NBA
May
08
Complete List of Winners for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards
Let’s go over the entire list of those who won hardware in the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The awards were handed out at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.
Overall, NBC Sports Group has reason to crow with 23 Emmys, the most of any sports media group. Turner Sports was next with 7 followed by HBO with 6. The ESPN Family of Networks received five awards and MLB Network had three. The CBS consortium, Fox Sports Media Group and NFL Network won two and YouTube got one Emmy.
The entire list is below. It’s a long list so I give a jump break on the main page. Get ready to scroll for a while.
May
05
TNT Opens its NBA Conference Semifinal Coverage with a Triple Doubleheader
Now that the NBA Conference Quarterfinals are over, we now move to the Conference Semifinal round. ABC opens things up with a Sunday afternoon doubleheader. TNT, the NBA’s Network of Record, returns to the postseason on Monday with two games and will continue through Wednesday.
It all begins with Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat series followed by Game 1 of Golden State-San Antonio. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, TNT will air a pair of Games 2 on each night.
We have the full TNT schedule including the announcing assignments for each series. Check it all out below.
TNT Tips Off the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs with Exclusive Doubleheaders Beginning Monday, May 6
TNT’s coverage of the second round of the NBA Playoffs will tip off Monday, May 6, with an exclusive doubleheader — the Miami Heat hosting the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Golden State Warriors visiting the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. (both Game 1 of their respective best-of-seven series).
Marv Albert will call the Heat vs. Bulls game alongside analyst Steve Kerr and reporter Craig Sager, while Dick Stockton will provide commentary for the Warriors/Spurs matchup alongside analyst Chris Webber and reporter David Aldridge.
The NBA Playoffs will continue on TNT on Tuesday, May 7, with a doubleheader featuring the Indiana Pacers visiting the New York Knicks (Game 2) at 7 p.m. and the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Memphis Grizzlies at 9:30 p.m.
Kevin Harlan will call the Pacers/Knicks game alongside analyst Reggie Miller and reporter Rachel Nichols, with Matt Devlin providing play-by-play for Grizzlies/Thunder alongside analyst Mike Fratello and reporter Marty Snider.
TNT’s second round coverage on Wednesday, May 8, will include the Bulls visiting the Heat (Game 2) at 7 p.m., followed by the Warriors facing the Spurs (Game 2) at 9:30 p.m., with the same commentators from Monday’s Game 1 coverage handling the call.
Following each doubleheader, the Sports Emmy® Award-winning team of Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will recap the night’s action during the Inside the NBA post-game show.
TNT’s Upcoming NBA Playoff Schedule
DAY/DATE TIME (ET) EVENT Monday, May 6 7 p.m. Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat (Game 1) Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter) 9:30 p.m. Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs (Game 1) Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Chris Webber (analyst) with David Aldridge (reporter) Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith (analysts) Tuesday, May 7 7 p.m. Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks (Game 2) Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Rachel Nichols (reporter) 9:30 p.m. Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 2) Matt Devlin (play-by-play) and Mike Fratello (analyst) with Marty Snider (reporter) Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith Wednesday, May 8 7 p.m. Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat (Game 2) Marv Albert and Steve Kerr with Craig Sager 9:30 p.m. Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs (Game 2) Dick Stockton and Chris Webber with David Aldridge Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith
That is all.
May
04
ABC to Air Two NBA Conference Semifinal Openers on Sunday
With four NBA Conference Quarterfinal Games 6 resulting in four series clinchers on Friday night, it ends up that there will be only one Game 7 to decide which team will take on Miami in one Eastern Conference Semifinal.
However, the other Eastern Conference Semifinal is set and that will pit the Indiana Pacers against the New York Knicks. And in one Western Conference Semifinal, the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Both of these series will commence on Sunday and ABC will carry them both starting at 1 p.m. ET. Grizzlies-Thunder taps off the NBA doubleheader with Pacers-Knicks in the nightcap.
Here’s the blurb from ESPN.
ABC to Broadcast Two NBA Conference Semifinals Games 1 Sunday
ABC will broadcast two NBA Conference Semifinals Games 1 on Sunday, May 5, beginning at 1 p.m. ET with the defending Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant hosting the Memphis Grizzlies and Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol. Mike Tirico will provide commentary with analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Heather Cox. At 3:30 p.m., the New York Knicks led by Carmelo Anthony will host the Indiana Pacers and Paul George. Mike Breen will call the game with analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Doris Burke. ABC’s NBA Playoffs coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. with NBA Countdown previewing the doubleheader.
That’s all.
May
02
ESPN/ESPN2 Combine for Four Games 6 on Friday
Thanks to six series in the NBA Playoffs extending to six games, there’s the potential for some of them heading to the full seven games. But before that happens, ESPN and ESPN2 have a rare harmonic convergence of airing four of the NBA Conference Quarterfinals series on Friday night. Both networks will have games at 7 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET.
ESPN will carry New York at Boston then Oklahoma City at Houston.
ESPN2 will air Indiana at Atlanta and Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis.
Below, we have the schedules and the announcing assignments for the four games. Paulsen at Sports Media Watch tweets that this is the first time there have been four Games 6 in one night since 2003 when TBS/TNT had four game telecasts between them.
ESPN/ESPN2 will have four Game 6s on Friday night. Last time that happened was 2003 on TNT/TBS.
— Paulsen (@paulsen_smw) May 2, 2013
Here’s the ESPN press release.
ABC to Broadcast Two Games Sunday
The NBA Playoffs will continue on ESPN and ESPN2 this Friday, May 3, with four quarterfinal round Game 6 telecasts. ESPN will televise a doubleheader, beginning with the Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. ET, with Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Heather Cox providing commentary. At 9:30 p.m., the Oklahoma City Thunder will visit the Houston Rockets with Mike Tirico, analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Holly Rowe calling the action.
ESPN2 will televise a doubleheader simultaneously, beginning with the Atlanta Hawks hosting the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. with Mark Jones, analyst Doris Burke and reporter Chris Broussard providing commentary. At 9:30 p.m. the Los Angeles Clippers will visit the Memphis Grizzlies with commentary from Dave Pasch and analyst Jon Barry.
Additionally, ABC will broadcast two games on Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The games will be a combination of quarterfinal Games 7 and/or semifinal Games 1. NBA Countdown will tip off Sunday’s coverage at 12:30 p.m. with Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons and Michael Wilbon previewing the doubleheader.
NBA Playoffs on ESPN, ESPN2 – Friday, May 3
Time (ET) Game 6 Commentators Network(s) 7 p.m. New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox ESPN, WatchESPN 7 p.m. Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks Mark Jones, Doris Burke, Chris Broussard ESPN2, WatchESPN 9:30 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Holly Rowe ESPN, WatchESPN 9:30 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies Dave Pasch, Jon Barry ESPN2, WatchESPN NBA Playoffs on ABC – Sunday, May 5
Time (ET) Game Commentators 12:30 p.m. NBA Countdown Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, Michael Wilbon 1 p.m. TBD TBD 3:30 p.m. TBD TBD
That’s all.
Apr
30
Anatomy of a Very Bizarre Day
Monday was quite the day in the sports world. As people were getting up and preparing to go to work on the East Coast, little would they know how things were going to develop. Let’s review what happened as events occurred. All times listed below are Eastern.
7:53 a.m. — Reports trickle out of New York Jets camp that backup quarterback Tim Tebow was going to be released.
9:00 a.m. — ESPN’s Morning SportsCenter signs on with all-out coverage of Tim Tebow being released by the Jets.
Courtesy Will Brinson, CBSSports.com
In addition, ESPN.com puts Tebow on its front page throughout the morning.
11:02 a.m. — Sports Illustrated releases the first-person account from NBA center Jason Collins declaring that he’s gay. News organizations across the country and around the globe pick up the story of the first athlete from a U.S. professional sports league to come out.
11:04 a.m. — Dan Patrick interviews Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim about the Collins story.
John Koblin of Deadspin notes while other outlets are covering the Collins story, ESPN and ESPN.com continue in Tebow DEFCON 2 mode. While ESPN and ESPN.com were not reporting the Collins story, Colin Cowherd was talking about it on his ESPN Radio show which was also simulcast on ESPNU.
Noon — Awful Announcing discovers that the 12 p.m. edition of SportsCenter mentions Tebow 25 times before moving to the Jason Collins story.
After 1 p.m. — Scott Van Pelt on the SVP & Russillo Show on ESPN Radio plays Ombudsman and calls out the Morning SportsCenter for going overboard on Tebow coverage.
On WFAN, Mike Francesa downplays the Collins story as “a dramatic attempt to sell magazines.” Francesa says, “I don’t get it” as to why Collins chose to come out.
3 p.m. – ESPN’s Outside the Lines covers the Collins story and has ESPN.com openly gay columnist LZ Granderson and ESPN NBA beat reporter Chris Broussard to discuss the topic. Broussard declares homosexuality is a sin and it’s “walking in rebellion with God..”
6:20 p.m. — CBS’ Tim Brando creates a firestorm by tweeting that Collins is not a hero for coming out and making history. Then Brandi tweets something about a sex tape. Holy frijoles.
10:50 p.m. — ESPN issues a terse statement on Chris Broussard’s comments.
12:05 a.m. — Broussard issues an apology.
It’s been a long day. Very bizarre to say the least.
Apr
24
NBA on ESPN Back on the Case with Seven Playoff Games This Weekend
The ESPN family of networks will be back with seven NBA Playoff games starting this Friday through Sunday. In addition, several commentators will work multiple games during that three day stretch.
ESPN and ESPN2 will combine for three games on Friday, then ESPN has a Saturday night doubleheader to be followed with a Sunday afternoon double dip on ABC.
The announcing teams of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Heather Cox along with Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown and Chris Broussard will work games on Friday and Saturday. Dave Pasch and Jon Barry will work on Friday and Saturday with Holly Rowe on Friday and Samantha Ponder on Saturday.
Here’s the schedule for the NBA on ESPN.
Three ESPN Commentator Teams to Call Multiple Games
The NBA Playoffs will continue on ABC and ESPN this weekend with seven games across the networks, beginning with three ESPN telecasts Friday and a concluding with a blockbuster ABC doubleheader Sunday. The updated commentator assignments for ABC, ESPN, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes – including three commentator teams calling multiple games – are listed below.
Highlights
- Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Heather Cox to call both New York Knicks-Boston Celtics games.
- Mike Tirico, analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Chris Broussard to call San Antonio Spurs-Los Angeles Lakers Friday and Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks Sunday.
- Dave Pasch, analyst Jon Barry and reporter Holly Rowe will call two games in less than 24 hours – Denver Nuggets-Golden State Warriors Friday and Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets Saturday.
