Category Archives: ESPN

Berman could go all the way…to becoming the most polarizing announcer in sports

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Go away for a couple of days, and what do they do? ESPN lets Chris Berman call an NFL game.

Reaction was intense yesterday with the news that Berman will do play-by-play for the San Diego-Oakland game on the Sept. 10, the second game of ESPN’s opening Monday night doubleheader.

Fortunately, ESPN didn’t name Skip Bayless as the analyst for that game. Twitter might have exploded. Instead, Trent Dilfer will be working with Boomer.

Coming off the heels of Berman’s agonizing presence at the U.S. Open, the idea that he actually will call an NFL game did not meet with universal approval to say the least.

Here’s a sample of the outrage.

awfulannouncing Reactions to the ChrisBerman MNF announcement range from “why why why” to “Dear God why?” to “GOD NOOOOO!!!”

BobVorwald Honey, you can have the TV all night on Sep 10 RT

richarddeitsch All we ask as viewers is not to be hoodwinked. So pls. don’t say ChrisBerman on SD-OAK is for fans. It’s a vanity play, pure & simple

Drew Magary of Deadspin did a post ripping apart Berman.

Berman is intolerable even as studio host, even when he’s on the mere fringes of a sporting event. Every time Tirico throws to Berman for a halftime preview during MNF, I tear both labrums reaching for the mute button. Now he’s gonna throw his gunt around and commandeer the booth for a whole game? Christ, that’s the worst.

SportsbyBrooks, which broke the story last week, almost pulled a Twitter groin with a series of angry tweets.

SPORTSbyBROOKS ESPN knows 1) it is indulging Berman 2) he campaigned for it 3) fans lose. Berman’s elaborate denial = PR ruse

The reaction clearly shows that plenty of people really don’t like the guy. The shelf life for his act probably was 20 years. It was fun for a while, but there’s a quota on cute name variations.

Listen, I’m not outraged that ESPN wanted to throw Berman a bone and let him call an NFL game. It’s the second game of a doubleheader, and most people in the East and Midwest time zones probably will be asleep for most of his call.

However, as a golf fan, I have this wish. I hope ESPN said to Berman, “We’ll give you an NFL game in exchange for taking you off the U.S. Open for the rest of time.”

ESPN’s Season-Opening MNF Doubleheader Commentator Teams (2006-present):

Year Game ESPN Commentators
2006 San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders Brad Nessler, Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil
2007 Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic and Mike Ditka
2008 Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Greenberg, Golic and Ditka
2009 San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders Greenberg, Golic and Steve Young
2010 San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs Nessler and Trent Dilfer
2011 Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos Nessler and Dilfer
2012 San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders Chris Berman and Dilfer

 

 

 

 

New deal with ESPN means all live from Wimbledon

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In an age of endless channels, it just seems ridiculous for anything to be on tape delay. So little wonder why tennis fans are cheering over ESPN’s new 12-year deal as the exclusive U.S. network for Wimbledon.

The coverage, which began Monday, will be all live for the first time ever. Previously, NBC’s use of tape delay annoyed many fans and apparently Wimbledon.

Said Jason Bernstein, ESPN’s senior director of programming and acquisitions:

During the negotiation, it was abundantly clear that being live and bringing fans live matches was of paramount importance to both the All England Club and ESPN.  No doubt about it.  And our ability to do so, lining up two networks,  given ESPN3 and 3D, merely ensured that we were serving all fans on all devices, all live, all the time, given that that’s what fans have required for so many years and given the expansive nature of social media and the social currency that live sport delivers.

Later, Bernstein had this response when asked about NBC’s use of tape-delay coverage for the Olympics.

From my perspective I’d rather not make this an NBC or an ESPN thing as much as this is a fan thing, and fans deserve live coverage, and we’re obviously honored to be a part of delivering live coverage here and in a way that it hasn’t been done before.  And we think that whether the event is Wimbledon, the Australian Open or the Euro Championships, fans are way too smart and way too savvy to accept anything other than live.

