Fang's Bites

A Friday Evening Megalink Thing

Let’s give you some linkage on this Friday. Been a busy day. You deserve some links

The Weekend Viewing Picks provide your sports and entertainment TV watching. And now to your links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand and Mike McCarthy debate whether networks should hire ex-coaches knowing full well they could make news and leave for another job.

ESPN Ombudsman Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute takes the Alleged Worldwide Leader to task for its failure to press the Bernie Fine/Syracuse story and holding a tape for eight years.

Alex Weprin of TVNewser writes that ESPN has hired Bloomberg News sports business reporter Michele Steele.

Over to Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk who has Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid angry at NFL Network for its portrayal of wide receiver DeSean Jackson after last night’s game with Seattle.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News discusses the viewership increase for Thursday Night Football.

Mike writes about the quintet of games that will open the NBA season on Christmas Day.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has an advance clip of a CNN Sunday interview with ESPN Vice President of News Vince Doria speaking about the handling of the Bernie Fine/Syracuse story.

Dan has a very strong promo for the return of the NBA.

Glenn Davis at SportsGrid notes that on the Dan Patrick Show, TNT’s Charles Barkley had some fighting words for notorious sports self-promoter Skip Bayless.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group writes that mobile truck operators are happy to have the NBA back in action.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says while the NBA Lockout has been settled, there’s still a battle that will continue for several years.

Sports Media Watch looks at the NFL ratings for Week 12 for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing looks at the machinations behind a longer Thursday Night Football schedule.

East and Mid-Atlantic

At the Boston Globe, Chad Finn looks at how Twitter broke the Bobby Valentine-to-Boston story and he handicaps the race to replace Heidi Watney as NESN Red Sox reporter.

Howard Beck at the New York Times notes that current NBA players are returning slowly but surely to NBA TV which has been stuck showing games from the 1980′s and early 1990′s.

The New York Post’s Claire Atkinson reports that the NFL is looking for big bucks from NBC to renew the rights to Sunday Night Football.

The Post’s Phil Mushnick wants the networks to stop showing touchdown celebrations.

Brett Cyrgalis of the Post has five questions for ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler.

Newsday’s Neil Best bids adieu to WFAN’s Tracy Burgess who left the Boomer and Carton show today.

Neil looks at ESPN being a stepping stone for coaches who are looking for their next job.

Neil has a quickie review of the ESPN Films documentary on former quarterback Todd Marinovich.

And Neil notes that local football players aren’t making news on social networks, but the old fashioned way… on radio.

Bob’s Blitz has pictures of Tracy Burgess’ last day at WFAN.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Fox is trying to get the word out that it’s back in the college football business.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says Chris Herren, the subject of ESPN Films’ Unguarded documentary, will be in town to talk about his battle with addiction.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has the latest Baltimore/Washington DC sports media news in this week’s Press Box.

In the DC Sports Bog at the Washington Post, Dan Steinberg tells us what happened to local sports radio host John Riggins who’s been missing as of late.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Fox Sports’ Gus Johnson and Charles Davis about calling back-to-back conference championship games on successive nights.

South

David Barron in the Houston Chronicle talks with NFL on Fox sideline analyst Tony Siragusa who will be part of the crew calling the Atlanta-Texans game on Sunday.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman talks with ESPN college football analyst Todd Blackledge who will call the annual Bedlam game.

Mel says Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster are pulling double duty this weekend.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that Time Warner Cable will be busy with local high school football this weekend.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that the Detroit Lions have received more national media attention whether it’s deserved or not.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley has Fox’s Charles Davis talking about Wisconsin running Montee Ball’s Heisman Trophy chances.

Bob says NASCAR races will be airing on a different Milwaukee radio station next year.

In Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman has his weekly winners and losers.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says it’s going to be a busy weekend for Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster on Fox.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says St. Louis University may be a rising college basketball program, but it hasn’t translated to more national exposure.

West

John Maffei of the North County Times says local Cox subscribers will be able to see Time Warner Cable’s coverage of the state high school football championships this weekend.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says the Pac-12 Championship won’t be the showcase that Fox had in mind.

Jim says the SEC Championship will have BCS National Championship Game implications like it always does.

Jim has his weekend viewing picks.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Fox is doing its best to sell a less than stellar Pac-12 Championship Game matchup.

Tom has what didn’t make his column in his blog.

Tom says the new Los Angeles Dodgers radio flagship will hire former manager Kevin Kennedy as a postgame host.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail gleefully points out that Don Cherry’s Coach’s Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada is drawing lower ratings than in the past.

And that’s going to do it for our linkage tonight.

Churning Out The Tuesday Links

Early evening again. Let’s do some linkage here.

The Poynter Institute’s Jason Fry writes an article as the ESPN Ombudsman on how whiskey maker Jameson’s got stuck sponsoring the ESPN Films “Unguarded” documentary on addict Chris Herren.

Michael Bradley writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center looks at a new e-book from Dallas Mavericks owner and social media maven Mark Cuban.

Tony Barnhart, a.k.a. “Mr. College Football”, writes a tribute to the late voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, Larry Munson at CBSSports.com.

Peter Schrager at Esquire talks with Baltimore sportscaster Gerry Sandusky, who’s often confused with the accused Penn State child molester.

At the Hollywood Reporter, Georg Szalai writes that the NBA lockout really didn’t effect the cable networks’ in the third quarter of this year.

Lacey Rose from the Reporter talks with Captain Blowhard about his Grantland site and a few other things that people really don’t care about.

One more from the Reporter, Gary Baum says Hollywood is taking sides for this weekend’s USC-UCLA game. Whatever.

Brian Steinberg at Advertising Age tells us how the ads for Super Bowl XLVI on NBC are shaping up.

Dan Hirschhorn of Ad Age says the networks are now hoping to poach NBA advertisers in the wake of the lockout.

Jon Lafayette of Broadcasting & Cable notes the plan of succession for ESPN Dictator George Bodenheimer is now in place and will take in effect on New Year’s Day.

John Eggerton at B&C says NBC Sports Network gets into boxing next year.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes that NASCAR’s season finale got a big rating for ESPN.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek writes about NBC Sports and the NHL teaming up for a new event hoping that it will be as successful as the Winter Classic.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes a new poll which shows that former Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s reputation has been ruined most likely for good.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the NFL is not as dependent on New York for ratings as the other sports leagues.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union has the NFL Week 12 TV schedule for the Capital Region.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Time Warner Cable will air local high school football championships this weekend.

Ken says MSG Network airs some college hockey on Saturday.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner talks about NBA TV’s new show that premieres tonight.

Jim says the Big East could become a coast-to-coast conference.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle writes about the ESPN chain of succession.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says as expected, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State drew big local ratings over the weekend.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says try not to get too excited over Fox’s Galloping Gobbler Award.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business talks with an NBA agent who’s making due during the lockout.

Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that BYU’s TV contract is the main holdup for the school’s entry to the Big East.

Helene Elliot from the Los Angeles Times looks at the potential aftermath of the Dodgers ownership sale.

Sports Media Watch says ESPN’s NASCAR ratings went up this year.

Christopher Byrne of Eye on Sports Media has some thoughts on the passing of Georgia football announcer Larry Munson.

That’s going to be it.

NBA TV To Premiere New Programming On Tuesday

Without any live games to air due to the lockout, NBA TV can only go so far showing classic games from the 1970′s through 1994 and movies like “Teen Wolf”. So starting Tuesday, it’ll premiere a new studio show named, “Open Court” hosted by Ernie Johnson, Jr. and featuring several of the Turner Sports NBA analysts including Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr and Shaquille O’Neal.

All will talk about their experiences playing in the NBA and tell stories that will make us laugh, cry, sneer and spit. Ok, maybe not sneer and spit, but you get the idea.

Open Court will be a six part series and will focus on various topics. The programs will aired from the Turner Sports studios in Atlanta. They will air at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesdays.

We have the synopsis of the series from NBA TV and Turner Sports.

NBA TV To Debut Original Six-Part Series, Open Court, Nov. 22

Roundtable discussion to feature NBA TV, TNT participants Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Chris Webber

NBA TV has announced a six-part original series entitled Open Court, which will feature NBA and basketball stories, opinions and colorful commentary from a cross section of elite NBA announcers, featuring NBA Champions, NBA All-Stars and Olympic Gold Medalists. The first episode will debut on NBA TV on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 9:00 p.m. ET following NBA TV’s Game Time which airs at 7:00 p.m. ET. Each additional Open Court episode will air weekly on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

The series will be moderated by Emmy® Award winning studio host Ernie Johnson and will feature Charles Barkley, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith, Chris Webber, and the newest member of the TNT Studio team, Shaquille O’Neal.

Open Court is produced by Turner Sports and will take place on a custom built set at NBA TV’s Atlanta studios. These basketball greats will share their personal stories, pressure moments, expertise and thoughts on other NBA stars while showcasing their unique and unforgettable memories. The six episodes will be titled:

Open Court: Tallest Tales of the NBA (November 22)
Open Court: My Generation (November 29)
Open Court: Curious Tales of the NBA (December 6)
Open Court: Pressurized Tales of the NBA (December 13)
Open Court: Head Games and Fame (December 20)
Open Court: Curtain Calls and Loose Balls (December 20 following Open Court: Head Games and Fame)

Video clip from Open Court

“Open Court is a perfect fit with our original programming strategy to create high-quality entertaining content that celebrates basketball’s rich history and can be used across NBA Digital’s linear and digital assets,” said Christina Miller, SVP and general manager, NBA Digital. “This new series highlights NBA TV and TNT’s incredible talent roster who through a series of roundtable discussions share their amazing experiences in and around the game they love with our audience.”

“The opportunity to gather in a casual setting the expertise, personalities and championship persona of our NBA announcers will provide for an extremely entertaining and informative series,” said Jeff Behnke, executive producer/senior vice president, Turner Sports. “To have these seven elite players together will give the fans and viewers six compelling hours of opinions and humor.”

NBA TV provides premium original programming that complements its line-up of NBA, WNBA and international basketball games. Previous NBA TV’s roundtables have included NBA Roundtable: 1980’s Dallas Mavericks; NBA Roundtable: Stars of the ‘90’s; WNBA Roundtable: Generations; and Run TMC: The Power of 3. The network has also featured critically-acclaimed documentaries including Rodman Revealed; Big Game James: The James Worthy Story; 24 Hours with Cappie Poindexter, and The Wayman Tisdale Story.

Highlights from the Open Court series:

Miller, whose brother Darrell played for the California Angels for five years, on playing in the Major Leagues: “I grew up a huge baseball player. I was an All-World pitcher…I could play Major League Baseball TODAY. I could be an outfielder.”
Webber: “What would be your average, though?”
Miller: “.250 and I would make $100 million. I’m not a home-run hitter; just get on-base and steal.”

Shaq on who in the NBA will be upset from what is in his new book ‘Shaq Uncut’: “We all can’t tell everything, but stuff that’s already been said, I am just reflecting back on it. I may take a little jab here and there but it’s nothing personal. But I ain’t hard to find. I’ll be here every Wednesday and Thursday (for NBA TV, TNT).”

Barkley on how Julius “Dr. J” Erving mentored him as a rookie “One of the big problems in the NBA today is I don’t think they have enough older guys on these teams. I think every NBA team should have an older guy. How did Doc help me? Doc sent me shopping. He said, ‘Son, you’re a grown ass man. A grown man can’t wear warm-ups through the airports all the time. He took me shopping. He bought me suits.”

That will do it.

Back For Monday’s Linkage

After not being able to provide linkage for a few days, let’s get back to it. I probably won’t be able to do the links as I have to undergo a medical procedure. Nothing serious. I should be back on Wednesday.

Let’s do your links.

Sports Business Daily looks over the reviews of ESPN’s handling of Penn State’s first game since the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke.

Tripp Mickle and John Ourand at Sports Business Journal say YouTube is now entering the sports media rights landscape.

Tripp says Versus will air over 30 hours of action sports programming as NBC Sports retakes ownership of the Dew Tour

Jason Belzer and Darren Heitner of Collegiate Sports Advisors write in Sports Business Journal that colleges and universities should not force a social media blackout on their student-athletes.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy says the NFL pregame show analysts either praised or criticized Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson depending on their former positions.

Mike writes Saturday’s Nebraska-Penn State game got higher ratings for ESPN.

Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable says a quick knockout in Fox’s airing of its first UFC bout wasn’t as bad as originally thought.

At Yahoo! Sports, Maggie Hendricks reviews Fox’s first production of a UFC card.

Dave Meltzer of Yahoo says UFC on Fox delivered a ratings punch.

At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski tells us what the NHL’s hiring of Ross Greenburg, formerly of HBO Sports, will mean for the league.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that Saturday’s Manny Pacquaio-Juan Manuel Marquez might have set up a big payday for the Pacman to fight Floyd Mayweather on pay per view next year.

Mike says NFL Network received the most viewers ever for a Thursday Night Football season opener.

Michael O’Connell of the Hollywood Reporter says Sunday Night Football won the ratings for NBC.

The Reporter notes that several advertisers have pulled their ads from upcoming Penn State football games on ESPN’s networks.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life says sports continues to draw viewers on what normally are dead Saturday nights.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid says Gus Johnson was being Gus when USC pulled off a fake punt during its game against Washington on Saturday.

Sports Video Group says NBC will air the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials later this year.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has what former Penn State coach Joe Paterno should have said last week.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at UFC on Fox’s preliminary ratings.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post feels it’s hard to love college football.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 11 NFL TV schedule for the Capital Region.

Pete says Time Warner Cable will carry all local high school football regional playoff games.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record writes that Versus and HDNet will combine for a Thanksgiving holiday college basketball tournament.

Deborah Ann Tripoldi of the Nutley (NJ) Sun writes that Friend of Fang’s Bites Tina Cervasio was inducted into a local Hall of Fame.

Laura Nachman says a Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reporter is now engaged.

