.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says the Lakers have become the least-viewed team in the NBA thanks to its deal with Time Warner Cable Sports.

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

Tom has the five things he learned from watching sports over the weekend.

Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News updates us on the Pac-12 Network and its dispute with DirecTV.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says fans are split over which side to support in the NHL lockout.

Ryan Lambert at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy looks at ESPN picking up KHL games in the wake of the NHL lockout.

Ty Duffy at the Big Lead says MLS is doing well at the gate, but not on TV.

Media Rantz informs us that former NFL Network original Kara Henderson left broadcasting to get married. Congrats to Kara.

That’s going to do it.

A Few Sunday Sports Media Thoughts

Let’s provide a few sports media thoughts on this Sunday. They’ll be in bullet form.

• Last Thursday’s release of Louis Freeh’s report on Penn State University’s conduct in the Jerry Sandusky scandal was the sports media’s version of the Obamacare Supreme Court decision. Unlike the Obamacare decision, no media outlet made errors in reporting. But there were a couple of errors in judgment in the aftermath.

  First was allowing Matt Millen to go solo on SportsCenter to spout freely to defend Joe Paterno and his legacy. ESPN should have had one of its legal experts like Roger Cossack to discuss the contents of the reports. To let Millen go on to defend Paterno right after the report’s release was irresponsible. If ESPN was going to have Millen on, it needed to have an opposing viewpoint accompany him. Bad decision by ESPN.

  Second was crackpot Bill James originally stating on his own site and then again on ESPN Radio’s Doug Gottlieb Show on Saturday that the Freeh Report had somehow exonerated Paterno. James currently works for the Boston Red Sox in an advisory role and while he did not make those statements representing the team, they have a conundrum knowing that the calls for James’ firing have already begun. Someone should have corralled James before he went on ESPN Radio and embarrassed himself. How James could believe the report that report exonerated Paterno is beyond belief. The Red Sox will have to take action on James. And no, this is not a First Amendment issue. Under an organization’s employe, that organization can fire someone for actions or statements it deems offensive or contrary to its values.

  The Paterno story and its effects on Penn State will be going for a while, I’m afraid.

• I’m a fan of HBO’s boxing coverage from Jim Lampley to Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward and Harold Lederman, but when it comes to Max Kellerman, the man is abrasive, obnoxious and a charlatan. Often, he repeats what Jim Lampley has already said. Larry Merchant is much better in the third analyst role. How Kellerman has worked for ESPN, Fox Sports Net and HBO is beyond me.
• After watching a few MLS and US Soccer games on NBC Sports Network, I’ve become a fan of how Arlo White and Kyle Martino call contests. With White in the traditional commentary box and Martino down on the field, the two have very good chemistry. I look forward to having them call Olympic Soccer in the UK at the end of this month.
• If I’m on a baseball team playing on a Fox Saturday Baseball game that’s being called by Kenny Albert, I’m calling in sick. In 2010, Kenny called two marathon games, a 20 inning affair between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals and a 13 inning contest between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Then on Saturday, Kenny had another 13 inning game, this time between Detroit and Baltimore. Kenny is truly a baseball Marathon Man.

That will conclude the thoughts for today.

Let’s Do The Friday Megalinks

Time for Friday linkage.

The Weekend Viewing Picks have your sports and entertainment suggestions. Let’s get cracking.

National

Michael Hiestand from USA Today looks at TNT’s plans to go mostly split-screen during breaks for Saturday’s NASCAR race.

Tom Perrotta of the Wall Street Journal reports that the one Wimbledon souvenir the players want is the towel.

Alex Sherman at Bloomberg Businessweek talks with NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus about the Olympics.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says enhancing the NFL fan experience might bring more people to games.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report is happy to learn that Jeremy Schaap’s ESPN Radio show is now available as a podcast.

Bob Pockrass at The Sporting News says NASCAR hopes that NBC Sports will be a bidder for the sport’s TV rights.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says ESPN Deportes scored with the EURO 2012 Final last Sunday.

Mike says Golf Channel has selected the venue for the next season of “Big Break”.

Christopher Heine of Adweek says MLB’s allowing Twitter votes for the All-Star Game for the first time may have had a hand in deciding which league hosts the World Series.

Jason Del Ray of Advertising Age says the impending Turner Sports purchase of Bleacher Report makes sense.

Wayne Friedman at MediaPost says the NFL easing requirements on local TV blackouts shows the league wants to reach the casual fan.

Dan Daley at Sports Video Group says ESPN will be utilizing plenty of microphones at the MLB Home Run Derby.

Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder has a screengrab of a Canadian TV station messing up the Steve Nash trade to the Lakers.

And Matt has found an episode of Judge Sapp. Yes, that’s Warren Sapp.

The Big Lead soaked up the latest Twitter battle between ESPN’s Darren Rovell and Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch.

MediaRantz looks at the top 5 ESPN plagiarism scandals.

Nick Bromberg of Yahoo’s From the Marbles blog wonders what is the big deal with the TNT/truTV simulcast of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup race on Saturday.

Joe Favorito likes how MLS has adopted “Food Week” to get fans to explore its markets’ restaurants.

East and Mid-Atlantic

At SB Nation Boston, Bruce Allen says it was time for Erin Andrews to leave the ESPN Mothership.

Jerry Barmsah of Fishbowl NY says CBS Radio’s WFAN could be headed to FM and could take the Yankees with it.

Yes, Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, we know you hate ESPN.

Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says the MLB Extra Innings pay per view package will be free next week.

Don Laible of the Utica (NY) Observer-Dispatch talks with the NHL on NBC’s Dave Strader about calling Olympic basketball.

Ken says a local minor league baseball team has found a new radio home.

Dave Sottile of the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News says there are no plans to bring Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic to the local area.

Tim Richardson in Press Box looks at the differences between the Washington Nationals and MASN over the team’s TV rights fee.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with MLB Network’s Chris Rose.

South

Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal says a popular local sports radio host is changing stations.

At the Houston Chronicle, David Barron writes that the new Comcast SportsNet Houston will air Conference USA football featuring the University of Houston.

Midwest

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says MLB feels it has restored integrity to the All-Star Game. It’s an exhibition game!

Paul M. Banks of the Chicago Sports Media Watch wonders who had the best mock NBA Draft?

Paul Christian at the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says the new TV voice of the Minnesota Wild will have an exciting team to call this season.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks about Erin Andrews making her Fox debut next week.

Dan writes that Blues analyst Darren Pang turned down a full-time offer from TSN and will remain in St. Louis.

West

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has this harsh takedown of Erin Andrews.

Here’s Tom’s column which has a little more on the last post.

Tom also links to reaction to his Erin Andrews column.

Matt Rudnitsky of SportsGrid replies point-by-point to Hoffarth.

John Maffei of the North County Times writes about Erin Andrews joining Fox.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star talks with Fox’s Joe Buck on the challenges of calling the MLB All-Star Game.

Jim has his Weekend Viewing Picks.

Matthew T. Hall at the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders where’s the fan outrage in the Fox Sports San Diego-Time Warner Cable dispute leaving Padres games off TV.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News tries to clear up some confusion over the Pac-12 Network.

And that will conclude our links for today.

It’s A Friday Megalink Day

And can you believe I’ve been able to do linkage for most of the week? Hasn’t been like that in a long while. Glad I’ve been able to get it done.

Time for your Friday megalinks. As usual, we provide the Weekend Viewing Picks which has plenty of MLB and U.S. Olympic Trials action.

Let’s go to the links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand looks at ESPN extending its current deal with the Rose Bowl.

Michael looks at Erin Andrews’ departure from ESPN.

Sports Business Journal has a sampling of what some sports business and sports media figures addressed to the graduating Class of 2012 at the nation’s colleges and universities.

At the Sherman Report, Ed Sherman explores the strange dispute between the Arizona Diamondbacks and TV voice Daron Sutton.

Ed also notes some media bashing of Chris Berman a few months in advance of his Monday Night Football debut.

Stuart Kemp of the Hollywood Reporter writes that the BBC has launched a new Facebook app to allow UK users to watch the Olympics online.

John Eggerton from Broadcasting & Cable says the Supreme Court has let stand a lower court ruling throwing out the FCC fine against CBS for the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Man, that was a long time ago.

Tim Baysinger of B&C says NASCAR Digital Media has hired five executives in advance of the sport’s takeover of its digital rights from Turner Sports next year.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group notes ESPN’s X Games production evolution.

The Nielsen Wire blog ponders the question of whether NBA Draft picks can do well in marketing products.

Deadline reports that ESPN’s ratings for the EURO 2012 semifinals this week are way up from EURO 2008.

One more week of writing, “CNBC’s Darren Rovell”. Today, CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that with less than a month to go until the Olympics, a major ticket dispute has erupted.

Joe Favorito notes how Delta Airlines’ sponsorship of English Premier League team Chelsea shows that the company wants to go outside of the US to gain awareness.

Sports Media Watch has a look at some of NBC’s Olympic assignments for London.

The Big Lead notes that ESPN and Bill Simmons removed a potential offensive part of his NBA Draft diary that is way too long for anyone to read.

Ryan Yoder of Awful Announcing has the winners and losers from Thursday’s night’s NBA Draft coverage on ESPN.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe writes about a documentary on an Olympic hopeful who is attempting to gain a spot on the US women’s gymnastics team.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette talks with the Voice of the Worcester Tornadoes minor league baseball team.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY talks with WFAN’s Mike Francesa on whether he’ll return to the station when his contract expires in two years.

Phil Mushnick in the New York Post is not happy about Chris Berman calling Monday Night Football.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette notes that local sports anchor Andrew Catalon gets another Olympics assignment.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union notes that the NBA Draft’s ratings on ESPN were down from the year before.

