I’ll do a few releases before I head out of here for the day. I’ve had enough dealing with the other offices.
Golf Channel will air a special tonight dealing with the 1977 “Duel in the Sun” between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus during the Open Championship at Turnberry. Kind of topical as Tom Watson is tied for second at the Open Championship at Turnberry today.
GOLF CHANNEL to Air Duel in the Sun Tonight at 9 p.m. ET
Nobilo Tackles Pot Bunkers at Turnberry on Live From the Open Championship
Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, GOLF CHANNEL will air Duel in the Sun, a special presentation chronicling one of the most memorable showdowns in major championship history – the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. Duel in the Sun documents the Nicklaus-Watson pairing in the final round at the 1977 Open Championship and includes tournament footage from the original broadcast and features recent interviews with Nicklaus and Watson, third-round leader Roger Maltbie, 1977 U.S. Open Champion and third-place finisher Hubert Green, and several award-winning journalists.
GOLF CHANNEL is providing its signature wrap-around news coverage of the Open Championship with its Live From the Open Championship news coverage, airing immediately following network coverage Thursday – Sunday and in prime time from 7 – 9 p.m. ET with fresh, new analysis to recap the day’s action. Today’s Live From coverage features GOLF CHANNEL’s team of reporters and analysts breaking down the opening round with player interviews and analysis, including Watson’s memorable opening-round 65. GOLF CHANNEL analyst Frank Nobilo – who competed in the 1986 and 1994 Open Championships at Turnberry – will tackle Turnberry’s pot bunkers and show viewers how the players will try to hit out of them this week.
Live From the Open Championship News Coverage (All Times Eastern)
Thursday, July 16: 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Thursday, July 16: 7-9 p.m.
Friday, July 17: 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Friday, July 17: 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, July 18: 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Saturday, July 18: 7-9 p.m.
Sunday, July 19: 1:30 – 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 19: 7-9 p.m.
NBC airs the Celebrity Golf Championship from Lake Tahoe, NV this weekend.
JORDAN, BARKLEY, ROMO, ROETHLISBERGER HEADLINE AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIPNEW YORK – July 16, 2009 – NBC presents live coverage of the 20th annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, from Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Lake Tahoe, Nev., Saturday and Sunday starting at 3 p.m. ET. More than 80 sports and entertainment stars are participating including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Mario Lemieux, Ray Romano and Emmitt Smith.
Among the sports figures making the trip to Tahoe for the first time include NBA star Shane Battier, NFL Head Coach Jack Del Rio, NFL offensive rookie of the year Matt Ryan and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith.
The tournament benefits the Lance Armstrong Foundation for the fourth consecutive year. The Lance Armstrong Foundation raises money for cancer research, and also provides information and support for people living with cancer.
Dan Hicks, Roger Maltbie, Gary Koch, Mark Rolfing, and Jimmy Roberts provide commentary.MALOOF MONEY CUP SUNDAY 2 PM ETNBC Sports and Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports present taped coverage of The Maloof Money Cup this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET from the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The Maloof Money Cup showcases the world's best skateboarders competing in Vert and Street for a chance to win $450,000, the largest prize purse in skateboarding.
Sponsored by Joe and Gavin Maloof, the brothers who own the Sacramento Kings, the Maloof Money Cup features skateboarding's top stars including Ryan Sheckler, Pierre Luc-Gagnon, Bob Burnquist and Paul Rodriguez.
Designed by leading skate park designer, Joe Ciaglia, the street course features obstacles such as ledges, stairs, handrails and a picnic table that were all inspired by real locations including the Sunset Boulevard up-down co rner ledge, 12-stairs from Rincon, San Diego and the Barcelona ledge.
Alli represents a collaboration of NBC Sports and MTV, broadcasting the largest array of action sports in the world.
To Tennis Channel (nice to have these releases!) and its schedule for the US Open Series which starts next weekend.