The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News has the remarks of ESPN’s Jon Ritchie about accused child molester Jerry Sandusky. Ritchie grew up near Penn State.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun is still not a fan of CBS’ Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf especially when they call Ravens games.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with an official with NCAA.com about the streaming of over 20 championships.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times says ESPN got the job done for Nebraska-Penn State on Saturday.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle says Texans fans wanting to watch yesterday’s game against the Bucs in the Rio Grande Valley of the Lone Star State were SOL.

Fang’s Bites welcomes back Jerry Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News as we have not linked to him in a very long time. Jerry reports on a sudden switch on the local CBS affiliate that left Cowboys fans angry.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes that the ESPN on ABC crew assigned to Texas Tech-Oklahoma State had plenty of time to fill.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that ESPN’s Monday Night Football open for tonight’s Packers-Vikings game will honor the military.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business writes that the Big Ten Conference has removed Joe Paterno’s name from its championship trophy.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a lengthy conversation with embattled Cardinals TV voice Dan McLaughlin about his two drunken driving arrests.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post talks with a local news anchor who would like to return to his old sports roots.

Sad story out of Reno, NV as KTVN sports anchor JK Metzker died Sunday after being hit by a car. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.

Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal rememebers Metzker as a friend outside of the newsroom.

Lenita Powers of the Gazette-Journal says Metzker was loved in the local market.

Powers writes that KTVN canceled its newscasts on Sunday to grieve over Metzker’s death.

KTVN meteorologist Mike Alger says Metzker was a true friend.

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

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says UFC isn’t leaving the sports landscape anytime soon.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says it’s time for the NHL to have a Red Zone Channel. I agree.

Sports Media Watch says NBA TV will premiere a new roundtable discussion program as the 2011-12 season looks more in doubt.

SMW says ABC’s Saturday Night Football received a record ratings low opposite LSU-Alabama on CBS.

The Big Lead has NBC’s Al Michaels talking the Penn State story with Sirius XM’s Howard Stern.

And we’ll leave it there. Lots of links for you to digest today.

Doing A Few Sunday Links

Let’s some linkage on this Sunday.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that the NBA lockout has forced the cancellation of the rest of its November games forcing ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and regional sports networks to fill huge programming holes.

Michael Malone at Multichannel notes that some Hawaiian viewers lost part of Thursday’s Game 6 of the World Series due to a transmission error with Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

Zak Keefer at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center recaps a lecture given to students by ESPN Sr. VP for Print and Digital Media Rob King.

Dan Fogarty from SportsGrid notes that the ESPN Sign Police failed to do their job during yesterday’s College GameDay.

The Dan Patrick Show has some more signs that slipped through the Sign Police that referred to the show’s #occupygameday effort.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin has video of some possibly drunk Steelers fans bombing Albert Breer’s live shot on NFL Network today.

Phil Swann at TV Predictions looks at DirecTV’s FCC complaint over Fox’s ads regarding their carriage dispute which is fast approaching Tuesday’s drop dead date.

And Phil says now DirecTV has been caught lying.

SportsFans.org have a column in the Business Insider Sports Page criticizing the DirecTV/Fox dispute.

Dave Wedge of the Boston Herald interviews former NBA star Chris Herren, the subject of ESPN Films’ latest documentary.

Alexander Soule at the Fairfield County (CT) Business Journal writes about NBC Sports’ move to Stamford, CT.

Martin B. Cassidy of the Stamford (CT) Advocate says NBC Sports coming to town will be beneficial for neighboring businesses.

Stuart Elliot of the New York Times notes that a new scripted series on ESPN Deportes will have many  products woven into the storyline making for a lot of product placement.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer taking on his second career as a broadcaster.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post gets on Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News reports that the Yankees have signed a new deal to remain on WCBS for another season.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union has late, breaking news from CBS’ Bill Cowher.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner feels the Big East has some options even as other conferences are picking on its bones.

Gary Smits of the Florida Times-Union says golf’s ratings are up across the board this fall.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times speaks with former Florida State QB and current ESPNU analyst Danny Kanell.

David Knox from the Birmingham (AL) News talks with CBS Sports Network analyst Rich Rodriguez.

The Daily Oklahoman reports that the long-time voice of the Oklahoma Sooners, Bob Barry has passed away.

Jim Benson at the Bloomington (IN) Pantagraph feels Lee Corso adds laughs to ESPN’s College GameDay.

Robert Feder at TimeOut Chicago says popular local sportscaster Paula Faris is leaving at the end of the year to become an anchor with ABC News.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Game 7 of the World Series drew big ratings for Fox both nationally and locally.

Dan also has a ratings chart for the entire World Series for this year.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that Lee Corso did a tree dance on College GameDay.

Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times looks at a new genre of sports movies which includes ESPN’s “Unguarded” that premieres on Tuesday.

Sports Media Watch notes that the ratings for the World Series ended being up from last year.

SMW looks at the World Series Game 7′s ratings from Friday.

Joe Favorito says two events, Pro Bull Riding and the New York City Marathon need to tap into their fanbases who can’t attend live in person.

And we’ll end the linkage there.

Turner Sports Statement On The NBA Lockout

With the cancellation of the first two weeks of the regular season and the loss of 18 nationally televised games on ESPN, NBA TV and TNT, the NBA’s TV partners will now have to look for replacement programming. As we noted yesterday, ABC, ESPN and TNT will lose ad revenue in the wake of its highest rated postseason in the spring.

Turner Sports has issued a statement on the cancellation of six games on TNT in the first two weeks of the regular season:

Turner Sports NBA Lockout Statement:
Like NBA fans our hope is that a favorable resolution is reached for both sides. We believe in the strength of the NBA brand and hope for an outcome that preserves as much of the 2011-12 season as possible.

Right now, Turner is in a holding pattern. Being the operator of NBA TV and producing games for TNT, this is a big hit. We’ll see how long this goes and what type of hit the NBA takes in losing games for possibly the entire 2011-12 season.

BREAKING NEWS: NBA Cancels 1st Two Weeks of 2011-12 Regular Season

Just announced by NBA Commissioner David Stern, the league has canceled the first two weeks of the regular season after it could not reach an agreement with the NBA Players Association. The two sides had been negotiating throughout the weekend but according to CNBC’s Darren Rovell, are still far apart.

This marks the second time the NBA has canceled regular season games. Back in 1998-99, the NBA lost half of its season due to a lockout that lasted into January.

Stern is threatening to cut more games the longer the impasse between the league and the players union continues.

The league has issued the following statement:

“Like all NBA fans, we’re disappointed the season will not start on time. We remain hopeful this will get resolved quickly.”

Players Association President Derek Fisher says:

“I continue to believe that we’ve been more than fair and reasonable in our approach.

“We’ve been more than fair and reasonable. To be here at this point is disappointing, but this is what we anticipated.

“This is not just about dollars and cents for players. It’s about a system for our guys to operate under.”

The cancellation particularly effects league TV partners ESPN, NBA TV and TNT as all three had previously announced their schedules.

Here are the nationally televised games that have been lost thus far.

GAMES LOST TO THE LOCKOUT

ESPN

NBA TV

TNT

We’ll hear more on Tuesday and I’ll link to the stories as they come in.

NBA TV Begins WNBA Playoff Coverage on Friday

ESPN2 starts its WNBA postseason coverage today and then on Friday, it will be NBA TV’s turn to air some playoff action as the league-owned channel will have playoff doubleheaders both on Friday and Saturday.

NBA TV airs games both all four Conference semifinals as they’re all a Best of Three series. Here’s the announcement from NBA TV.

NBA TV Tips Off Live Coverage of the WNBA Conference Semifinals on Friday, Sept. 16

WNBA Roundtable: Generations featuring WNBA stars Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Cappie Pondexter and Taj McWilliams-Franklin to Premiere Thursday, Sept. 15.

NBA TV begins its live coverage of the WNBA Conference Semifinals starting Friday, Sept. 16, with Game #1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup between the 2010 Eastern Conference Champion Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. (ET). Game #1 of the Western Conference Semifinals follows with the San Antonio Silver Stars taking on the overall top seeded Minnesota Lynx at 9 p.m. (ET).

On Saturday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. ET, Tamika Catchings and the Indiana Fever will take on Cappie Pondexter and the New York Liberty in Game #2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup. In addition, the defending WNBA Champion Seattle Storm will meet the Phoenix Mercury for Game #2 of a Western Conference Semifinal matchup beginning at 10 p.m. ET. NBA TV also will present Game #3 of one of the Conference Semifinals, if necessary.

Following each Playoff game, NBA TV will air the WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show hosted by Rick Kamla and analysts LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott. In addition to various in-studio guests, the postgame show will highlight players, stories and news that develops during the Playoffs.

Prior to the network’s extensive WNBA postseason coverage, NBA TV will premiere “WNBA Roundtable: Generations,” on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute special will feature four players that have spanned the history of the league – 2011 No. 1 overall draft selection Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx; 2011 All-Star Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun;two-time WNBA Champion Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty; and seven-time All-Star and WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin of the Minnesota Lynx.

During the special, each player will share their draft day memories and discuss their basketball idols, as well as the state of the league, while also recognizing each other’s accomplishments.  As the WNBA Playoffs are set to get underway, the players will also talk about winning titles and responding to postseason pressure.

Click the link to view a trailer of WNBA Roundtable:Generations.
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2011/09/13/20110913_wnba_roundtable_trailer.nba

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.	WNBA Roundtable: Generations
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.	WNBA Playoffs: Atlanta Dream @ Connecticut Sun
9:00 – 11:00 p.m.	WNBA Playoffs: San Antonio Silver Stars @ Minnesota Lynx
11:00– 11:30p.m.	WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show	Rick Kamla, LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
4:00 -  6:00  p.m	WNBA Playoffs: Indiana Fever @ New York Liberty
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.	WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show	Rick Kamla, LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott
10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.	WNBA Playoffs: Seattle Storm @ Phoenix Mercury
12:00 – 12:30 a.m.	WNBA Playoffs Postgame Show	Rick Kamla, LaChina Robinson and Dennis Scott

That’s all.

Vince Cellini Rejoins Turner Sports As NBA TV & NCAA.com Host

This in from our friends at Turner Sports, former CNN Sports Tonight anchor Vince Cellini returns to Turner Sports to be a multiplatform host. For traditional media, he’ll join NBA TV and host NBA GameTime. For new media, Vince will host a college football show for NCAA.com as well as continuing as a host for NASCAR.com.

Vince joined Turner back in 1989 and became one of CNN Sports Tonight’s most popular anchors. He was given his own show on CNN, Calling All Sports in 1994 where he was notorious for cutting off callers and refusing to talk about certain subjects (“It’s my show”).

From 2003 through 2009, Vince was a host on Golf Channel including being co-hosting “Big Break” with the lovely Stephanie Sparks. Since leaving Golf Channel, Vince has been doing various hosting stints for Turner and now is back full-time. Here’s the press release from Turner Sports announcing Cellini’s return.

Vince Cellini Joins Turner Sports as Regular Host for NBA TV and New NCAA.com Online Show

Long-time sports broadcaster Vince Cellini will return to Turner Sports as a full-time host for NBA TV and serve in a similar capacity for a collection of online programs across Turner Sports’ digital properties, including a new college football preview show on NCAA.com.  Beginning September 1, Cellini will serve as the host of NBA TV’s live studio show, GameTime. In addition to his work on NBA TV, Cellini will host the new NCAA.com College Football Preview Show with analyst Dave Archer, as well as continue his role as host for the NASCAR Preview Show delivered by FedEx Racing and Fantasy Showdown on NASCAR.COM.

“The addition of Vince brings added depth, experience and knowledge about the NBA to our already strong lineup on NBA TV,” said Albert “Scooter” Vertino, vice president of content, NBA Digital. “We are excited to have Vince back with the Turner family.”

Cellini is a veteran of the Turner Sports team. In 1989, he worked for CNN Sports.  During his tenure, he co-hosted CNN Sports Tonight, hosted a late night program Calling All Sports from 1994-95 and NBA on TBS in 1995. In 1996, Cellini received a Cable ACE Award for hosting CNN Sports Tonight. He also worked on CNN and was alongside news anchor Carol Lin at the CNN Center during the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Cellini will join Turner’s roster of hosts including Ernie Johnson, Matt Winer and Rick Kamla on the league’s 24-hour network. He joined NBA TV in 2010 as a guest host on GameTime.  In addition to his guest host duties for NBA-TV, Cellini also co-hosted Sports South’s Hawks Live, the pre-and post-game show for the Atlanta Hawks during the 2010-11 season. In 2003-09, Cellini also was a host for The Golf Channel.

Cellini began his career as a sports anchor and reporter at Cleveland’s WJW-TV and hosted a sports talk radio show on WWWE Radio in Cleveland.  He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.

And we’re finished with this post.

The Friday Night Megalinks

I’ve been to Newton, MA and back, South Kingstown, RI and back and all over my hometown of North Kingstown, RI and all of this today. It’s time to do the megalinks and get them all done in one sitting.

There’s the Weekend Viewing Picks for your sports and entertainment programming.

National

Sports Business Daily goes over the UFC/Fox agreement that will put four live MMA events on network TV and plenty of ancillary programming on Fox’s cable networks.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand writes that Fox Sports Media Group El Presidente Por Vida David Hill has done an about face on airing Mixed Martial Arts.

Sergio Non of USA Today writes that UFC will revamp its shows when they move from Spike and Versus to Fox’s networks.

Sergio has those who will take part in the first UFC on Fox card in November.

Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that the success of the UFC on Fox all depends on whether the sport can have a breakout star.

Dave Meltzer at Yahoo! says UFC President Dana White couldn’t be happier in making this deal with Fox.

Also from Yahoo!, Kevin Iole says it will be the fighters who will benefit the most from the new UFC on Fox contract.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser has Spike announcing that the new season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter will be the last on its airwaves, naturally.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek looks into the particulars of the UFC on Fox deal.

Bill Cromwell of Media Life Magazine writes that the Fox contract gives UFC some instant mainstream credibility.

