Through the Wire
By Mike Reynolds, Linda Moss and Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 9/5/2004 8:00:00 PM
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Items:
Blame the Players, Not the Highlights 22 Runs of Pain For Yankee Fans America Today’s Not Coming Soon 44 Networks’ Ads Plug Cancer Fund |
Blame the Players, Not the Highlights
SportsCenter anchors, facing the press at the ESPN25 Media Symposium at company headquarters in Bristol, Conn., last Wednesday, refused to accept the blame for the USA Men’s Basketball team’s less-than-golden performance at the Olympics in Athens. (The theory: the highlight-reel culture has encouraged young players to favor eye-popping dunks over defensive and team-oriented fundamentals.)
Stuart Scott pooh-poohed thusly: “The whole idea that it’s just a bunch of dunks and home runs, it’s a bunch of crap.” Why, an Aug. 31 highlight showcased a pitcher ducking a broken bat then covering the bag at first, he said. “We do that kind of thing constantly.”
Dan Patrick called Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan the best hoopers of the past 20 years, and they were all fundamentally sound. “So if you’re going to emulate, are you going to emulate what you see on SportsCenter or emulate what you’ve seen from three of the greatest basketball players of all time? So I don’t buy that.”
“We’re getting blamed because we didn’t win a gold medal?” he continued. “I’d like to think we’re important, but not that important. You can’t blame me because [Olympian] Amare Stoudemire can’t hit a 15-footer.”
Scott had the last word, pointing out Olympic coach Larry Brown didn’t blame SportsCenter.
22 Runs of Pain For Yankee Fans
Last Tuesday night, the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 22-0, the worst drubbing in the storied franchise’s history. The Yanks were the butt of plenty of digs at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., where reporters gathered the next day.
Tanya Van Court, who leads ESPN’s broadband efforts, talked about personalized applications that soon will be available. “So if there’s any content that you’re interested in, for example, you want to know that the Cleveland Indians blew out the Yankees last night … 22-0 … I could get that alert sent to me.”
And ESPN Mobile leader John Zehr: “You have to understand if I’m limping a little bit today. I actually had the wireless alert for the Yankees last night, and after 22 vibrations [for each Tribe run] my quadriceps are a little numb. It was a rough night.”
America Today’s Not Coming Soon
Toss another cable-network proposal into the scrap bin, at least for now.
Back at the end of 2002, USA Today owner Gannett Co. unveiled its plans — with much fanfare and national press coverage — to enter the cable market with a 24-hour news service called America Today. Gannett planned to repackage local newscasts from its roughly two-dozen TV stations across the country to program America Today. Gannett said it would try to get cable distribution in exchange for retransmission consent for its stations.
We recently checked with Gannett on America Today’s status, and corporate spokeswoman Tara Connell offered this update. “It’s being described as sort of on hold. There are some other projects moving forward, but that one is on hold.”
44 Networks’ Ads Plug Cancer Fund
Adlink, the Los Angeles-area ad-sales interconnect is throwing its collective network power behind a fund-raiser for a nonprofit organization that supports the families of children fighting cancer.
Adlink is promoting the Desi Geestman Foundation, and its fundraiser, “Evening With the Stars,” by inserting 30-second promos on each of the 44 networks on which it places advertisements. The fund-raiser will also be featured in the E! LA Spotlight on the on-air guides in the marketplace.
Donors will be attracted by a chance to meet and greet celebrities from programs including General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless. They also get a chance to bid in a silent auction for film and TV memorabilia.
Tickets to the Sept. 12 event at The Ivar in Hollywood are $80.
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