Pete looks at 25 years of WFAN.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record analyzes the NBC Olympic assignments.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks about the later start time for the NFL national Sunday afternoon game.

Keith has some fun facts about WFAN’s 25th anniversary.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com says Philadelphia Union voice JP Dellacamera will be calling Olympic soccer games for NBC.

DCRTV’s Dave Hughes in Press Box says the Baltimore Orioles’ ratings on MASN are up.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has the Nationals’ radio ratings.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner speaks with NBC’s Phil Liggett about the Tour de France which kicks off this weekend.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald culls media opinions regarding the Heat’s chances to repeat.

Jimmie E. Gates of the Jackson (MS) Clarion Ledger says a lawsuit against ESPN over a 30 for 30 documentary can proceed in state court.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle says the Rockets are changing radio stations.

David writes the person who helped launch Houston’s original regional sports network will be part of the team that launches the city’s newest RSN.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman says a local sports radio network will be slightly affiliated with the new CBS Sports Radio.

More links later.

UPDATE, 9:20 p.m.: Time for more linkage.

Midwest

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley says Fox has replaced Daron Sutton from this Saturday’s Arizona-Brewers game.

Robert Channick of the Chicago Tribune says WMAQ sports anchor Mike Adamle who’s been on leave from the station is expected to return soon.

Paul Christian in the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin goes over the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2012 series.

West

John Maffei of the North County Times talks with TBS’ Cal Ripken about the MLB All-Star Game.

Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star rails against the current format of the All-Star Game.

Jim reviews some of this week’s sports media news in his notebook.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times says the NFL has laid down guidelines for the league to return to the nation’s second biggest market.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News isn’t thrilled about NBC pulling tape delayed shenanigans for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Tom has more notes in his blog.

And we are finally done.

Some Thursday Links

After an outage that ruined things from Sunday through Tuesday and being busy yesterday, my goal to have links every day this week has gone out the window. However, I can get a few links out to you today.

Let’s get to them.

Starting with Ed Sherman from the Sherman Report who talks with ESPN resident Prince of Darkness Vince Doria who not only hates Twitter, but is concerned that the social media site could bring “diminished standards.” No, hiring Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith brings “diminished standards.”

Ed feels ESPN’s hiring of Darren Rovell away from CNBC is a good move for all sides.

Christopher Botta and John Ourand from Sports Business Journal write that despite having ratings downturns for the NHL Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, NBC and its sponsors are happy with the results.

Christopher notes that a budding Northwest US MLS rivalry is bringing excellent sponsor activation in the region.

At the Bleacher Report, Dan Levy asks ESPN to respond to the heavy viewer criticism brought forth to the network every time Chris Berman does the U.S. Open.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says the ESPN Family is doing well with EURO 2012.

Peter Kafka at All Things Digital writes that the on-again/off-again Turner purchase of the Bleacher Report seems to be on again. I promise my friends over at Bleacher Report that I won’t publish the Tsunami screengrab like Deadspin does.

Speaking of Deadspin, John Koblin tells us that CNBC’s Darren Rovell, will be getting $500,000 from Disney to work at ESPN and ABC News.

The Big Lead notes that Jalen Rose will be heading to the basketball version of ESPN’s College Gameday.

Simon Dumenico of Advertising Age notes the high amount of Tweets devoted to Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Media Life Magazine notes NBC’s ratings for last weekend’s US Open.

Evan Weiner at Examiner.com says while Roger Clemens was acquitted by a jury of his peers, he still has to get by the Hall of Fame jury known as the Baseball Writers of America.

Lance Venta at Radio Insight reports that with CBS Radio starting a new sports network, ESPN Radio will lose two affiliates in Florida.

To espnW where Amanda Rykoff went to an event which honored women in sports business including Kim Williams, the Chief Operating Officer of NFL Network.

Matt Rudnitsky at SportsGrid says today is D-Day for many Sports Illustrated employees. Godspeed to them.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group looks at how TNT tries to expand the fan experience during its six NASCAR Sprint Cup productions.

Jerry Barmash of FishbowlNY talks with MSG Network’s Walt “Clyde” Frazier about his popularity among Knicks fans.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says SNY’s Gary Cohen will be taking two rare days off this week.

Ken says WFAN will be airing Team USA Olympic basketball games.

And Ken talks about the launch of CBS Sports Radio.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says the Philadelphia Phillies’ troubles have become fodder for the local talk shows.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle notes that the city is about to get its 5th sports radio station thanks to the new CBS Sports Radio.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says Game 4 of the NBA Finals set another local ratings record.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds’ ratings are up and they’re being noticed by Fox Sports.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Brewers analyst Bill Schroeder will work Saturday’s game against the White Sox for a different audience.

Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch says Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper guest tweeted on the White Sox official account this week.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily has begun a list of the top sports media voices of the landmark Title IX that gave women the opportunity to play sports. His first honoree is sports broadcasting pioneer Donna de Varona. Next is Mary Carillo. She’s followed by Ann Ligouri. Pam Ward is next. Basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale follows. Read about Jeannine Edwards. Then look at the bio of Christine Brennan. Then there’s Michele Tafoya. Then Jamie Little. Next is Suzy Kolber. And she’s followed by Sally Jenkins. Great stuff by Tom.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail reports that the NHL doesn’t want Maple Leafs rightsholders Rogers and Bell to form a consortium to bid for CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada and they’ve been told to provide separate bids.

Michael Hill from Dolce Vita magazine profiles CTV Olympic host Brian Williams (not to be confused with NBC’s Brian Williams) about the many Games he has hosted over the years for either CBC or CTV.

Sports Media Watch speculates that NBC could be moving its NHL Game of the Week to Saturday afternoons for the 2012-13 season.

Tony Manfred at the Business Insider Sports Page has a slideshow on ESPN’s Erin Andrews who remains a free agent at this time.

Joe Favorito looks at the NBA possibly shutting the door on its players participating in the Olympics.

And that will do it for us today for the links.

NBC Sports Network is Soccer-Heavy This Weekend

NBC Sports Network is slowly transitioning to its summer schedule as the number of NHL games it has left to air is dwindling to single digits (one or two more games in the Eastern Conference Final, then Games 3 & 4 of the Stanley Cup Final).

This weekend, NBCSN will carry two MLS games and one International Friendly match between the US Men’s Soccer Team and Scotland.

It also marks the return of veteran soccer play-by-play man JP Dellacamera to the national stage as he’ll call the Sporting KC vs. San Jose Earthquakes game on Sunday.

The main MLS on NBC soccer team of Arlo White and Kyle Martino will call the US vs. Scotland match Saturday night from Jacksonville.

And also on Saturday, NBC Sports Network will air the MLS Cup rematch between Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy.

We have the details below.

THREE SOCCER GAMES – INCLUDING USA FRIENDLY AGAINST SCOTLAND – HIGHLIGHT THIS WEEKEND’S COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

USA vs. Scotland in Primetime Saturday at 8 p.m. ET
Rematch between 2011 MLS Champion LA Galaxy against Houston Dynamo Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET
San Jose at Kansas City Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET
“These guys take massive pride in representing their country. I think Scotland will feel the full force of that in Jacksonville on Saturday.” – Arlo White on USA Team

NEW YORK – May 23, 2012 – NBC Sports Network’s soccer coverage will expand this weekend to include coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Team against Scotland in a ‘friendly,’ live from EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be seen as a litmus test for each team’s overall performance as the countdown to the World Cup Qualifiers inch closer.

Additionally, two MLS games will air this weekend beginning Saturday with a 2011 MLS Cup rematch between Houston and 2011 MLS Champions LA Galaxy at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by Sunday’s game in Kansas City as Sporting KC host the San Jose Earthquakes at 4:30 p.m. ET.

COMMENTATORS: The NBC Sports Group’s lead soccer commentary team of Arlo White (@arlowhite, play-by-play), and Kyle Martino (@kylemartino, “Between the Benches” analyst) will call the game in Jacksonville. Veteran soccer commentator JP Dellacamera (play-by-play) and former MLS player Brian Dunseth (analyst) will call the MLS coverage with Ivan Carter, from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, joining them on Sunday to host pre-game, halftime and post-game segments live from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

Steve Busfield The Guardian sports blogger on Arlo White: “Arlo is fantastic. My Seattle friends all miss him, but you can’t blame NBC for picking him up.”

WHITE ON THE USA TEAM: “This is a tremendous thrill for us. We can’t wait to show the U.S. National team as they prepare for the start of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann has some star names to call upon against Scotland. Clint Dempsey has become a massive star in the English Premier League, Landon Donovan is an MLS Champion with LA, and Tim Howard is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. Then there are the young players like Terrence Boyd and Juan Agudelo who are desperate to make an impact and launch their international careers. The battle for international caps is intense. These guys take massive pride in representing their country. I think Scotland will feel the full force of that in Jacksonville on Saturday.”

MARTINO ON THE MATCH: “It’s business time. Only three games left for the United States before World Cup Qualifying begins. Scotland will prove to be a great test for Klinsmann and his side as they make their final preparations.”

UPCOMING MLS GAMES ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK: (All Times ET, Home Team Listed First)

Sun., June 17, Chicago vs. New York, 5 p.m.
Sun., June 24, New York vs. D.C, 7 p.m.
Fri., June 29, Kansas City vs. Chicago, 8 p.m.

And I’ll have another soccer-centric post coming up.

You Need Linkage On That Wall….

Yes you do. It’s overdue. I thought being on unemployment would give me more time for doing the site. Instead, I have less. I don’t know how that’s happened.

