Monthly Archives: March 2013

Essentials for Fox Sport 1: Acquiring NBA rights; develop its own SportsCenter to take on ESPN

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If there is one thing Fox Sports does well, it is talk big.

Sure enough when network executives announced the formation of Fox Sports 1 yesterday, plenty of bluster was in the air.

From Michael Hiestand in USA Today:

“Our hope is that we can be equally professional” with ESPN, says David Hill, who headed Fox Sports when it launched 20 years ago and is overseeing the new channel. “It’s going to take us a while. We’re not expecting to knock ESPN off in the first week or two. It’s going to take two to three years. It will be a slog.”

Two or three years isn’t a slog. It would be a Usain Bolt-like sprint.

The notion of Fox Sports 1 knocking off ESPN at this point is as preposterous as an NBA rookie saying, “Move over LeBron.”

While Fox Sports 1 will debut at No. 2 on the sports network rankings, reaching No. 1 will require quite a trek over Mt. Bristol.

However, if Fox is going to back up Hills’ big words, it has to score on two fronts:

Acquire rights to NBA: This is a must if Fox is serious about challenging ESPN. The league is the next biggie coming up in the market; the current rights deal with ESPN and TNT runs through the 2015-2016. That means it won’t be long before the NBA opens bidding for a new agreement.

Fox Sports 1 needs premium live programming to bolster its portfolio. The NBA is premium. FS1 then becomes more of a go-to channel from November through June.

As an added bonus, if Fox Sports 1 can do this deal and also squeeze ESPN out of the NBA picture, it will leave a hole in its competitor.

At the very least, the presence of Fox Sports 1 will cause ESPN and TNT to shell out considerably more cash if they want to keep the NBA. New commissioner Adam Silver says, thank you very much.

Fox Sports 1 SportsCenter: The new FS1 will have its share of original programming, including a show featuring 81-year old Regis Philbin (somebody still has to explain that one to me). However, the most important vehicle will be Fox Sports Live. Airing at 11 p.m. ET, and with a morning version coming in 2014, this will be Fox’s answer to SportsCenter.

While critics take swings at SportsCenter, there’s little doubt that it is an iconic brand that continues to deliver big numbers to ESPN. Sports fans are mentally conditioned to turn to SportsCenter for the latest news. Fox Sports 1 has to get some of those viewers to switch to Fox Sports Live.

It is interesting to note that Fox Sports 1 didn’t reveal its plans for Fox Sports Live Tuesday. The likely reason is that they aren’t fully hatched yet.

Obviously, the execs are trying to develop the right tone that will differentiate Fox Sports Live  from SportsCenter. It is a massive undertaking with no guarantee of success.

Fox should know. The network tried this once before when it did a nightly sports show on its local cable outlets in the late 90s. It even featured a big star: Keith Olbermann.

Hmm, look who’s available: Keith Olbermann. Pair him with Karl Rove and let them argue about Tim Tebow.

People would watch.

 

 

 

The menu for Fox Sports 1: Nightly SportsCenter-type show; UFC on Wednesday nights; and Regis!

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The big press conference is taking place this afternoon in New York. Here’s what Fox Sports told the rest of the world about its new sports channel on FoxSports.com:

Today, FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) makes television history, officially unveiling plans to launch a new, national, multi-sport network called FOX Sports 1. The announcement was made by FSMG Co-Presidents and COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks. Set to debut on Saturday, Aug. 17, just as FOX Sports kicks-off its 20th anniversary year, FS1 is available in over 90 million homes, making this the biggest sports cable network launch in history, and one of the largest network launches ever. At the outset, FS1 boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually.

“Our ‘secret,’ admittedly a very poorly kept one, is now revealed,” said Shanks. “Fans are ready for an alternative to the establishment, and our goal for FS1 is to provide the best in-game experience possible, complemented by informative news, entertaining studio shows and provocative original programming.”

