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NBCUniversal Programming For Day 2 of the 2012 Olympics

Ok, here are the listings for Day 2 of the Games of the XXX Summer Olympiad in London. Once again, NBC starts early at 7 a.m. ET/PT. NBC Sports Network hits the air at 4 a.m. ET and Bravo and CNBC have their respective sports.

MICHAEL PHELPS CONTINUES HIS QUEST FOR MOST OLYMPIC CAREER MEDALS AS HE SWIMS THE 4X100 FREESTYLE RELAY ON NBC TOMORROW

Fab Five Begins Gymnastics Team Competition on NBC
Team USA Competes in Beach Volleyball and Water Polo on NBC
Dream Team LIVE on NBC Sports Network
All Events Live Streamed on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Olympics Live Extra Mobile & Tablet App

LONDON – July 28, 2012 – Michael Phelps competes in the 4×100 freestyle relay with another chance to medal, as he closes in on the record for most Olympic career medals tomorrow night in primetime on NBC. Phelps teammates in the event will include Jason Lezak, who famously closed out the French team for the gold in 2008 in Beijing; 400 individual medley gold medalist Ryan Lochte looks to extend his dominance in the 200 meter freestyle; and the Fab Five women’s gymnastics team, featuring Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber debuts in the team competition for Team USA.

NBC’s daytime will air coverage of Team USA men’s and women’s beach volleyball featuring Team USA’s Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, competing against Kentaro Asahi and Katsuhiro Shiratori of Japan, and Team USA’s Jen Kessy and April Ross vs. Ana Zonta and Maria Gallay of Argentina, from legendary Horse Guards Parade, in the heart of ceremonial London just down the road from the Queen’s home at Buckingham Palace. Also on NBC during the daytime, the U.S. men’s water polo team, led by Tony Azevedo, takes on Montenegro, as Team USA looks to improve on their surprise silver medal from Beijing.

NBC Sports Network will air live coverage of men’s basketball, as the Dream Team competes against France at 9:30 a.m. ET followed by Spain vs. China live at 11:30 a.m.

All of the events mentioned above, and all other events will be live streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app, available on mobile devices and tablets. The vast majority of live stream content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

For more information on live streaming, please go to: NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra.

For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, please go to: NBCOlympics.com.

Listings subject to change (all times ET unless otherwise noted). Changes are italicized

SUNDAY, JULY 29 (Day 2)

NBC

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Women’s Cycling – Road Race (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – (LIVE)

• Men’s – Rogers/Dalhausser (U.S.) vs. Asahi/Shiratori (Japan) (LIVE)
• Women’s – Kessy/Ross (U.S.) vs. Zonta/Gallay (Argentina) (LIVE)

Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Serbia (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Montenegro (LIVE)

• The women’s gymnastics competition begins with teams looking to position themselves for medal contention. With a tough international field, there’s little margin for error.
• Key qualifying competition in swimming includes the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay, which the United States won in dramatic fashion in 2008 with Jason Lezak’s heroic anchor leg to keep Michael Phelps’ quest for eight golds alive. Lezak and Phelps are again on the U.S. squad for this event. Plus, key qualifying swims from gold medal hopefuls Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and Rebecca Soni.
• LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of cycling’s women’s road race, as the world’s best female cyclists race through the heart of London. American Evelyn Stevens, who only bought her first bike in 2008 and gave up a career on Wall Street, could contend for a medal.
• Plus, LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of beach volleyball, always one of the most electric sports of the Games, from Horse Guards Parade in the heart of ceremonial London. Americans Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser are the defending Olympic champions.
• LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of the U.S. men’s volleyball team’s first match against Serbia. The Americans won their first Olympic gold in 20 years in Beijing and have been surging recently as they look to repeat as Olympic champions.
• LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of the U.S. men’s water polo team’s first game against Montenegro. The U.S. men earned a surprise silver in Beijing, but are focused on gold in London, led by captain Tony Azevedo, the team sacrificed hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively by not playing professionally overseas this year to train together for the Olympics.