Anyway, here are some links for you.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand has soon-to-be NBC’s Michelle Beadle saying even she’s sick of the coverage on where she’s going next.

Michael takes a look at the Weekend TV ratings.

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today says Laurie Fine, wife of ex-Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, has officially filed her libel lawsuit against ESPN.

At Sports Business Journal, John Ourand and Michael Smith report that the Southeastern Conference, in the midst of restructuring its media rights deal with CBS and ESPN, could be resurrecting its plans to start an SEC Channel.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News goes over the “trade” between TBS and MLB Network giving the young network its first postseason action this season.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN 3D will air the last five days of Wimbledon later this summer.

David Mercer of the Associated Press says citing low ratings, the Big Ten Network will drop academic non-sports programming in order to air higher rated sports.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek talks about GM pulling out of advertising in Super Bowl XLVII.

Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs tells aspiring sports TV anchors how to thrive in local markets despite the shrinking amount of time in newscasts.

Dan Fogarty from SportsGrid has video of TNT’s Charles Barkley admitting to America that he waxes his eyebrows.

Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid has this funny video of Saturday Night Live’s Jay Pharoah getting Stephen A. “A is for Acrimonious” Smith down pat.

From the New Haven Register, David Borges talks with long-time Red Sox radio voice and Connecticut native Joe Castiglione about his career and his new book.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette talks about CBS Sports sublicensing some college basketball games from ESPN.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has the French Open TV schedule.

Pete says the overnight ratings for the Preakness Stakes dropped double digits from last year.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com says NBC Sports Network will tap some familiar names to call MLS action this weekend.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun says NBC got the job done in its Preakness Stakes production.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is on the RGIII train.

The increasingly bitter Thomas Boswell of the WaPo feels MASN should pony up for the Washington Nationals media rights.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner writes that outgoing NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora is looking forward to working and writing for CBS.

Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says two writers from the newspaper including sports media writer Tom Jones will co-host a new morning show for the local sports radio station. Jones will now stop covering sports radio to avoid a conflict of interest.

Iliana Limón Romero of the Orlando Sentinel says the Big East is hopeful of finding a suitable TV suitor for the league.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle has some sports media observations.

Mel Bracht at The Oklahoman writes that TNT’s Charles Barkley is looking forward to visiting Oklahoma City for the NBA Western Conference Finals.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds gave local radio station WLW a big ratings win last month.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at the local weekend ratings.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says a technical glitch forced Cardinals fans to watch Fox Sports San Diego’s feed of last night’s Redbirds-Padres game and listen to Dick Enberg which is not a bad thing at all.

Bryce Miller of the Des Moines Reigster says Iowan and Olympics hurdler Lolo Jones is on a media blitz.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Dodgers will honor long-time Spanish radio voice Jaime Jarrin next month.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin has video of NBC Sports Network’s Doc Emrick ripping diving in soccer.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says ratings for the NHL Conference Finals on the NBC Sports Group are down.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has some of Pam Ward’s “Greatest” hits over her years calling college football.

That will do it for now.

Let’s Get Some Linkage Out

I’ve accumulated a lot of links. They’re slowing down my browser so let’s clear them so I can let my computer get back some memory. Lots of stuff going on.

Let’s start with ESPN stuff as it dominated the news today with its network upfront presentation to advertisers and also confirmed personnel moves.

First, Sports Media Watch talks about Scott Van Pelt reupping with ESPN.

The ESPN Front Row blog has a Q&A podcast with Van Pelt in which he explains why he decided to remain with the Bristolians.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today recaps today’s ESPN upfront presentation in New York.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today notes that with Michelle Beadle leaving ESPN, the network is now focusing on keeping Erin Andrews in the fold.

The Hollywood Reporter goes over some ESPN upfront news including its plans to bring back the 30 for 30 documentary series.

Stuart Levin from Variety also has a story on the new set of 30 for 30 docs.

Jeannie Poggi of Advertising Age also reviews ESPN’s upfronts.

Alex Weprin from TVNewser says ESPN and ABC News will co-produce an interview series to be fronted by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.

Mike Shields from Adweek says ESPN.com will now partner to sell ads.

ESPN’s Vice President of College Sports Programming, Burke Magnus responds to a Dan Wetzel/Yahoo Sports article on the new ACC TV contract.

Chad Scott at ChuckOliver.net explains how third tier media rights work in college sports.

Andy Fixmer and Alex Sherman at Bloomberg report on how ESPN may expand its WatchESPN app to Apple TV platforms.

Andy Fixmer of Bloomberg says CBS is ready to take the coveted 18-49 ratings title from perennial winner Fox with the airing of Super Bowl XLVII next season.

The great SportsbyBrooks tweets that Erik Kuselias’ move to NBC Sports Network from Golf Channel’s Morning Drive is being considered a demotion by network higher-ups. I had a feeling this was the case. Do you consider this tweet inane, Mike Francesa?

Ed Sherman from The Sherman Report enjoyed watching Survival Sunday on the Fox Sports platforms, but wondered why the most important English Premier League game was on another network.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has four different calls of the same moment when Manchester City won the EPL title on Sunday.

John Ourand from Sports Business Journal writes about a now-defunct Twitter account that got under the skin of several sports network executives.

Earlier today, WFAN’s Mike Francesa

If you want to see Mike’s veins popping out during this rant, you can see it here on the YES Network website.

And while Francesa seemingly hates Twitter, Media Rantz points out that Francesa has an app where he does something similar to Twitter.

Bruce Jenkins from Sports Illustrated says Tennis Channel failed to serve the WTA Tour’s Madrid Open like it did with the ATP’s side of the same tournament.

Phil Allaway at Front Stretch looks at ESPN’s coverage of this past weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Race.

BBC Sport has announced it will have 24 live HD streams dedicated to the Olympics this summer.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says NBCUniversal has set the Olympics programming lineup for Bravo, CNBC and MSNBC.

John Eggerton at Multichannel News notes that a Federal Appeals Court has upheld an FCC ruling that Time Warner Cable did not discriminate against MASN when it refused to put the regional sports network on its North Carolina systems.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the college conference realignment game won’t be settled for at least another decade.

Matt Boutwell of Maine Sports Media looks at a case I wrote about three years ago, about the mysterious tweeter, BrianAdExec.

NESN goes behind the scenes with Jenny Dell and the network’s production team on what goes on during a typical Red Sox gameday.

Rich Elliot of the Connecticut Post has SNY’s president talking about the regional sports network’s plans to air UConn Women’s basketball next season.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with NBC Sports’ Mike Emrick about calling his old team, the New Jersey Devils in the NHL Eastern Conference Final.

In the New York Times, Jay Schreiber talks about the last time the Devils and the New York Rangers met in the Eastern Conference Final and how he had to monitor the series without smartphones back then.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reports on ESPN’s plans to bring back 30 for 30.

Jerry Barmash from Fishbowl NY writes that MSG Network will provide of wraparound coverage of the NHL Eastern Conference Final.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette says YES Network will air a Yankeeography on David Wells this week.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record notes that MSG Network will begin airing the WNBA’s New York Liberty starting this weekend.

Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer says two local global conglomerates including Comcast expect to make some big money from the London Olympics.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com Sports goes behind-the-scenes with ESPN’s MLS production.

Jeff Barker from the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles and the Washington Nationals are waiting word from MLB on a decision on how much MASN should pay the Nats.

Over to Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog who writes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is making a change in its DC NFL team beat reporter.

Dan talks about former Post columnist Howard Bryant ranting against Washington Nationals ownership.

Mike Finger at the Houston Chronicle says the Longhorn Network may offer more Texas football games in another attempt to get carriage from state cable providers.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman writes that the Oklahoma City Thunder on TNT set another local ratings record.

In Chicago Sports Media Watch, Paul M. Banks goes over some hate mail.

Scott D. Pierce at the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Utahans should be able to see the Running Utes thanks to wider distribution of the Pac-12 Networks than the soon-to-be defunct the mtn.

Tuesday night, KNBC-TV did a story on the busy postseason in Los Angeles, but aired the wrong graphic for the Kings and showed the Sacramento Kings instead of the LA Kings. C’mon, man!

Martin Miller of the Los Angeles Times says ESPN upfront presentation showed the network was ready for some football.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media is telling everyone that a New York Rangers-Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Final might not mean boffo ratings as some NHL observers are saying.

Jay Koot of Busted Coverage is disgusted by Erik Kuselias’ engagement to Morning Drive news reader Holly Sonders.

And that’s where we’ll end the links tonight.

ESPN2 To Air Rare English Premier League/MLS Doubleheader on Sunday

On Sunday, ESPN2 airs the rare EPL/MLS Daily Double. Sunday is Relegation Sunday in the English Premier League and with first place on the line, ESPN2 will air the Manchester City-Queens Park Rangers game. If Manchester City wins, it will give the Citizens a rare EPL title. If Queens Park pulls the upset, then it opens the door for Manchester United to win its 13th Premier League Championship and 20th English Football title overall. That game will air at 9:30 a.m. ET with Ian Darke and Steve McManaman on the call.

Then at 12:15 p.m., it’ll be MLS action with the Philadelphia Union hosting the New York Red Bulls with Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman at PPL Park.

Your ESPN press blurb.

Soccer Doubleheader Sunday – English Premier League Championship on the Line; MLS Eastern Conference Rivalry

ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes will combine to present a live soccer doubleheader on Sunday, May 13, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the English Premier League’s Manchester City vs. Queen Park Rangers match live on ESPN2 and ESPN3. The match could decide the Premier League championship.  With a win at home in Etihad Stadium, Manchester City will capture its third top-flight league title in English football and its first since 1968. A QPR victory would open the door to a Manchester United title, if it wins Sunday. Ian Darke and Steve McManaman, a Liverpool FC legend who spent his last two seasons in professional football playing for Manchester City, will provide commentary. Tato Noriega and Jose Hernandez will call the match in Spanish. Additional coverage of the match will include post-match segments and the trophy presentation if Manchester City wins.