A robust schedule of live events forms the backbone of FOX Sports 1’s programming from Day 1, with college basketball, college football, NASCAR, soccer and UFC all on tap between launch and year’s end. In fact, the schedule on Aug. 17 features live events morning, noon and night including a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Michigan and “UFC on FS1 1” in prime time. In 2014, FSMG’s new rights agreement with MLB takes effect, bringing regular and postseason games to FS1.

Here are the programming highlights:

Fox Sports 1 version of SportsCenter: Hey, somebody should tell Fox Keith Olbermann is available. Yeah, probably not.

FS1 introduces FOX SPORTS LIVE, a 24/7 news franchise providing around-the-clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information-rich ticker that provides a network agnostic sports event television schedule. Thousands of hours of news programming are expected annually from newly minted sets including a nightly program at 11:00 PM ET or immediately following events. A morning newscast is expected to launch in January 2014 in conjunction with FSMG’s expansive coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII.

“Building credibility and trust with our audience is paramount, so naturally we’ll provide the staples, like news, scores and highlights, but we’ll do it in a FOX Sports way,” offered Shanks. “Just as FOX NFL SUNDAY reinvented the pregame show, FOX SPORTS LIVE breaks new ground in the way sports news is presented. We already have the home-team advantage of significant audiences watching local games on our 22 regional sports networks as a platform to launch our new national news.”

Baseball: As expected, Fox Sports 1 will carry a healthy dose of live games.

 Beginning in 2014, select League Championship Series and Division Series games; regular-season games over 26 Saturdays; live game-in-progress look-in show.

UFC: The growing sport figures to be a big part of the new endeavor.

Featured on Wednesday nights; live FIGHT NIGHTS through 2014, the first is scheduled for launch night, Saturday, Aug. 17; FOX event preliminary cards; UFC Tonight, the weekly authority for UFC news and information; 14 Saturday pay-per-view preliminary cards; hundreds of hours of library programs and events.

Regis and other studio shows: Novel approach using an 81-year-old to anchor a key show.

Complementing FS1’s live events and news coverage at launch are several original programs, highlighted by RUSH HOUR, hosted by Regis Philbin, airing live weekdays (5:00-6:00 PM ET). Originating in New York City, Regis leads the charge along with a panel of sports professionals, celebrity guests and die-hard fans in this brand new, unpredictable, talk show. Following RUSH HOUR live every day is FOX FOOTBALL DAILY (6:00-7:00 PM ET), an extension of FOX NFL SUNDAY, the most-watched NFL pregame show for 19 straight years. FOX FOOTBALL DAILY, hosted by NFL on FOX personalities, including Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jay Glazer, Gus Johnson, Erin Andrews and Mike Pereira, provides a daily dose of news, interviews and commentary from pro and collegiate football worlds. Both shows are expected to premiere at launch in August.

Mike Tyson: Do we want to see him in anything besides those Hangover movies?

Earlier this year, FSMG unveiled a unique and groundbreaking documentary franchise titled BEING:, a deep look into today’s greatest athletes, teams and sports icons via unprecedented access. The first subject to appear this fall on FS1 is BEING: MIKE TYSON, the most feared man ever to step in a boxing ring. The multi-episode series is now in production.

And there’s more. Stay tuned.

 

Sports editors finally meet with NCAA: Will have more input; No restrictions on social media during NCAAs

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After a long wait, which prompted an angry letter to NCAA president Mark Emmert, the Associated Press Sports Editors, along with representatives from other news organizations, finally met with NCAA officials Monday in Indianapolis. The APSE posted a recap on its site.

What did it accomplish?

It’s too late to do anything about press seating for this year’s Final Four; the NCAA booted writers from a significant chunk of a prime location. However, according to the recap, the editors will have input in seating issues for future tournaments.

I’m not sure it will matter much. The NCAA seems unlikely to be deterred if it wants to turn prime media seats into high-price tickets. But at least the editors will have a chance to plead their case.

The biggest takeaway, from the editors’ point of view, probably occurred in regards to social media. There won’t be any restrictions on writers during the NCAA tournament. The NCAA also will inform the Pac 12 that it can’t place social media limitations on coverage of its games.