Here are the details of the Wimbledon coverage from ESPN:

A new era of television coverage for one of sport’s most prestigious and historic events will begin when ESPN presents The Championships, Wimbledon complete, live and exclusively across its networks from first ball Monday, June 25, with day-long marathon telecasts through to the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Finals, Saturday, July 7, and Sunday, July 8, respectively.  ESPN’s 10th Wimbledon will expand to 140 live hours in high definition on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD – including three days when the two networks offer all-day “cross court coverage” (airing matches simultaneously) – plus highlights and reairs of both Finals on ABC.  All the action on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available through WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.

In addition, ESPN3 will also increase its schedule to more than 800 hours of a multi-screen offering – all available TV courts (up to nine) presented from first ball to last ball each day – which will be available along with ESPN and ESPN2’s action via the WatchESPN app.  The service will also offer matches on demand after they occur.

Trash talk: ESPN tells CBS, NBC you’ve got a long way to catch us in radio

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Interesting to see a slice of the PR version of trash talk.

Last week, CBS announced it will launch a new 24/7 sports talk radio network, beginning in 2013. NBC previously announced plans to increase its presence in sports talk radio.

ESPN obviously took notice. On its Front Row site, David Scott, who handles PR for ESPN’s various audio outlets, compiled a long list of what the WWL is doing on that front.

The timing wasn’t a coincidence. For ESPN, it was a not subtle reminder to everyone, including CBS and NBC, that they’ve done this radio thing for a long time.

It’s not exactly classic playground in-your-face trash talk, but the Front Row post basically says, “We’re so far ahead of you, it’s not even funny.”

From Front Row:

ESPN Audio is the country’s largest sports radio network and launched over 20 years ago.

ESPN Audio is available in every conceivable way: desktop, mobile devices, car and satellite radios and personal radio platforms.

ESPN Audio is featured event programming.

ESPN Audio is personality-driven studio programming. ESPN Audio is ESPN Deportes.*

ESPN Audio is ESPNRadio.com.

* ESPN Audio is the creator of the award-winning ESPN Radio App.*

ESPN Audio is ESPN Podcasts.* *see below

ESPN Audio is, in part, made up of 700 nationwide stations under the ESPN Radio banner:

ESPN Radio is the provider of more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually.

ESPN Radio is currently reaching 24 million listeners a week.

ESPN Radio is the owner and operator of FM stations in New York and Dallas, and AM signals in Chicago and Los Angeles.

ESPN Radio is comprised of more than 300 full-time affiliates.

ESPN Radio is the exclusive national home of marquee event programming including: the NBA regular season, playoffs and Finals; MLB regular season, playoffs and World Series; the BCS (with a full slate of regular season college football); the USGA’s U.S. Open; the 2014 FIFA World Cup; and the Open Championship.

ESPN Radio is the home of national weekday studio programming including: Mike and Mike in the Morning (Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic), 6-10 a.m. ET; The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; The Scott Van Pelt Show (with Ryen Russillo), 1-4 p.m.; The Doug Gottlieb Show, 4-7 p.m.; Hill & Schlereth (Mike Hill and Mark Schlereth), 7-10 p.m.

ESPN Radio is the home of national weekend programming including: the Emmy Award-winning Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (10-11 p.m. Friday); Dari & Mel (Dari Nowkhah and Mel Kiper Jr.), 8 a.m.-noon Saturday; Coach & Coleman (Jonathan Coachman and Freddie Coleman), noon-4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday; The John Kincade Show, 7-10 a.m. Sunday; The V Show (Bob Valvano), overnight Saturday, Sunday; and SportsCenter updates.

*ESPN Deportes is the only all-sports Spanish radio network, and has 45 affiliates with stations in all ten of the Top 10 Hispanic markets.

*ESPNRadio.com is the most listened to live stream of any terrestrial broadcaster in the world — reaching more than 1.7 million unique listeners per month (source: Ando Media).

*The ESPN Radio app is one of the top paid sports apps since its debut in September 2009, and it was named Best Radio App by Radio Ink Magazine at the Digital Convergence Awards in 2011.