Immediately following at 12:15 p.m., the three networks will also present Major League Soccer Eastern Conference rivalry match between Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls. Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman will call the match. Max Bretos and analyst Alexi Lalas will host the studio segments bridging the Premier League match and kickoff of the MLS telecast.

There you have it.

Making Time For The Wednesday Linkage

I haven’t been able to links for a couple of days. I have a few leftover stuff since Monday, but nothing totally clogging up my browser, but I do want to give you a full set of stories today.

I’ve done my best to summarize the whole bizarre Sarah Phillips/ESPN.com/Scamming people story and that’s over here. If there any updates today, I’ll try to bring them to you, but it appears that there’s a new development every hour or so.

Let’s try to get what I have to you now.

Tom Weir of USA Today also looks into the Sarah Phillips saga.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today says Tiger Woods is being criticized for doing an end run around the news media and answering questions from fans via social media.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deistch critiques ESPN’s and NFL Network’s coverage of the NFL Draft.

Kurt Soller of Esquire catches up with TNT’s Craig Sager and discusses his loud wardrobe.

Multichannel News reports on ESPN’s ratings for its first weekday English Premier League game.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life notes the NFL Draft was the second most watched in history.

Former ESPN’er Dana Jacobsen has started her own blog and says she’ll keep us up to date on where she lands next.

Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that HBO has renewed 24/7 for another NHL season and will get more input from the league’s media arm.

Greg talks with NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins about the league’s Stanley Cup Playoff ratings and other matters.

Jeff John Roberts at paidContent wonders if Bleacher Report can make its writers into viable media stars.

ESPN Ombudsman Jason Fry of the Poynter Review Project looks at one man who oversees the Alleged Worldwide Leader’s interviewing technique.

Ed Sherman at the Sherman Report warns how not to use Twitter like the Chicago Sun-Times’ columnist Joe Cowley.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group writes that Harris Corp. which done a lot in developing broadcast equipment and had a hand in sports will now get out of the business.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin has the audio of Gus Johnson calling MLS action over the weekend. That’s right, MLS.

John Koblin at Deadspin says pariah Sarah Phillips and her partner-in-crime, Nilesh Prasad have been career scammers.

Deadspin’s Erik Malinowski has a parody Tweeter breaking character and giving his side of the story in the Sarah Phillips saga.

To Ben Koo of Awful Announcing who notes that the Tuesday late night edition of SportsCenter ended in silence.

Erin Gloria Ryan at Jezebel says the Crossing Broad blog posted an upskirt pic that was shown on TV and the site’s editor doesn’t get why the uproar.

Neil Best of Newsday talks with New York Knicks TV voice and ESPN NBA play caller Mike Breen.

Congrats to Neil as he celebrates 5 years of his WatchDog blog. Neil and I share a milestone today.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that MLB Network will air seven Minor League Baseball games this season.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says CBS has made one announcement for its SEC football schedule for the fall.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com talks with Gus Johnson about him calling soccer games.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog is amused at boring and extremely verbose ESPN.com columnist Gregg Easterbrook’s fears about DC NFL Team QB Robert Grifffin III’s play in the rain. I used to love Easterbrook’s TMQ columns, but they now grate on me. Can’t read them anymore.

Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald has some South Florida sports radio moves.

Jerry Garcia at the San Antonio Express-News goes over the Sports Emmy winners.

Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman says the Thunder continue to set local ratings records.

Mel says TNT’s Charles Barkley is squarely in the Thunder’s camp.

Robert Feder at Time Out Chicago says the Chicago Sun-Times have put sexist columnist Joe Cowley on what’s called “Final Notice.”

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch did not like how one female TV host kept hitting on St. Louis Cardinals World Series hero David Freese during a morning show segment.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune has TNT’s Kenny “The Jet” Smith discussing the Utah Jazz’s future.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail isn’t too thrilled about having the Maple Leafs on the next season of HBO’s 24/7.

Sports Media Watch says the Manchester Derby scored for ESPN on Monday.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says CNBC is doing well with the NHL Stanley Cup Conference Semifinals.

Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth has a look at the sports radio scene across the country.

Normally I don’t link to Bleacher Report slideshows and it’s one of the things I’ve disliked about the site for a long time, but I will link to the 20 Hottest Redheads slideshow only for the fact that they used a pic that I posted of Jen Royle from last year’s Five Women Who Make Me Stop Flipping The Remote post. Actually that pic came from Jen herself so they should really credit her and not me.

And that’s going to do it.

Knocking Out Some Wednesday Linkage

Time for some linkage again.

Starting with Sports Business Daily which gauges media reaction to last night’s extravagant NFL regular season schedule release on both ESPN and NFL Network.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News reviews both the Monday Night and expanded Thursday Night Football schedules.

Ed Sherman at the Sherman Report has your potential hits and misses in the 2012 NFL regular season schedule for all of the league’s TV partners.

Dan Levy of the Bleacher Report talks with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch about Skippy Bayless, ESPN’s free agents and Twitter.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that NBC is now going all in to provide a live online Olympic experience.

Mike McCarthy at USA Today says the NFL Schedule Release Shows on ESPN and NFL Network filled fans’ thirst for football news.

Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press says thanks to a NASCAR-less Sunday, IndyCar’s race on NBC Sports Network got a ratings bump.

Stuart Kemp and George Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter says London is hoping to build buzz for the XXX Olympic Summer Games in the days leading up to the Opening Ceremony.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable notes the FCC is appealing to the Supreme Court, the ruling from a lower court throwing out its decency complaint over CBS’ airing of Janet Jackson’s nekkid boob during Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Sarah Mahoney of MediaPost’s Marketing Daily says advertisers are jumping on the Olympics 100 Day Countdown.

Michael Bradley at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center writes that cable provider Comcast is proving to be a very good broadcast competitor.

Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead says a lawsuit brought forth by a former ESPN.com writer against New York Post NBA big mouth Peter Vescey has been settled out of court.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid talks with ESPN’s Michelle Beadle about what her next move is.

Ken Kerschbaumer at Sports Video Group notes that NBCOlympics has tapped AT&T to manage private networking systems for the London Summer Games.

Zac Wassink in Yahoo! says MLS on NBC Sports Network is doing decently in the ratings.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe has the local sports radio ratings and CBS Radio continues to be on top.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says NBC will stream all Olympic events live online, but there’s a bit of a catch.

Richard says the NBA is looking at allowing jersey sponsorships.

Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY notes the passing of a former Yankees, Islanders and Nets radio announcer.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette notes the good ratings for the NHL on NBC.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record has a viewing primer for the upcoming NFL season.

Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call discusses and dissects NBC’s Sunday Night Football schedule.

Keith says the NHL’s Battle of Pennsylvania is drawing big ratings in the Keystone State.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com’s Goalkeeper blog says a Spanish League soccer game on ESPN2 beat MLS on NBC Sports Network in the ratings last weekend.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has pictorial proof of the Space Shuttle Discovery passing various local sports venues on its last flight to the Smithsonian yesterday.

Tom Robinson at the Virginian-Pilot reports that the United Football League could have a TV contract with CBS Sports Network.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says the Texas Rangers’ ratings on Fox Sports Southwest are way up this season.

Mike Bailey of the Houston Chronicle talks with a local golfer who took part in the upcoming season of Golf Channel’s Big Break reality show.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman says a local sports radio show moves from middays to afternoon drive.

Mel has the local weekend TV ratings.

Berry Tremel of The Oklahoman writes that NBC’s Sunday Night Football is the NFL’s premier TV package.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer remembers a former NBA announcer.

Bill Shea at Crain’s Detroit Business says the Tigers are looking at a big payday for their TV rights.

Robert Channick in the Chicago Tribune profiles Comcast SportsNet Chicago head man Jim Corno.

Eric Goodman at Mile High Sports feels he wasted three hours of his life watching ESPN’s NFL regular season schedule release special.

Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic says Phoenix Coyotes TV analyst Tyson Nash is feeling the wrath of Chicago Blackhawks fans for comments he made about a hit on ‘Hawks star Marian Hossa.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News mourns the passing of a former Kings radio voice.

Tom Cheredar of Venture Beat talks about NBC’s extensive plans to stream the Olympics online.

Sports Media Watch notes the rise of NHL ratings for a couple of regional sports networks.

SMW talks about CBS passing on broadcasting this upcoming season’s Pro Bowl.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says NBC may air both Bruins-Capitals NHL Playoffs games this weekend.

Joe Favorito says sometimes, it’s a little idea at a major network that could catch fire elsewhere.

And that is all for now.

MLS on NBC Sports Network Continues Friday

Friday night, the Seattle Sounders host the Houston Dynamo live on NBC Sports Network at 10 ET. The former voice of the Sounders, Arlo White returns to his old stomping grounds of CenturyLink Field in Seattle to call the game for NBC Sports Network. Kyle Martino will be on the field in between the benches as the analyst.

NBC SportsTalk host Russ Thaler will be the site host for pregame, halftime and postgame.

Here’s the press release from NBC Sports Network.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S MLS COVERAGE CONTINUES FRIDAY WITH HOUSTON DYNAMO AT SEATTLE SOUNDERS

NBC Sports Network Coverage Starts at 10 p.m. ET
“If you are new to MLS, the scene at CenturyLink Field on Friday will blow your mind.” – Arlo White

NEW YORK –March 21, 2012 –The NBC Sports Group’s MLS season coverage continues Friday at 10 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network when the Seattle Sounders host the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo have opened the season with two straight wins, while the Sounders scored a 3-1 victory on Saturday against Toronto FC in their MLS season opener, with forward David Estrada scoring the club’s third hat trick in its history.