Date Time (ET) Game / Commentators Networks Fri, Apr 26 8 p.m. New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 3) ESPN: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox
ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dr. Jack RamsayESPN, ESPN Radio, WatchESPN 10:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Gm. 3) ESPN: Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Chris Broussard
ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos MoralesESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes 10:30 p.m. Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (Gm. 3) ESPN: Dave Pasch, Jon Barry, Holly Rowe
ESPN2, WatchESPN Sat, Apr 27 7 p.m. Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks (Gm. 3) ESPN: Mark Jones, Doris Burke, Holly Rowe
ESPN, WatchESPN 9:30 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (Gm. 3) ESPN: Dave Pasch, Jon Barry, Samantha Ponder
ESPN Radio: Kevin Calabro, Chris Mullin
ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos MoralesESPN, ESPN Radio, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes Sun, Apr 28 12:30 p.m. NBA Countdown Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, Michael Wilbon
ABC 1 p.m. New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 4) ESPN: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox
ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dr. Jack RamsayABC, ESPN Radio 3:30 p.m. Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks (Gm. 4) ESPN: Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Chris Broussard
ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos MoralesABC, ESPN Deportes
There you have it.
Apr
23
Some Quick Tuesday Linkage
I know. I haven’t done links in a very long time. Let me provide some for you. I won’t make promises about providing them regularly as every time I do, something happens to make me break that promise. But I hope to bring linkage to you more often.
I’ll begin with John Ourand of Sports Business Journal who talks with CBS’ Jim Nantz about the crazy moments that occurred in Super Bowl XLVII, the NCAA Tournament and The Masters.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch informs us on NFL Draft coverage plans for both ESPN and NFL Network.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter about the network not tipping off draft picks on Twitter. And Ed asks Adam about Twitter in general and other issues.
Mike McCarthy at Advertising Age says the National Football League plans to provide airline frequent flier-type perks to season ticket holders.
The ESPN Front Row PR blog announces that former New York Times writer Robert Lipsyte will become the network’s newest Ombudsman.
Louisa Ada Seltzer of Media Life Magazine previews tonight’s ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the 1983 NFL Draft.
Ben Koo of Awful Announcing reviews the 30 for 30 doc.
Michael Bradley at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says newspapers showed their value during the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the NBA is lifting the blackout in the Capital Region for Thursday night’s Game 2 of the Chicago-Brooklyn series.
From the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, Andrew Carter writes about the ACC’s new media policy that will prevent further defections.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner interviews Friend of Fang’s Bites Amy Van Dyken about her Fox Sports Radio show.
Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times discusses the potential suitor for Tennis Channel.
Also from the Times, Sam Farmer relives the 1983 NFL Draft through tonight’s 30 for 30 documentary.
I hope to provide you with regular linkage down the line.
Apr
17
Pat Summerall Broadcasting Timeline
With the sad news of the passing of former NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, I’ll provide you with a timeline of his broadcasting career. Summerall was one of the best NFL play-by-play announcers of all time. One of the few who did both play-by-play and analysis during his career, he also branched out to call both college and pro basketball, boxing, golf and tennis.
Summerall was also a host for NFL Films along with eventual partner Tom Brookshier. Together, they called three Super Bowls (X, XII, XIV). And he was teamed with John Madden with whom he called eight Super Bowls.
He began his career with CBS back in 1962 and remained with the Tiffany Network until 1994 when the network lost the rights to the NFL to Fox. Summerall then moved to Fox where he stayed through the 2002 season. He worked the Cotton Bowl for the network from 2007 until 2010.
Summerall also filled in on ESPN’s Sunday Night Football in 2004.
Here’s the timeline.
1962 — Summerall joins CBS Sports after retiring from the NFL. He’s teamed with Chris Schenkel on New York Giants games.
1965 — Summerall is moved to DC NFL Team games with Jim Gibbons.
1967 — Calls the first half of Super Bowl I with Ray Scott, then moves to the sidelines for the second half to make way for Jack Whitaker and Frank Gifford in the booth. (UPDATE: Classic Sports TV and Media says Summerall only worked the sidelines)
1968 — Begins calling The Masters and US Open Tennis on CBS. Also CBS abandons its practice of assigning announcing teams to one team. Summerall is shifted to the network’s number one team with Ray Scott. He and Scott call Super Bowl II.
1970 — Calls Super Bowl IV with Jack Buck and Frank Gifford.
1972 — Calls Super Bowl VI with Ray Scott.
1974 — Calls his last Super Bowl (VIII) as analyst with Ray Scott. Becomes the lead play-by-play man for the first season of the NBA on CBS through the finals between Boston and Milwaukee. CBS reassigns him to play-by-play on the NFL and teams him with Tom Brookshier, his partner on the NFL Films show, “This Week in Pro Football.”
1975 — Hosts the Pan American Games in Mexico.
1976 — Calls Super Bowl X with Brookshier.
1978 — Calls Super Bowl XII in New Orleans.
1980 — Calls Super Bowl XIV, his last with Brookshier.
1981 — Splits the first 8 weeks of the season between Hank Stram and John Madden. After Week 8, CBS decides to team Summerall and Madden permanently.
1982 — Summerall calls Super Bowl XVI with Madden.
1983 — Replaces Vin Scully on the 18th hole at The Masters and teams with Ken Venturi on the PGA on CBS for the rest of his time on the network.
1984 — Summerall and Madden team for Super Bowl XVIII.
1985 — Calls the NCAA Tournament with Larry Conley.
1987 — Summerall and Madden team for their third Super Bowl (XXI).
1990 — Summerall and Madden call Super Bowl XXIV.
1992 — Summerall and Madden call Super Bowl XXVI. Is admitted to the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of alcoholism.
1994 — Summerall and Madden call their last NFL game for CBS, the NFC Championship between San Francisco and Dallas at Texas Stadium. Summerall calls his final Masters on CBS and is replaced on the 18th hole by Jim Nantz. Summerall and Madden join Fox Sports.
1997 — Summerall and Madden call their first Big Game in five years, Super Bowl XXXI on Fox.
1999 — Summerall and Madden pair for Super Bowl XXXIII.
2002 — Summerall and Madden call Super Bowl XXXVI, their final Big Game together. Madden leaves Fox to join Al Michaels on Monday Night Football. Summerall retires, then decides to return to Fox calling primarily Dallas Cowboys calls with Brian Baldinger. After the 2002 season, Summerall leaves Fox after the network would not guarantee he could work mostly Dallas games.
2004 — Substitutes for Mike Patrick on ESPN’s Sunday Night Football and partners with Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire on preseason and early season games until Patrick returns.
2007 — Returns to Fox to call the Cotton Bowl.
2010 — Calls his last Cotton Bowl for Fox.
2011 — Makes his final appearance on Fox on the Cotton Bowl pregame show.
Mar
21
ESPN, Inc. Pounds Its Chest Over 43 Sports Emmy Nominations
The ESPN Family of Networks received 43 Sports Emmy nominations. Some of the major nods include Mike Breen for Play-by-Play, Jon Gruden for Event Sports Analyst, College GameDay for Weekly Studio Show, Pardon the Interruption in Daily Studio Show, the Indy 500 for Live Sports Special, Monday Night Football in Live Sports Series, 30 for 30 in Edited Sports Series/Anthology, E:60 for Sports Journalism and even Grantland got three nominations giving Bill Simmons another ego blast.
Here’s what ESPN is saying about their Sports Emmy nominations.
ESPN, Inc. – 41 Sports Emmy Nominations
Outside the Lines, E:60 Lead the Way; First Three Nominations for Grantland.com
ESPN, Inc. received 41 Sports Emmy Award nominations for 2012 across its platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN 3D, ABC, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and Grantland.com), it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The winners will be announced Monday, May 6, in New York.
The company’s initiatives in enterprise journalism and storytelling led the way – five nods for E:60, four for Outside the Lines, ESPN Films earned four nominations including two for 30 for 30 documentaries, and three for Grantland.com, the site’s first nominations. OTL has won 14 Sports Emmy Awards in history, including three last year. Grantland.com gained two nominations in New Approaches – Sports Programming with “The Arnold Palmer” and “Royce White Battles Anxiety on Draft Day” as well as one in New Approaches – Short Format for “Story Time with Jalen Rose.”
Monday Night Football, the most-watched series in cable television, was nominated in Live Series and its analyst Jon Gruden was nominated for the fourth consecutive year and reporter Lisa Salters received her first-ever nod. In technical categories, ESPN 3D garnered a pair of nominations, including in Technical Team Remote for the Winter X Games for which the network won in 2012. Also, last summer’s UEFA Euro 2012 month-long tournament received nominations in Technical Team Studio and in Graphic Design.
Overall, ESPN has won 148 Sports Emmy Awards in 25 years of eligibility. ABC Sports won 160 from 1980 – 2008.
ESPN’s nominations by category (all are ESPN, except as noted):
Live Special Indianapolis 500 (ABC)
Live Series Monday Night Football
Edited Special Outside the Lines – Believe
Sports Documentary 26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story (ESPN2)
The Announcement
Edited Series 30 for 30
Studio Show/weekly College GameDay
Studio Show/daily NFL Live (ESPN2)
Pardon the Interruption
Journalism E:60 – Beitar Jerusalem (ESPN2)
E:60 – Busted Coverage (ESPN2)
Short Feature College GameDay – Fist Bump: A Brotherly Bond
E:60 – Perfect (ESPN2)
SportsCenter – Kick of Hope
SportsCenter – Run with Me
Long Feature E:60 – Mike Powell: In Relentless Pursuit (ESPN2)
New Approaches – Unite (ESPNU)
Sports Programming Royce White Battles Anxiety on Draft Day (Grantland.com)
The Arnold Palmer (Grantland.com)
New Approaches – Short Format ESPNU Unite Social Highlight (ESPNU)
Story Time with Jalen Rose (Grantland.com)
Numbers Never Lie Whiteboard (ESPN2)
Play by Play Mike Breen (ABC)
Event Analyst Jon Gruden
Reporter Lisa Salters
Technical Team Remote The Masters (ESPN 3D with CBS)
Winter X Games (ESPN 3D)
Technical Team Studio UEFA Euro 2012
Camerawork E:60 – Remember Bluffton (ESPN2)
Outside the Lines – Breaking the Silence
Editing Grand Slam Tennis (ESPN2
Outside the Lines – Breaking the Silence
Writing The Open Championship – Old
The Open Championship – Essays
30 for 30 – Ghosts of Ole Miss
Graphic Design UEFA Euro 2012
Sport Science (ESPN-ESPN2-ESPNEWS)
Prod.Design/Art Direction Outside the Lines – Defiance: The Story of FC Start
Promo – Institutional “It’s not crazy, it’s sports.”
“Nothing Beats First Place”
That’s going to do it.
Mar
14
TNT Has Another Thursday Night NBA Doubleheader
Let’s take a look at what TNT is saying about tonight’s NBA doubleheader which involves a battle of Texas and the Knicks in the Northwest. Ian Eagle and his Brooklyn Nets partner Mike Fratello work the early game while Kevin Harlan and Chris Webber will call the nightcap.