Bottom line: At least, the editors and NCAA are talking. It remains to be seen if it will do any good over the long haul. The NCAA is a fairly arrogant bunch these days, as evidenced by the way they initially refused to schedule any meetings with the editors.

Still, any talk is better than no talk.

******

Here’s the APSE post on the meeting:

Representatives from APSE and five other major national media groups met Monday with NCAA communications officials for about two hours to discuss the concerns of our organizations.

The following items were agreed to as follow-up steps on the issues of media seating at the NCAA Tournament, uniform injury reporting standards in football and social media guidelines:

* The NCAA agreed to set up a call with our organizations after the upcoming basketball tournament to discuss the establishment of a permanent working group to address outstanding media issues.

* The NCAA will include APSE in future discussions with the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee regarding the seating of working journalists at the tournament.

* APSE will be invited to upcoming meetings with the NCAA and conference officials and have the opportunity to introduce discussion on injury reporting standards.

* NCAA officials said there would be no numerical restrictions on social media posting during its postseason events.

NCAA officials will contact the Pac-12 Conference to inform the league that there is no longer a policy limiting by number live tweets during college basketball or football games.

Representing the media organizations were: Gerry Ahern, president of APSE; Tim Franklin, co-chair of ASNE’s FOI Committee; John Cherwa, chair of APSE’s Legal Affairs Committee; David Bralow, counsel for NAA; Kevin Goldberg, counsel for ASNE; Sonny Albarado, president of SPJ; Jim Brady, president of ONA; and Mike Borland, president of NPPA.

Representing the NCAA were: Bob Williams, vice president of communications; Erik Christianson, managing director of external affairs; and Scott Bearby, general counsel.

APSE officials will keep you abreast of progress and developments in the coming months.

Network trashtalking: ESPN does post to remind Fox Sports, everyone else who is No. 1

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Fox Sports is set to announce the launch of its new sports network, Fox Sports 1, today in New York.

So what does ESPN put up on its PR-driven Front Row site late Monday afternoon? A post titled: “ESPN By The Numbers: March, 2013.”

Written by ESPN’s David Scott, the post contains this opening paragraph: “When you’ve been delivering sports fans their news, entertainment and game coverage for 33 years, you tend to accumulate a lot of impressive statistics and factoids.”

The post then basically documents the awesomeness of ESPN.

Wow, talk about timing. I mean, did ESPN know Fox Sports was making its big announcement today?

“Yes, quite a coincidence,” said an ESPN staffer, with tongue firmly in cheek even in an email.

This post was as subtle as Chris Berman narrating football highlights. It is network trashtalking at its finest. It’s Michael Jordan in his prime taunting some new NBA wannabe.

Indeed, it is saying to Fox, “We’ve got a 33-year head start; we own rights to virtually every sports property worth owning; and we have SportsCenter, (an iconic brand even with all its faults).”

So welcome to the game, Fox Sports. Good luck with your new network.

*******

Here’s the entire Front Row post.

ESPN By the Numbers, March 2013

Make up. . .
• 8 US cable networks with more than 18,000 hours of live event programming and more than 11,900 of live studio hours
• ESPN is in 98,516,000 homes nationwide and ESPN2 is in 98,477,000
• ESPN Audio presents 9,000 hours of talk/news/events to 24 million listeners a week via 450 affiliates (360 of which are full-time) including owned and operated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas
• ESPN Digital Media accounted for 29 percent of all sports category usage in January 2013, more than the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 sports properties combined
• ESPN the Magazine delivers more than 14 million readers with the average issue.

Our people. . .
• 7,000 worldwide employees (more than 4,000 based at headquarters in Bristol, Conn.)
• More than 1000 public facing commentators, analysts, hosts and writers

Our Connecticut campus. . .
• 1.35 Million square feet
• 123 Acres (87 in Bristol, Conn. and 36 in Southington, Conn.)
• 16 Buildings
• 27 Satellite dishes
• Additional facilities in Los Angeles, Charlotte and Austin

Digital Center 1

  • 136,000 square feet
  • 3 studios
  • 8 production control rooms
  • 22 edit suites
  • 10 master control rooms

Digital Center 2 (Opening in 2014)

  • 193,000 square feet
  • 4 studios (including new home of SportsCenter)
  • 6 production control rooms

Programming and ratings in 2012. . .