COMMENTATORS: The team of Arlo White (@arlowhite, play-by-play), and Kyle Martino (@kylemartino, “Between the Benches” analyst) will call the game from CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash. NBC SportsTalk host Russ Thaler (@RussThaler) will host the pre-game, halftime and post-game segments live from the game site, with White and Martino.

White and Martino have received praise for their work this season. Soccer America said White is “one of the best MLS commentators around” and called Martino, “NBC’s insider analyst, not simply a guy with a mike.” Additionally, The Tampa Times said NBC Sports Network’s coverage, “looked great and sounded even better with Kyle Martino between the benches, just like you might see on NBC’s hockey coverage.”

WHITE AND MARTINO BREAK DOWN THE MATCHUP:

WHITE: “If you are new to MLS, the scene at CenturyLink Field on Friday will blow your mind. 38,000 fanatics create a wall of noise and a sea of ‘rave’ green. Striker David Estrada is their new hero after scoring a hat-trick last week and with Fredy Montero, Mauro Rosales and Alvaro Fernandez marauding forward, they are built to score goals. Houston was beaten by the LA Galaxy in last year’s MLS Cup and I think Brad Davis could open a can of baked beans with that wonderful left foot of his.”

MARTINO: “Opening up a season with a long string of road games is the toughest challenge MLS has to offer. Like many MLS teams before them, Houston is now facing that very situation with seven consecutive away games before they return home to open up at BBVA Compass Stadium. They are already off to a better start than most with two wins in a row against teams from the stacked Western Conference. However, this weekend their resolve will be put to the test when they face a very talented Seattle squad who are playing angry after being dropkicked out of CONCACAF Champions League.”

UPCOMING MLS GAMES ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK: (All Times ET, Home Team Listed First)

Friday, Mar. 30 – D.C United vs. FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 31 — LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution, 11 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 — Philadelphia Union vs. Columbus Crew, 3:30 p.m.

That’s it.

MLS Debut on NBC Sports Network Not Great; Still Better Than on Fox Soccer

Got the viewership numbers from Major League Soccer’s debut on NBC Sports Network. The game on Sunday between Dallas and New York garnered only 82,000 viewers according to the Twitter account, TV Sports Ratings, which is someone who has access to TV ratings information and has managed to anger various sports network public relations people. So this person obviously knows the business.

MLS (NY/DAL) on NBCS Sun=82k viewers. 9 hunting/fishing telecasts on channel that day had larger audience.

— TVSportsratings (@tvsportsratings) March 13, 2012

That is quite low and of course, was opposite the college basketball conference tournaments on CBS and ESPN, golf on NBC and NASCAR on Fox.

But as Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl is quick to point out, that’s still higher than MLS’ viewership on Fox Soccer for all of last year!!!

MLS audience for NBCSN was up 21% from 2011 season average on FSC.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 13, 2012

So with all the hype for MLS on NBC Sports Network, soccer still has a ways to go to make inroads on a busy sports weekend. We’ll see if those numbers go up when there’s less competition in the spring and summer.

Our NCAA Tournament Tuesday Links

I know not many of you will feel it necessary to watch tonight’s FIRST FOUR™ doubleheader of the NCAA Tournament, but I will. Yes, the Tournament doesn’t start in earnest until Thursday, but seeing some postseason college basketball one day after Selection Sunday is always welcome.

Let’s do some links for you.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks the fanboys off the ledge, debunking the rumor that Erin Andrews is leaving ESPN.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch has a viewer’s primer for the NCAA Tournament.

Brian Lowry of Variety says longer postseasons help the networks to offset rising fees to sports leagues.

In Baseball Prospectus, the Biz of Baseball’s Maury Brown gives us the real reason why Jeff Moorad pulled his offer to take control of the San Diego Padres and it wasn’t because of the team’s new contract with Fox Sports.

Tim Baysinger of Fox Sports Detroit says the regional sports network’s long-time VP of communications died suddenly over the weekend.

Mike Farrell at Multichannel News writes that sports networks carry the most expensive price tag for cable and satellite providers.

R. Thomas Umstead and Mike Reynolds of Multichannel sit down with YES Network officials to talk about the regional sports network’s 10th anniversary.

Emma Bazilian of Adweek says golf and sports magazines are preparing to cover The Masters^®.

Bill Imada at Advertising Age says the frenzy over Linsanity may be fading, but the lessons from that period are still being learned.

Simon Dumenco of AdAge writes that social TV data helped to save a Fox Sports Detroit marketing campaign that seemed doomed from the start.

Diego Vasquez of Media Life speaks with a media researcher about the increased ad inventory for the NCAA Tournament thanks to all the games being made available on TV.

Dan Fogarty of Sports Grid has the video of the national anthem being sung by fans led by the celebrated Timbers Army before last night’s MLS game between the Philadelphia Union and the Portland Timbers. It’s an awesome sight to say the least.

All Access reports that DC sports radio personality Doc Walker is staying with ESPN Radio Washington.

Jack Messmer of the Radio Business Report tells us that a new union contract with NBC gives the rank and file access to NBC Sports Network assignments.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says a woman who kept letters from the late George Steinbrenner dating back to when they were teens has died.

Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY writes that a veteran New York sportscaster is retiring after four decades.

Newsday’s Neil Best says ESPN will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landmark Title IX which brought women’s sports into equal footing with men’s on the collegiate level.

Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer has comments from MLS Commissioner Don Garber and NBC Sports VP Jon Miller about their new partnership.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times says a local sports radio morning show host called three African American NFL free agents “monkeys”.

A rare Barry Horn sighting for us. In the Dallas Morning News, Barry says the viewership for MLS on NBC Sports Network wasn’t great, but it was up from last year.

Mel Bracht at the Oklahoman notes that Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is fast becoming a TV darling.

John Keating of Fox Sports Detroit remembers the regional sports network’s PR man who passed away last weekend.

Scott D. Pierce at the Salt Lake Tribune reviews the local TV broadcast of Real Salt Lake’s MLS season opener.

Jeff Pearlman talks with former ESPN’er Sean Salisbury

Jeremiah Oshan of SB Nation says MLS’ debut on NBC Sports Network didn’t do well in the ratings, but was better than on its previous home.

And that will wrap it up for today.

Ringing In Some Monday Linkage

Let’s do our Monday linkage today.

Michael Hiestand from USA Today writes that CBS/Turner’s Clark Kellogg will have a big “get” during halftime of Tuesday’s NCAA Tournament First Four game.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says MSG Network has a new show dedicated to the best and worst baseball trades and deals.

Mike says YES Network’s national feed will be seen by California cable subscribers for the first time.

Jason Del Ray of Advertising Age looks at SB Nation’s foray into producing original content for YouTube with former ESPN’ers Bomani Jones and Amy K. Nelson.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine says the NCAA Tournament can be a sports marketer’s dream.

Kevin Wagstaff of Time Magazine says YouTube will be the official video player for NBCOlympics.com, however, don’t expect to see live Olympics on the video streaming service.

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead spent a day following ESPN’s Jay Bilas at the Big East Tournament.

Ty Duffy of The Big Lead wonders if NBC’s entrance into MLS will help to grow soccer in America.

Timothy Burke of Deadspin has the funny video of ESPN’s Dick Vitale being Dick Vitale during last night’s Bracketology show.

Ken Belson of the New York Times describes the Mets first-ever radio broadcast which included the late Howard Cosell as pregame host.

Michael O’Keefe of the New York Daily News talks with former ESPN’er Sean Salisbury who has been battling depression and hoping to make a TV comeback bid. The story never mentions Salisbury’s MTV2 gig with the Lingerie Football League.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post writes that TV continues to ignore athletes’ bad behavior.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the tip times for the FIRST FOUR and 2nd Round games of the NCAA Tournament.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that the voices of the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league affiliate get their call to the big club this week.

Bob Rossi in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says NBC will go all out for the NHL Playoffs this spring.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television and I find that I disagree with a couple of his points.

Richard Connelly of the Houston Press says the new Comcast SportsNet Houston plans to build studios that will allow for a Today Show-like atmosphere outdoors.

Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman says former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer is in talks to have a movie based on his interesting life.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says there wasn’t much anger directed at the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee this year from the TV analysts.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Dan McLaughlin returned to Fox Sports Midwest Sunday after a long suspension over his drunk driving arrests.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says Peyton Manning’s visit to the Mile High City gave the local media plenty to talk about over the weekend.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times had a chance to tour Jon Gruden’s offices as he prepared to host several incoming NFL quarterbacks for his ESPN shows this Spring.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott about rebranding the conference.

Tom also has his sports calendar for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that the Canadian NHL clubs want some changes in CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.

Bruce also looks at the coverage of the death of Canadian skier Nik Zoricic over the weekend.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says when Don Cherry leaves Hockey Night in Canada, he will be sorely missed.

Sports Media Watch says NASCAR on Fox lost a million viewers for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 from the previous year.

Paul Kennedy at SoccerAmerica feels NBC Sports Network did well in its MLS debut.

SoccerNation says NBC has tapped a well-known composer to produce its MLS theme music.

And that’s going to do it for now.

Let’s Do The Friday Megalinks Again

Linkage has been scarce around the site this week, but I should be able to get a good set of megalinks in today as we head into NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday. You deserve the links and I thank you for your patience around some server problems this week.

As usual, you can check the Weekend Viewing Picks for all weekend sports and entertainment recommendations.