NBA on TNT continues Thursday, March 14, with the Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs & New York Knicks vs. Portland Trail Blazers Beginning at 8 p.m. ET
The NBA on TNT will feature the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan hosting the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki on Thursday, March 14, at 8 p.m. ET as part of the network’s weekly doubleheader. In the second game, the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony will visit the Portland Trail Blazers and rookie standout Damian Lillard.
Ian Eagle will call the Mavericks/Spurs game with analyst Mike Fratello and reporter David Aldridge, while Kevin Harlan will provide commentary for the Knicks/Trail Blazers with analyst Chris Webber and reporter Craig Sager. TNT’s Sports Emmy® Award-winning Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai, with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will recap the night’s action.
Exclusive NBA content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week. Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news and special features.
NBA on TNT Upcoming Schedule:
DAY/DATE TIME (ET) EVENT Thursday, March 14 8 p.m. ET TNT NBA Tip-Off
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny SmithDallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs
Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)10:30 p.m. New York Knicks @ Portland Trail Blazers
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Chris Webber (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)Post-game Inside the NBA
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith
Tuesday, March 267 p.m. TNT NBA Tip-Off
Matt Winer, Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis ScottNew York Knicks @ Boston Celtics
Matt Devlin (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and Tina Cervasio (reporter)9:30 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers @ Dallas Mavericks
Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Chris Webber (analyst) and Aldridge (reporter)Post-game Inside the NBA
Matt Winer, Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis Scott
That’s going to do it.
Mar
05
Some Quick Tuesday Linkage
On my way to New York for the Fox Sports 1 unveiling and I’m going to try to do some links with the limited wifi that Amtrak has provided. It’s not the best, but it’ll do for what I need today.
Let’s begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who along with Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing, John Ourand from Sports Business Journal and Randy McClure of Rush the Court, conducted a sportscaster draft for the NCAA Tournament. Fascinating stuff.
At Awful Announcing, Matt Yoder explains the reasoning behind his draft picks.
In the shameless plug department, I have a post at AA on “What if” Keith Olbermann returns to ESPN. That is a huge “what if,” by the way.
On this site, I ask “What Can We Expect From Fox Sports 1 and 2?”
David Lieberman of Deadline has a Fox official telling its investors that Fox Sports 1 and 2 are expected to lose money at first, but it’s all about the long-term with the new channels.
Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter says Fox is downplaying expectations about Fox Sports 1 competing with ESPN.
At $ports Biz USA, Mike McCarthy talks with Jay Glazer about his new Fox Sports 1 show.
Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report says ESPN is reminding Fox about who has a 33 year head start in the all-sports cable business.
Richard Sandomir and Amy Chozick in the New York Times have an extensive look at the new Fox Sports venture.
Even with Fox starting a new network to compete with ESPN, it still has formed an Unholy Alliance with the Alleged Worldwide Leader. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has the story.
Addy Dugdale at Fast Company looks at the new Fox Sports 1.
Good article from Paulsen at Sports Media Watch on how SportsCenter has drifted into the abyss. I was thinking about using a Matrix reference, but I’ve used them up on Twitter.
Jason Lisk of The Big Lead profiles ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham who will get a plum assignment at the ACC Tournament next week.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead tweets that Tom Rinaldi and his traveling piano have been re-signed by ESPN.
Will Leitch from Sports on Earth feels a Keith Olbermann return to ESPN is not a good idea.
Michael Hiestand from USA Today has the weekend sports ratings.
Mark Blaudshun in A Jersey Guy reports that the remnants of the old Big East plan to play its first postseason tournament without Syracuse, Pittsburgh and the Catholic 7 in Hartford. Good choice.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says ESPN Deportes will continue carrying Mexican League soccer.
Dieter Kurtenbach from the South Florida Sun Sentinel says 11 months after joining Miami’s WQAM, controversial talk show host Dan Sileo has been fired.
Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman notes that the Thunder are featured twice this week on TNT.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says University of Kentucky athletics has signed a promotional deal with Time Warner Cable.
Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago writes that a former Windy City sportscaster refused to take part in a farewell to two long-time news anchors.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has five things he learned from the weekend.
Joe Favorito says World Tennis Day on Monday helped to give the sport a global boost.
Back to Paulsen at Sports Media Watch, he notes that the PGA Tour experienced its fourth straight week of ratings declines.
And let’s end with one of the silliest moments on ESPN from Monday. Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that ESPN’s Stephen A. “A is for Awkward” Smith didn’t realize that ties were eliminated from the National Hockey League in 2004.
That will end the links for today. As long as I have wifi or 3G access (I know, 4G LTE users are laughing at me), I’ll provide tweets and a live blog on the Fox Sports 1 press event and upfronts today in New York. If communication is cut off, then all bets are off, but I’m willing to go out on a limb that we’ll have wifi access somehow, at least for the press conference this afternoon.
Keep your RSS, Twitter and any other syndication feeds updated.
Feb
25
A Monday Sports Media Notebook
Let’s get cracking on some fresh content on this Monday afternoon. Plenty of stuff to go over.
- Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch’s Monday column discusses Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed reporting on the Red Carpet at The Oscars and reviews Fox’s Daytona 500 coverage.
- The man who started SportsGrid, ABC News legal analyst Dan Abrams, the site has been sold to RotoExperts.
- I’m getting a lot of reaction to my post on whether Fox can find the proper role for Erin Andrews.
- Randolph May at Multichannel News talks about a case over Comcast’s refusal to move Tennis Channel off a dreaded sports tier.
- To Sports Business Daily where Richard E. Lapchick laments the lack of hiring diversity in the sports media.
- Overseas, ESPN is getting out of the UK television business, selling its channels to BT Group which beat it out for the rights to the English Premier League. ESPN will continue to maintain its digital UK assets and also kill ESPN Classic in Europe and Africa in separate decisions.
- USA Today’s Michael Hiestand feels Fox got off to a fast start with the overnight ratings for the Daytona 500.
- Hiestand also looks at the other sports overnight ratings from the weekend.
- David Lieberman at Deadline says News Corp.’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch (son of Rupert) says even with Fox Sports creating new all-sports cable channels, the company plans to be pennywise and not pound foolish over rights fees.
- In the Sherman Report, Ed Sherman talks with Golf Channel’s David Feherty about the season premiere of his weekly interview show.
- Bruce Allen at Boston Sports Media Watch looks at a preposterous argument put the forth by WEEI’s Gerry Callahan regarding the Daytona 500 and Danica Patrick.
- Bill Carter at the New York Times notes how NBC has had a precipitous fall into the ratings basement after starting off so well when Sunday Night Football was on.
- Phil Mushnick of the New York Post feels the Federal lawsuit against Lance Armstrong wreaks of hypocrisy.
- From Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog reports that MASN’s Kristina Akra who was the Nationals’ on-field reporter is leaving the network. No word on where she’s going or who’s going to replace her.
- Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says David Feherty will reveal a different side of golfing legend Jack Nicklaus tonight.
- Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times says Fox didn’t do itself any favors during its Daytona 500 prerace coverage.
- The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron notes that a local sports anchor is leaving his station after more than 20 years of service.
- Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Cardinals fans will be able to see and listen to their team throughout Spring Training.
- Dusty Saunders in the Denver Post writes about a Rocky Mountain TV veteran who wants to return to his sports roots.
- Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the SoCal Sports Calendar for this week.
- Tom has the five things he learned from the weekend.
- Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail makes clear of his disdain for CBC’s Don Cherry.
- Paulsen of Sports Media Watch says opposite the Daytona 500, the NBA on ABC took a big ratings hit.
- To Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing who looks at what Joe Buck plans to do with the St. Louis Cardinals if he manages to get the team and Fox Sports Midwest to sign off on his idea.
- Michael Shamburger at The Big Lead says Katherine Webb is 1st Round talent.
Ok, I’m going to end the linkage/notebook there.
Feb
24
Breaking Out Some Sunday Linkage
I haven’t done Sunday links in a very long while. It seems as if part of my weekends have been planned for me behind my back for almost three years straight. Finally glad to be able to do links on a weekend.
Charlie White at Mashable talks about NASCAR taking down fan videos of the horrific crash that injured 28 fans at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona yesterday.
John McQuaid from Forbes says NASCAR has a YouTube problem.
Jon Lafayette of Broadcasting & Cable says Dish Network may not be allowed to advertise on Fox over its Hopper device, but it’s finding a way to be seen on today’s Daytona 500.
The Sherman Report’s Ed Sherman has some videos displaying Joe Garagiola on TV at various times in his career.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says the Big East had to go back to ESPN after rejecting a huge megabucks offer from the network two years ago.
Newsday’s Neil Best talks with SNY’s Bob Ojeda who steps out of the studios to analyze Mets Spring Training games.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post hates Twitter.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the entire World Baseball Classic TV schedule.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at the new season of The Haney Project on Golf Channel.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the local sports radio ratings and the Houston Rockets’ TV numbers.
Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman talks with Sooner State native Stacey King who is now the Chicago Bulls TV analyst.
Paul M. Banks at the Chicago Sports Media Watch has NASCAR pundits choosing their winners for the Daytona 500.
MediaRantz has yet another mistimed headline at ESPN.com.
That’s it for the linkage for now. I could be back later if news breaks.
Feb
23
A Late Friday Night/Early Saturday Morning Sports Media Notebook
Let’s do a notebook tonight, shall we? If I can’t do linkage and it always seems something gets in the way these days, I might as well do a notebook.
I’ll try to provide as many links and stories as possible here.
- Interesting story from The Big Lead. The daily 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET SportsCenter block on ESPN is going to get a bit of a facelift. Jason McIntyre reports that instead of two shifts of three hours, ESPN will go to three two hour blocks. Kevin Negandhi and Hannah Storm will continue to be the combination to start off the block, but instead of going from 9 a.m.-noon, they’ll be reduced by one hour. Chris McKendry/Jay Crawford and Sage Steele/David Lloyd will be the other two weekday teams. ESPN has not confirmed the report, but The Big Lead’s confidence on this story is quite high.
- Here’s another story from The Big Lead. This upcoming season is the last year in Tim McCarver’s contract with MLB on Fox. Jason McIntyre gets comment from Fox on this.
- Add Cablevision to DirecTV and Verizon Fios to the providers tacking on a surcharge on subscribers who have packages with sports regional networks. In Cablevision’s case, it’s a $2.98 monthly fee that begins in April. Mike Farrell of Multichannel News says the surcharge is for subscribers who have the MSG Networks, SNY and YES RSN’s. This is the providers’ pushback on increasing subscriber fees from RSN’s which come as a result of high media rights for various professional teams. We’ll see if there’s any outcry from subscribers.
- ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd continues to say stupid things about the Midwest, this time about Indiana Pacers fans. This guy really needs to shut up.