• In the fourth quarter, ESPN averaged more than 980,000 households on a 24-hour basis, and more than 2.3 M homes in prime time.
• ESPN Networks averaged 1.34M HH overall and 2.84M HH in prime.
• In prime, ESPN was the top-rated cable net overall, and among M18-34, M18-49 and M25-54.
• ESPN had the top 10 most-watched programs on cable, 14 of top 15 and 22 of top 25
• SportsCenter aired its 50,000th program in September
• 113 million different people use ESPN media each week
• The average person spends 6 hours, 57 minutes with ESPN media each week

ESPN Digital and Social Media. . .
In January 2013:
• In total ESPN digital properties attracted 62.6 million unique visitors, logging 4.97 billion minutes of usage
• Users watched 292 million ESPN digital video clips in January
• ESPN television content generated 13 million social comments, making it the “most social” cable network and the second most social network overall in January
• ESPN video content on YouTube generated 30 million views

In 2012:

• ESPN.com continued to lead the Sports Category with an average minute audience of 77,000, 52 percent higher than its closest competitor
• The five ESPN Local sites (New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Dallas) averaged 8.8 million unique visitors per month
• Grantland.com averaged 2.2 million unique visitors and 26.8 million total minutes per month
• WatchESPN distribution (which includes live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Goal Line/Buzzer Beater) is now available to more than 50 million households nationwide
• ESPN Mobile ranked No. 1 across the mobile Web and apps for total minutes (642 million), unique visitors (13.3 million), and an average minute audience of 14,600

ESPN’s value. . .
• Almost all Americans have heard of the ESPN Brand (98 percent); while a vast majority (93 percent) are familiar with it
• ESPN is the favorite network (broadcast or cable) among men
• In Beta Research Corp’s annual Cable Operator Evaluation Study, operators named ESPN the network with the most average perceived value among all networks measured for the 13th straight year
• ESPN also ranked the most important network in their cable system for the ninth straight year with 95 percent of operators describing ESPN as “very important” for subscriber retention and acquisition
• ESPN2 ranked second in average perceived value among cable operators for the eighth straight year. The network also ranked No. 5 as the most important network to operators among the 46 measured networks, up from No. 9 in 2011

Note: Digital traffic numbers are from comScore.

 

Blackhawks get ESPN’s attention; record huge rating for NBC

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Even ESPN can’t ignore this record start by the Chicago Blackhawks.

During last night’s SportsCenter, the Hawks’ 2-1 victory over Detroit was the second story; I’m not including ESPN opening with a clip of that miracle shot from the New York high school game.

Naturally, ESPN went hard first on Miami and LeBron James beating the New York Knicks for their 14th straight victory. To be expected, given that ABC showed the game and the network owns the rights to the NBA.

However, instead of hockey being buried in the telecast behind college basketball, golf, NASCAR, World Baseball Classic, not to mention more LeBron, SportsCenter actually followed with extensive video of guys with sticks in their hands. Perhaps, it had something to do with Steve Levy, a hockey guy, serving as a co-host along with Stuart Scott.

I can imagine Levy saying, “Hey, the Blackhawks thing is a big deal.”

Regardless, SportsCenter gave the Blackhawks a decent ride during the evening telecast. Hockey fans were glad ESPN noticed.

Then this morning, SportsCenter actually asked Stephen A. Smith to judge which streak is more impressive: The Heat or Blackhawks?

Aaarree you seeerrrrriiiiousss?

Of course, Smith went with the Heat because he’s a basketball guy and the whole tie thing with the NHL. Even though I am a Chicago guy, I can’t say I disagree because the Hawks have lost three shootouts. Scary thought that I agree with Stephen A.