Let’s get to the linkage.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today profiles ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi who got a big endorsement from Louisville’s Rick Pitino this week.

Erik Spanberg at Sports Business Journal looks at Major League Soccer hoping for big returns from its new contract with NBC Sports.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch explores NBC’s new approach to airing soccer and reviews ESPN’s new documentary on Magic Johnson.

Karen Hogan at Sports Video Group looks at ESPN’s innovative plans for MLS games this season.

Lindsay Flans of the Hollywood Reporter says A-List celebrities have caught Linsanity fever.

And the Reporter provides a seating chart of where celebrities sit at Madison Square Garden to get a glimpse of Jeremy Lin.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Michael Bradley feels the mid-major conferences sacrifice regular season integrity in exchange for TV exposure with their post-season tournaments.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell is recovering after his alma mater, Northwestern, played its way out of the NCAA Tournament this week.

Joe Favorito says even in this day and age, the little guy can make a splash in sports marketing.

Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.

SMW notes that NBC Sports will replace the departed Wimbledon with the Tour de France this summer.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing says ESPN Films is suffering from an identity crisis.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says NBC’s innovation in hockey production is now extending to the soccer pitch.

Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth isn’t a fan of speculation.

At Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie blog, Dan Devine says Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made a gay joke at Bill Simmons’ expense with him present.

Erik Malinowski of Deadspin says Cuban has apologized for making that remark.

East and Mid-Atlantic

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn looks at CBS/Turner’s plans for the NCAA Tournament.

Chad notes that a prodigal son is returning to WEEI this weekend.

Boston Sports Media Watch’s Bruce Allen at SB Nation Boston says the Boston Herald will miss Patriots beat reporter Ian Rapoport as he departs for NFL Network.

George Cain at Sports of Boston compares and contrasts the two sports radio stations ratings.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette says different generations watch sports differently.

Paul Devlin of the New Canaan (CT) Patch talks with ESPN High Grand Poobah of News Vince Doria.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with Magic Johnson about ESPN’s documentary on his HIV announcement 20 years ago.

Neil notes the opening of a new Broadway play on the rivalry between Magic and former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird.

Neil says it’s time for our annual search to find truTV for the NCAA Tournament.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post goes after the “gang mentality” in football.

The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY notes that MSG Network is about to unveil a new baseball-centric show.

Chris Boyle at the Merrick (NY) Patch says two alumna of a local high school, now ESPN personalities, made a visit to their old stomping grounds.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union notes that Buffalo Sabres games are back on MSG after a technical glitch prevented fans from seeing their games for two weeks.

Pete talks with Uncle Verne Lundquist of CBS who’s going into his 49th year of broadcasting.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times-Herald Record says a local man has been chosen to take part in this year’s MLB Fan Cave.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with ESPN’s Mike Tirico who says he’ll miss working with Ron Jaworski every Monday Night.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner speaks with tennis Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Chris Evert.

South

Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer says for the first time, viewers in the ACC footprint can see ESPN’s coverage of the ACC Tournament.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald likes watching the ESPN/ABC NBA studio show.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle notes that Comcast SportsNet Houston is getting ready for its fall launch.

And David expands on his column on CSN Houston in his blog.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has a few Sooner State sports media news and notes.

Midwest

Jeff Moss at Detroit Sports Rag has a field of 64 to decide the Worst Detroit Sports Media Personality.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says CBS and Turner are enjoying their NCAA Tournament partnership.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has his weekly winners and losers in sports business and media.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reviews the one week experiment of Joe Buck and Tim McKernan co-hosting a radio show that could turn into something bigger down the road.

Dan says don’t expect too many changes for this year’s NCAA Tournament coverage on CBS and Turner Sports.

West

John Maffei at the North County Times writes that if NCAA Tournament coverage ain’t broke, then CBS and Turner aren’t going to fix it.

John says Fox Sports San Diego is set to launch any day now, provided MLB approves the Padres’ deal to air games on the network.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says the success of the CBS/Turner NCAA Tournament consortium surprised officials at both companies.

Jim says Peyton Manning’s former coach, Tony Dungy now of NBC, feels San Francisco would be a good fit for him.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at Magic Johnson’s life-changing announcement, 20 years later.

Tom explores how Time Warner Cable will present LA Galaxy games while it’s still in the process of launching its new SoCal regional sports network.

Tom has a few items that didn’t make his weekly media column.

Percy Allen of the Seattle Times notes that ESPN will air next year’s Pac-12 Basketball Championship Game.

Canada

Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star says CBC’s Don Cherry and Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke are acting like a couple of spoiled divas in their public spat.

And that’s going to do it for today. Enjoy your sports weekend.

Kyle Martino Joins NBC Sports Network As Lead MLS Analyst

Just announced by NBC Sports Network, Kyle Martino who has worked as an analyst for both ESPN and most recently, Fox Soccer, will become the lead analyst for MLS games. In a unique twist, NBC will have him analyze games from the field instead of the booth high above the pitch.

Martino will take a cue from NBC’s “Inside the Glass” feature from NHL games and report from in between the benches during the game while announcer Arlo White will be in the broadcast booth.

White and Martino will team up to call NBC Sports Network’s first-ever MLS game on Sunday, March 11 when FC Dallas takes on the New York Red Bulls.

NBC Sports Network adds that Robbie Earle, former member of the Jamaican National soccer team and currently an analyst for the Portland Timbers, will be a studio analyst for the MLS. He’ll continue his role with the Timbers.

Here are the details of the new NBC Sports Network hire.

KYLE MARTINO JOINS NBC SPORTS GROUP’S MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER BROADCASTS AS LEAD ANALYST

Former MLS Midfielder and U.S. National Team Member to Call Games with Arlo White on NBC and NBC Sports Network
Portland Timbers Analyst Robbie Earle to Serve as Pre-Game, Halftime, Post-Game and Game Analyst Throughout the Season

NEW YORK – March 5, 2012 – Kyle Martino (@kylemartino) will be the lead analyst for the NBC Sports Group’s coverage of Major League Soccer (MLS), teaming with play-by-play voice Arlo White (@arlowhite), it was announced today. Martino and White make their debut on Sunday, March 11, at 3 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network as FC Dallas hosts the New York Red Bulls. In addition, Robbie Earle, an analyst for the MLS Portland Timbers will serve as a pre-game, halftime, post-game and game analyst throughout the season.

Taking a page from NBC Sports Group’s hockey coverage, which employs an “Inside the Glass” analyst, Martino will be stationed “Between the Benches” during the games with White in the broadcast booth. From this vantage point, Martino will provide the fans with unique field level insight in addition to game analysis.

Martino, who spent seven seasons as a midfielder for the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy, and was a member of the U.S. National Team, was most recently the lead analyst for Fox Soccer’s broadcasts of MLS and U.S. National Team games, in addition to serving as the color commentator for Philadelphia Union games in 2010. Prior to that, Martino served as an analyst for MLS on ESPN2.

“I am very excited to be joining a company with such a rich sports history,” said Martino. “To be a part of that tradition by covering Major League Soccer is a tremendous honor. I look forward to being a part of the NBC Sports Group team.”

Pierre Moossa, a 10-time Emmy Award-winner and a 13-year veteran of NBC Sports, will serve as the coordinating producer and director of NBC Sports Group’s MLS coverage. Moossa most recently served as one of the production leaders of NBC Sports’ Emmy Award-winning Sunday Night Football.

“When we first obtained the MLS rights last year, we identified Kyle as an analyst we’d like to be a part of our broadcasts,” said Moossa. “Teaming him with Arlo White gives us two premier soccer announcers that fans will thoroughly enjoy. With the addition of Robbie Earle, we have added another exceptional soccer commentator to our team.”

A native of Westport, Conn., Martino played at the University of Virginia before being drafted in the first round by the Columbus Crew in 2002. That year he played in 22 games and won the MLS Rookie of the Year award. Martino went on to play in 141 MLS games and tallied 14 goals. Additionally, Martino played eight games with the U.S. National Team and scored a goal against Panama in a key World Cup qualifying win in October 2005.

Earle, a former member of the Jamaican National Team, played 19 years professionally in England including 10 years with Wimbledon of the Premier League. He is currently the lead analyst for the MLS Portland Timbers. The Timbers have allowed him to work on the NBC Sports Network’s MLS coverage as a pre-game, halftime, post-game and game analyst throughout the season.

# # #

NBC begins its live MLS coverage, the first under the new three-year media rights partnership, on Sunday, March 11, when FC Dallas host the New York Red Bulls on the new NBC Sports Network, which will air a total of 38 regular-season games this year. The NBC Sports Group will offer live coverage of 41 regular season matches, the most of any MLS broadcast partner, in addition to five MLS Cup playoff games.

The defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy make seven appearances on NBC Sports Network, including a rematch of MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo on May 26. The LA Galaxy’s first appearance is March 31 as they host the New England Revolution. MLS Cup runners-up Houston Dynamo also appear seven times including the unveiling of their new stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, on May 12 as they host D.C. United.

NBC will broadcast three regular-season games: Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 15, New York vs. Chicago Fire on Oct. 6, and Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls on Oct. 27 – the first game of a tripleheader on the last Saturday of the regular season that includes Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United and Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes on NBC Sports Network. The three matches this season on NBC are the most regular-season MLS games on an English-language broadcast network since 2002.

Highlights of 2012 NBC Sports Group MLS Schedule:

• NBC Sports Group broadcasts 41 games, most of any MLS broadcast partner in 2012;
• Three games on NBC are the most regular-season MLS games on an English-language broadcast network since 2002;
• Rematch of MLS Cup on May 26 – Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy on NBC Sports Network;
• Seven games featuring MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy;
• Opening of BBVA Compass Stadium, the new home of the Houston Dynamo, on May 12 on NBC Sports Network.