- Joe Posnanski has been officially hired by NBC Sports to become its main columnist on its website and be featured on its multiple platforms. Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report wonders if this is the right move for Posnanski who left the fledgling Sports on Earth site after less than a year.
- Speaking of Ed, he speaks with Jim Romenesko about blogging for little to no money, something I’m quite familiar with.
- From David Goetzl of MediaPost comes this analysis of a lawsuit brought forth by Dish Network against ESPN. Very good background on a dispute that has been simmering for quite some time.
- To Sports Video Group where we have an interesting look at how ESPN3 produces a women’s college basketball that will be streamed on its platform.
- A few items from Paulsen at Sports Media Watch. First, NBA All-Star Saturday on TNT hit a three-year low, but still is among the best ratings ever for the event. Despite Danica Patrick, still not a good start for Fox for the Daytona 500 Speedweeks. And Paulsen has some various ratings news and notes.
- Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald has the Arena Football League schedule on CBS Sports Network for the 2013 season. CBSSN takes over the rights after the AFL had been on NFL Network from 2010-2012. CBS will have the Arena Bowl in August.
- Robert Feder at TimeOut Chicago notes that Comcast SportsNet has ended its partnership with the Chicago Tribune and will rebrand its roundtable show as SportsTalk Live.
- Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail reviews the first week of TSN’s new radio format and its new afternoon drive host.
- Could the NFL move the Draft to May into a ratings sweeps period? Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says it’s entirely possible.
- By the way, this is not necessarily sports media, but it’s related. NBC definitely misses Sunday Night Football. Since the NFL season ended, the Peacock is having a hard time attracting viewers. The network will finish in 5th place in the 18-49 demographic for the February sweeps. Dominic Patten of Deadline notes that NBC will finish below CBS, Fox, ABC and wait for it…. Univision for the first time in its history. It’s not been a good 2013 for NBC thus far.
- This week, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss passed away at the age of 80. He was first in the L.A. market to televise all of his team’s games creating the Prime Ticket regional sports network to air all of the Lakers’ home games and putting the road games on an over the air station. Before his passing, the Lakers went a step further in creating another RSN, Time Warner Cable SportsNet and doing two feeds, one in English and another in Spanish, another innovation. Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star looks at the impact Buss had on sports television.
- Media Life Magazine notes a new study which shows low recall of Super Bowl ads, something the NFL TV partners and its sponsors do not want to hear.
- Jonah Keri at Grantland says MLB has opened up the vault and released some of its old highlights.
- Formula 1′s ratings are down worldwide, a concern for the sport.
I think that’s where I’ll end things for now.
Feb
17
SNL’s Jay Pharoah As Stephen A. Smith
I don’t watch Saturday Night Live unless … Ok, I just don’t watch, there is no unless. Anyway, NBC sent this clip from last night’s Weekend Update with Seth Myers and Jay Pharoah did a bang up job as ESPN’s Stephen A. “A is for Acrimony” Smith. In this segment, Seth asks “Stephen” to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers’ troubles at NBA All-Star break and what Kobe Bryant should do. The rest is hilarity.
Very funny stuff.
Jan
16
YES Network Claims 10 Years of Ratings Dominance
This from YES Network. According to the New York-based regional sports network, it’s the most watched RSN in the nation for the 10th consecutive year.
Not only was it tops in total day viewing (sunrise to sunset), but it was also number one of all RSN’s in primetime viewing. YES not only had strong viewership in its home market of New York, but also in outer markets of Hartford, Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse.
YES was very strong in key male demographics across the board. Not only were the Yankees helpful in YES’ ratings, a resurgent New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets team in 2012 gave the RSN an increase in NBA ratings.
We have the full press release from YES.
YES’ Decade of Dominance…
YES IS MOST-WATCHED REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORK IN THE COUNTRY FOR THE 10TH STRAIGHT YEAR
NEW YORK, January 16, 2013 – The YES Network, which celebrated its 10th anniversary year in 2012, finished the 2012 broadcast year* as the most-watched regional sports network (RSN) in the country in Total Day delivery (Monday-Sunday, 6a-2a) for the 10th straight year.
YES – named as the 7th-most valuable sports business brand in the world by Forbes in October 2012 — also finished the 2012 broadcast year as the most-watched RSN in the country in Primetime delivery (Monday-Sunday, 7p-11p) for the eighth time in 10 years.
In addition, the YES Network have seen significant viewership increases in key demographics, and has also performed superbly in outer markets such as Hartford-New Haven, Binghamton, Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo. YES’ digital and social platforms also experienced tremendous growth last year.
2012 YES Network Ratings
- YES averaged 27,000 Total Day TV Households in the New York DMA in the 2012 broadcast year. By comparison, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia was second in Total Day TV Households with an average of 17,000 (37% less than YES).
- YES’ Total Day delivery in Males 18-49 increased by 11%.
- YES averaged 68,000 Primetime TV Households in the New York DMA in the 2012 broadcast year. By comparison, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia was second in Primetime TV Households with an average of 55,000 (19% less than YES).
- YES’ Primetime delivery increased in several key demos, including Males 18-34 (12%), Males 18-49 (16%), Males 25-54 (7%), Persons 18-34 (8%) and Persons 18-49 (10%).
2012 New York Dominance
- YES’ average of 27,000 Total Day TV Households in the New York DMA in 2012 was only slightly less than two other New York RSNs (MSG and SNY) combined (29,000).
- YES’ Total Day dominance extends across key demographics; it tied the next top two New York RSNs combined (MSG and SNY) in Persons 25-54 (14,000 vs. 14,000).
2012 Yankees on YES Dominance in New York
- YES’ Yankees telecasts this past season averaged 290,000 TV Households in the New York DMA. This was 74% more than what SNY’s Mets telecasts averaged (167,000 TV Households in the New York DMA).
- Demo deliveries for Yankees games on YES increased by 11% in Men 18-49.
- YES’ Yankees pre-game shows averaged 45,000 TV Households in the New York DMA, which more than doubled SNY’s Mets pre-game show delivery (21,000). YES’ post-game shows averaged 97,000 TV Households, more than twice the delivery of SNY’s Mets post-game coverage (48,000). (YES out-delivers SNY’s post-game coverage by 102%).
- The Yankees on YES delivered more than twice the audience than the Mets on SNY in the following key demos: Men 18-49; Men 25-54; Persons 18-49; and Persons 25-54.
- 67 Yankees telecasts on YES in 2012 achieved a 4.0 or better average TV HH rating, vs. only 3 Mets telecasts on SNY.
- YES’ daytime Yankees telecasts frequently out-rated SNY’s and WPIX’ primetime Mets telecasts this past season.
The Resurgent Nets!
- This season, through January 13th, 2013, Nets game telecasts have experienced a more than 150% increase in TV Household viewership in the New York DMA versus YES’ 2011-12 Nets regular-season average (76,000 vs. 30,000).
- Brooklyn Nets games on YES have seen an even greater demo viewership growth in the New York DMA from last season, including 167% in Males 18-34, 167% in Males 18-49, 300% in Males 25-54, 200% in Persons 18-34, 150% in Persons 18-49, and 200% in Persons 25-54.
- Through January 13th, 2013, the first 32 Nielsen-rated Nets telecasts on YES, there have been 16 games (50%) that achieved at least a 1.0 TV Household Rating in the New York DMA. The last time the Nets on YES was able to attain at least 16games of at least a 1.0 rating within the same parameters was during the 2005-06 Season.
2012 Dominance throughout YES’ “Home-Team” Footprint
- During the May 2012 and July 2012 Nielsen Sweeps Periods, Yankees games on YES held overwhelming advantages over the Mets games on SNY in average TV household ratings in every market beyond the New York DMA
- The average TV Household ratings for Yankees on YES was 250% greater than the Mets on SNY in the Binghamton DMA; 483% greater than the Mets on SNY in the Syracuse DMA; 220% greater in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy DMA, 800% greater in the Hartford-New Haven DMA, and 433% greater in the Buffalo DMA.
- The YES Network’s combined average Total Day delivery (32,000 TV Households) in the three metered markets (New York, Buffalo and Hartford-New Haven) within its footprint was more than MSG (16,000) and SNY (14,000) combined.
- In those same three metered markets, the YES Network’s average PrimeTime delivery (78,000 TV Households) was significantly greater than MSG (54,000) and SNY (41,000).
YES Network’s Digital/Social Media Growth
- YESNetwork.com, which was named the best regional/local Web site last year by cable industry publication CableFAX Daily, saw its number of video views increase by 42% year-over-year.
- More than 432,000 people follow YES Network’s family of Twitter feeds, which include the @YESNetwork institutional feed, feeds from YES talent including Michael Kay, Paul O’Neill, Ken Singleton, Mike Fratello, John Flaherty, David Cone, Bob Lorenz, Jack Curry, Meredith Marakovits, Ryan Ruocco, Sarah Kustok, Chris Shearn, Ross Tucker, Gary Myers, Greg Anthony and Howard Cross, and feeds for specific YES Network programs. The 432,000 figure is a 260% year-over-year increase.
*2012 Broadcast Year: December 26, 2011 through December 30, 2012
Television Ratings Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Data
That will do it.
Dec
28
ESPN Sees Best Viewership For Christmas Day NBA Games Since 2004
ESPN saw its best viewership for its three NBA games on Christmas Day in eight years. Averaging 2.8 million viewers and a household rating of 2.0, ESPN saw double digit rises as compared to 2010.
Last year, ESPN had two games as Christmas Day opened the 2011-12 season due to the lockout (remember that?).
Let’s see what ESPN is saying about the five games that aired on both ABC and the Alleged Worldwide Leader.
ESPN Primetime Doubleheader & All Key Demos Up Double Digits
ESPN delivered its most-watched NBA Christmas Day since 2004 on Tuesday, according to Nielsen. The three-game set averaged 2,819,000 viewers (P2+), up 10 percent from 2,571,000 viewers in 2010. In addition, the games averaged a 2.0 household coverage rating, up 11 percent from a 1.8 for ESPN’s coverage in 2010. ESPN’s 2012 NBA Christmas Day scheduled included, Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers.
ESPN’s primetime doubleheader – Rockets at Bulls and Nuggets at Clippers – delivered double-digit increases compared to 2010. The two games averaged a 1.7 rating and 2,347,000 viewers, up 31 percent from a 1.3 rating and up 25 percent from 1,882,000 viewers compared to ESPN’s primetime doubleheader in 2010 – Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors.
ESPN also generated double-digit growth in all key demos for its NBA Christmas Day telecasts compared to 2010: M18-34 – 2.1 rating, up 24 percent vs. 1.7; M18-49 – 1.9 rating, up 12 percent vs. 1.7; M25-54 – 1.9 rating, up 12 percent vs. 1.7; P18-34 – 1.5 rating, up 25 percent vs. 1.2; P18-49 – 1.4 rating, up 17 percent vs. 1.2; P25-54 – 1.4 rating, up 17 percent vs. 1.2.