7 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 100M Breaststroke
• Men’s 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay
• Women’s 100M Butterfly
• Women’s 400M Freestyle

Women’s Diving – Synchronized Springboard Gold Medal Final

• The first look at the reigning world champion U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team, led by reigning world all-around champion Jordyn Wieber, the 17-year-old from DeWitt, Michigan, and fast-rising 16-year-old wonder Gabby Douglas. They begin their pursuit of the team gold medal tonight – trying to become the first U.S. women to win team gymnastics gold since the “Magnificent Seven” won in Atlanta in 1996.
• Four years after Jason Lezak’s extraordinary anchor leg kept Michael Phelps on track for eight golds in Beijing, Phelps again swims for Team USA in the 4x100m freestyle relay in what figures to be another fierce contest with France and reigning world champion Australia. This should also be the night Phelps wins his 18th career medal to tie Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most all time. Also in the pool, former Cal star Dana Vollmer is favored for gold in her signature event, the 100m butterfly. Allison Schmitt, who took the year off from the University Georgia to train alongside Phelps under coach Bob Bowman, will contend in the 400m freestyle with home favorite and reigning Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain. Brendan Hansen and cancer survivor Eric Shanteau will try to knock off the greatest breaststroker in history, Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima, in the 100m breaststroke.
• In the first diving final, Kelci Bryant, who finished a heartbreaking fourth in Beijing, teams with new partner Abby Johnston, a pre-med student at Duke, in the women’s synchronized springboard competition. The U.S. hasn’t won a diving medal since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Bryant and Johnston, who have finished in the top four in every competition this season, will be looking to reverse the trend in the team’s first chance.

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Gymnastics – Women’s Team Competition
Canoeing – Whitewater Qualifying Heats

• The Canoe Slalom competition gets underway on a new course built specifically for the Games. Paddlers will need speed, control and precision on the daunting whitewater rapids.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball –

• U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
• Brazil vs. Australia (LIVE)
• Spain vs. China (LIVE)
• Argentina vs. Lithuania (LIVE)

Women’s Field Hockey –

• U.S. vs. Germany (LIVE)
• New Zealand vs. Australia (LIVE)

Beach Volleyball –

• Men’s – Alison/Emanuel (Brazil) vs. Doppler/Horst (Austria)
• Women’s – Cicolari/Menegatti (Italy) vs. Ukolova/Khomyakova (Russia)
• Women’s – Talita/Antonelli (Brazil) vs. Meppelink/Van Gestel (Netherlands) (LIVE)

Equestrian – Eventing Dressage
Women’s Archery – Team Gold Medal Final
Women’s Shooting – Skeet Gold Medal Final
Men’s Water Polo – Greece vs. Croatia (LIVE)
Women’s Field Hockey – New Zealand vs. Australia
Men’s Badminton – Bach/Gunawan (U.S.) vs. Koo/Tan (Malaysia)

NBC SPORTS NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS

• LIVE coverage as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the star-studded U.S. men’s basketball team take to the floor for their first action of the London Games, against France. Also today, Spain, the reigning Olympic silver medalist led by Lakers star Pau Gasol, takes on China.

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

BRAVO HIGHLIGHTS

• The men’s and women’s singles and doubles tennis competitions continue with live coverage from the historic grass courts of Wimbledon.

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

• Brazil vs. Belarus (LIVE)
• Senegal vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
• Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates (LIVE)

Men’s Indoor Volleyball – Qualifying Round

• Russia vs. Germany (LIVE)
• Italy vs. Poland

Men’s Water Polo – Hungary vs. Serbia
Men’s Handball – Croatia vs. South Korea
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round

MSNBC HIGHLIGHTS

• Plenty of live action in men’s soccer, as the talented Brazilian squad takes on Belarus and host Great Britain meets United Arab Emirates.

CNBC
8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

CNBC HIGHLIGHTS

• The second day of Olympic boxing coverage features two Americans with strong medal hopes in Errol Spence, Jr., a 22-year-old Dallas southpaw, and Jose Ramirez, the son of Mexican immigrants, who is a part-time student and former Starbucks barista.

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL
4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Australia (LIVE)
Nigeria vs. Tunisia (LIVE)
Spain vs. China (LIVE)
Russia vs. Great Britain (LIVE)
Argentina vs. Lithuania (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Egypt vs. New Zealand (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Belarus (LIVE)
Senegal vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates (LIVE)
Mexico vs. Gabon
Japan vs. Morocco
South Korea vs. Switzerland
Spain vs. Honduras

TELEMUNDO

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round

• Mexico vs. Gabon (LIVE)
• Spain vs. Honduras (LIVE)
• Senegal vs. Uruguay (LIVE)

Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Tennis – Early Rounds

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

3D

4 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

That’s all. Enjoy the games.

Some Thoughts on NBC’s Early Olympic Coverage

Let’s do some bullet point thoughts on NBCUniversal’s coverage of Days -2 through 0 of the 2012 Olympics. I’ll go backwards starting with coverage of the Opening Ceremony and then the live soccer coverage on Wednesday and Thursday.