There will be more UFC on Fox stories sprinkled throughout the megalinks. Let’s move on to other stories now.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman wonders if Showtime’s “The Franchise” is bringing down the San Francisco Giants this season.

Georg Szalai of the Reporter reports that Comcast has withdrawn a lawsuit against DirecTV over an ad campaign for NFL Sunday Ticket.

David Goetzl of MediaPost notes that DirecTV plans to expand its fantasy offerings for NFL Sunday Ticket.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News looks at Versus/NBC Sports Network’s new exclusive NHL night in the first year of its new 10 year contract with the league.

Andrew McMains of Adweek looks at a new inspiring web video produced for the US Olympic Committee.

All Access says the ESPN Radio affiliate in Minnesota’s Twin Cities has chosen the hosts for its midday show.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy explores which teams won and lost in the new NHL TV schedules.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser writes that former voice of the North Carolina Tar Heels, Woody Durham, will be honored for his contributions to college football.

The Big Lead wonders if Jay Bilas is the most respected voice at ESPN.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid investigates how former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell managed to appear to appear on the Dan Patrick Show and the Colin Cowherd Show at the same time.

And Tim presents the Atlanta Braves’ Shake Cam and how it can make fans a bit too excited.

Sports Media Watch says the U-20 World Cup is scoring for Galavision.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has a look at some interesting sports media typos.

Matt shows us how the Baseball Tonight crew had trouble demonstrating its new touchscreen.

Joe Favorito looks at what’s new with professional lacrosse.

Patrick Stafford of Smart Company in Australia speaks with the owner of Footytips.com about how he sold his site to ESPN.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says the limited classic programming on NBA TV during the current league lockout can only take the channel so far.

Sox & Dawgs has the video of NESN’s Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy wearing chicken hats in the booth.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes on how regional sports networks have increasing power and money to be a game changer for some professional teams.

Richard looks at the UFC on Fox deal that puts Mixed Martial Arts into the mainstream.

Dan Levin from the Times has a good story on how some athletes in Communist China are trying to buck their archaic system.

Mark DeCambre of the New York Post notes that the new Meadowlands Stadium now will have a sponsor when the new NFL season begins.

Justin Terranova in the Post looks at how Fordham University was a training ground for several NYC announcers.

Justin has five questions for SNY Jets analyst Anthony Becht.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes about Fox signing UFC for seven years.

Pete says local sports anchor Andrew Catalon’s call of tonight’s Browns-Lions game will be seen on NFL Network this weekend.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says a local radio station will air a full high school football schedule.

Ken says the NBC Sports Group is increasing its commitment to horse racing this fall.

And Ken writes that a new local sports radio talk show will be debuting soon.

To Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record who says the New York Rangers will be featured extensively on the national NHL TV schedules.

Crossing Broad has the audio of Philadelphia’s sports radio station WIP announcement that it’s taking over WYSP’s FM frequency killing off a heritage rock station.

Dan Gross of the Philadelphia Daily News says ‘YSP staffers were melancholy about CBS Radio’s announcement killing off the station.

Jeff Wolfe of the Delaware County Times writes about WIP’s displacement of WYSP just as the rocker’s ratings were increasing.

Mike White in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says two local high school games hit the ESPN family of networks this fall.

Shelly Anderson of the Post-Gazette says the Penguins TV announcing crew will return for another season.

In the Baltimore Sun, David Zurawik explains where Ravens fans can find the team on TV and radio.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that the Ravens did extremely well in the ratings in both Baltimore and Washington, DC in their NFL preseason opener.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with DC NFL Team radio voice Larry Michael.

And Jim writes that the Washington Capitals will have plenty of appearances on NBC/Versus (NBC Sports Network).

Mike Madden in the Washington City Paper says the local sports anchor is becoming a thing of the past.

Keith Loria of the Fairfax (VA) Times says native Lindsay Czarniak is about to make her debut on ESPN.

South

The Charleston (WV) Gazette notes that Root Sports Pittsburgh will carry some West Virginia and Marshall programming.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Bob Griese will be joining the Miami Dolphins radio broadcast team replacing the late Jim Mandich.

Andy Kent of the Miami Dolphins website has Griese’s thoughts about joining the broadcast team and also sharing thoughts about Mandich.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times has some thoughts on the UFC/Fox deal, the Little League World Series on TV and CBS’ production of the PGA Championship.

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel says Yahoo! Sports does a better job of investigating college sports than the NCAA.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that Saturday’s US National Gymnastics championships get a network primetime slot.

Mike Finger and Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News says the Longhorn Network hasn’t given up on airing high school football games in one form or another.

The Daily Oklahoman’s Mel Bracht looks at UFC getting a big payday from Fox.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with NBC’s Cris Collinsworth who’s going into his third season as Sunday Night Football analyst.

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal now knows why DirecTV was so willing to give him a free subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket after learning that the service will be offered to Sony Playstation 3 owners.

The Grand Rapids (MI) Press’ Michael Zuidema notes that a Big Ten Network analyst feels Nebraska is a perfect fit for the conference.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is amazed at ESPN’s ever-expanding army of NFL analysts and mountain of NFL programming.

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

Scott Dochterman in the Iowa City Gazette says NFL Network has picked up Mediacom for cable subscribers in the Hawkeye State.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says it’s not known which network will air the October 15th contest between BYU and Oregon State.

Dick Harmon of the Deseret (UT) News speaks with BYUtv’s Executive Director in a lengthy interview. Part I of which is here. Read Part II here.

Larry Bohannan at the Desert (CA) Sun says there’s evidence of not much live golf shown in a PGA Tour telecast.

John Maffei of the North County Times weighs the pros and cons of airing the Little League World Series.

In the Ventura County Star, Jim Carlisle looks at the contrasting opinions that John and Patrick McEnroe had on the state of American tennis on HBO’s Real Sports this week.

Jim explores the UFC on Fox deal.

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times says Fox paid a pretty penny to get UFC into the fold.

Meg James of the Times also writes about the UFC on Fox deal.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says when it came down to it, Fox didn’t have much of a choice but to sign UFC.

Tom says one sidebar to the UFC on Fox deal is the fact that Fox Sports Radio will also air MMA events.

Tom writes that former Dodgers radio voice Ross Porter has found his latest gig, calling high school sports online.

Canada

The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin feels TSN Radio isn’t getting the job done.

The Winnipeg Free Press notes that the Jets will get 22 games aired on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.

And the number of links today are hearken back to the first two years of this blog. Lots of links. That’s it.

2011-12 NBA TV Schedule

Again, all of this is moot if the NBA lockout wipes out any part or all of the season.

NBA TV 2011-12 Regular Season Schedule To Feature 96 Live NBA Games

Network’s Comprehensive Coverage to Include Return of NBA TV’s Fan Night every Tuesday

NBA TV will present 96 live NBA games during the 2011-12 regular season. The schedule is highlighted by the return, for the fourth consecutive year, of the network’s popular Fan Night, in which fans have the opportunity to vote on NBA.com for the games they want to see televised nationally on NBA TV every Tuesday night during the season.

The season is scheduled to tip off on NBA TV on Saturday, Nov. 5, when the Oklahoma City Thunder takes on the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks (8:30 p.m. ET).

NBA TV’s Fan Night studio team will return with host Ernie Johnson and analyst Chris Webber. With former Fan Night analyst and Hall of Famer Kevin McHale taking the head coaching position with the Houston Rockets, a new analyst will be named to join Johnson and Webber at a later date.  Fan Night voting is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Nov. 1 to select the first match-up of the season that is set to air on Election Night, on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

In addition to NBA TV’s full slate of games, fans can watch games on NBA Digital’s full suite of NBA LEAGUE PASS subscription products, including: NBA LEAGUE PASS with up to 40 live out-of-market NBA games on TV each week, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband for fans to watch online and NBA LEAGUE PASS Mobile for on-the-go access on mobile devices. All products feature live and on demand out-of-market games, highlights, scores and stats. Early bird offers will be available prior to the start of the season on NBA.com.

Key matchups on the NBA TV schedule this season include:

• Monday, Dec. 5, 2011: The Boston Celtics visit the L.A. Clippers in the City of Angels (10:30 p.m. ET).

• Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012: The New York Knicks meet the New Jersey Nets (7:30 p.m. ET) in a matchup of Hudson River rivals.

• Monday, Jan. 16, 2012: NBA TV celebrates MLK Day when it presents the Toronto Raptors against Atlanta Hawks (4:00 p.m. ET).

• Monday, Jan. 23, 2012: A matchup between 2011 NBA championship contenders features the Magic vs. the Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET).

• Monday, March 5, 2012: The Mavericks meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the 2011 Western Conference Finals. (8:00 p.m. ET).

• Sunday, March 25, 2012: The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat travel from South Beach to face the Thunder (1:00 p.m. ET).

Also appearing on NBA TV throughout the season are hosts Ernie, Johnson, Matt Winer, Ahmad Rashad, Rick Kamla, Vince Cellini analysts Chris Webber, Brent Barry, Steve Smith, and Dennis Scott and NBA Insider David Aldridge. TNT’s newest addition, Shaquille O’Neal, along with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello, and Cheryl Miller also will make select appearances on NBA TV throughout the season.

NBA TV 2011-12 NBA REGULAR SEASON TELECAST SCHEDULE
Subject to change/All Times Eastern

November
Nov. 5	Saturday	8:30 PM	Oklahoma City @ Dallas Mavericks
Nov. 6	Sunday	8:00 PM	Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns
Nov. 7	Monday	9:00 PM	Cleveland Cavaliers @ Denver Nuggets
Nov. 8	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Nov. 11	Friday	7:00 PM	Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers
Nov. 12	Saturday	7:30 PM	Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks
Nov. 12	Saturday	10:00 PM	Detroit Pistons @ Portland Trail Blazers
Nov. 14	Monday	8:00 PM	Sacramento Kings @ Memphis Grizzlies
Nov. 15	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Nov. 19	Saturday	10:30 PM	Chicago Bulls @ L.A. Clippers
Nov. 21	Monday	8:30 PM	Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs
Nov. 22	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Nov. 26	Saturday	10:30 PM	Utah Jazz @ Golden State Warriors
Nov. 27	Sunday	9:00 PM	Charlotte Bobcats @ Sacramento Kings
Nov. 28	Monday	7:30 PM	Washington Wizards @ New York Knicks
Nov. 29	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Nov. 30	Wednesday	8:00 PM	San Antonio Spurs @ Chicago Bulls
Nov. 30	Wednesday	10:30 PM	Oklahoma City Thunder @ Golden State Warriors
December
Dec. 5	Monday	7:00 PM	Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers
Dec. 5	Monday	10:30 PM	Boston Celtics @ L.A. Clippers
Dec. 6	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Dec. 10	Saturday	8:30 PM	Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets
Dec. 11	Sunday	7:30 PM	Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics
Dec. 12	Monday	8:30 PM	Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks
Dec. 17	Saturday	7:30 PM	L.A. Clippers @ New York Knicks
Dec. 18	Sunday	7:00 PM	Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Dec. 19	Monday	7:00 PM	New Orleans Hornets @ Washington Wizards
Dec. 20	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Dec. 21	Wednesday	7:30 PM	Utah Jazz @ New York Knicks
Dec. 21	Wednesday	9:00 PM	Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
Dec. 26	Monday	8:30 PM	Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs
Dec. 27	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Dec. 28	Wednesday	7:00 PM	Indiana Pacers @ Toronto Raptors
January
Jan. 3	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Jan. 4	Wednesday	8:00 PM	Indiana Pacers @ Chicago Bulls
		10:30 PM	Houston Rockets @ L.A. Clippers
Jan. 5	Thursday	9:00 PM	Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz
Jan. 7	Saturday	7:30 PM	New York Knicks @ New Jersey Nets
Jan. 9	Monday	7:30 PM	Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics
Jan. 10	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Jan. 14	Saturday	9:00 PM	New Jersey Nets @ Utah Jazz
Jan. 16	Monday	4:00 PM	Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks
Jan. 17	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Jan. 21	Saturday	8:00 PM	Dallas Mavericks @ New Orleans Hornets
Jan. 23	Monday	7:30 PM	Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics
Jan. 24	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Jan. 24	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Jan. 25	Wednesday	7:30 PM	Minnesota Timberwolves @ Boston Celtics
		10:00 PM	Denver Nuggets @ Sacramento Kings
Jan. 28	Saturday	9:00 PM	Memphis Grizzles @ Phoenix Suns
Jan. 29	Sunday	7:30 PM	San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
Jan. 30	Monday	9:30 PM	Miami Heat @ Houston Rockets
Jan. 31	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
February
Feb. 4	Saturday	7:30 PM	New Jersey Nets @ New York Knicks
		10:00 PM	Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings
Feb. 6	Monday	7:00 PM	L.A. Lakers @ Philadelphia 76ers
Feb. 7	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Feb. 8	Wednesday	7:00 PM	New York Knicks @ Washington Wizards
		10:00 PM	Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers
Feb. 11	Saturday	8:30 PM	Portland Trail Blazers @ Dallas Mavericks
Feb. 13	Monday	7:00 PM	Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers
Feb. 14	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Feb. 18	Saturday	10:00 PM	Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trail Blazers
Feb. 21	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Feb. 28	Tuesday	TBD	Fan  Night
March
Mar. 3	Saturday	10:00 PM	Minnesota Timberwolves @ Portland TrailBlazers
Mar. 5	Monday	8:00 PM	Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Mar. 6	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Mar. 7	Wednesday	TBD	Orlando Magic@ New Jersey Nets
		7:00 PM	Utah Jazz @ Washington Wizards
		10:00 PM	New Orleans Hornets @ Sacramento Kings
Mar. 8	Thursday	TBD	Orlando Magic @ New Jersey Nets
Mar. 9	Friday	8:30 PM	New Orleans Hornets @ Denver Nuggets
Mar. 10	Saturday	7:00 PM	Milwaukee Bucks @ Washington Wizards
		10:30 PM	Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors
Mar. 13	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Mar. 16	Friday	8:00 PM	Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls
Mar. 17	Saturday	8:00 PM	Toronto Raptors @ Chicago Bulls
Mar. 20	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Mar. 24	Saturday	10:30 PM	Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors
Mar. 25	Sunday	1:00 PM	Miami Heat @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Mar. 26	Monday	8:00 PM	Denver Nuggets @ Chicago Bulls
Mar. 27	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Mar. 28	Wednesday	10:30 PM	New Orleans Hornets @ Golden State Warriors
April
Apr. 1	Sunday	7:00 PM	Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs
Apr. 3	Tuesday	TBD	Fan Night
Apr. 6	Friday	8:00 PM	Portland TrailBlazers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Apr. 7	Saturday	7:00 PM	Orlando Magic @ Philadelphia 76ers
		10:30 PM	Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors
Apr. 8	Sunday	6:00 PM	Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics
Apr. 9	Monday	8:00 PM	L.A. Lakers @ New Orleans Hornets
Apr. 14	Saturday	8:00 PM	Utah Jazz @ Memphis Grizzlies
		10:30 PM	Golden State Warriors @ L.A. Clippers
Apr. 15	Sunday	7:00 PM	Memphis Grizzlies @ New Orleans Hornets
Apr. 16	Monday	7:00 PM	Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic
		10:30 PM	Oklahoma City Thunder @ L.A. Clippers

There you have it.