In 2004, ESPN televised the Detroit Pistons-Indiana Pacers Christmas Day game, the only ESPN game that day, which delivered 4,325,000 viewers and a 3.5 rating.
That’s all.
Dec
24
ESPN/ABC Combine For Five NBA Christmas Day Games
In what has become a tradition, ESPN and ABC will combine to show give NBA games on Christmas Day. ESPN will start everything with the Celtics-Nets game at Barclays Center tipping off just after noon ET.
Then ABC carries an afternoon doubleheader, Knicks at Lakers called by Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy at 3 p.m. ET followed by Oklahoma City at Miami with Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown at the mic at 5:30 p.m.
ESPN takes you through the evening with Houston at Chicago at 8 p.m. then back to the West Coast at 10:30 p.m. as the Clippers host the Nuggets.
For the second straight year, Breen and Van Gundy will do two games, but unlike last year, they don’t have to travel cross-country for the late game, they’ll be in Los Angeles and the Staples Center to call both the Lakers and the Clippers.
We have the press release for you.
Lakers-Knicks, NBA Finals Rematch Highlight Blockbuster Doubleheader on ABC & ESPN Radio
Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox to Call Two Games at the Staples Center
ESPN3 to Exclusively Deliver Live Coverage of Lakers-Clippers Arena ChangeoverABC and ESPN will combine to present all five NBA Christmas Day Games, Tuesday, December 25. The blockbuster schedule is highlighted by ABC’s first two NBA broadcasts of the season. The doubleheader will begin with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant hosting the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony at 3 p.m. ET, followed by an NBA Finals rematch with the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant at 5:30 p.m. Mike Tirico and analyst Hubie Brown will call the Finals rematch with Lisa Salters reporting. NBA Countdown will precede the ABC doubleheader at 2:30 p.m. with Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon.
Breen, Van Gundy, Cox to call two games in L.A.
For the first time, Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Heather Cox will call two games from the Staples Center on Christmas Day. The trio will provide commentary for Knicks-Lakers and return to the booth for ESPN’s primetime telecast of the Los Angeles Clippers, led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, against the Denver Nuggets and Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala at 10:30 p.m. The Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Billy Crystal will join Breen and Van Gundy in the booth for a portion of the Nuggets/Clippers telecast to lend his insights on the Clippers – his favorite NBA team.
NBA on ESPN Christmas Day
ESPN’s Christmas Day coverage will tip off at 12 p.m. with the Brooklyn Nets hosting the Boston Celtics in the Nets’ first-ever Christmas Day appearance on ESPN. Mark Jones and analyst Doris Burke will call the game with reporter Chris Broussard. ESPN will resume its coverage with a primetime doubleheader, beginning with the Chicago Bulls and Joakim Noah hosting the Houston Rockets and James Harden at 8 p.m., with Dave Pasch and analyst Jon Barry calling the action. The five-game docket closes with Nuggets-Clippers at 10:30 p.m. All ESPN games are also available via WatchESPN.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio will nationally broadcast two blockbuster NBA Christmas Day games, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. Dave Flemming and analyst Will Perdue will call Knicks-Lakers, while Kevin Calabro and NBA Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay will call Thunder-Heat. ESPN Radio’s Christmas Day broadcasts are also available on ESPNRadio.com and via the ESPN Radio app.
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage of the first four NBA games with Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales, Ricardo Ortiz and Manu Martin providing commentary. In addition, Jerry Olaya, Robert Abramowitz, Leopoldo Gonzalez and Robert Sierra will voice the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) coverage for each ABC game.
ESPN3
ESPN3 will exclusively deliver live coverage of the Staples Center changeover on Christmas Day, as the crew changes the arena from the Lakers set to the Clippers set. There will be a static camera placed inside the arena to capture the transformation, beginning at the conclusion of the Lakers-Knicks game.
ESPN.com
ESPN.com will offer comprehensive coverage of the NBA on Christmas Day with reporters at each game. ESPN.com will also have special editions of the Daily Dime and Five on Five features, as well as a day-long live chat. Additionally, ESPN.com’s local sites will have coverage leading up to, and throughout, Christmas Day – ESPNNY.com, ESPNChicago.com, ESPNLA.com, ESPNBoston and at the Heat Index.
ABC & ESPN NBA Christmas Day schedule
Time (ET) Game Commentators Network(s) 12 p.m. NBA Christmas Special
Boston Celtics at Brooklyn NetsESPN: Mark Jones, Doris Burke, Chris Broussard ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN 2:30 p.m. KIA NBA Countdown Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, Michael Wilbon ABC 3 p.m. (ESPN Radio at 2 p.m.)
NBA Christmas Special
New York Knicks at L.A. LakersABC: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox ESPN Radio: Dave Flemming, Will Perdue
ESPN Deportes: Ricardo Ortiz, Manu Martin
ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes 5:30 p.m. NBA Christmas Special
Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami HeatABC: Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Lisa Salters ESPN Radio: Kevin Calabro, Dr. Jack Ramsay
ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales
ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes 8 p.m. NBA Christmas Special
Houston Rockets at Chicago BullsESPN: Dave Pasch, Jon Barry ESPN Deportes: Ricardo Ortiz, Manu Martin
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN 10:30 p.m. NBA Christmas Special
Denver Nuggets at L.A. ClippersESPN: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox ESPN, WatchESPN
That will do it.
Dec
13
It’s Another NBA on TNT Thursday Doubleheader; Charles Barkley is Courtside in New York
Tonight, it’s another NBA doubleheader on TNT, the network that should be allowed to air the NBA Finals in the next TV contract. Here’s a partner that has been loyal to the NBA since the mid-1980′s, put the games on TBS then TNT, took over the operations of what was a totally boring NBA TV and turned it into a decent channel and has cash to air the Finals if it’s allowed to. I know ESPN loves having the Finals on ABC, but if Turner can convince the league to put the games on cable, then this is a no-brainer and Turner can alternate with ESPN just like it will do with the NCAA Final Four with CBS starting in 2015.
Anyway, TNT will have its regular two Thursday night games with the Lakers taking on the Knicks in a bi-coastal matchup. Charles Barkley makes another appearance out of the studio and at a game site, this time at Madison Square Garden, joining Marv Albert and Steve Kerr at the broadcast table. David Aldridge gets the sideline assignment.
In the nightcap, it will be David Stern’s least favorite team, the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Portland Trail Blazers. Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller will be courtside with Craig Sager and his loud wardrobe roaming the arena.
Here’s the TNT press release.
TNT’s Charles Barkley to Provide Game Analysis for Lakers vs. Knicks at 8 p.m. ET;
Chris Webber Joins Studio Crew for this Week’s ActionThe NBA on TNT will continue tonight with exclusive coverage of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant taking on the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony from Madison Square Garden at 8 ET. Marv Albert will call the game with analysts Charles Barkley and Steve Kerr and reporter David Aldridge. TNT’s exclusive coverage will continue with the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan visiting the Portland Trail Blazers and standout rookie Damian Lillard at 10:30 p.m. Kevin Harlan will provide play-by-play with analyst Reggie Miller and reporter Craig Sager. Chris Webber will join the Inside the NBA studio team with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
Exclusive NBA content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week. Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news and special features.
NBA on TNT Upcoming Schedule:
DAY/DATE TIME (ET) EVENT Thursday, December 13 8 p.m. ET TNT NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber (analysts) Los Angeles Lakers @ New York Knicks Marv Albert (play-by-play), Charles Barkley and Steve Kerr (analysts) and David Aldridge (reporter) 10:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber Thursday, December 20 7 p.m. TNT NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller and Chris Webber (analysts) and Marty Snider (reporter) 9:30 p.m. Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr and Mike Fratello (analysts), and Craig Sager (reporter) Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith
That’s it.
Dec
05
Various Wednesday Links
I’ll do a few links for you this evening.
I’ll start with a strange story that surfaced today from a University of Maryland journalism class during which ESPN Vice President and Executive Editor John Walsh made some rather strange statements about Deadspin’s John Koblin over the Lynn Hoppes plagiarism situation. Deadspin has raised issues of Hoppes lifting material from Wikipedia. In the journalism class, student Mark Sanchez asked Walsh about Hoppes and the plagiarism. Walsh then made puzzling statements that Koblin was angry that Hoppes stole his girlfriend. This is quite interesting except that Koblin is gay. The whole thing came out on Twitter in this very interesting thread. John Koblin later talked with Walsh who denied making the statements. One of the strangest stories I’ve ever seen this year or any other year.
A story that broke Wednesday night, Michael Hiestand of USA Today reports that CBS/Turner might get permission to use ESPN’s Dick Vitale on the NCAA Tournament and team him with Charles Barkley.
ESPN has gained the rights to air the NBA in the UK and Ireland.
Jason Howerton at The Blaze writes that Bob Costas and Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly had a discussion on guns.
Dave Scott from ESPN’s Front Row public relations blog notes that Sean McDonough is recovering from surgery to correct a rare ear condition.
Tom Van Riper of Forbes says former ESPN’er Brian Kenny brings a big network feel to MLB Network.
Reuters has a Disney executive crowing about ESPN ad sales being ahead of last year’s pace.
David Goetzl from MediaPost notes that SodaStream will advertise in Super Bowl XLVII on CBS.
Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age looks at the companies buying time in the Super Bowl.
Ed Sherman from The Sherman Report talks with former Fox Sports Vice Chairman Ed Goren about a career that spans many decades back to his days with CBS.
Ed also has former New York Times writer Robert Lipsyte discussing Bob Costas’ halftime commentary on Sunday Night Football.
Dee McVicker from Radio World says ESPN has been studying consumers’ cross-platform habits.
SportsRantz notes that Cumulus Media has purchased radio stations that ensures that CBS Sports Radio will be heard on FM in the nation’s top three markets.
Matthew Kitchen of Esquire talks with ESPN’s Samantha Steele.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has video of a Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic anchor mocked LeBron James after the Washington Wizards defeated the Miami Heat last night.
Sports Media Watch says the SEC Championship Game on CBS did really well in the ratings.
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton went out on a limb to say the NHL Lockout could be resolved.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News talks about Fox’s spending spree reaching to Cleveland.
Jerry Barmash from Fishbowl New York notes that the Jets are staying with ESPN Radio NY for years to come.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 14 NFL TV Schedule.
Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says TV rights fees help teams spend on free agents.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner delves into a Sports Business Journal report stating that Fox Sports was interested in buying MASN.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle talks with former Astros analyst Jim Deshaies about leaving for the Chicago Cubs.
The Chronicle prints a press release stating that ESPN’er Steve Bunin is joining Comcast SportsNet Houston.
Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman has the weekend TV ratings for Oklahoma City.
Jay Miller at Crain’s Cleveland Business speculates about the sale of Sports Time Ohio to Fox Sports. Your humble blogger is quoted in the story. (subscription might be required)
Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch says the extra cash from STO’s sale may not help the Dolan family which owns the Cleveland MLB team.
Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN’s Samantha Steele is now engaged.
Chris Kue of the Chicago Tribune has Jim Deshaies looking forward to being the new Cubs analyst.
Lewis Lazare at the Chicago Business Journal says Comcast SportsNet Chicago has hired a new news director.
Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune writes that the Raiders are shooting down any rumors of ESPN’s Jon Gruden coaching the team once again.
Jeff Blair from the Toronto Globe and Mail talks about the late Blue Jays voice Tom Cheek being bestowed a Baseball Hall of Fame honor posthumously.
At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski speculates on how many games would be played if the NHL Lockout ever gets resolved.
I think that will end our linkage for the night.
Dec
04
It’s Another Doubleheader Thursday for the NBA on TNT
It’s another doubleheader for the NBA on TNT. This Thursday, the NBA’s Network of Record airs the Knicks at the defending champions Miami Heat and then for the nightcap, it will be Dallas at Phoenix.
Check out what TNT is saying about the games.
Dallas vs. Phoenix on Thursday, Dec. 6, Beginning at 8 p.m. ETCharles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao to Premiere Following NBA Coverage
The NBA on TNT will continue Thursday, Dec. 6, with exclusive coverage of Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks taking on LeBron James and the Miami Heat at 8 p.m. ET. Marv Albert will call the game with analyst Steve Kerr and reporter David Aldridge. The second game of the night will feature Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks visiting Goran Dragic and the Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m. ET. Kevin Harlan will provide play-by-play with analysts Reggie Miller and Mike Fratello and reporter Craig Sager. Inside the NBA with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith will recap the night’s action.
Additionally, following TNT’s NBA coverage, the network will televise Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao, a 30-minute special featuring TNT analysts and NBA Hall of Famers Barkley and Miller spending a day with Manny Pacquiao at the gym in Hollywood, Calif., where he is training for his upcoming fight. Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) will face archrival Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) in the HBO Pay-Per-View® mega-fight on Saturday, Dec. 8, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight is the boxers’ fourth meeting in their epic rivalry.
Exclusive NBA content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week. Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and< Facebook (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news and special features.
NBA on TNT Upcoming Schedule:
DAY/DATE TIME (ET) EVENT Thursday, December 6 8 p.m. ET TNT NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith (analysts) New York Knicks @ Miami Heat Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst), with David Aldridge (reporter) 10:30 p.m. Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller and Mike Fratello (analysts), with Craig Sager (reporter) Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith Following NBA coverage Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao Thursday, December 13 8 p.m. TNT NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Chris Webber (analyst) Los Angeles Lakers @ New York Knicks Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Charles Barkley (analyst) and David Aldridge 10:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, and Craig Sager Post-game Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Chris Webber
There is one more post coming up.
Dec
04
Time For Some Tuesday Links
Let’s do some Tuesday links. Lots of stuff to get to.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that Bob Costas is receiving his share of criticism for his anti-gun commentary during halftime of Sunday Night Football.
Busted Coverage has video of Bob Costas telling Dan Patrick that he’s not backing off on his anti-gun comments.
Michael Katz of USA Today’s Game On blog recaps Vin Scully’s first and way too brief foray into Twitter on Monday.
From Yahoo’s Cagefighter, the great Maggie Hendricks tells us that Mixed Martial Arts viewing will be different in 2013.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says Universal Sports will be moving its operations from Los Angeles to the Comcast Media Center in Denver.
From Advertising Age, Brian Steinberg writes that Mercedes-Benz plans to bring out some big guns for its Super Bowl ad in February.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell notes that Lincoln cars are looking to make a return to Super Bowl advertising.
Tom Conroy of Media Life Magazine reviews the new NFL Films-produced Travel Channel documentary series on the Cleveland Browns support staff.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report reviews two documentaries that debut this week.
The Nielsen Wire says the Los Angeles Lakers are the most marketable of all NBA teams.
Steve Burton of WBZ-TV in Boston is the only one reporting that the NHL Lockout is close to ending.
Bill Carter of the New York Times says Bob Costas put the spotlight on himself with his anti-gun Sunday Night Football halftime commentary.
The New York Daily News reports that the Jets have renewed their radio rights deal with ESPN Radio New York.
Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY says YES Network had its best ratings ever for a Nets game.
Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says Monday night’s Giants-DC NFL Team contest hit the ratings jackpot for ESPN.
Chris Korman of the Baltimore Sun writes that the Orioles are denying yesterday’s Sports Business Journal report that Fox Sports attempted to buy MASN.
Sarah Kogod from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog tells us that many DC-area athletes stayed up to watch Robert Griffin III on Monday Night Football.
Erik Wemple at the WaPo talks about sports networks tackling political topics.
Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times reviews what happened on sports television over the weekend.
The Fort Pierce (FL) Tribune reports that the local ESPN Radio affiliate will continue to produce nightly sports report for the local NBC and Fox stations.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says Jim Deshaies’ departure for Chicago is a big loss for the Astros.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says Fox is close to purchasing Sports Time Ohio and gaining the rights to the city’s MLB team.
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talks about the Cubs hiring a new analyst.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned from the weekend.
Joe Flint from the Los Angeles Times says NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football is eating into the ratings of the league’s other TV partners.
Sports Media Watch notes that the MLS Cup had a slight decline in its overnight ratings as the game moved from a Sunday night to late Saturday afternoon.
The Huffington Post has video of ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit giving Northern Illinois blackboard material by ripping the team’s invitation to the Orange Bowl.
That’s where I’ll end it today.
Dec
03
LeBron James is The 2012 Sports Illustrated Man of the Year
He made a decision to take his talents to South Beach. He won an Olympic Gold Medal. He won an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat and now he’s SI’s Sportsman of the Year for 2012.
There’s nothing much more I can about this. You can read everything below.
LeBron James NAMED 2012 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
NEW YORK, NY (December 3) – Sports Illustrated today announced that Miami Heat and USA Basketball star LeBron James is the 2012 Sportsman of the Year. James who accomplished the rare feat of winning an NBA Championship, an Olympic Gold and being named league MVP and Finals MVP, joins an elite group of immortals such as Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky to receive this honor. James is just one of six professional basketball players to be named Sportsman including Heat teammate Dwayne Wade (’06); Tim Duncan and David Robinson (’03), Michael Jordan (1991), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1985) and Bill Russell (1968).
Annually, the magazine presents the Sportsman of the Year award to the transcendent athlete, coach or team who by virtue of their superior athletic achievement and comportment took us all to a higher place. The award debuted in 1954, and in describing the feats of the first Sportsman, Roger Bannister, the editors introduced the award’s guiding principle: “While the victory may have been his, it is not for the victory alone that he is honored. Rather, it is for the quality of his effort and manner of his striving.”
“This year there was an endless list of high-quality possibilities,” said Time Inc. Sports Group Editor Paul Fichtenbaum. “But LeBron’s stirring accomplishments on and off the court were impossible to ignore. He showed tremendous heart during times of adversity, and he delivered with relentless determination. Equally as impressive, although much less heralded, was his development of a hands-on educational program in an Akron, Ohio, school district which will have a profound and long-lasting impact on its students. His accomplishments embody the finest traditions of this award.”
For the Sportsman feature SI Senior Writer Lee Jenkins presents a myriad of poignant voices from those who know him best. Perhaps the most thoughtful was LeBron himself who talked openly about a coming of age. Jenkins writes: And so, less than 29 months after he sat on a stage at a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Conn., and incurred a nation’s wrath, LeBron James is the Sportsman of the Year. He is not the Sportsman of 2010, when he announced his decision to leave Cleveland in a misguided television special, or 2011, when he paid dearly for his lapse in judgment.
“He is the Sportsman of 2012. ‘Did I think an award like this was possible two years ago?’ James says. ‘No, I did not. I thought I would be helping a lot of kids and raise $3 million by going on TV and saying, ‘Hey, I want to play for the Miami Heat.’ But it affected far more people than I imagined. I know it wasn’t on the level of an injury or an addiction, but it was something I had to recover from. I had to become a better person, a better player, a better father, a better friend, a better mentor and a better leader. I’ve changed, and I think people have started to understand who I really am.’”
Last season, James became only the third NBA player to achieve the NBA Champion, Gold Medal winner, MVP trifecta (Jordan and Bill Russell) and just the seventh in NBA history to have three MVP awards (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan, Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone). He followed that by leading Team U.S.A. to an Olympic Gold medal, and was described by many as that team’s MVP.
Less heralded but incredibly impactful has been his work to support children’s education. While working closely with the Akron, OH school system he launched a Wheels for Education program which supports to the city’s third grade students who have been deemed at-risk. More the 500 students participate in the program which is already making an impact. The preliminary report of Kent State researchers, tracking the group’s progress, found that James students averaged 14.7 absences last year, compared with 18.9 for their peers in the district. Even after the Wheels for Education kids pass third grade, they remain in the program. They will be monitored by James and his staff until they graduate from high school. The first commencement ceremony will be in 2021. In testament to his impact Austin Qualls a senior at Akron’s Firestone High, one of 19 Wheels for Education ambassadors says, “I’m not doing this because LeBron is a basketball player. I don’t even watch a lot of basketball. I recognize him more for his fatherly side.”
Also from the story:
Team U.S.A Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski who coached LeBron in two Olympic competitions says: “The game is a house, and some players only have one or two windows in their house because they can’t absorb any more light,” says Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Team USA. “When I met LeBron, he only had a few windows, but then he learned how beautiful the game can be, so he put more windows in. Now he sees the damn game so well, it’s like he lives in a glass building. He has entered a state of mastery. There’s nothing he can’t do. God gave him a lot but he is using everything. He’s one of the unique sports figures of all time, really, and he’s right in that area where it’s all come together. A voracious mind has caught up with a supreme body. The marriage is a marvel.”
Heat President Pat Riley (who interestingly addresses LeBron as B.O.A.T – Best of All Time). Jenkins writes: “After James had unleashed 45 points, snatched 15 rebounds and sucked all the juice from an expectant crowd, he marched toward [Pat] Riley, the Heat president who lured him to South Beach two years ago with his six sparkling rings. He was just a few steps from Riley when a 20-something man perched above the tunnel poured what remained of his beer through a net canopy, dousing James’s head and jersey…
‘From where I was standing, there was a backlight on LeBron from the arena, and as the [beer] pellets sprayed up in the air, they looked like they were forming a halo over him. This is what I saw: The good Lord was saying, ‘LeBron, I’m going to help you through this night because you’re a nice person, and I’m going to give you 45 and 15. But as you walk off, I’m going to humble the heck out of you.’ And, you know what, that’s the best thing that could have happened.’”