That’s it for now.

Bringing Out Some Tuesday Links

Let’s do some links on this Tuesday.

Michael Hiestand from USA Today writes that a tepid LSU-Alabama rematch drew the BCS National Championship Game’s lowest overnight rating ever on ESPN.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today reports that former ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury has either quit or been fired from his MTV2 Lingerie Football League gig. There’s always a gray area with Sean.

Bruce Horovitz from USA Today says Kim Kardashian has been booted from Sketchers’ Super Bowl ad and replaced by a dog.

Sports Business Daily looks at the reviews of ESPN’s production of the BCS National Championship Game.

At Fox Sports, Brian Lowry feels ESPN did a better job in stepping up than LSU-Alabama last night.

Erin Carlson of the Hollywood Reporter notes that NBC will air the London Summer Olympics in 3-D.

Todd Spangler from Multichannel News reports from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that ESPN admits a lack of 3-D programming for owners of 3-D sets, but the network says that should change.

Ben Drawbaugh of Engadget was at ESPN 3D’s demonstration of the BCS National Championship Game.

Jaymar Cabebe at CNET looks at ESPN Radio now streaming live through Slacker apps.

Erin Griffith of Adweek says the popular sound recognition app Shazam will power almost a third of this year’s Super Bowl ads.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age says Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow could reach the marketing and endorsement stratosphere as long as he keeps winning.

Michael Bradley at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says a lackluster game between LSU and Alabama should lead the BCS to change its system.

Noam Cohen of the New York Times looks at NBC going 3-D for the Olympics.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY looks at the NYC Marathon’s new deal to have WABC-TV carry the race live starting this year.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union discusses the end of Jim Rome’s tenure at ESPN.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg says in the DC Sports Bog that former WaPo writers Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon say they would take Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio over Washington’s John Wall right now.

David Knox of the Birmingham (AL) News says last night’s BCS National Championship Game drew a big rating locally for Alabama-LSU, but not as big as last year’s involving bitter archrival Auburn.

Doug Segrest at the News says Alabama quickly took the wind out of ESPN’s sails for a close game.

W. Scott Bailey at the San Antonio Business Journal says the Alamo Bowl on ESPN drew good numbers as compared to some of the BCS games.

Mark Dawidziak of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that the voice of the Browns and WKYC Sports Director Jim Donovan will co-anchor the 7 p.m. edition of the station’s newscast.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that local ratings for the NFL Wild Card weekend were very good.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business looks at a new series on Big Ten Network.

Ed says the Big Ten Conference remains steadfastly opposed to a Plus One or anything resembling a playoff in college football.

At the Salt Lake Tribune, Scott D. Pierce says NBC and ESPN have snubbed Real Salt Lake in their MLS schedules.

Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times says you can bid on the chance to have NBA Hall of Famer and TV analyst Bill Walton at your house.

At the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown says it’s best to wait a year before expanding the MLB playoffs.

I’ll end it there for now. If anything warrants, I’ll add some more links.

UPDATE, 6 p.m.: Some more links for you now.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe looks at the record ratings for the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game between Pittsburgh and Denver.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the NFL is seeing more monster ratings.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette notes what Time Warner Cable subscribers are missing on MSG Network in Day 10 of the two companies’ dispute with each other.

Ryan Yoder at Awful Announcing notes that ESPN Radio premieres a new show tonight.

That’s going to do it.

Some Quick Sunday Links

I’m going to provide a few links for you since they’ve been lacking here over the last few days.

We begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deistch who talked with ESPN’s Brent Musburger who will call Monday’s BCS National Championship Game.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News talks with ESPN’s Chris Fowler about the BCS National Championship Game.

Lang Whitaker from GQ talks with ESPN’s Erin Andrews in advance of Monday’s BCS National Championship.

Brian Lowry at Variety writes that as sports rights fees become more expensive, expect cable to take over for network TV and pass on the cost to consumers.

Mike Ozanian at Forbes reports that Fox Sports is giving individual teams equity stakes in its regional sports networks to prevent them from taking offers from competitors.

Andy Fixmer of Bloomberg says this season’s NFL’s TV ratings were off slightly from last year.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy notes that Pittsburgh Steelers QB Roethlisburger is blaming ESPN for overhyping Denver QB Tim Tebow.

Michael Hiestand from USA Today says the Orange Bowl on ESPN drew its lowest BCS TV ratings ever.

CJ Fogler of SportsGrid has videos of TNT paying tribute to the late Jim Huber this week.

Tom Lorenzo from SportsGrid has the video from last night’s Saturday Night Live’s Charles Barkley Post Game Translation App. Sharp-eyed viewers may notice Hazel Mae making an appearance.

Charles Apple of The American Copy Editors Society feels ESPN should be more careful in its on-screen graphics.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek notes that CBS/Turner has signed Northwestern Mutual to be the exclusive insurance sponsor of the NCAA Tournament.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin did some investigating and found that salsa music played during last week’s Sunday Night Football game came directly from the NBC truck.

Dave Kindred at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center laments the death of the newspaper sports column.

Eric Deggans from the Tampa Bay Times provides his 2012 sports media predictions in the National Sports Journalism Center.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says LSU coach Les Miles stands to get millions if he wins the BCS National Championship.

Ken Belson of the New York Times says ESPN has obtained the rights to the New York City Marathon and pledges to show it live across the country, something NBC’s Universal Sports could not do.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post feels the New York Jets coaching staff is just plain insensitive.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette informs readers what MSG Network is airing today as its dispute with Time Warner Cable continues.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times-Union says what a lot of people tweeted yesterday, that Mike Mayock talked too much during yesterday’s Cincinnati-Houston game.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says YES will air a handful of Fordham basketball games.

Greg Connors of the Buffalo News says the Bills will have a new flagship radio station for next season.

T.J. Pignataro of the News says the Sabres TV ratings have suffered since Time Warner Cable removed MSG Buffalo from its lineup.

In the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner warns you that your cable bill will go up this year and sports will be to blame.

Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Comcast’s distribution deal with Disney, ESPN in particular, shows that the company is thinking about the long-term.

Mike McGovern of the Reading (PA) Eagle pays tribute to the late Jim Huber.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says Nationals TV voice Bob Carpenter will return in 2012.

The Huntington (WV) Dispatch feels ESPN needs a geography and history lesson about West Virginia.

David Knox from the Birmingham (AL) News talks with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit about the BCS National Championship Game.

Dave Walker at the New Orleans Times-Picayune profiles LSU radio voice Jim Hawthorne.

Nakia Hogan of the Times-Picayune talks with an ESPN executive who denies the network has undue influence over college sports.

Berry Tramel of the Daily Oklahoman delves into Oklahoma University’s deal with Fox Sports to air sports on two of its regional sports networks.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the Packers increased their TV ratings this season.

Bob says Milwaukee did not necessarily rate well for Monday Night Football.

The Chicago Tribune picks up a Variety story that Fox Sports wants to develop original programming that would air after live events.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says the Disney family is interested in buying the Dodgers.

Joshua Myers of the Seattle Times says the MLS’ Sounders have found an analyst for its games, but is still missing a play-by-play man.

Lehia Apana from the Maui (HI) News says Golf Channel’s coverage of this year’s Tournament of Champions has a few new wrinkles.

Sports Media Watch says despite strong numbers, last night’s Detroit-New Orleans drew the NFL’s lowest ratings for a Wild Card Playoff in three years.

SMW says Cincinnati-Houston suffered a precipitous ratings drop from last year’s Saints-Seahawks game.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing reviews Gus Johnson’s first year as top college football man for Fox.

In the Sports Media Watchdog, Mike Silva speculates on who should replace WFAN’s Mike Francesa if he leaves in 2014.

And that will conclude the links for today.

ESPN Networks To Air Over 20 MLS Games

While NBC Sports Group will show most of the MLS TV schedule, the ESPN Family of Networks is jumping in with a total of 21 regular season games, 11 on ESPN2, 9 on ESPN and one exclusively on ESPN Deportes. And while NBC Sports Network and NBC get some postseason action, ESPN will have the penultimate game, the MLS Cup.

We have the schedule plus some details from ESPN in the following press release.

ESPN’s 2012 Major League Soccer Schedule

The 17^th season of Major League Soccer on ESPN will begin Monday, March 12, at 9:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes with the live telecast of the Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union match from PGE Park in Portland, Ore.  The inter-conference matchup will be the culmination of Major League Soccer’s First Kick 2012, a series of nationally televised matches to open the 2012 season-opening week (March 10-12).

Highlights of 2012 MLS season:

• All 21 (11 on ESPN2, nine on ESPN, one exclusively on ESPN Deportes) regular season matches will be available in high definition and carried on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN3 and WatchESPN;
• Top three teams by appearances: current MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy (eight), New York Red Bulls (seven) and Seattle Sounders (six);
• ESPN will televise the only regular season meeting between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, May 5, live from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.;
• Two of the three SuperClásico matches between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, Major League Soccer’s only intra-city rivalry (derby) matches, is exclusively on ESPN networks (Saturday, May 19, at 10:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 12, at 11 p.m.);
• Seven other matches will feature regional rivals – New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in the East; Houston vs. Dallas in Texas; and Seattle vs. Portland in the Northwest;
• The 2012 MLS on ESPN series will include a number of international matches featuring MLS clubs, the MLS All-Star Game, several MLS Cup Playoffs matches and the 2012 MLS Cup (schedule TBD).