*ESPN Podcasts are reaching 358 million downloads through the ESPN PodCenter and iTunes (a year-to-year increase of more than 129 percent), including its most popular podcast The BS Report with Bill Simmons, which logged more than 92 million downloads (up 120 percent). For the third consecutive year, ESPN was awarded Best in Sports at the 7th Annual Podcast Awards.

ESPN exec responds to criticism about Berman: We recognize that his work will never be praised universally

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The Chris Berman detractors came out in full force again last week after his performance in the U.S. Open. Giving him such an extensive role on Thursday and Friday is wrong on so many levels, and it just magnifies all of his excesses that the critics hate.

Dan Levy of the Bleacher Report wrote a piece with this opener:

Chris Berman has lost his fastball.

Once the ace of the ESPN announcing crew, Berman—who has been with ESPN since the network first went on the air in 1979—has become the TV equivalent of a junk-ball pitcher, throwing the same stuff at audiences for years in hopes that something still works.

I say he hasn’t lost his fastball as much as he can’t control it. He goes too over the top with too much of his schtick.

John Wildhack, Executive Vice President of Production at ESPN, did respond to the criticism. Naturally, he defended Berman, although he did allow that the big man isn’t universally beloved:

Chris has been in this business for more than three decades. We recognize that his work will never be praised universally.

It seems that at times, criticizing Chris has become a pastime for some, as opposed to presenting an actual review of the work he does. What’s important is he works hard, he’s prepared, he’s extremely passionate about it and he is a huge sports fan which allows him to connect with the sports fans we serve.

Regarding his misplaced role on the U.S. Open, Wildhack said:

Currently, the event portion of Chris’ schedule is less than his NFL studio role. With that said, the U.S. Open Golf assignment is something he’s been doing for a long time. He is an avid golf fan, knows the sport and players extremely well and the USGA supports his involvement every year.

Alice Cooper is a golf nut too, but I doubt ESPN would let him anchor the U.S. Open. For such an important tournament, it’s just too jarring to hear Berman on the call. Let him do a long-drive contest.

As for whether ESPN has asked Berman to tone down his act, Wildhack said:

It’s a delicate balance for sure. Our goal as a content team is to provide an entertaining presentation with authority and personality.

Obviously, the balance may change by event. The Home Run Derby is a fun, exciting program that gets huge viewership. With that said, its popularity and significance is not essentially based on who wins or loses like events such as the BCS Championship or NBA Finals. Our production approach – including where our cameras/microphones can go and how our commentators approach the telecast – reflects that.

I have to believe behind the scenes ESPN has asked Berman to tone it down, but he won’t or just can’t do it at this point.

 

 

 

Right thing to do: ESPN networks all in for women’s sports to mark Title IX’s 40th

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Timing is everything. If the 40th anniversary of Title IX was on a Saturday in November during the height of football season, I doubt we would see the extravaganza ESPN has planned for this weekend.

But on a lazy, warm summer weekend and with Tim Tebow still a month away from putting on pads in Jets camp, ESPN can go big on women’s sports this weekend to mark Title IX’s big 4-0. More than 180 hours of programming is planned on ESPN’s various platforms. Also the No. 1 women athlete will be revealed from SportsCenter’s countdown of the top 40.

Here’s a link with complete details.

Why such a big commitment to women’s sports? To be honest, ESPN has alternatives to attract bigger ratings. Tim Tebow at the mall, coming up on SportsCenter.

This special package of programming, though, isn’t about ratings, according to Vince Doria, ESPN senior vice-president and director for news. It’s about marking an important moment in history.

Said Doria:

You could debate these kind of things all the time. Some things are easy. Slap the NFL on, and everyone’s happy. Tim Tebow. Peyton Manning. We’re all in.

You try to do some things because you feel they are the right thing to do. There’s a responsibility to do them for a historic standpoint. At that point, it’s a discussion of how much you do. Some people might think it’s this much and some people might think it’s this much.

It’s an important anniversary. This place to some degree has been a standard bearer, both promoting women’s sports and putting them on the air. The WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball tournament. We can all debate about the size of audience. Sometimes, it’s not the right measure of why you do these things. You do them because it’s the right thing to do. It’s important to do.