The following is a list of Sportsmen:
1954 Roger Bannister, Track 1975 Pete Rose, Baseball 1995 Cal Ripken Jr., Baseball 1955 Johnny Podres, Baseball 1976 Chris Evert, Tennis 1996 Tiger Woods, Golf 1956 Bobby Morrow, Track 1977 Steve Cauthen, Horse Racing 1997 Dean Smith, College Basketball 1957 Stan Musial, Baseball 1978 Jack Nicklaus, Golf 1998 Mark McGwire, Baseball 1958 Rafer Johnson, Track 1979 Terry Bradshaw, Pro Football Sammy Sosa, Baseball 1959 Ingemar Johansson, Boxing Willie Stargell, Baseball 1999 U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team 1960 Arnold Palmer, Golf 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team 2000 Tiger Woods, Golf 1961 Jerry Lucas, College Basketball 1981 Sugar Ray Leonard, Boxing 2001 Randy Johnson, Baseball 1962 Terry Baker, College Football 1982 Wayne Gretzky, Pro Hockey Curt Schilling, Baseball 1963 Pete Rozelle, Pro Football 1983 Mary Decker, Track 2002 Lance Armstrong, Cycling 1964 Ken Venturi, Golf 1984 Edwin Moses, Track 2003 Tim Duncan, Pro Basketball 1965 Sandy Koufax, Baseball Mary Lou Retton, Gymnastics David Robinson, Pro Basketball 1966 Jim Ryun, Track 1985 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pro Basketball 2004 Boston Red Sox 1967 Carl Yastrzemski, Baseball 1986 Joe Paterno, College Football 2005 Tom Brady, Pro Football 1968 Bill Russell, Pro Basketball 1987 Athletes Who Care 2006 Dwyane Wade, Pro Basketball 1969 Tom Seaver, Baseball 1988 Orel Hershiser, Baseball 2007 Brett Favre, Pro Football 1970 Bobby Orr, Pro Hockey 1989 Greg LeMond, Cycling 2008 Michael Phelps, Swimming 1971 Lee Trevino, Golf 1990 Joe Montana, Pro Football 2009 Derek Jeter, Baseball 1972 Billie Jean King, Tennis 1991 Michael Jordan, Pro Basketball 2010 Drew Brees, Pro Football John Wooden, College Basketball 1992 Arthur Ashe, Tennis 2011 Pat Summitt, College Basketball 1973 Jackie Stewart, Auto Racing 1993 Don Shula, Pro Football Mike Krzyzewski, College Basketball 1974 Muhammad Ali, Boxing 1994 Bonnie Blair, Speed Skating 2012 LeBron James, Pro Basketball Johann Olav Koss, Speed Skating
That will do it.
Nov
30
Cranking Out The Friday Megalinks
Wasn’t able to do any posts yesterday as I was away for most of the day. Tough to get anything done when you’re out of range for any internet or even 3G. First World Problems.
Anyway, time for some Friday megalinks. Been doing well with the links, except for Thursday, but let’s continue doing them today.
No Weekend Viewing Picks yet. When they’re done, I’ll insert them here.
Let’s get cracking on the linkage.
National
We begin with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who talks with CBS’ Gary Danielson about the SEC Championship.
Ed Sherman with The Sherman Report has AOL’s David Whitley’s response to criticisms about his column about 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos.
Ed has CBS’ Verne Lundquist discussing SEC fatigue.
Ed has Gary Danielson’s preview of the SEC Championship.
And Ed analyzes the local ratings for the NFL.
Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk has Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein baffled at the NFL’s censoring of an interview featuring Bradley Cooper over a movie Weinstein produced that referenced gambling and adds that some team owners actually liked the flick.
Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter notes that U.S. Olympic diving gold medalist David Boudia will join a new ABC celebrity diving show as a judge. Yes, Greg Louganis will also be a judge.
Will Ashworth of Investor Place wonders if now is the time for Disney to sell ESPN.
Jordan Rabinowitz of SportsGrid has video of San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich shooting down TNT’s Charles Barkley during an in-game interview against the Miami Heat.
Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing says this weekend is a big test for Fox College Football.
Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth notes that CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Network need to step up their games.
Sports Media Watch talks about the ratings for Notre Dame-USC.
Kristi Dosh at ESPN.com says Notre Dame’s resurgence is good news for its TV rights.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell feels NBA Communist Sympathizer David Stern is wrong for threatening to sanction the San Antonio Spurs for sending their major players home last night.
Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says traditional media is clashing with new rules surrounding live tweeting of games.
From earlier in the week, John Koblin of Deadspin writes about ESPN admonishing its staff for crediting a story to SportsbyBrooks.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn from the Boston Globe says some big name announcers got their start at Boston College’s student radio station.
Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant writes that the Big East Conference has to recover from its latest blows while negotiating a new TV contract.
Charles McGrath of the New York Times profiles WFAN’s Steve Somers who’s been schmoozing s-p-o-r-t-s for 25 years on the nation’s first all-sports radio station.
Newsday’s Neil Best says SNY’s New York Jets postgame show does not pull any punches.
Neil has the Jets’ Tim Tebow being fine with the New York media.
Neil has an ESPN executive embracing debate.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick hates the Knicks’ style of play.
Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has New York’s Capital Region’s Week 13 NFL TV schedule.
Pete says ESPN executives are doing backflips over Notre Dame playing in the BCS National Championship Game.
Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says next week’s Army-Navy game will be aired nationally on radio.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that Louisville made the right sales pitch to get invited to join the ACC.
South
Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman notes that three local college football teams all get national telecasts at the same time on Saturday.
Midwest
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says while the Tigers may not have a rights fee as high as major market teams, they are still happy with their relationship with Fox Sports.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recaps a GQ article that profiles some of the NFL replacement referees.
Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business discusses Groupon’s new relationship with MLB.
Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Missouri football and basketball games will remain on a Gateway City radio station for several years.
Dan wonders where a local sports radio talk show host will surface after losing his job for making racial comments.
Greg Palermo of the Creve Coeur (MO) Patch says a local sports radio host said goodbye to his listeners today.
West
The Idaho Statesman says ESPN Radio has picked up a new affiliate in Boise.
John Maffei of the North County Times is frustrated that most local fans can’t watch this weekend’s high school football championship games.
Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Star says tonight’s Pac-12 Championship on Fox gives UCLA and Stanford a chance to wipe their slate clean for the postseason.
Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times catches up with Dodgers voice Vin Scully as he turns 85.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Dodgers are about to hit the motherlode whether it’s with Fox or another company.
Tom has some items that didn’t make his newspaper media column.
And that’s going to do it for now.
Nov
28
It’s A Wednesday Link Thing
Let’s do some linkage for you as we hit mid-week.
Once again, a shameless plug. Here are some Quick Wednesday Sports Media Thoughts which were written very early this morning.
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with former ESPN’er Dana Jacobsen who will be part of CBS Sports Radio’s morning show when the network launches in January.
Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN will donate $1 million to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research.
Brian Steinberg at Advertising Age looks at which marketers have bought time for Super Bowl XLVII on CBS.
E.J. Schultz of Ad Age says ad agency powerhouse Wieden & Kennedy has won the right to produce Oreo’s Super Bowl spot.
Michael Bradley in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says regional sports networks need to spend big money for rights to local teams otherwise they’re stuck without programming.
At Fangraphs, the always lovely Wendy Thurm looks at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ megadeal with Fox plus displays what all of the MLB teams generate in local rights fees.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report says the Dodgers’ contract with Fox proves that the rich just get richer.
Ed looks at this year’s National Sporscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame ballot.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the disturbing news that ESPN2′s First Take will be expanding to Saturday mornings after college football season.
Matt has a look at Fox Sports 1.
Bob Kennedy of the Stamford (CT) Advocate says NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus will receive a local honor next week.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times delves into why the late Marvin Miller is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Keith Olbermann pays tribute to Miller.
In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has his weekly Baltimore-DC media column.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes that while the Los Angeles Dodgers’ TV rights are about to be settled, the Nationals’ through MASN still remains up in the air.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks about Marvin Miller’s impact on baseball.
Ragan Robinson of the Gaston (NC) Gazette says local entrepreneurs got the seal of approval from ESPN for their golf gadget.
Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald has the comments from TNT’s Charles Barkley on the Heat.
Jacques Couret of the Atlanta Business Chronicle says Fox Sports South and its affiliated regional sports networks have hired a new Executive Producer.
Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman has a look at the local weekend TV ratings.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that audio of Bengals QB Andy Dalton will be aired on two national mid-week NFL shows tonight.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers apologizing to fans on his weekly radio show.
Danny Ecker from Crain’s Chicago Business notes that the Bulls practice facility could get a lot of money for its naming rights.
The Peoria (IL) Journal Star reports that four Illinois State basketball games will be picked up by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that one weekend late night sports TV show tops the local ratings.
Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN’s Monday Night Football suffered a ratings decline for Panthers-Eagles earlier this week.
Adam Guillen, Jr. of SB Nation’s MMA Mania reports that Fox is hoping to sign a UFC event for Super Bowl XLVIII weekend in February 2014.
Tony Manfred at the Business Insider’s Sports Page has women’s soccer star Hope Solo blaming the media for reporting on her husband’s domestic violence issues. Hope is a nut.
And I managed to squeeze out some good linkage today. Enjoy your Wednesday.
Nov
27
Going For Some Tuesday Links
Let’s bring you some linkage. Two days in a row! This is something!
Shameless plug department: I wrote Some Long Overdue Tuesday Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and make sure you give it a gander. Many thanks.
Sam Gustin of Time writes that News Corp.’s purchase of a minority stake in YES could help Fox challenge ESPN down the road.
Alicia Jessop at Forbes notes how the NFL successfully marketed to women to the point where they are now 44% of the league’s fan base.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports on the potential megadeal between Fox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In part two of his interview with SiriusXM’s Dino Costa, Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report goes into the relationship the Mad Dog radio host has with his boss, Chris Russo.
Salvej Schou of Entertainment Weekly says a Hollywood movie executive is angry at NFL Network for censoring at the last minute, a Rich Eisen interview with actor Bradley Cooper.
John Koblin of Deadspin speaks with some media professionals on the plagiarism issues plaguing ESPN.com and writer Lynne Hoppes.
Media Rantz looks at the impending launch of Fox Sports 1.
Les Carpenter of Yahoo! has a profile on former New Orleans Saints quarterback turned popular sports radio talk show host, Bobby Hebert.
Carl Marcucci of Radio & Television Business Report writes about CBS Sports Radio’s new morning show.
Newscast Studio looks at CBS Sports Network’s new college football studio.
Fox Soccer may have lost the English Premier League rights in the US, but Fox Sports in Australia has retained the rights to all of the EPL’s games Down Under.
The New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming talks with NBC’s Michelle Beadle.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says NBC Sports Network has added a college hockey game to its schedule.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that there’s no change to the NFL schedules in the next few weeks.
Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says CBS Sports Network will be re-airing a host of Army-Navy football games next week.