Let’s agree both streaks are impressive.

*******

NBC cashed in Sunday. The game did a 1.6 overnight rating, its highest ever for a regular-season, non-Winter Classic game.

NBC definitely is benefiting from having Chicago, the nation’s third largest market, going on all in on the Hawks. The game did a huge 9.7 rating in Chicago, which translates to an estimated 350,000 homes tuning in.

To which, NBC says, thank you, Chicago.

 

 

 

What would Keith Olbermann do if he went back to ESPN?

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Keith Olbermann returning to ESPN?

Apparently, there is interest on his end, according to a James Andrew Miller story in the New York Times. Olbermann recently had dinner with ESPN president John Skipper.

From Miller’s story:

“Keith Olbermann, both personally and through a couple people I know, reached out to say, ‘Gee, I would love to have dinner,’ ” Skipper said. “I agreed to dinner with Keith because I assumed he’d be provocative and witty and fun to have dinner with, and he was indeed lots of fun. We talked sports and politics, and we had a nice chat. He is very interesting.

“Clearly he was looking to see if there was an entry point to come back.”

Olbermann declined to discuss the details of the conversation.

“I had the privilege to spend some time with John Skipper,” he said. “His vision and charm were readily apparent, and judging by his leadership, his family name was prophetic.”

Last week, Olbermann played a prominent role in the new ESPN 30 for 30 short on the Honus Wagner baseball card.

I  would be in favor of seeing Olbermann anywhere. It didn’t end well for him in Bristol, but that was another century ago. Things change, and the fact that Skipper accepted dinner with him suggests that he is open to the idea.

What would he do if he returned to ESPN?

Olbermann definitely wouldn’t be coming back to anchor SportsCenter. However, I could see him having a role in which he provides commentaries and/or does essays on various topics. His presence would add an interesting element there.

To carry out that thought further, he also could have a role as a special contributor on ESPN’s NFL, MLB, and NBA programming.

The special contributor role would seem to be the most likely landing spot for Olbermann, if it happens at all.

More from Skipper.

“After the dinner, at that point, there was no real appropriate place for Keith to come back, nor did I feel like I was prepared to bring him back,” Skipper said.

“We don’t have a policy that says we won’t bring somebody back. We’re running a great business, and when we think we can get quality content, there’s no such thing as a condemned list. That said, this is not an easy place to get back into. There are not that many successful examples of people who have come back, in part because it’s like water filling a vacuum. When somebody leaves, somebody else fills their place.”

 

 

Colin Cowherd coming to town near you? ESPN looking to increase his visibility; could air show in Chicago

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Get ready to hear more Colin Cowherd on ESPN’s local stations. That could mean you, Chicago.

It’s a definite possibility. Much like it does with the Greenberg-Golic morning show, there is talk that ESPN wants to give Cowherd more visibility on its locally-owned stations.

Chicago could be the next major market to get “The Herd,” whose show airs from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET. Last Thursday, WMVP-AM 1000 fired Harry Teinowitz from its afternoon team that also includes Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic.

It is expected that ESPN 1000 will shift the Tom Waddle-Marc Silverman duo from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. to afternoon drive. That would leave an opening to slide in Cowherd’s national show in the morning slot.

ESPN’s Dallas station, KESN, recently did a similar move, going with Cowherd’s show live instead of tape delay. The decision now means that ESPN gives the Dallas audience national content during the morning.

ESPN Radio reportedly is weighing the mix between national and local on its stations, especially in Chicago. From a cost standpoint, it makes more economic sense to use one national host like Cowherd instead paying six-figure salaries to local personalities.

Also, Cowherd’s show has done well in various markets, giving ESPN ample motivation to expand his profile.

However, in towns like Chicago, which can be heavily provincial, it means not talking about the Blackhawks winning streak or Derrick Rose until the afternoon. How will that go over?

Decisions are going to be made soon. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Posnanski on Steve Sabol: You could not ignore him

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As I wrote last week, Joe Posnanski has moved to NBC, where among his duties, he will write a “Big Read” column on Fridays for NBCSports.com. His latest effort was a nice piece on Steve Sabol.