 

 

Craig James claims there are networks interested in him; nix on ESPN

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Since the Senate thing didn’t work out, Craig James now is looking for work. He told David Barron of the Houston Chronicle that he has been contacted by networks. One of them, though, isn’t ESPN.

James said he has not spoken with programming executives at ESPN, which he described as “his family,” regarding his career but “at some point I will reach out to catch up from a business standpoint.” An ESPN spokesman said James would not appear on the network this fall, and James acknowledged that most networks have announcers set for this season.

“There are a couple of networks that have called to see what I am willing to do,” he said. “When I resigned in December, I went all in for politics, and I found out how many people enjoyed me as a broadcaster. James said. “They said they would miss me, and I said thank you.

“I don’t know what I am going to do. Yes, I love sports, but I also feel strongly about staying involved in fighting for public policy.”

Rovell moving his tweets to ESPN; good move for network

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Update: Darren Rovell just made it official. Via Twitter, of course.

@darrenrovell I’m thrilled to have reached an agreement in principle with ESPN. No matter how others bash it, Bristol is truly a magical place.

And:

@darrenrovell  I will also be doing regular business reporting for ABC News, where I will definitely be covering the food & drink biz.

 

*****

Ken Fang of Fangsbites.com had this tweet this morning:

fangsbites I think this is the longest @darrenrovell has gone without tweeting asides from his personal “Tweetcation” two years ago

Indeed, the master tweeter was quiet about the big news in sports media last night. Rovell is leaving CNBC and his show, Sports Biz: Game On, at the NBC Sports Network to join ESPN and ABC News.

It is an interesting move by Rovell. His star rose at CNBC, and he takes great pride in what he’s doing on his weekly NBC Sports Network show.

Yet the hire makes complete sense for ESPN. Rovell, who actually started at ESPN, has made himself into the top sports business reporter on TV. He has an energy and an ability to articulate all the nuances of the various money aspects. If you’re a network that covers only sports, you need Rovell back on your team.

It will be interesting to see what platforms ESPN gives Rovell. Reportedly, he also will be featured on ABC News and Nightline. Along with television, expect him to have a definite presence on ESPN.com.

And Rovell definitely will be tweeting. It’s hard to think of another person who has built his brand more through Twitter. Rovell has generated more than 218,000 followers thanks to more than 30,000 tweets.

Rovell uses the medium to dish out content, insights and often entertaining observations. He will be looking to increase his followers with his move.

After all, 218,000 followers is nothing for a personality at ESPN. NFL reporter Adam Schefter has 1.6 million.

 

 

 

The beat: Beleaguered Schilling earned $114 million for pitching; Will any writers take SI buyout offer?; Simpson’s winning line

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Curt Schilling’s problems have gotten so bad ESPN granted him a leave of absence.

I’m not completely familiar with all the legal issues surrounding his video game company, 38 Studios, which has filed for bankruptcy. However, I did find this interesting stat about Schilling:

According to Baseballreference.com, Schilling earned $114 million during his baseball career. And there had to be several million more in endorsements.

All of which begs the question: How much money does a person need?

Changes: It has been disclosed that Sports Illustrated is making some changes to better integrate its magazine and on-line operations. It will result in a handful (less than 10) of staff reductions. Buyouts are being offered, and it will be interesting to see whether any of the writers will grab one.

Bloomberg reports:

Terry McDonell, editor of Time Inc.’s Sports Group, said in a telephone interview yesterday that he is looking to reduce positions of editors and reporters with buyouts being offered through June 21.

“Everything is about money eventually and being more efficient,” he said. Although Sports Illustrated, which has 210 editorial employees, is “very profitable,” the reductions will allow the magazine to become even more so, he said.

Idiot patrol: I hate calling attention to idiots. However, I did like Webb Simpson’s line after some goofball interrupted his award ceremony Sunday.

“Enjoy the jail cell, pal,” Simpson said. Well played.