NBA Digital Platforms All Over This Week’s Draft

As some in the media (like the Dan Patrick Show) are discussing the upcoming NBA Draft, NBA Digital is gearing up like none other. Of course, NBA TV has been airing past NBA Draft shows. It’s interesting to see how TNT covered the NBA Draft when it had the contract. Ernie Johnson, Jr. with a goatee is especially interesting. Anyway, there are plenty of platforms for the NBA to peruse such as NBA TV, NBA.com and NBA Mobile.

Here’s what you can kind find on each platform on the days leading up to Thursday night.

NBA Digital to Become Fan Destination for Coverage of 2011 NBA Draft Week

NBA TV Coverage to Feature More than 150 Hours of Exclusive Draft-Focused Programming

NBA Digital will provide fans with  all-access coverage  leading up to, and continuing throughout, the 2011 NBA Draft from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, June 23.  NBA TV will cover its 12^th consecutive NBA Draft featuring more than 150 hours of exclusive draft-focused programming. “Draft Week on NBA TV” began with 13 hours on Sunday and continues with 20 hours on Monday, 24-hour round-the-clock coverage Tuesday-Friday, June 21-24 and concludes with 22 hours on Saturday, June 25. NBA.com will feature video interviews from draft prospects in the Green Room and social commentary via Facebook and Twitter and NBA Mobile will provide instant alerts and breaking news updates on draft picks through NBA Game Time, the league’s digital app.

NBA TV:

• The 2011 NBA Draft Preview (Thursday, June 23, 6 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla and analysts Steve Smith, Sports Illustrated and SI.com’s Seth Davis and NBA Insider David Aldridge will deliver analysis on draft picks, breaking news updates and storylines before selections are made. Following the draft, the NBA TV crew will recap the draft picks during the 2011 NBA Draft Recap at Midnight (ET). In addition to pre- and post-draft analysis, Matt Winer will host the Instant Analysis segment on key draft selections that will be available exclusively on NBA.com.

NBA.com:

• Exclusive Video Interviews: Reporter Craig Sager will be live at Prudential Center to interview players moments after they have been selected in the draft. Each interview will be featured on NBA TV and NBA.com.
• Live Chats: NBA.com writer John Schuhmann will be on-site and on-line to chat live with fans about activity surrounding the biggest night in a rookie’s career.
• Social Media Commentary: Social media correspondent LaChina Robinson will monitor the on-going conversation and provide updates via the NBA Facebook page (Facebook.com/nba) and Twitter account (www.twitter.com/nba).
• Virtual Green Room: Featuring interviews conducted by Craig Sager, NBA.com will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the prospects as they go through their NBA indoctrination from touring New York City to being fitted for suits that they will wear on draft night to meeting with the media to the moments leading up to the NBA Draft.

NBA Mobile:

• Instant Alerts: NBA Game Time, the league’s digital app, will provide fans on-the-go with instant alerts on breaking news and draft updates.

During the week, additional studio programming will include:

• NBA Draft Prospect Park (Monday, June 20, 8 p.m. ET): Host Matt Winer, analyst Greg Anthony and sports journalist Chris Dortch will take a detailed look at the prospects from across the country and around the world.
• The Jump on NBA.com Draft Special (Tuesday, June 21, 8:30 p.m. ET): During a special episode of The Jump on NBA.com host Kyle Montgomery, analysts Dennis Scott and Brent Barry and ‘chat-master’ Sekou Smith will provide a lighter approach on the 2011 NBA Draft. Fans can participate by submitting their comments via Twitter and Facebook while the crew will respond and give their comments and analysis on everything happening around the draft. The Jump on NBA.com Draft Special will re-air on NBA TV at 5 p.m. ET.
• NBA Draft: Coming Attractions (Wednesday, June 22, 8 p.m. ET): Host Marc Fein, analysts Brent Barry and Seth Davis will review the NBA.com “mock drafts” to anticipate possible selections for the draft.
• NBA Draft Review (Friday, June 24, 7-9 p.m. ET): Host Matt Winer, Former Memphis Grizzlies Head Coach and Current Team Ukraine Head Coach Mike Fratello, NBA Insider David Aldridge and former NBA scout Ron Thompson break down each division team-by- team  to assess the impact of the draft.

And there you have it.

NBA TV’s Kevin McHale Confirms He’s Going To Coach Houston

During tonight’s NBA TV pregame show, NBA TV analyst Kevin McHale confirmed to viewers that he has an agreement in principle to coach the Houston Rockets. In the last few days, McHale’s name surfaced to replace Rick Adelman. Indeed, McHale made the announcement tonight. We have some of the quotes McHale tonight on NBA TV.

NBA.COM CONFIRMS NBA TV/TNT ANALYST KEVIN McHALE AGREES IN PRINCIPLE TO BECOME HEAD COACH OF HOUSTON ROCKETS

NBA TV Addresses McHale Decision During NBA Finals Pregame Show

NBA.com has confirmed that Kevin McHale has agreed in principle to become the head coach of the Houston Rockets. NBA TV’s pregame show tonight at The Finals in Miami addressed the NBA.com report. McHale is an analyst for NBA TV/TNT.

“I really enjoyed spending the last two years with Turner Sports, bringing the best NBA coverage possible to the viewers at home,” said McHale. “Even though I’m moving back to the bench I’ll still watch my friends on NBA TV and TNT. Turner’s commitment to the NBA is part of the reason why the league is so special, and I look forward to seeing many of my former colleagues in the future.”

“Kevin’s experiences as a player, coach and general manager, coupled with his tremendous knowledge of the game and players, made him a terrific analyst for NBA TV and TNT,” said David Levy, President of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “Our audience will miss his diverse perspective and terrific sense of humor. We wish Kevin the best of luck in his new role as head coach of the Houston Rockets.”

“Kevin McHale is the best player I played against and I’ve really enjoyed working with him on TV this year,” said Charles Barkley on the NBA TV Pregame Show. “We wish him the best.”

That is all.

Providing You With Tuesday Linkage

For some of you, it’s a back to work Tuesday after a three day weekend. Not for me as I was at the office until late on Memorial Day. But you don’t want to read my complaining, you want linkage so I’ll get it to right away.

Anthony Crupi from Adweek says expect LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitzki to draw viewers to the NBA Finals starting tonight.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine writes about TNT’s record NBA ratings and the potential for a blockbuster NBA Finals for ABC.

Jeff Neff and E.J. Schultz of Advertising Age say NFL advertisers are getting nervous as the lockout is starting to effect grocery in-store displays.

Sports Illustrated editor Terry McDonell gives readers an introduction to investigative reporter George Dohrmann who wrote the expose on former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel.

Sergio Non of USA Today says UFC’s Dana White is looking to put more cards on over the air TV.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says soccer-centric Gol TV will air another edition of its signature reality show.

Carolyn Braff of Sports Video Group writes that Versus had to overcome massive mud puddles in order to bring the Tour of California to viewers.

Paul Meehan at ESPN Front Row says the network’s NBA Marketing team is spending a lot of late nights creating TV and radio promos for the Finals.

Over at Mocksession, a very interesting post on how Fox Sports Net and ABC deceived viewers in various ways.

Maggie Hendricks at Yahoo’s Cagewriter blog wishes the media would stop giving MMA fighter Quintin “Rampage” Jackson the time of day. It’s all over this video as Jackson pretends to motorboat reporter Karyn Bryant’s breasts.

The Big Lead goes into why Jackson is such a lightning rod with reporters.

MMA reporter Karyn Bryant who was the subject of Jackson’s attention last weekend tweets that she wasn’t offended.

I’ve now been told I have to run an errand. More later.

Some more links now.

Tripp Mickle and John Ourand from the Sports Business Journal report on the latest on the bidding for the US Olympic TV rights now that NBC’s Dick Ebersol is out of the picture.

Tripp teams with Terry Lefton on a story about sports marketers who plan to stay in Brazil after the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics are finished there.

And Kevin Sullivan of SBJ instructs athletes on how to tweet the right way.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser notes that ESPN/ABC NBA analyst Mark Jackson is a finalist for the Golden State Warriors coaching job.

Cam says the Sports Illustrated story on Jim Tressel caused a Twitter spat among sportswriters.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports says the NBA’s TV partners should send thanks to LeBron James and the Miami Heat for increased ratings this season.

Gordon Cox of Variety notes that ESPN and the Tribeca Film Festival are teaming up to put three movies on Video on Demand.

Tony Barnhart of CBS Sports talks with SEC Commissioner Mike Slive about the BCS, college football TV contracts and his contract.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell cautions fans who think college football will change with Jim Tressel’s resignation.

Bill Gorman at zap2it’s TVbytheNumbers notes that Fox’s NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 zoomed past all network competition on Sunday.

Newsday’s Neil Best says former Yankees outfielder Paul O’Neill will now double his workload for YES.

Neil says NBC/Versus NHL host Liam McHugh appears to be on a fast track to stardom.

Stan Hochman of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at the ESPN book.

Former ESPN Radio host Mark Madden in the Beaver County Times feels the ESPN book doesn’t cover any new ground. How about bringing up your firing, Mark?

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has his take on DC NFL team owner Dan Snyder making the local media rounds last week.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner says ABC expects to garner good ratings with the NBA Finals.

Shannon J. Owens at the Orlando Sentinel wonders why Urban Meyer would leave ESPN for Ohio State, especially at this juncture.

Ben Thomas of the Mobile (AL) Press-Register says a local station is dropping ESPN Radio programming in favor of Sporting News Radio.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says national announcers have to deal with fans who feel they root against their teams.

Mel Bracht in the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN/ABC’s NBA crew denies that it was rooting against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals.

WLWT-TV in Cincinnati notes that NBC’s Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth has taken a job coaching high school football until the NFL lockout ends.

And at his website, Football Pros Live, Cris explains why he took the job.

The Big Lead says it appears that ESPN2 First Take buffoon Skip Bayless was forced to apologize to Chris Broussard after yelling at him on Monday.

EPL Talk says the UEFA Champions League Final drew a 1.8 overnight rating for Fox, a 64% increase from the year before.

EPL Talk notes that Fox dumbed down its Champions League pregame show.

Sports Media Watch notes that Charles Barkley will be back in Miami for the NBA Finals working the games for NBA TV.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media looks at how Boston and Vancouver have fared in the ratings throughout the NHL Postseason.

Barry Petchesky of Deadspin notes that MLB.com is actually allowing some videos to be embedded! Hallelujah!!!

And we’re going to end it there for today.

NBA Digital To Go All Out For The NBA Finals

As the NBA Finals begin on Tuesday, NBA Digital Properties of NBA.com, NBA TV and NBA Mobile are stepping up to provide their fans an all-access pass to the games. There will be all types of features, programming and even short films dedicated to the NBA Finals which can be accessed either via your TV, computer or mobile. The details are below.

NBA Digital to Provide Unrivaled Coverage of The Finals 2011 on NBA TV, NBA.com, and NBA Mobile

Kevin McHale, Chris Webber, Charles Barkley Kenny Smith, and Rick Kamla will be Onsite Leading NBA TV’s Comprehensive Coverage Featuring 40 Hours of Live Programming
NBA.com to offer “Mini-Movies” an All-Access look at The Finals

NBA Digital will deliver extensive content of The Finals 2011 across its portfolio of television, broadband and mobile platforms, featuring more than 40 hours of live coverage on NBA TV, the launch of NBA GameTime on Microsoft Windows Phone, and five-minute “Mini-Movies,” offering a comprehensive and all-access look after each game on NBA.com.

Host Rick Kamla will anchor NBA TV’s 12th season covering The Finals.  He will be onsite with TNT’s studio analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith for pre- and postgame coverage of Games 1 and 2.  Kevin McHale and Chris Webber will join him for pre- and postgame coverage of Games 3, 4, 5*, 6* and 7* (*if necessary).  Kamla and analysts Steve Smith, Brent Barry and Dennis Scott will handle press conferences and off-day news coverage onsite, while host Marc Fein will hold court from the network’s Atlanta studio. TNT’s David Aldridge will be reporting throughout the series. In addition, NBA TV, now in more than 55 million homes, will provide original programming including Sounds of The Finals.

NBA Game Time, the league’s signature digital application, will now be available on Windows Phone during The Finals. The free customized NBA application, available for download through the Windows Phone Marketplace, will provide fans with access to live scores, complete player statistics, standings, and video highlights from every game.

Along with Windows Phone, NBA Game Time is available on Apple TV, Google TV, LG NetCast™, Panasonic VIERA Connect™, Roku, Samsung Apps, and VIZIO Internet Apps™ (VIA), making it one of the most far-reaching sports applications.