Dave Hughes in Press Box notes that Baltimore’s CBS-owned sports radio station will drop all ESPN Radio programming in favor of CBS Sports Radio in January.
Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says TNT is once again comparing the Wizards to the hapless Harlem Globetrotters whipping team, the Washington Generals.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the local weekend ratings for Thanksgiving weekend.
Scott Wright at The Oklahoman says Fox Sports will air three high school championship games on its Oklahoma Plus channel.
The Detroit Free Press summarizes an ESPN The Magazine interview with controversial Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.
Sports Media Watch notes that Fox Sports drew close to the rear in the college football ratings for Week 13.
SMW says an Iron Bowl blowout did not help the SEC on CBS’ ratings.
And SMW looks at college football TV ratings on ESPN, ABC and NBC.
Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing delves into the Fox/Dodgers deal.
Joe Favorito likes how the Green Bay Packers have embraced Movember.
Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs says the future is very bright for sports broadcasting.
That is going to wrap up our links for today.
Nov
26
Breaking Out The Monday Linkage
It’s been a while since I’ve done linkage. I’ll provide some on this Cyber Monday.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today says having Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game will bring in some monster ratings for ESPN.
Chris Chase of USA Today’s Game On notes that the NFL had Rich Eisen and NFL Network pull an interview segment with actor Bradley Cooper due to NFL gambling references.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with Turner Sports’ Chris Webber and reviews the weekend in sports television.
Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life writes that Notre Dame is as close to a guaranteed ratings success for college football as anything.
Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter says the NHL’s TV partners are caught trying to fill programming holes due to the lockout.
Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report has the first of a two part interview with SiriusXM’s Dino Costa.
Brad Gagnon of Awful Announcing writes that the Sunday NFL pregame shows are dramatically losing viewers this season.
The Big Lead notes that ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer had to apologize for doing the “Hook ‘Em Horns” sign upside down.
Bruce Allen at Boston Sports Media Watch throws some cold water on some silly agendas by the Hub’s sports writers.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says don’t expect too many changes to YES with News Corp. buying a minority stake in the channel.
In the New York Post, Phil Mushnick says Rutgers’ move to the Big Ten is all about the money. Tell me something I don’t know, Phil.
Newsday’s Neil Best talks with John Gilchrist who played Mikey in the iconic Life cereal commercials.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the college football TV schedule for Week 14.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with Eastern PA native Lisa Salters about returning home for ESPN’s Monday Night Football tonight.
It’s official. David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun hates CBS.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner feels Maryland’s move to the Big Ten makes sense.
Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times has his review of the weekend in sports television.
Over to Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News who has a profile of ESPN’s Ed Werder and his daughter’s successful battle to beat a nasty brain tumor.
David Barron looks at a few items in his regular sports media column.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has ESPN’s Trent Dilfer commenting on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line.
Paul M. Banks at the Chicago Sports Media Watch notes the high overnight rating for Notre Dame-USC.
Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says compares the current Broncos radio analyst to the very first one.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.
And Tom has the five things he learned from this weekend.
Sports Media Watch says the move of the Thanksgiving Night game from NFL Network to NBC paid off in spades this year.
SMW says the Thanksgiving afternoon game on Fox suffered a drop from the year before.
SMW notes that the early Thanksgiving Day game on CBS had the best ratings of the three games on Turkey Day.
Joe Favorito says Atlantis in the Bahamas is fast becoming the place for premiere college basketball teams.
Adam Herman at the New York Rangers Blog says the NHL instructed NBC Sports not to air a charity hockey game this past weekend.
That’s going to do it for now.
Nov
24
TNT Airs Knicks-Nets on Monday
After their original season-opening game was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy, the contest between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets at the new Barclays Center will be played Monday, November 26. TNT will air the game with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr with Craig Sager and his loud suits on the sidelines.
TNT begins its coverage with NBA Tip-Off at 7 p.m. ET with the game tipping off after 7:30.
Turner Sports has this press release for us.
New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets on Monday, November 26, at 7 p.m. ETThe NBA on TNT will exclusively showcase the intra-city rivalry game between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. ET from Barclays Center. The game will mark the first meeting between New York and Brooklyn since the Nets moved to its new home this season. Marv Albert will call the action alongside analyst Steve Kerr and reporter Craig Sager. Monday’s telecast is the rescheduled opening week game which was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.
Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week. Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news and special features.
NBA on TNT Upcoming Schedule:
DAY/DATE TIME (ET) EVENT Monday, November 26 7 p.m. ET TNT NBA Tip-Off Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal (analysts) New York Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)
That’s all from here.
Nov
20
Back For Some Tuesday Links
Let’s do some linkage. I need to do this more than twice a week.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch looks at the potential replacements for Jon Gruden in the Monday Night Football booth should he decide to leave as rumored.
John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has a plethora of subjects in his latest media column.
Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal says the expansion of the Big Ten to the Atlantic seaboard is purely for television.
Andy Fixmer and Scott Soshnick at Bloomberg report on a story that bears watching, YES Network will retain the media rights to the New York Yankees through 2042 which opens the door for News Corp. to buy a stake in the channel.
Andy and Alex Sherman from Bloomberg write about Fox opening the door for Fox Sports 1.
Alicia Jessop at Forbes writes that the NBA will stream D-League games on YouTube.
Anthony Crupi at Adweek tells us that NBC is garnering big ad rates for its Thanksgiving Night NFL game.
A story from the weekend, Awful Announcing’s Joe Lucia notes that CBS/Sports Illustrated/Turner’s Seth Davis apologized for calling UFC “homoerotic”.
Todd Spangler from Multichannel News notes that ESPN has rebooted its “Watch ESPN” Xbox 360 app.
Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life says NBC’s Sunday Night Football killed the competition in primetime.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report says the NFL game experience doesn’t compare to watching it on your TV.
Jordan Rabinowitz of SportsGrid has video of NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski drinking on SportsCenter after celebrating his win.
The lovely Kristi Dosh at ESPN.com says both Rutgers and Maryland are in desperate need of the TV money that both institutions will receive as members of the Big Ten Conference.
Ryan Hannable of Boston Sports Media Watch speaks with WEEI’s Glenn Ordway.
Tony LaRoce in the Providence Journal talks with Providence College basketball radio voice John Rooke about a book he’s written about Rhode Island radio.
Richard Sandomir and Amy Chozik of the New York Times write that News Corp.’s stake in YES could value the network as high as $3 billion.
Nate Silver of the New York Times looks at the geography of college football fans across the country and delves into the crazy conference realignment.
Newsday’s Neil Best checks on the progress of Madison Square Garden’s “transformation.”
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Time Warner Cable airs an AHL game on Friday.
David Zurawik in the Baltimore Sun writes that the Big Ten’s TV acumen will help Maryland in the long run.
In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg has ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, a noted Maryland alum, weighing in on the Maryland to the Big Ten move.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner speaks with Jim Rome about his new Showtime series.
Stephen F. Holder of the Tampa Bay Times says the Bucs have a long way to go if the team wants to sell out its game against Atlanta and avoid a local TV blackout.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says former Astros analyst Jim Deshaies is a candidate for the Cubs TV job.
David says overtime helped push the Texans’ ratings upwards in Houston.
The Indianapolis Star transcribed some of the things ESPN’s Bob Knight said during last night’s Indiana-Georgia game. It marked the first time Knight had called an Indiana game for ESPN.
The Chicago Tribune has an infographic on how many TV viewers each school in the Big Ten can bring to the table.
Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says Altitude has had to make a programming adjustment without the Colorado Avalanche this season.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has five things he learned from the weekend.
SportsRantz looks at the reported morning show for CBS Sports Radio.
Classic Sports TV and Media explores when was the actual first college football primetime broadcast.
Tony Manfred at the Business Insider Sports Page notes that this week’s Sports Illustrated cover is basically an ad for adidas.
Sports Media Watch says CBS saw rating increases for its NFL windows on Sunday, but the late games are the second-lowest rated for this season.
SMW notes NBC’s Sunday Night Football wasn’t as big a draw with Ravens-Steelers.
And that will do it for today.
Nov
16
Doing Some Friday Megalinks
Let’s do some Friday megalinks. Haven’t done any in a couple of weeks.
The Weekend Viewing Picks have all of your sports and entertainment TV needs.
Time for the linkage.
National
Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes the rising rights fees for the college football postseason.
Michael writes about Today show Executive Producer Jim Bell coming home to NBC Sports to oversee all Olympic broadcasts.
Chris Chase from USA Today has 60 Minutes responding to Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers’ complaints about a recent profile.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says the Outdoor and Sportsman Channels plan to merge.
Will Leitch at Sports on Earth says the Rick Reilly experiment at ESPN has not worked.
Bryan Curtis of Grantland notes that last night’s Celtics-Nets game was the first game that Brooklyn native Marv Albert got to call in the borough.
Alex Weprin of TV Newser reports that Keith Olbermann will be back on sports television next week by doing a guest stint on a league-owned network.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing feels ESPN has lost its viewers trust.
The Big Lead speculates whether Sports Illustrated’s Peter King will remain with the magazine or leave when his contract expires.
Sports Media Watch says despite a fight, ESPN’s ratings for the next-to-last Sprint Cup race of the season finished down from last year.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with CBS’ Jim Nantz who’s back on the Patriots beat this week.
Chad has five questions with Nantz.
Boston Sports Media Watch Fearless Leader Bruce Allen speculates in SB Nation on who might become the Flash Boy or Girl for WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show.
Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has NESN’s Jack Edwards becoming increasingly skeptical about playing hockey this season.
The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir notes that a new Broadway play will delve into the history of the Yankees.
Amy Chozick and Michael Cieply of the Times write about Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. buying a stake into the YES Network.
Newsday’s Neil Best talks about Mike Emrick calling college hockey tonight.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick conducts a character assassination on ESPN’s Dick Vitale.
The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for New York Knicks radio voice Spero Dedes.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks with Dottie Pepper who’s leaving NBC Sports for a position with the PGA of America.
Ken McMillen of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record has Darrelle Revis’ comments to NFL Network’s Andrea Kremer about his season-ending injury for the New York Jets.
Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that the ratings increases for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals reflect their successes on the field.
In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg has some thoughts on the NFL Network’s documentary on John Riggins.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s NASCAR voice Allen Bestwick about the last race of the season.
South
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that most CBS stations across the country and even in Texas have chosen to air the Dallas Cowboys over the Texans.
David has a few viewing picks for the weekend.
Midwest
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn’t agree with Aaron Rodgers’ complaints about 60 Minutes.
Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes that the NCAA has removed one-third of the media’s courtside seats at the Final Four™.
Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes about a local sports radio host who lost his job after making remarks about African Americans.
West
Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star has his Weekend Viewing Picks.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at a new documentary on the UCLA-USC rivalry.
Tom wonders why it took so long for DirecTV and Time Warner Cable SportsNet to make an agreement.
Tom has stuff that didn’t make it into today’s sports column.
And that’s going to do it.
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