 

 

 

 

Despite Chris Berman, ESPN does highest ratings for U.S. Open coverage

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Good news for ESPN’s coverage of the British Open. No Chris Berman.

As for the U.S. Open, viewers once again had to endure Berman’s misplaced presence on the telecast. He shouldn’t be doing golf, period.

Awfulannouncing.com had some Berman bashing from viewers via Twitter. Then there was this line from the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick.

Allowing ESPN’s Chris Berman to call golf’s U.S. Open is like giving the Class Clown a jumbo can of Silly String.

As for the ratings, ESPN clearly got a big boost from Tiger Woods and primetime viewing in most of the country thanks to a West Coast Open.

From the release:

ESPN’s prime time coverage of the second round of the 112th U.S. Open on Friday, June 15, earned the network’s highest rating and largest audience ever for a regular round of play in the event.

The telecast from 5-10 p.m. ET averaged 3.6 million viewers and a 2.9 household coverage rating, according to the Nielsen Company. The audience was the fifth-largest ever for a golf telecast on cable.

ESPN’s live telecast of earlier U.S. Open play on Friday from noon – 3 p.m. ET earned a 1.5 household coverage rating, averaging 1.6 million viewers.

Thursday’s U.S. Open first round telecast from noon – 3 p.m. on ESPN earned a 1.6 household coverage rating, averaging 1.6 million viewers, while the 5-10 p.m. telecast had a 1.5 rating with 1.7 million viewers. Both telecasts were up in viewership and ratings from the 2011 U.S. Open, which was held in Bethesda, Md., and aired earlier in the day.

ESPN’s largest audience ever for any U.S. Open telecast was a Monday playoff in 2008 with 4.2 rating and 4.8 million viewers.

 

Ramsay, 87, Brown, 78, make everyone feel young working NBA Finals for ESPN

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This is the oldest broadcast pairing in the history of old.

On the call for ESPN Radio’s coverage of the NBA Finals are Jack Ramsay, 87, Hubie Brown, 78, and play-by-play voice Jim Durham, who is a mere kid at 65.

What, Mel Brooks’ 2,000-year old man wasn’t available?

The trio have about 2,000 years of experience in basketball. Their combined ages are 230. Think about that.

Yet people don’t think about their ages when you listen to their broadcasts. I’ll bet you’re stunned to learn Ramsay is creeping up on 90. I know I was.

What matters is that they remain vibrant, enthusiastic, and the former two former coaches can break down and explain the game better than anyone in the business.

ESPN Radio executive producer John Martin has the pleasure of working with them again. This is Brown and Ramsay’s fourth year being paired together for the Final. Here is my Q/A with Martin.

What is it like working with them?

I’m working with two geniuses of the game. They’re able to see and comprehend the big picture of what’s going on better than anyone. You’re talking about two Hall of Fame coaches. Their enthusiasm for the game hasn’t diminished one bit.

How is it that they’re still successful at their age when all the talk is about connecting with the young demographic these days?

In every venue we’re in, people are coming up to Jack and Hubie all the time. It ranges from people close to their age to young people. A lot of times, you could see the father nudging his young boy. ‘Do you know who that is?’ People really react to seeing them.

What about the players?

Jack and Hubie are held in a very high regard. I’ve seen it in veteran players like Shaq and Charles. They go to the younger players, ‘If they ever ask you a question, you better not blow them off.’

I’m constantly fascinated in how the young players pick up how astute they are in talking about the game. Hubie coached at Memphis. (Before Game 1), his former players, Shane Battier, Michael Miller, came up and gave him big hugs. It shows you how they feel about them.

Do you ever stop yourself and say, ‘Jack is 87-years old?’ The NBA life is a hard grind. How does he do it?

I’ve been around Jack for 17 years. From the outside looking in, you marvel at it. But it doesn’t surprise me. He’s always been a physical speciman. The other day, Hubie asked if he still could do the same amount of push-ups as his age? Jack said, ‘No, I only can do 60.’

I had an ESPN executive in for a game and he shook hands with Jack. I asked if he was missing his ring finger. He said, ‘Yeah, he almost broke my hand.’