TENNIS CHANNEL’S 2009 US OPEN SERIES COVERAGE TO INCLUDE SEVEN TOURNAMENTS, CLOSE TO 60 HOURS OF LIVE AND SAME-DAY MATCH PLAY IN HIGH DEFINITIONSummer-long Network Schedule again Features Sunday Doubles Finals and Singles Semifinal, Quarterfinal and Early Round Competition
LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2009 — Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle, will offer close to 60 hours of live and same-day match telecasts during seven tournaments in this summer’s US Open Series. The network’s July 24-Aug. 29 coverage of the US Open’s hard-court tournament includes seven prime-time Sunday doubles finals, in addition to numerous singles semifinals, quarterfinals and round-of-16 competitions.
Tennis Channel, which will televise the US Open with ESPN and CBS for the first time this year, produces all US Open Series coverage for the three networks, except for the circuit’s two ATP Masters Series events. With encore replays Tennis Channel will devote close to 75 hours of on-air time to US Open Series play this year, all in high definition.
Men’s US Open Series tournament on Tennis Channel in 2009 are: the Indianapolis Championships (Indianapolis), LA Tennis Open (Los Angeles), and Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington, D.C.). At the same time, the network’s four Sony Ericsson WTA Tour women’s events will be: The Bank of the West Classic (Stanford, Calif.), LA Women’s Tennis Championships (Los Angeles), Western and Southern Financial Group Women’s Open (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Rogers Cup (Toronto).
The network has been a partner with the US Open Series’ governing body, the United States Tennis Association, since the summer season’s 2004 introduction, along with fellow broadcasters ESPN and CBS Sports.
On-Air Talent
Tennis Channel’s 2009 coverage of the US Open Series features a combination of long-time play-by-play professionals alongside former players who have made the transition from the court to the booth. Veteran Ian Eagle starts the coverage at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships alongside former U.S. Davis Cup team member, Justin Gimelstob. Emmy-award winning announcer Ted Robinson, who has called the past 20 US Opens, will serve as lead commentator at the Bank of the West Classic, flanked by analysts Corina Morariu and former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport. Morariu and Davenport will also work together at two other events during the series, the LA Women’s Tennis Championship and the Western and Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, both with network regular Leif Shiras—a Tennis Channel veteran since the network’s launch in 2003. Shiras will also serve as the lead anchor at the LA Tennis Open, next to Gimelstob. Barry Mackay will work as the lead anchor at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, along with Gimelstob and recent International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Donald Dell. Tennis Channel’s Olympus US Open Series coverage concludes with the Rogers Cup, with lead coverage by Brett Haber and Morariu.
Tennis Channel’s 2009 US Open Series live and same-day telecast schedule (all times ET): For encore replays, visit www.tennischannel.com/schedule.
July 24-26 Indianapolis Tennis Championships (ATP)
Friday, July 24 – 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (singles quarterfinals)
Saturday, July 25 – 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (singles semifinals)
Sunday, July 26 – 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (doubles final)
July 30-Aug. 2 Bank of the West Classic (WTA)
Thursday, July 30 – 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (round of 16)
Friday, July 31 – 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (singles quarterfinals)
Saturday, Aug. 1 – 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (singles semifinals)Sunday, Aug. 2 – 9:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (doubles finals)
July 30-Aug. 2 LA Tennis Open (ATP)
Thursday, July 30 – 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.; 12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. (round of 16)
Friday, July 31 – 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (singles quarterfinals)
Saturday, Aug. 1 – 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (singles semifinals)
Sunday, Aug. 2 – 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (doubles finals)
Aug. 7-9 Legg Mason (ATP)
Friday, Aug. 7 – 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (singles quarterfinal)
Saturday, Aug. 8 – 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (singles semifinal)
Sunday, Aug. 9 – 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (doubles final)
Aug. 7- 9 LA Women’s Tennis Championships (WTA)
Friday, Aug. 7 – 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (singles quarterfinal)
Saturday, Aug. 8 – 5:00 p.m.-7:00p.m. (singles semifinal)
Sunday, Aug. 9 – 9:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (doubles final)
Aug. 13-16 Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open (WTA)
Thursday, Aug. 13 –5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (round of 16)
Friday, Aug. 14 – 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (singles quarterfinals)
Saturday, Aug. 15 – 11:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. (singles semifinals)
Sunday, Aug. 16 – 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (doubles finals)
Aug. 21-23 Rogers Cup (WTA)
Friday, Aug. 21 – 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (singles quarterfinals)
Saturday, Aug. 22 – 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (singles semifinals)
Sunday, Aug. 23 – 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (doubles finals)
The Chairman and CEO of Tennis Channel has been honored.