“From one of the most talked about offseasons  in NBA history straight through the Playoffs, this season has captured the fans’ attention on television, online and on mobile,” said Albert “Scooter” Vertino, vice president of content, NBA Digital. “NBA Digital prides itself on being the home for all things NBA and we plan to step up our game even more in The Finals with constant updates, breaking news and analysis on NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA Mobile, and our social outlets.”

From pregame to postgame, NBA TV and NBA.com’s coverage of The Finals also will include:

NBA TV

• Pregame Show: Live at the Finals: The network’s 60-minute pregame show will air live onsite throughout The Finals. The show will feature highlights, analysis, player interviews and live press conferences.
• NBA GameTime: Finals Edition: After each game, NBA TV will air its postgame show featuring game recaps, look-aheads and analysis.
• Playoff Playbacks: The network will produce Playoff Playbacks, which will be one- and two-hour versions of every playoff game for re-air on NBA TV.
• Sounds of The Finals: The original series will follow the storylines throughout The Finals. Airing Thursday, June 9, at 7:00 p.m. (ET) and Saturday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)*, the two 30-minute NBA Entertainment-produced shows will provide exclusive coverage of the games plus access on and off the court, delivering all the big shots, clutch performances and memorable moments from The Finals.  (*tentatively)
• Off-Day Coverage: On non-game days, NBA TV will continue its comprehensive look into The Finals with coverage of team practices, press conferences, and Finals playbacks.

NBA.com

• Mini-Movies:NBA.com will provide a five-minute, all-access look at The Finals through the lenses of NBA Entertainment’s cameras, all available online after each game.
• Player of the Game: Beginning at halftime and through the conclusion of each game, users will have the ability to vote online or by text for the Player of the Game. Once the votes are tallied, the winner will be announced on-air and online.
• Finals Hub page: NBA.com will construct a hub page for The Finals, which will include extensive video highlights, box scores, series stats, commentary, analysis, and game stories from the site’s stable of award-winning writers.
• Live Streaming Video: The site will provide live streaming video from the Courtside Camera before every game in addition to live streaming video for every postgame news conference.
• NBA.com live chats: NBA.com’s roster of critically-acclaimed reporters will conduct live chats during every game.
• Playoff Pulse: The interactive application will allow users to track conversations, vote, and share content in real-time about NBA players and teams. In addition, Pulse will guide fans on popular trending topics to access more NBA postseason information including videos, photos, new stories, and blog posts.

NBA Mobile

• NBA GameTime: NBA Mobile will add another mobile platform to its already bustling portfolio with the launch of NBA GameTime for Windows Phone. The app will give fans one touch access to video highlights, scores, play-by-play, team stats, and schedules.

NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

And that concludes this post.

Sneaking In Some Saturday Linkage

I have the opportunity to do some linkage on this Saturday so let’s take advantage of this.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says Fox has to be happy to have a dream matchup in today’s UEFA Champions League Final.

Sofia M. Fernandez of the Hollywood Reporter writes that the Indianapolis 500 has plenty of celebrity star power this weekend.

Brad Biggs in the National Football Post reports that a non-profit sports fan organization is appealing to the FCC to end all sports blackouts including NFL games.

The Big Lead notes that Captain Blowhard has poached a New York Times writer for his ESPN-backed Grantland site.

Sean Leahy at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that popular Canadian chain Boston Pizza is changing its name for the duration of the Stanley Cup Final.

Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News says Sabres fans are lucky to still have voice Rick Jenneret around for next season.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that frequent Gilbert Arenas critic Tony Kornheiser is quite similar to him in one very particular way.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says like them or not, the Miami Heat are jacking up the NBA’s TV ratings.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has confided to ESPN Radio’s Dr. Jack Ramsey that he feels Rick Carlisle is outcoaching opponents.

Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune says a last minute deal placed the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship on Big Ten Network.

Kristena Hansen in the Arizona Republic notes that a Fox Sports Grill in Scottsdale is changing its name citing poor business.

The Toronto Sports Media Blog wonders if the city could support an all-sports daily newspaper.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that TSN has signed a new six year deal to air the French Open in the Great White North.

Sports Media Watch looks at the ratings for the NBA Conference Finals dating back to 2002.

SMW says NBA TV and TNT analyst Kevin McHale is apparently heading back to coaching.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says the NHL Western Conference Final averaged less than a million viewers for the entire series.

Joe Favorito notes that lacrosse is seeing increased interest, but it will still take some time to grow the game.

Bike World News says Fox Sports Net will air the Tour of Utah cycling road race in August.

And that’s where I’ll end it today. I could do some press release posts later.

Doing Some Friday Megalinkage

Now that I’ve learned that I don’t have to travel in between two offices today, I’ll do some megalinks for you.

You can check out the Weekend Sports and Primetime Viewing Picks here. Now to your links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks with TNT’s Steve Kerr on the similarities he sees between the Chicago Bulls teams he played on with Michael Jordan and the Miami Heat of today.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News breaks news that TNT’s Marv Albert is in talks with CBS to possibly replace Gus Johnson for the NCAA Tournament. Bob isn’t national, but it’s big enough news to be placed here.

In Sports Business Journal, John Ourand and Michael Smith report on how ESPN and Fox came together for the Pac-12 TV contract.

Kimberly Nordyke of the Hollywood Reporter says Oprah Winfrey’s booking of the United Center for her overblown farewell shows has forced the NBA to juggle the schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals.

To Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News who writes that TNT is on a fast track to have its highest-rated NBA postseason in its history.

Mike has a story on the NBC Sports Group signing Saratoga Race Course for horse racing programming in the summer.

Noted FoxSports.com basketball writer Jeff Goodman announces that he’s leaving for CBSSports.com.

Also writing his farewell column is noted hockey reporter E.J. Hradek who’s leaving ESPN.com for the NHL Network.

At the Business of College Sports, Kristi Dosh says despite what rivals’ complaints, there’s nothing unfair about the new Longhorn Network.

Matt Hinton at Yahoo’s Dr. Saturday college football blog notes that ESPN.com really messed up in reporting the death of Alabama offensive lineman Aaron Davis.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem about a faltering Tiger Woods and what it means to the Tour.

Darren explores the new magazine put forth by energy drink distributor Red Bull.

Darren notes that Nike is coming under fire again for factory conditions in Asia.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media has the ratings for nights 25-28 of the NHL Playoffs.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has audio of a Captain Blowhard call into the Tony Korneheiser show this week.

Dan also has video of a deeply subdued Gus Johnson talking to Dan Patrick about his move to Fox.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that Versus’ Jeremy Roenick gave praise to Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks, two games after calling him “gutless”.

In Publiside, the lovely Gail Sideman advises athletes to keep using social media despite some recent incidents where some did not think before tweeting.

In Major League Programs, Dave Kohl reviews the sports media news of the week.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe quotes a WCVB-TV interview with NESN’s Jerry Remy in which he states he expects to return to analyzing Red Sox games on Monday. Remy has been out with pneumonia. Chad also breaks news that NESN’s Kathryn Tappen is being targeted by NHL Network as a possible studio host.

At SB Nation Boston, Bruce Allen says the Bruins now have the Hub’s attention all to themselves.

NESN has Heidi Watney visiting the MLB Fan Cave.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee actually saw Tiger Woods’ implosion at the Players Championship coming before it happened.

Melissa Hoppert of the New York Times discusses NBC Sports Group bringing Saratoga horse racing into the fold.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick hates everything and everybody today, but when is that different from any other day?

Justin Terranova at the Post has five questions for NBA TV’s Kevin McHale.

Ken Belson from the New York Times writes that the famed Melrose Games may leave its Madison Square Garden home where it’s been held for almost a century.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Siena lacrosse fans have a few ways to monitor their team’s NCAA Tournament game against Syracuse this weekend.

Ken says an NCAA Division III Lacrosse Tournament game will be online for fans to listen.

Patrick Berkery from the Philly Burbs papers talks with Comcast SportsNet Phillies analyst Chris Coste.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the Nationals’ ratings on MASN are way up from this same time last year.

Dan says the DC sports media is firing shots at each other over whether DC NFL Team quarterback Donovan McNabb refused to wear a wristband to help him calls plays because it didn’t look good.

Dan says one DC radio show is sending barbs at Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic over its reporting on the McNabb wristband.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says NBC will be all over The Players Championship this weekend.

Jim notes that NASCAR is coming to the Mid-Atlantic region this weekend.

And Jim says the NBA is heating up on both ESPN and TNT.

South

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times looks at the latest sports media news.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle talks with the man who’s spearheading ESPN’s Longhorn Network and getting it ready for launch this summer.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has a chat with NBA TV’s Kevin McHale over Oklahoma City’s win over Memphis the other night.

Mel says the Thunder are setting local ratings records.

Mel also has his media notebook.

Midwest

Jeff Bell of Columbus Business First writes that Fox Sports Ohio will be a corporate sponsor of the local sports commission.

The Detroit News says last night’s wild Game 7 between the Red Wings and San Jose Sharks set a ratings record for Fox Sports Detroit.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel talks about ESPN getting all hands on deck for a special college basketball game on Veterans Day.

In Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman lists his weekly winners and losers.

Erin Meyer of the Chicago Tribune says the staff of WMAQ-TV is shocked over the death of sports anchor Daryl Hawks who was found in a hotel room as he was to cover last night’s Bulls-Hawks game.

Maudlyne Ihezjerika of the Chicago Sun-Times says another WMAQ-TV sportscaster died under similar circumstances almost a decade ago.

NBC Chicago has a slideshow of Daryl’s career not only at the station, but before he came to the Windy City.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says a local sports radio executive’s tumultuous tenure is coming to an end.

West

The Phoenix Business Journal reports that the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers now have a local TV deal.

John Maffei of the North County Times talks about announcers shuffling back and forth between networks.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says TNT’s Charles Barkley’s premonition about the Lakers ended up coming true.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News answers real sports media questions from fake readers.

Tom looks at an organization that aids reporters and writers in need of assistance.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin says golf viewership is getting out of red numbers.

We’re going to end it there. Enjoy your sports weekend

TNT To Air Turner Sports’ 1,000th NBA Playoff Game on Wednesday

Turner Sports came in to grab the NBA cable package from ESPN and USA in 1984-85 and ever since, it has been a major part of the league’s growth and popularity. It’s to the point where TNT is now the Network of Record for the NBA over any of the current TV partners. The games used to be on TBS, then switched to TNT starting in 1988-89 and for a while in the 1990′s, both TBS and TNT were the cable homes of the NBA before ESPN came back in 2002. Turner Sports’ 1,000 NBA Playoff game will air on Wednesday as the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dick Stockton and the Czar of the Telestrator, Mike Fratello will team up to call the game. Although you would think Turner would send either Marv Albert or Kevin Harlan for this milestone, but they’ve been assigned to other games as you’ll see.

Turner Broadcasting to Telecast 1000^th NBA Playoff Game on Wednesday, May 11 with Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Coverage of the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs on TNT and NBA TV Continues

Turner Broadcasting will televise its 1000^th NBA Playoff Game in the company’s 27-year history with the league on Wednesday, May 10 when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Memphis Grizzlies on TNT at 9:30 p.m. (ET) in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series. Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Mike Fratello (analyst) will call the game with Marty Snider reporting from the sidelines. Turner has telecast NBA Playoff games since they acquired the NBA cable package for the 1984-85 season.

TNT’s coverage of the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs continues Tuesday, May 8 at 8 p.m. (ET) with NBA Tip-Off with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), and Kenny Smith (analyst) previewing the night’s action. Following the pre-game show, Derrick Rose and Chicago Bulls will host Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of their best-of-seven Second Round series. Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) will call the game with David Aldridge reporting.  The night will conclude with the Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA with Johnson, Barkley and Smith recapping the game.

The NBA on TNT resumes on Wednesday, May 10 with a Second Round exclusive doubleheader. The first game will get underway at 7 p.m. (ET) featuring Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics visiting LeBron James and the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their series.  Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) will call the game with Craig Sager reporting.  The second game will see Kevin Durant and the Thunder taking on Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies at 9:30 p.m. (ET).  To finish the evening’s coverage, Johnson, Barkley and Smith will be joined by NBA TV/TNT analyst Kevin McHale to break down the action on Inside the NBA.

NBA TV also will continue to provide extensive coverage of the Playoffs beginning Monday, May 9 with host Marc Fein and analysts Brent Barry and Steve Smith previewing the night’s action beginning at 6:30 p.m. (ET). NBA TV’s 1,500 hours of wall-to-wall coverage over approximately 65 days will include live first round action, 195 hours of live studio coverage, pre and postgame analysis, press conferences, complete game playbacks of every playoff game, and encore presentations of NBA GameTime.

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON TNT (all times ET)

TIME/DATE

GAME

Tuesday, May 10
8 p.m. (ET)	NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
	Atlanta Hawks @ Chicago Bulls (Game 5) Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)
Postgame	Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
Wednesday, May 11
7 p.m. (ET)	NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kevin McHale (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
.	Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat (Game 5) Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)
9:30 p.m.	Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 5) Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and Marty Snider (reporter)
Postgame	Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kevin McHale (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON NBA TV (all times ET)

TIME/DATE

GAME

Monday, May 9
6:30 – 7 p.m. (ET)	NBA GameTime
	Marc Fein (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Steve Smith (analyst)
9:30 – 12 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Heat / Celtics Game 4 postgame)
	Marc Fein (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Steve Smith (analyst)
12 – 1 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Thunder / Grizzlies Game 4 postgame)
	Marc Fein (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Steve Smith (analyst)
Tuesday, May 10
7:30 – 8 p.m. (ET)	NBA GameTime
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Brent Barry (analyst)
10:30 – 11:30 p.m.	NBA GameTime (Hawks / Bulls Game 6 postgame)
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Brent Barry (analyst)
Wednesday, May 11
6:30 – 7 p.m. (ET)	NBA GameTime
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
9:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Celtics / Heat Game 5 postgame)
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
12 – 1 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Grizzlies / Thunder Game 5 postgame)
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)

That’s it.