ESPN’s 2012 MLS Schedule
(Schedule Subject to Change)

Date	Time (ET)	Match	Networks
Mon, March 12	9:30 p.m.	Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun,  March 25	4 p.m.	New York Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sat, April 7	5 p.m.	Sporting Kansas City vs. Los Angeles Galaxy	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, April 22	6 p.m.	DC United vs. New York Red Bulls	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Fri, May 4	11 p.m.	Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire	ESPN Deportes
Sat, May 5	8 p.m.	Los Angeles Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, May 13	1:30 p.m.	Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sat, May 19	10:30 p.m.	Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles Galaxy	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sat, June 16	5 p.m.	Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, June 24	5 p.m.	Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sat, June 30	10 p.m.	San Jose Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Galaxy	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, July 8	3 p.m.	Chicago Fire vs. Los Angeles Galaxy	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, July 15	4 p.m.	New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sat, July 21	2:30 p.m.	New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, Aug 5	10 p.m.	Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, Aug 12	11 p.m.	Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles Galaxy	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, Aug 26	9 p.m.	Sporting Kansas City vs. New York Red Bulls	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Thu, Sept 20	8 p.m.	Philadelphia Union vs. DC United	ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct  7	9 p.m.	Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct 21	9 p.m.	Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct 28	9 p.m.	Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders	ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes

That will do it.

NBC Sports Group Combines To Show Over 40 MLS Games in 2012

In the first of its three year deal with Major League Soccer, NBC Sports Group is going all out to prove that it can be the home of soccer. A total of 41 games will be aired on NBC/NBC Sports Network. All games will have wraparound pre and postgame programming. Of course, NBC Sports Network will have the bulk of the games, 38 in all. NBC Sports will carry 3 games, the first one won’t be until September 15.

In the postseason, NBC Sports Group will carry five playoff games.

NBC notes that a Pro Soccer Talk blog will begin on its website when MLS season begins. The amount of games aired by the NBC Sports Group is the most by the MLS TV partners.

We have NBC’s press release and its MLS schedule.

NBC SPORTS GROUP KICKS OFF NEW MLS PARTNERSHIP WITH LIVE COVERAGE OF 41 REGULAR-SEASON GAMES IN 2012

NBC Sports Network Coverage of 38 Regular-Season Matches Starts on March 11 with New York Red Bulls vs. FC Dallas; NBC To Broadcast 3 Matches
NBC Sports Group to Present Five MLS Cup Playoff Games

NEW YORK – January 5, 2012 –The NBC Sports Group today announced its plans for the 2012 MLS season, the first under the new three-year media rights partnership, by offering live coverage of 41 regular season matches, the most of any MLS broadcast partner, in addition to five MLS Cup playoff games.

NBC begins its live MLS coverage on Sunday, March 11 when FC Dallas host the New York Red Bulls on the new NBC Sports Network, which will air a total of 38 regular-season games this year. The defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy make seven appearances on NBC Sports Network, including a rematch of MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo on May 26. The LA Galaxy’s first appearance is March 31 as they host the New England Revolution. MLS Cup runners-up Houston Dynamo also appear seven times including the unveiling of their new stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, on May 12 as they host D.C. United.

NBC will broadcast three regular-season games: Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 15, New York vs. Chicago Fire on Oct. 6, and Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls on Oct. 27 – the first game of a tripleheader on the last Saturday of the regular season that includes Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United and Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes on NBC Sports Network. The three matches this season on NBC are the most regular-season MLS games on an English-language broadcast network since 2002.

Highlights of 2012 NBC Sports Group MLS Schedule:

• NBC Sports Group broadcasts 41 games, most of any MLS broadcast partner in 2012;
• Three games on NBC are the most regular-season MLS games on an English-language broadcast network since 2002;
• Rematch of MLS Cup on May 26 – Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy on NBC Sports Network;
• Seven games featuring MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy;
• Opening of BBVA Compass Stadium, the new home of the Houston Dynamo, on May 12 on NBC Sports Network.

NBC SPORTS GROUP 2012 MLS SCHEDULE:

Sunday, March 11 — New York at Dallas, 3:00 PM, NBCSN
Sunday, March 18 — Colorado at Philadelphia, 4:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, March 23 — Houston at Seattle, 10:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, March 30 — Dallas at D.C United, 7:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, March 31 — New England at LA Galaxy, 11:00 PM, NBCSN

Saturday, April 14 — Columbus at Philadelphia, 3:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, April 21 — Chicago at Toronto, 3:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, April 28 — New England at New York, 3:30 PM, NBCSN

Saturday, May 5 — Philadelphia at Seattle, 4:00 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, May 12 — D.C. United at Houston, 4:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, May 26 — LA Galaxy at Houston, 2:30 PM, NBCSN
Sunday, May 27 — San Jose at Sporting KC, 4:30 PM, NBCSN

Sunday, June 17 — New York at Chicago, 5:00 PM, NBCSN
Sunday, June 24 — D.C. United at New York, 7:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, June 29 — Chicago at Sporting KC, 8:00 PM, NBCSN

Saturday, July 7 — Colorado at Seattle, 11:00 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, July 14 — LA Galaxy at Portland, 11:00 PM, NBCSN
Wednesday, July 18 — Real Salt Lake at Seattle, 11:00 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, July 28 — LA Galaxy at Dallas, 8:00 PM, NBCSN
Sunday, July 29 — New England at Philadelphia, 7:00 PM, NBCSN

Friday, August 3 — New York at Houston, 8:00 PM, NBCSN
Sunday August 5 — Dallas at Portland, 7:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, August 10 — Houston at New York, 8:00 PM, NBCSN
Wednesday, August 15 — LA Galaxy at Columbus, 7:00 PM, NBCSN
Sunday, August 19 — Philadelphia at D.C. United, 5:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, August 24 — Real Salt Lake at Philadelphia, 7:30 PM, NBCSN
Sunday, August 26 — Dallas at LA Galaxy, 7:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, August 31 — Colorado at Portland, 10:30 PM, NBCSN

Sunday, September 2 — Chivas USA at San Jose, 9:00 PM, NBCSN
Wednesday, September 5 — Portland at Colorado, 9:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, September 14 — Houston at Sporting KC, 8:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, September 15 — Seattle at Portland, 3:30 PM, NBC
Saturday, September 22 — Portland at Real Salt Lake, 8:00 PM, NBCSN
Friday, September 28 — Chicago at Sporting KC, 8:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, September 29 — Seattle at Vancouver, 9:00 PM, NBCSN

Saturday, October 6 — Chicago at New York, 3:30 PM, NBC
Saturday, October 6 — Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy, 9:00 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, October 20 — Philadelphia at Houston, 7:30 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, October 27 — New York at Philadelphia, 1:30 PM, NBC
Saturday, October 27 — D.C. United at Chicago, 4:00 PM, NBCSN
Saturday, October 27 — San Jose at Portland, 6:30 PM, NBCSN

All games on NBC and NBC Sports Network will consist of pre-game and post-game coverage. The NBC Sports Group will expand upon the successful NBC SportsTalk platform with a Pro SoccerTalk blog that will start with MLS season.

That’s it.

NBC Sports Group Taps Arlo White To Call MLS Games

The NBC Sports Group which will air MLS starting next season will bring in another British ex-pat to call soccer games. Arlo White, the voice of the Seattle Sounders will be the main play-by-play man for NBC Sports Group’s MLS games as well as 7 US Men’s National Team games. For the last two seasons, White was the radio and TV play-by-play man for the Sounders, taking over for Kevin Calabro who called the team’s inaugural season.

White has worked for BBC Radio 5 Live and in addition to calling soccer, has called rugby and cricket plus the Olympics.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about him so I would expect him to call a good game for NBC next season.

Here’s the announcement.

ARLO WHITE TO BE THE VOICE OF NBC SPORTS GROUP’S MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER BROADCASTS

Former Seattle Sounders FC Play-By-Play Voice to Call MLS and Team USA Games on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network Beginning in 2012
NBC & NBC Sports Network to Televise 50 Games per Season, Including Four by U.S. National Team, As Part of New Media Rights Agreement with Major League Soccer Beginning in March 11, 2012

NEW YORK – November 30, 2011 – Arlo White will serve as the play-by-play voice for NBC Sports Group’s coverage of Major League Soccer (MLS), starting with the first broadcast on NBC Sports Network on March 11, 2012, it was announced today.

“Arlo is one of the top voices calling soccer today in the U.S., and we are very excited to have him be the lead play-by-play announcer to launch our new agreement with Major League Soccer,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “I also want to sincerely thank the Seattle Sounders FC ownership for making Arlo available, so he can be the MLS voice for the NBC Sports Group to a national audience.”

White, who spent the last two years as the play-by-play voice for the Seattle Sounders FC of MLS on television and radio, is a native of England. He previously spent nine years with BBC Radio Sport in England where he was part of the BBC Radio 5-Live announcing team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. White also served as a host on BBC Radio 5 Live and hosted the station’s flagship Premier League Football show, Saturday 5 Live Sport, as well as the Monday Night Club alongside BBC football commentator John Motson.

“It is a tremendous honor for me to join the NBC Sports Group, an organization that I have revered from afar for many years,” said White. “I am extremely passionate about the future of Major League Soccer, and this partnership with NBC will provide a huge boost for the sport in the United States. I am very proud to have been called up to play a major role in it.

“I am indebted to the Seattle Sounders FC and the club’s wonderful fans,” White added. “Joe Roth and Adrian Hanauer provided me with an opportunity for which I will always be grateful. It was a privilege to serve as the voice of the Sounders, and I thank the supporters for giving me such a warm welcome.”

From 2002 to 2005, White was part of the 5 Live Breakfast program on the BBC, where he covered, among other events, the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and various Champions League football matches.

The remainder of the NBC Sports Group’s MLS broadcasters will be announced at a later date.

That’s it.