TENNIS CHANNEL’S KEN SOLOMON HONORED WITH “TENNIS CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN” AWARD
Chairman and CEO Noted with Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King at New York Benefit
NEW YORK, July 16, 2009 — Ken Solomon, chairman and CEO of Tennis Channel, received the “Tennis Champions for Children” award during a gala benefit of the same name hosted by the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation (RISF) Wednesday, July 15. The award recognizes people who have made a difference in the world of tennis for kids.The event took place at the SPORTIME at Randall’s Island tennis facility, a new, $16-million, state-of-the-art venue and new home of the World TeamTennis Pro League New York Sportimes franchise. In addition to a VIP reception and dinner with s
everal tennis luminaries, the evening featured a World TeamTennis match between the host Sportimes and visiting Boston Lobsters, led respectively by tennis legends John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova. (Coincidentally, McEnroe and Navratilova are part of Tennis Channel’s on-air broadcast team during various tournaments throughout the year.)In addition to Solomon, noted for his role at the helm of Tennis Channel, RISF honored three others with the “Tennis Champions for Children” award during halftime of the match. The first is Billie Jean King, the iconic tennis Hall of Famer whose on-court and off-court actions changed the American sports landscape. Other recipients were New York-area high school tennis coach Chris Lacopo and the late Eugene L. Scott, founder of Tennis Week magazine.
RISF, founded in 1992, is a public-private partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation that seeks to realize the unique potential of 480 waterfront parkland acres anchoring Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. RISF strives to empower under-resourced children through sports and recreation with an investment of over $300 million in world class facilities, playing fields and programming.
And ESPN has been awarded the rights to air Scottish Premier League soccer games in the UK and Ireland, joining the rights it picked up for the English Premier League earlier this month.
SPL AWARDS LIVE TV RIGHTS TO SKY SPORTS AND ESPN IN THE UK AND IRELAND
The Scottish Premier League today awarded Sky Sports and ESPN the exclusive live rights to Premier League games for the next five seasons in the UK and Ireland. The deal will cover three years initially, with the SPL having a two-year extension option.Each broadcaster will show 30 live games each season across the UK and Ireland, starting with the 2009-10 campaign this August.Announcing the deal, Lex Gold, Chairman of the SPL, said: “We are pleased that in just over three weeks we have been able to strike this deal. Sky and ESPN are two of the biggest names in sports broadcasting and they will bring first class production standards and a wide audience to the table. We are looking forward to working with both in the coming years to raise the profile of the SPL for our clubs, fans and partners.”“We’re delighted that ESPN will broadcast live Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League matches from this season, adding to our growing portfolio of world renowned live sport,” said Lynne Frank, ESPN Managing Director in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We look forward to working with the Scottish Premier League and its clubs over the next few years and beyond as we bring British and Irish sports’ fans all the SPL action and excitement live on our new ESPN and ESPN HD channels.”Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “This new deal gives Sky Sports viewers 30 live matches a year, including each of the Old Firm games, all in HD. And it gives the Scottish Premier League clubs stability and continued investment from committed partners. Sky Sports has covered the Scottish game since our launch 18 years ago – we are long term supporters. We are now looking forward to showing the Premier League, alongside Scotland internationals and the Scottish Cup, for the next five years.”The Premier League matches will air on Sky Sports and ESPN. ESPN has already reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers. ESPN is also in discussions with other Pay-TV platforms in the UK for the ESPN channel.
That will be it for now. I do have another release coming, but that can stand alone.