NBA TV’s NBA GameTime Airs Live From Chicago-Atlanta, Game 3 Tonight

I’ve posted releases this morning on the Kentucky Derby and the NFL, why not the NBA and specifically, NBA TV. Tonight, the NBA GameTime crew of Matt Winer, Chris Webber and Steve Smith leave the NBA TV studios at CNN Center and head over to nearby Phillips Arena for Game 3 of the Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks series. The trio be on live before the game begins and airs on ESPN at 8 p.m.

We have the particulars of tonight’s programming from our friends at Turner Sports and NBA TV.

NBA TV’s Signature Studio Show NBA GameTime to Broadcast Live from Phillips Arena, Friday, May 6 for the Chicago Bulls @ Atlanta Hawks Game #3

Matt Winer, Chris Webber and Steve Smith will provide pre and post game coverage

NBA TV’s signature studio show, NBA GameTime, will broadcast live from Phillips Arena for Game #3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, Friday, May 6 (7:00 p.m. ET).

The night will tip off with host Matt Winer and analysts Chris Webber and Steve Smith at 6:30 p.m. (ET) previewing the games, breaking down all the action, and detailing adjustments and coaches’ moves. After the game, the crew will offer analysis, interviews, highlights and coverage of post game press conferences right from the court.

In addition to the live post game coverage from Phillips Arena in Atlanta, NBA GameTime will have its regular in studio show later that night with host Rick Kamla and analyst Dennis Scott providing full press conference coverage from the Western Conference Semi-Final game between the Los Angeles Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks Game #3.

As the Playoffs progress, NBA TV will continue to be the home for wall-to-wall coverage including pre- and post game analysis, press conferences, complete game playbacks of every playoff game, and encore presentations of NBA GameTime.

And I have more stuff for you. Keep it here.

Doing Some Monday Links

Been shuffling in between two offices and haven’t been able to provide you with the latest information, but luckily, it hasn’t been sports media news that’s been breaking, it’s been the Osama bin Laden news that’s been dominating our news cycles since 10 last night. You can go to the news sites to get the latest information on how the commando raid was conducted and how the President approved the mission. It’s all quite compelling reading, but my suggestions are to go to the New York Times, Politico, CNN and Mashable (it has how Twitter blew up during the announcement). It’s all amazing and stuff you should read when you have a chance.

I’ll do the links now.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that this year’s ratings for the NFL Draft showed that viewers were wary of lockout news.

Hiestand talks with Sunday Night Baseball announcer Dan Shulman who broke the news of Osama bin Laden’s killing to some viewers.

And Michael says Game 1 of the NBA’s Miami Heat-Boston Celtics 2nd round playoff series was a ratings blockbuster for ESPN on ABC.

Spencer E. Ante and Nat Worden of the Wall Street Journal report that the NFL is negotiating with several cable and satellite providers to put NFL Network programming on tablets.

Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated says NFL Network had the big scoop of NFL Draft weekend.

Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk writes that ESPN and Suzy Kolber are hearing criticism for her manipulative interview at the NFL Draft with Mark Ingram.

Barry Pachesky of Deadspin goes inside the moment when Suzy Kolber made Mark Ingram cry on national television.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says there are three California sports teams whose media rights are in a state of flux currently.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry has five reasons as to why it’s still a good time to become a sportswriter.

Sean Deveney at the Sporting News says the NBA’s TV ratings continue their upward trend.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter says hockey has helped UFC become extremely popular in Canada.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the audio of WFAN’s Mets voice Howie Rose explaining why there were chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” during last night’s Mets-Phillies game.

Over to Sean Leahy of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy who says NBC has made contingency plans in case Saturday’s Game 5 of Tampa Bay-Washington runs into the network’s Kentucky Derby coverage.

Kelly Dwyer at Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie blog notes the super ratings for TNT’s NBA playoff coverage.

At the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown goes inside MLB’s social media policy.

The Nielsen Wire blog notes that Super Bowl ads take most of the spots in the 10 Most Liked Ads of 2011 to date.

The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham notes that NESN’s Jerry Remy will miss his 6th consecutive Red Sox game behind the mic due to health problems, but this one is not as serious as his cancer scare in 2009.

Jim Gerweck of The Daily New Canaan (CT) has ESPN Dictator George Bodenheimer waxing poetic on the early days of the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Mike Cardillo of the Stamford (CT) Advocate prefers the way Versus presents the NHL over ESPN’s old approach.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with ESPN’s Bobby Valentine who was shaken over the news that Osama bin Laden was killed.

Neil says ESPN proceeded with caution as to when to break the bin Laden killing to the Sunday Night Baseball audience.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post finds it hard to listen to Yankees radio voice John Sterling.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that the local Fox affiliate will air its Sunday NASCAR show tonight following a pre-emption last night.

Ken says his Phillies fans came through last night as the Osama bin Laden story broke.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette defends the work of blatant Penguins homer announcer Paul Steigerwald.

Cindy Boren at the Washington Post’s Early Lead blog says Giants coach Tom Coughlin and former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling both weighed in on the bin Laden killing.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner notes that the NBA Playoff’s TV ratings are setting records again.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times goes over the weekend in sports television. I totally disagree with his thoughts on hockey charlatan Pierre McGuire.

In the Louisville Courier-Journal, ESPN’s Pat Forde recounts the time he substituted for Erin Andrews and disappointed a lot of fans.

Mac Engel at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram asks ESPN and other sideline reporters to stop using “told me” in a sentence.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says playoff thrillers are helping the NBA’s popularity and ratings.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a look at the Southern California sports calendar for this week.

Marty James from the Napa Valley (CA) Register has NBC’s Johnny Miller hoping to attract a pro golf event to a local resort he co-owns.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says Twitter and social media are giving sports teams plenty of agita.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that UFC helped Torontonians forget about their troubles for one night.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

SMW says NBA TV averaged just over half a million viewers for the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says NBC had a mixed bag for its pair of NHL playoff games over the weekend.

Steve also has the local ratings for NBC’s NHL games.

Joe Favorito says sports marketers should be tapping New York’s Times Square for more events.

Stephen Douglas of The Big Lead talks with former ESPN.com golf writer Jason Sobel about why he’s moving to Golf Channel.

That’s going to do it for today. I hope to get back onto a regular schedule for blogging tomorrow.

How A Couple of Networks Can Improve & Other Sunday Thoughts

On this first day in May, it is time to take a look at how a couple of networks could improve their presentations during postseason time. As teams raise their game, so should the networks as more people watch and focus on the action on the court or the ice. This is not where networks should skimp and give the fans the impression that they’re cheap.

Not Stepping Up in the Postseason

We’re seeing this especially in the NBA and NHL Playoffs where NBA TV and Versus are showcasing their respective sports during the most important time of the year for both leagues. However, what they doing is leaving fans with a bad taste by not giving them national broadcasts and using local feeds catered to local markets.

It’s one thing to do this during the regular season. NBA TV will tap local feeds to give fans a taste of the local announcers and that’s ok. Regular season is fine to this. But during the postseason, this is where NBA TV which is run by Turner Sports can use TNT’s announcers for the calls. There have been blatant examples where NBA TV used local feeds for national audiences and it led to some awkward moments.

Last week in the Sports Media Weekly podcast, I asked the Vice President of Content for NBA Digital, Albert “Scooter” Vertino if this policy will be reconsidered for next season and he said it will be. I certainly hope so because fans expect to hear neutral calls during the postseason.

Imagine if Major League Baseball allowed local TV feeds in the postseason (they don’t, but let’s say they do) and TBS decided to use the WGN America feed of the Chicago White Sox and fans were subjected to Hawk Harrelson’s homer announcing. It would not go over well at all. It’s the same instance where NBA TV and Versus are tapping into local feeds and dissing the fans.

Versus, which is the exclusive cable partner for the NHL, did exactly this in the first round and now into the second round of the postseason. It tapped into Comcast SportsNet local feeds in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Jose and Washington and to augment its coverage. It’s one thing when action overlapped and Versus was joining in progress, but it’s totally another to use them for an entire game as was the case with the Chicago-Vancouver and the San Jose-Los Angeles series. Yes, Versus and Comcast SportsNet are under the same corporate umbrella, but there’s no reason why we should be hearing local announcers at this juncture.

And it happened again Friday night with Game 1 of the San Jose-Detroit series. There’s no way this should occur, especially in the 2nd round. There are fewer games and more staff is available. This smacks of laziness and refusal to give fans the best product possible.

I certainly hope next season, both Turner Sports and Versus will rectify this. And with Versus promising to air every NHL playoff game nationally, it had better step up and not provide local feeds. Fans around the country deserve better.

Where Was Figure Skating Last Week?

This past week, the World Figure Skating Championships took place in Moscow, a month after it was originally scheduled for Tokyo, Japan, however, as we know, the earthquake and tsunami forced the event to move. Unless you are a big figure skating fan, you probably didn’t know that the event was taking place because none of the major networks, ESPN/ABC, CBS, NBC, Versus, Fox/FX/Fox Sports Net carried it. While NBCUniversal has the rights to the event, it chose to air the Worlds on Universal Sports, which is carried on NBC local affiliates’ secondary digital channel in several markets or on cable sports tiers which is home to networks like Tennis Channel, ESPN Classic or ESPNU.

You could have also seen the Worlds online, but for a fee. Of course, only diehard fans would shell out the money to watch the Championships, but this is not unlimited access that an over the network or even ESPN could provide.

Ever since the oversaturation of figure skating in the mid-1990′s, the sport has struggled to find an audience. After the monster ratings following the Tanya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan incident during the 1994 Olympics, networks tried to cash in by creating a plethora of figure skating programming, but the viewership bottomed out and in the 2000′s, the World Championships have struggled to find a home. ESPN had the rights, but allowed the contract to expire and NBC picked them up. Last year, Oxygen and NBC shared the event.

NBC aired the US Figure Skating Championships in conjunction with Universal this year, but at least gave the event a showcase including the ladies event live in primetime. I had originally thought NBC would do something similar with the World Championships, but was surprised to learn that Universal would carry the entire event this year.

And while I’m sure Universal treated the event well, figure skating fans had to scramble to see it. Next year’s event is scheduled for Nice, France and I’m not sure if NBC will lend the event to Universal again. If figure skating wants to gain popularity, putting the event on Universal may not be the way to go unless NBC and Comcast get more aggressive to place the channel on more cable and satellite providers.

One Last Thought

Friday was the last day for one of the nicer sports TV public relations people. Megan Bondi left Turner Sports to become a full-time mom. Now, that name is probably familiar to you unless you work in the industry. Since Fang’s Bites started receiving press releases from the networks, Megan has been one of the people who have patiently answered my silly questions and requests without sending back an angry reply. Actually, no one at the sports networks has sent back an angry reply, but I’m sure some people at ESPN would like to.

Megan has worked tirelessly providing press releases for the NBA, Open Championship, PGA Championship, MLB and this year for the first time, the NCAA Championship.

You may think writing press releases is easy, but having done them, it’s not. You have to make sure quotes are correct, ratings information is accurate, ensure that the message is not being altered and make sure that the network is being promoted all at the same time. Public relations also deals with suggesting interviews, e-mailing or calling reporters or bloggers at all times of the day and it’s not really a 9-5 job.

Through it all, Megan did it wonderfully and treated me with kindness. The old saying goes you treat people like you want to be treated and I have nothing but the utmost respect for her and the others at Turner Sports. Megan will be missed and I wish her nothing but the best of luck in the next phase of her life.

And those are your Sunday thoughts for today.

Some Friday Night Links

I’m not going to go crazy with a full set of links, but some that are topical. I was all over the place today and could not do the megalinks and I’m not in the mood to gather a full set tonight. It usually takes over two hours to do the megalinks so I’ll do some national and regional links.

Sean Leahy of USA Today notes that the ratings for the first round of the NFL Draft were down double digits from last year.

Mike McCarthy and Michael Hiestand of USA Today debate who’s the real NFL Draft Guru.

Jeff Pearlman feels one of the more dramatic moments on ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage on Thursday was more exploitation than real.

Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter notes that ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage on Thursday beat The Office on NBC.

Kevin Iole at Yahoo talks about how CBS became a major part of the Manny Pacquaio-Sugar Shane Mosley fight.

From Multichannel News, Mike Reynolds says the NBC Sports Group set ratings records for its NHL Playoffs 1st round coverage.

Mike says NBA TV received its highest ratings ever on Wednesday.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says stronger competition from the networks led to lower ratings for the NFL Draft this year.

From Every Day Should Be Saturday, Spencer Hall has this funny post on whether the late sportswriter Grantland Rice could ever work for the Captain Blowhard-led website, Grantland.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser notes that ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has deleted his Twitter account over harassment from Ohio State fans.

Jason Dachman of the Sports Video Group says NBC and Versus have become a one stop shopping for the NHL.

Sports Media Watch says the overnight ratings for the Lakers-Hornets series-clinching game finished lower than last year’s comparable game, but still was strong.

Puck The Media has Versus’ complete game ratings for the entire 1st round of the NHL Playoffs.

Ryan Yoder at Awful Announcing reviews ESPN’s 1st night of NFL Draft coverage.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe speaks with NESN’s Jack Edwards.

Newsday’s Neil Best has the best of his blog in his sports media column.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick says YES’ Michael Kay isn’t getting the job done.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says there was no mention of the “L” word during the NFL Draft (and no, I’m talking about the Showtime TV series).

In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com looks at Daniel Snyder’s attempted lawsuit against the Washington City Paper.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at ESPN celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

David Neal of the Miami Herald says the late Jim Mandich was giving of himself whether it was as a player or as a broadcaster later in life.

Joe Rose of WQAM writes in his South Florida Sun-Sentinel blog about how much he misses his friend, Jim Mandich.

Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times has a Friday version of his sports media column.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press feels ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft goes on too long.

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer would like to hear radio coverage of NASCAR in the Queen’s City.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a look at the local sports radio ratings.

And Dan has a breakdown of the ratings.

Iowa Tube Talk notes that Versus’ website is now part of NBCSports.com.

John Maffei from the North County Times says it appears the San Diego Padres have a rights deal in principle with Fox Sports Net for the next 15 seasons.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star wonders how ESPN would have covered the Royal Wedding.

Jim says New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is making the media rounds.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says Major League Baseball cannot approve the Dodgers’ deal with Fox Sports Net because Jamie McCourt has not signed off on it.

Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News says a panel discussion on sportscasting careers will be moderated by a Hall of Fame announcer next month.

Tom says Fox’s role in the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the McCourt ownership mess goes way back.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail wonders if Winnipeg will get left at the altar in its bid to get an NHL team.

That’s going to do it.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 53 With Guest “Scooter” Vertino of NBA Digital

After a week off for Keith Thibault’s vacation, we’re back with another edition of the Sports Media Weekly Podcast. Today, our guest is Albert “Scooter” Vertino of Turner Sports’ NBA Digital division. Long-time NBA watchers know that name is familiar having heard Marv Albert give out his producer’s credit at the end of various TNT broadcasts. Scooter is now the Vice President of Content for NBA Digital overseeing NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, WNBA.com and NBADLeague.com.

During our segment with Scooter, we discuss his responsibilities at NBA Digital. How his days are different now spending time in Atlanta as compared to when he was producing the NBA on TNT. In addition, we get one of Scooter’s favorite Marv Albert stories. We also look forward to how NBA Digital is handling the NBA Playoffs as well as what’s coming for the organization including the WNBA season and we find out how NBA Digital would handle an NBA lockout.

In the opening News of the Week segment, Keith and I talk about the NHL’s new 10 year agreement with the NBC Sports Group. We also touch on the NHL Playoff ratings, NFL schedule unveil, the Pac 12 rights bidding and the NBA ratings.

Subscribe to the podcast through iTunes by searching for Sports Media Journal. Of course, you can listen

TNT & NBA TV’s Playoff Schedule For Wednesday

As the first round of the NBA Playoffs go into its second half of games, NBA TV and TNT will team up for three Games Five on  Wednesday. You can rest assured TNT is very happy to have another elimination game involving the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat along with Denver and Oklahoma City. Memphis at San Antonio gets shoved to NBA TV. Here’s the schedule for the Turner Sports networks that was just sent to me.

TNT and NBA TV Announce NBA Playoffs Schedule for Wednesday, April 27

TNT’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs continues Wednesday, April 27 with a doubleheader featuring LeBron James and the Miami Heat hosting Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 5 at 7 p.m. (ET).  The Heat lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.  Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) will call the game. Following the first game, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on Nene and the Denver Nuggets at 9:30 p.m. (ET) for Game 5 of the series. The Thunder can eliminate the Nuggets with a victory. (play-by-play) and Mike Fratello (analyst) will be courtside with Pam Oliver (reporter).  The night will conclude with the Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst).

NBA TV will also continue to provide extensive coverage of the playoffs beginning Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. (ET) with host Matt Winer and analysts Greg Anthony and Chris Webber previewing the night’s action on NBA Gametime and the Pregame Show at 8 p.m. (ET).  Following the pre-game show, the San Antonio Spurs will host the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of their series.  NBA GameTime will conclude the night’s action with full post-game coverage, including live press conferences.

NBA TV’s 1,500 hours of wall-to-wall coverage over approximately 65 days will include live first round action, 195 hours of live studio coverage, pre and postgame analysis, press conferences, complete game playbacks of every playoff game, and encore presentations of NBA GameTime.

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON TNT (all times ET)

TIME/DATE

GAME

Wednesday, April 27
7 p.m.	NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
.	Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat (Game 5) Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)
9:30 p.m.	Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 5) Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and Pam Oliver (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON NBA TV (all times ET)

TIME/DATE

GAME

Wednesday, April 27
6 – 6:30 p.m.	NBA GameTime
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
8 – 8:30 p.m.	Pre-Game Show
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.	Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs (Game 5)
	Local Announcers
11 p.m. – 12 a.m.	NBA GameTime
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
12 a.m. – 1 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Nuggets / Thunder Game 5 postgame)
	Matt Winer (host), Greg Anthony (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)

 

And we’re done.

NBA Playoffs Continue Monday & Tuesday on TNT & NBA TV

Turner Sports’ networks will be all over the NBA Playoffs tonight and tomorrow. TNT will carry a doubleheader each night and NBA TV will carry one game both evenings. We have full details on what each channel will bring you.

Coverage of the NBA Playoffs Continues on TNT and NBA TV

TNT’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs continues tonight, April 25 with a doubleheader. The first game of the night will feature Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs will visit Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies for Game 4 at 8 p.m. (ET).  The Grizzlies lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Matt Devlin (play-by-play), Kevin McHale (analyst) and Marc Fein (reporter) will call the game.  Following the first game, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on Nene and the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. (ET) for Game 4 of the series. Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Mike Fratello (analyst) will be courtside with Pam Oliver (reporter).  The night will conclude with the Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst).

The NBA on TNT continues on Tuesday, April 26 with another first-round doubleheader. The first game will get underway at 8 p.m. (ET) featuring Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls hosting Danny Granger and the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their series. Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) will call the game with Jaime Maggio reporting.  The second game will see Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets at 10:30 p.m. (ET) for Game 5 of the series. Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) will be courtside with Cheryl Miller (reporter). To finish the evening’s coverage, Johnson, Barkley, Smith will be joined by Greg Anthony (analyst) to break down the action on Inside the NBA.

NBA TV will also continue to provide extensive coverage of the playoffs beginning tonight, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) with host Rick Kamla and analysts Brent Barry and Steve Smith previewing the night’s action on NBA Gametime and the Pregame Show at 8 p.m. (ET). Following the pre-game show, the Portland Trail Blazers will visit the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of their series. NBA GameTime will conclude the night’s action with full post-game coverage, including live press conferences.

Extensive coverage of the playoffs will continue on NBA TV on Tuesday, April 26 with the Pregame Show at 7 p.m. (ET). Matt Winer (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Webber will preview the games. Following the pre-game show, the Orlando Magic will host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of their series. The Hawks can eliminate the Magic with a victory. NBA GameTime will conclude the night’s action with full post-game coverage, including live press conferences.

NBA TV’s 1,500 hours of wall-to-wall coverage over approximately 65 days will include live first round action, 195 hours of live studio coverage, pre and postgame analysis, press conferences, complete game playbacks of every playoff game, and encore presentations of NBA GameTime.

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON TNT (all times ET)

TIME/DATE

GAME

Monday, April 25
8 p.m.	NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
.	San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies (Game 4) Matt Devlin (play-by-play), Kevin McHale (analyst) and Marc Fein (reporter)
10:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets (Game 4) Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and Pam Oliver (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
Tuesday, April 26
8 p.m.	NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Greg Anthony (analyst), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
.	Indiana Pacers @ Chicago Bulls (Game 5) Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Jaime Maggio (reporter)
10:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Hornets (Game 5) Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Cheryl Miller (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson (host), Greg Anthony (analyst), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON NBA TV (all times ET)

TIME/DATE

GAME

Monday, April 25
7 – 7:30 p.m.	NBA GameTime
	Rick Kamla (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Steve Smith (analyst)
7:30 – 8 p.m.	Pre-Game Show
	Rick Kamla (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Steve Smith (analyst)
8:30 – 11 p.m.	Portland Trail Blazers @ Dallas Mavericks (Game 5)
	Local Announcers
11 p.m. – 2 a.m.	NBA GameTime
	Rick Kamla (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Steve Smith (analyst)
Tuesday, April 26
7 – 7:30 p.m.	Pre-Game Show
	Matt Winer (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.	Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic (Game 5)
	Local Announcers
10 – 11 p.m.	NBA GameTime
	Matt Winer (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
11 p.m. – 1 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Pacers / Bulls Game 5 postgame)
	Matt Winer (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
1 a.m. – 2 a.m.	NBA GameTime (Hornets / Lakers Game 5 postgame)
	Matt Winer (host), Brent Barry (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)

That’s all.

Bringing Out The Monday Links

Time for the Monday linkage. I hope you had a good Easter if you observed the holiday. If not, I hope the weekend was relaxing for you. Let’s go over the linkage for today.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand writes that ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball analysts like the idea of expanded MLB playoffs.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today reviews ESPN’s upcoming documentary on Steve Bartman and what he’s had to endure since becoming the scapegoat for the Chicago Cubs failure in 2003.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch says NFL Network is going all out for the NFL Draft.

Jason Fry at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says like it or not, ESPN isthe standard bearer for most things sports media.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek notes that NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebserol could very well pull a successful Olympics bid out of his hat.

David Goetzl at MediaPost says ESPN should be given credit for admitting it’s wrong.

At ESPN Front Row, Dan Quinn looks at how the Alleged Worldwide Leader keeps the ABC’s Wide World of Sports flame.

The always lovely Kristi Dosh of The Business of College Sports tells us why an antitrust suit against the BCS won’t necessarily bring a playoff to college football.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says a year supply of 7Up is not a worthy prize for hitting a half court shot.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick was apparently in a bad mood when he wrote today’s mishmash of a column.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with executives from NBA TV and the NHL Network about their postseason coverage.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times looks at the weekend that was in sports television.

Steve Svekis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has Bill Parcells discussing his Miami Dolphins drafts in anticipation of his ESPN special on Tuesday.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman reviews ESPN’s broadcast of the Thunder-Spurs game over the weekend.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says TNT’s Charles Barkley is apologizing again.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says Game 6 of Vancouver-Blackhawks on Sunday set yet another ratings record for Comcast SportsNet.

Ed tells Bulls and Blackhawks fans to get their remotes ready for Tuesday.

Derrick Goold from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at ESPN’s Baseball Tonight paying a visit to the Gateway City.

Dan Caesar of the Post-Dispatch says ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball announcers had trouble getting to the city due to the violent storms in St. Louis over the weekend.

At the Denver Post, Dusty Saunders explores the humble beginnings of ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage with Bob Ley.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News goes over this week’s sports calendar for Southern California.

Raju Mudhar from the Toronto Star says this month’s crackdown on online sites is forcing ESPN, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet and The Score to rethink their poker programming.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says 2012′s NHL Playoff starting times could be staggered like the NCAA Tournament to gain more US TV viewership.

The Sports Media Watch has the weekend overnight ratings for the NBA Playoffs on TNT.

At Puck The Media, Steve Lepore wonders if the Winter Classic saved the NHL on network TV.

Jim Weber at the Lost Letterman site says if you think the NFL likes seeing the Draft in primetime, then we may be in store for a lot more in the future.

Joe Favorito says the team concept does not work for every sport.

Emmett Jones of the Sports Business Digest says the NFL stands to lose $2 BILLION in revenue if it lost the entire 2011 season.

Ryan Yoder of Awful Announcing has the video of the usually solid Versus’ Dave Strader calling the wrong winner during Saturday’s Canadiens-Bruins game.

At Tribal Football, Andrew Slevison talks about ESPN2′s MLS ratings from last week.

Bob’s Blitz correctly calls for Colin Cowherd’s resignation from ESPN based on his sitcom deal working for CBS that is now in violation of the Alleged Worldwide Leader’s endorsement guidelines.

And that will do it for now.

NBA Digital All Over NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs are now underway, but wanted to post this press release from earlier in the week that its digital arm encompassing the web, mobile and TV will be covering the postseason like a wet blanket.

NBA Digital to Provide Extensive Multiplatform Coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs Across Television, Online and Mobile

NBA TV to air approximately 1,500 hours of total playoff coverage

NBA.com to launch Playoffs Pulse to track popular social media content; live streaming of postgame press conferences; and NBA Mobile to offer an enhanced playoffs experience

NBA Digital will guide fans through the entire 2011 NBA Playoffs with extensive multiplatform coverage including approximately 1,500 hours of playoff coverage on NBA TV, a new social media application – NBA Playoffs Pulse – on NBA.com, and extensive video highlights and enhanced experience on NBA Mobile.

NBA TV’s 1,500 hours of wall-to-wall coverage over approximately 65 days will include live first round action, 195 hours of live studio coverage, pre and postgame analysis, press conferences, complete game playbacks of every playoff game, and encore presentations of NBA GameTime.

On NBA.com, the new NBA Playoffs Pulse application will allow users to track conversations, vote, and share content in real-time about NBA players and teams. In addition, Pulse will guide fans on popular trending topics to access more NBA postseason information including videos, photos, new stories and blog posts.

Throughout the entire NBA Playoffs, NBA.com will convert into “Playoffs Central” featuring a transformed homepage with access to series breakdowns, comprehensive video highlights, and live streaming of press conferences.

“NBA Digital is utilizing our assets from television, web, mobile and social media to keep fans engaged and informed about the most climactic NBA season to date,” said Albert “Scooter” Vertino, vice president of content, NBA Digital. “Through NBA TV and NBA.com, to our mobile site, we will provide fans with updates, breaking news and access to everything Playoffs focused.”

From the announcement of the playoffs schedule to the conclusion of The Finals, NBA Digital’s complete coverage will also include:

NBA TV

• NBA TV’s studio teams will be made up of hosts Matt Winer, Rick Kamla and Marc Fein, alongside a roster of NBA analysts including Fan Night’s Chris Webber, as well as Greg Anthony, Brent Barry, Dennis Scott and Steve Smith.
• Kamla, Anthony and Scott will break down all first round series on Thursday, April 14 with the Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview at 7 p.m. (ET) followed by the Western Conference Playoffs Preview at 8 p.m. (ET).
• NBA TV will feature the NBA GameTime show every night before, during and after games throughout the playoffs, as well as a first-ever, live announcement of all scheduled playoff action. The studio shows will feature highlights, analysis, player interviews and live press conferences.
• The network will produce Playoff Playbacks, which will be 60-minute versions of every playoff game for re-air on NBA TV.
• Sounds of the Playoffs will follow the storylines leading up to The Finals. Airing at the conclusion of each round of the playoffs, the three 30-minute NBA Entertainment-produced shows will provide exclusive coverage of games plus access on- and off-the-court, delivering all the big shots, clutch performances and memorable moments in the weeks leading up to the NBA championship.