Posnanski writes:

Steve Sabol never hid his intentions or his motivations. He saw it as his life’s goal to make everyone see pro football the way he saw it — as the greatest thing in the entire world. Of this, he had no doubts, no uncertainty, no hesitation. This is what it means to be a true believer.

His first big effort for NFL Films was the seminal film, “They Call It Pro Football,” made in 1966. “It starts with a whistle and ends with a gun,” John Facenda said at the beginning of that movie, which changed everything and is now listed in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

“It was our Citizen Kane,” Steve Sabol said. He was 24 years old and ready to spill everything he loved about football, everything he believed about football, everything he cherished about football onto the screen. It would be big, it would be bold, it would be over the top — that was how Sabol did things.

 

Posted in NFL

Frank Deford on NPR: Written text of his commentaries; Blasts NCAA this week

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Frank Deford has been doing commentaries on NPR for more than 30 years. Needless to say, if it carries Deford’s name, they are going to be terrific.

As a public service, I wanted to let you know If you miss the actual broadcast on Wednesday, you still can listen to them at your convenience at Deford’s NPR site. And/or you could read the transcripts.

I have a link to Deford’s site on the rail in my Blogroll. Needless to say, I feel it is a must read each week.

From time to time, I’ll highlight some of his commentaries. This week, Deford went after the NCAA as only he can.

Deford writes:

The great social quest in American sport is to have one prominent, active, gay male athlete step forward and identify himself.

But I have a similar quest. I seek one prominent college president to say to her trustees or to the other presidents in his conference: “The NCAA is a sham and disgrace. Let’s get out of it.”

We know those presidents who disdain the NCAA are out there, but, alas, none dare speak the words that will break the evil spell.

Never has the NCAA been held in such scorn, regularly revealed as a hypocritical, bumbling vestige of a time when its so-called student-athletes were known quaintly as “lettermen” and the most notorious activity on campus was panty raids. Innocent America then bought into the NCAA justification of amateurism, but that giddy concept has come to be widely rejected — student-athletes are really sucker-athletes — and without public trust in amateurism, the NCAA is a rickety structure that cannot stand.

 

 

Legendary Cincy Reds writer, who is legally blind, finds a driver

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Just catching up with this column posted a couple of weeks ago.

Hal McCoy has covered the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Now writing for FoxSportsOhio.com, he wants to continue to cover the Reds. However, since he is legally blind, precluding him from getting behind the wheel of a car, he needed a driver to take him to the games.

McCoy writes he had 473 volunteers:

My inbox filled, 437 offers after last count. Some were for weekend duty, some wanted to do it one time, some wanted to be part of a carpool.

There was an offer from a man in Dubai, who wrote, “If I can be your driver, I’ll return to the United States.”

There was an offer from a man in Florida, who wrote, “I have an RV here in Florida, but If you want me to drive I’ll bring the RV to Dayton and be your driver.”

Amazingly, offers came from all over — male, female, college students, senior citizens, budding journalists who wanted to pick my brain, firemen, policemen, lawyers, truck drivers, professors and the unemployed.

And here’s the new driver:

(Ray) Snedegar’s email jumped out at me. He said all the right things. He was the first I contacted and I invited him to lunch. Within five minutes, I knew: “This is the guy.”

He is retired from the Air Force, “Where I was a loadmaster for 31 years, four months and 21 days, but who’s counting?”

He lost his beloved wife, Barbara, on Nov. 19, 2011 and said to himself, “What now? I’d still get up at 6:30 in the morning, read the paper, drink my coffee and ask myself, ‘What now?’”

To keep busy Snedegar volunteers at the National Museum of the USAF at Wright Patterson Air Force Museum and he works part-time at Routsong Funeral Home in Centerville.

When he saw my blog, Snedegar sent his email, “Because it would give me a chance to mix and mingle with a lot of new people after losing my wife. I love baseball and I love Hal’s writing.”

Posted in MLB