NBA.com

• NBA.com will produce Series Hub pages available for every series. Each page will include video highlights, box scores, series stats and game stories from the site’s stable of award-winning writers.
• The site will provide live streaming for every postgame news conference.
• Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA will be available on TNT OverTime on NBA.com.
• Live blog updates with instant analysis and late-breaking news will be produced for every postseason game.

NBA Mobile

• During the playoffs, users will be able to access a new HTML 5 site on mobile web to include an app-like environment.
• The enhanced site will allow users to access extensive video highlights, postseason stats, scores and standings, as well as follow their favorite players from any HTML 5 enabled device.

There you have it.

NBA Digital Sees Gains in 2010-11

NBA.com, NBA Mobile and NBA TV all saw significant gains in the regular season. For NBA TV, it saw a record increases in audience thanks to increased penetration into cable TV homes. In addition, NBA.com saw record numbers for video streams and page views. And for NBA Mobile, the site saw a whopping 130% increase in visits.

Your press release.

NBA Digital Enjoys 2010-11 Season Successes Across Television, Online and Mobile Platforms

NBA.com Sets All-Time Record with More Than 1.94 Billion Videos Viewed by Fans; An Increase of More Than 140% from 2009-10

The 2010-11 NBA regular season delivered tremendous success for NBA Digital across key metrics on television, online and mobile platforms. Highlights include:

NBA TV:
NBA TV featured more live NBA games (96) during the regular season than any other network, and increased distribution to 55.2 million U.S. homes in April 2011. Additionally, the network delivered:

• The highest M18-34 concentration of any cable sports network
• The youngest median age (35) of all cable sports networks
• More than 8.5 million viewers to the signature Fan Night program
• Premiered its first newsmagazine True NBA, hosted by CNN’s John King
• Debuted original programs: “NBA Unscripted: New York Knicks”, “NBA Unscripted: Golden State Warriors”
• NBA Real Training Camp shows provided unprecedented access to team practices with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards

Source:  Nielsen Media Research.  11/2/10-4/5/11.  Live +SD data.  Includes all Live Tuesday Fan Night telecasts. Reach based on 6+ Minute qualifier.

NBA.com:
NBA.com set all-time records for video streams and page views during the regular season:

• More than 1.94 billion videos were viewed by fans this season, an increase of more than 140%
• Nearly 5.9 billion page views were viewed, an increase of more than 35%

Source: Omniture, NBA Internal Data

NBA Mobile:

• NBA GameTime, the league’s digital application, is now available on Apple TV, Google TV, Roku, Vizio, LG, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, iPad, Panasonic and Samsung, making it one of the most far-reaching sports applications.
• NBA Mobile Web page views increased 140% vs. last year (July Systems).
• NBA GameTime App downloads delivered a 130% increase across all platforms from last year.

“This year’s performance across every single metric, on every single platform is a testament to how our mission resonates with fans – the best NBA content anytime, anywhere, any way, ” said Bryan Perez, SVP and GM, NBA Digital. “Our efforts this year on emerging platforms like tablets and connected devices show we will continue to innovate toward this goal. ”

NBA Digital will once again serve as the home for NBA fans from the start of the Playoffs through the conclusion of the NBA Finals. Some highlights of NBA Digital’s postseason plans include:

• NBA TV will provide approximately 1,500 hours of NBA-related programming, including 195 hours of live studio coverage.
• NBA TV will televise at least four first-round Playoff games
  • April 19 – Atlanta @ Orlando, 7:30 pm
  • April 20 – Memphis @ San Antonio, 8:30 pm
  • April 21 – Chicago @ Indiana, 7:00 pm
  • April 25 – San Antonio @ Memphis or Portland @ Dallas, TBA
• NBA.com, through the launch of the new NBA Playoffs Pulse application, will allow users to track conversations, vote, and share content in real-time about NBA players and teams.
• NBA Mobile will provide a richer mobile experience through a new HTML5 app-like site, allowing fans access to extensive video highlights, postseason stats, scores and standings, as well as follow their favorite players from any HTML 5 enabled device.

NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com, and WNBA.com.

And that is all.

The Fourth Fang’s Bites Mailbag

It’s been quite a while since the last mailbag, October of last year to be precise and I’ve been meaning to do one. Let’s do one now since we have a few questions stockpiled. Thanks to you for sending questions and if you want to have one answered for the next mailbag later in the spring, send it to me at kzf1@fangsbites.com.

Hi Ken,

I want to know what you think of Kirk Herbstreit having to move his family from Columbus, Ohio to Nashville to get away from sicky Buckeye fans who don’t appreciate him speaking negatively on their team.

Link below:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/03/11/rumblings-3-11-art-gl0bu32m-1.html

Jimmy D.

Hi Jimmy,

That was very sad. That Kirk Herbstreit felt the need to move from his home to Columbus to escape the wrath of some crazy Ohio State fans who did not understand that he can’t lean one way or the other on ESPN/ABC is quite sad. Yes, he’s paid to give his opinions, but they have to be down the middle. Kirk is an Ohio State grad, but the fact that he didn’t “love” them on College GameDay or during college football games wasn’t enough for some Buckeyes fans who don’t understand. It’s too bad that he has to move away from the area where he grew up for the sake of his wife and children.

With the success of the NCAA across multiple-media platforms. Do you see other sports going the same way with live broadcasts across a variety of networks, websites, and portable visual displays? thank you.

Dr. Jeff

Thanks, Dr. Jeff. I do. The success of the NCAA Tournament on March Madness on Demand shows how an online platform should be run. All of the games were available to watch in conjunction with the live broadcasts. Unfortunately, MLB NBA, NFL and the NHL have not put their postseason online and if they do, will probably charge a fee. I would like to see a portion of their playoffs be put online and for free as the NCAA has done with the men’s basketball tournament. I believe the interest in the tournament has increased this year thanks to access to the multiple platforms both online and on TV.

How do you think the ratio of online to televised coverage will change as the tourney advances round by round?

Russell S.

Thanks, Russell. Well, as the tournament advanced round-by-round, there’s no doubt that the number of online views went down, after a stunning first day of visits to the digital platforms. Turner Sports says the first three rounds also saw record numbers as people wanted to see all of the games.

We did see increased TV ratings for the Sweet Sixteen, but they were even for Saturday’s Elite 8 games. I would think online viewing went down by at least 30% from the week before. I hope to get the online viewing numbers sometime today or tomorrow.

Peter W.

Much appreciated, Peter. The NHL definitely has more suitors than the last TV negotiation when Versus and NBC pretty much had the table to themselves. Yes, Fox would be interested and could place the games on FX to ensure a national platform for the NHL. ESPN says it’s interested, but I really don’t know how much. To me, ESPN has decided to lie in bed with the NBA and I have a feeling it will show tepid interest in bidding for the NHL. CBS/Turner has a commitment to March Madness, so I don’t know how serious this interest is, but with more bidders at the table, this will drive the rights fee up and that’s encouraging to the NHL. I still think NBC and Versus will remain the main rightsholders. I now think that a second cable partner will be signed, but I don’t think it will be ESPN.

Worst national sports network package announcer combos, in your opinion?

Chris K.

That’s a tough one, Chris, but I’ll go with MLB on Fox. Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, Chris Rose, Eric Karros, sometimes Thom Brennaman, sometimes Josh Lewin, not the best lineup in my opinion.

Each of the major pro sports leagues in US/Canada now has a channel devoted to covering that league (i.e. MLB Network, NHL Network, etc.), as well as some of the major individual sports (i.e. Golf Channel, Tennis Channel, etc.). Some are affiliated with one of the league’s broadcast partners (like NBATV is now run by Turner Sports where TNT is a TV partner of the league and Golf Channel is now part of the NBC family where NBC is one of the many TV partners) while others are independent (like Tennis Channel is independent and MLB Network isn’t directly affiliated with any of MLB’s TV partners).  So my question is this…

• Is it better for the league, viewers, ratings, content, etc. for the league/sport TV channel to be completely independent, or is it better in some or all of those areas to for it to be affiliated?  Like are viewers of the Golf Channel better off now that it’s part of the NBC Sports Group? And would the NHL Network be better in the U.S. if it were affiliated with NBC/Versus or in Canada if it weren’t part of the TSN family?

Do you see ESPN creating a College Football Bowl game to be named after themselves (i.e. the “ESPN Bowl”)?

Programming sports in a vacuum, which broadcast or cable network do you trust broadcasting (as the best to present a broadcast to be watched) each of the major sports, given their current resources, history, production values, and ability to bring in the right on-air talent?

DyHrdMet

Quite a few questions from regular reader, DyHrd. All good ones too. Let’s tackle the first one.

I don’t have a problem with the league-owned networks. Both MLB and NFL Networks have shown they can cover a story and not get shackled by being a league mouthpiece. NBA and NHL Networks are highlight factories and there’s nothing wrong with that either. There’s no one particular formula for these networks. Yes, Turner is now running NBA TV and it’s 100 times better than when it was run by the league itself. NHL Network continues to be run by TSN in Canada and while the production values have improved, there’s still room for improvement. MLB and NBA are the best-run and they have people who have led network sports divisions running the channels. I think each of the four networks have merit, but whether they’re affiliated with NBC, ESPN, CBS doesn’t matter. It’s all part of how the league wants to be presented.

Second, I think ESPN sells bowls based on sponsorship and ad revenue. If it named a bowl ESPN, there won’t be much money to make from sponsoring it itself. For example, The Capital One Bowl not only gets bowl sponsorship, but ESPN can also sell ads to Capital One. It’s a win-win for both parties. While ESPN executives may joke privately about naming a bowl after itself, I don’t think it’s gotten to the activation stage.

And last, the sports network I trust the most. It’s easy for many to say ESPN because of its inventory, but not so for me. I like CBS because of their history with college basketball, NFL and the PGA. I know what I’m going to get. In addition, Jim Nantz is a good fit on all three. Gus Johnson has become popular thanks to his NFL and NCAA calls. And CBS has a very good bench. After that, I like NBC’s coverage of the NFL due to the signing of the old Monday Night Football crew from ESPN/ABC. ESPN as far as MLB and college sports are concerned are very solid and there’s a good track record. And I also like Turner’s coverage as well.

And there you have it, our mailbag for March. I hope to do another mailbag either in April or May. Thanks for sending the questions.

NBA TV Has Lots of Live Games Including Miami at Cleveland

Four live games on NBA TV including the Fan Night game which will have the Miami Heat returning to Cleveland as LeBron James, the prodigal sun returns to his home state once again. We’ll see what the reaction from fans are this time. It’ll probably be a lot calmer than his first game back when fans booed him unmercifully, but then quieted down as the Heat went on to slaughter the Cavs. The press release is here from NBA TV.

Fans Select Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers for NBA TV’s Fan Night on Tuesday, March 29

NBA TV to air NBA Unscripted: Golden State Warriors, Thursday, March 31 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

NBA TV’s Tuesday Fan Night game will feature two-time MVP LeBron James as he returns to Cleveland again to take on the Cavaliers.  The Miami Heat at the Cleveland Cavaliers game, winning with 64-percent of the fan vote on NBA.com, will air on Tues., March 29 at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Host Rick Kamla and analysts Kevin McHale and Chris Webber will be on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. (ET).

Fan Night voting will continue on nba.com/nbatv/fannight from Tues., March 29 (8 a.m. ET) – March 31 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for the last Fan Night of the NBA season on Tues., April 5 between:

• ·Charlotte Bobcats @ Cleveland Cavaliers
• ·Minnesota Timberwolves @ New Jersey Nets
• ·Milwaukee Bucks @ Orlando Magic
• ·Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks
• ·Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers

NBA TV will air the newest installment of NBA Unscripted on Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. (ET). NBA Unscripted: Golden State Warriors gives viewers an all-access look at the Golden State Warriors, starting at the top with their new owners, Joe Lacob, a successful venture capitalist, and Peter Guber, a renowned Hollywood producer. The show also introduces viewers to the team’s other key figures, including their dynamic young backcourt of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry.  Other stories include David Lee, the former New York Knick All-Star who has emerged as a team leader in his first season with Golden State, and Keith Smart, the hero of Indiana’s 1987 NCAA championship victory, who is carving out a new identity as the first year head coach of the Warriors.

Fans can stay connected to the latest NBA action every Tuesday with The Jump, a live, interactive show designed for the ultimate NBA fan. Fans can submit questions and comments via NBA.com, Facebook or Twitter. Host Kyle Montgomery, analyst Dennis Scott, Brent Barry and ‘chat-master’ Sekou Smith will respond and give their comments and analysis on everything happening around the league. The show will stream live on March 29 at 1 p.m. (ET) on NBA.com and air at 5:00 p.m. (ET) on NBA TV.

The Beat returns this week to prep fans for game action with news and storylines across the league with host Marc Fein, with regular contributors David Aldridge, SLAM’s Lang Whitaker as well as reporters from across the country. The Beat airs March 29 at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

NBA TV GAMES OF THE WEEK:

MARCH 28 – APRIL 3

NBA TV  SCHEDULE (all times ET): MARCH  28 – APRIL 3
MONDAY, MARCH  28
8:00 – 10:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls	Local Announcers
TUESDAY, MARCH 29 Fan Night
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.	NBA Fan Night: Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers	Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber
SATURDAY, APRIL 2
10:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.	NBA Regular Season: Oklahoma City @ Los Angeles Clippers	Local Announcers
SUNDAY, APRIL 3
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: Indiana Pacers @ New Orleans Hornets	Local Announcers

That does it.