• I can start with NBC’s tape delayed coverage of the Opening Ceremony which became a huge issue on social media Friday. And while there were some articles denouncing NBC’s decision (like at Mashable, NESN.com, and the Wall Street Journal) the network countered that putting the Opening Ceremony online was too complex and complicated for audiences to see online because of all of the elements. Well, that’s not putting trust in your audience. For all intents and purposes, NBC is saying the audience is stupid and needs Uncle NBC to explain everything. That’s not right at all.

  Anyway, it caused many people to go online and find an illegal pirated BBC feed to watch the Opening Ceremony where viewers were treated to commercial-free coverage. I won’t review BBC’s coverage as I did watch it through a friend’s Slingbox, but I will give a few words on NBC’s coverage on the Opening Ceremony.

  While NBC’s pictures of the Opening Ceremony were spectacular, director Bucky Gunts did a stellar job in choosing the right angles to show, the performances by Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera gave the event the feel of the second hour of the Today show. NBC Olympics Executive Producer Jim Bell who is also the Executive Producer of Today tapped Matt and Meredith for the Opening Ceremony to join Bob Costas. While Matt did a good job in 2008 in Beijing with Bob, he and Meredith talked way too much trying to explain Opening Ceremony Director Danny Boyle’s vision. Plus Meredith attempted to sing when the Rolling Stones were played.

  I understand NBC’s thinking on the Opening Ceremony, but it didn’t work, and the audience was not served well in this case. Timothy Burke of Deadspin actually found the number of words spoken on BBC and NBC and you can see that there was more talking on NBC.

  Now I happen to like Meredith, but unfortunately, she was miscast to co-host the Opening Ceremony and I give NBC a C minus for its handling of the Opening Ceremony. The Opening Ceremony itself gets an A.

• For the coverage of both women’s and men’s soccer on Wednesday and Thursday, the networks of NBCUniversal get higher grades. NBC used the world feed for the games that were split between MSNBC and NBC Sports Network.

  I’m quite impressed with Liam McHugh who has had a very busy four month stretch. In May and June, he hosted the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. For most of this month, Liam was all over France hosting the Tour de France, and here is he in London hosting the Olympics. He’s making it look easy, but keeping track of so many different sports is not easy. And to think two years ago, Liam was part of an ensemble show for Versus that was supposed to be a vehicle for Jenn Sterger. The Olympics are a far cry from The Daily Line days on Versus.

  Other talent who have done well in the early going are Kelly Tlghman on MSNBC, Michelle Beadle on NBCSN, play-by-play callers Arlo White, JP Dellacamera and Steve Cangialosi. I like analysts Brandi Chastain and Kyle Martino. Drea Avent’s interviews are quite strong.

• I used NBC’s Olympics Live Extra iPad app to watch the soccer on Wednesday and Thursday. On the first day, the app joined MSNBC’s simulcast 14 minutes late and it was the same for the Japan-Canada match. Hopefully, that will be fixed before the action begins for real on Saturday.If you watch the simulcasts on the mobile or tablet, they’re over a minute behind compared to TV. If you can handle that, then you should be fine. But overall, I like the quality of the pictures. I do wish that the app would stream NBC’s coverage in addition of the streams of Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and NBCSN, but perhaps that could be done for 2014.

Those are my thoughts on the coverage to date.

NBCUniversal Programming For Day 1 of the 2012 Olympics

Now that the Opening Ceremony is over, it’s time for Olympic action in earnest. The soccer action on Wednesday and Thursday was just an appetizer. Tomorrow, there’s boxing, gymnastics, swimming. tennis, and a whole plethora of sports. The networks of NBCUniversal will out in full force onb Saturday.

NBC Sports Network starts its coverage at 4 a.m. NBC will be on live in the Eastern half of the country at 5 a.m. ET. The Mountain and Pacific time zones will have to wait to see the Olympic action on NBC, but the cable portion on Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and NBC Sports Network will be live all over the country on participating cable and satellite providers.

And NBCOlympics.com and the mobile and tablet apps will have all of the sports action live.

Here’s what you can expect on the networks on NBCUniversal on Saturday.

PHELPS-LOCHTE EXPECTED SHOWDOWN AIRS ON NBC IN PRIMETIME ON DAY 1 OF LONDON OLYMPICS

Team USA Competes in Men’s Beach Volleyball and Women’s Basketball on NBC
NBC Sports Network Airs Team USA vs. Columbia in Women’s Soccerb
LIVE Soccer and Beach Volleyball on NBC Sports Network and MSNBC
All Events Live Streamed on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Olympics Live Extra Mobile & Tablet App

LONDON – July 27, 2012 – Day 1 of the 2012 London Olympic Games begins tomorrow with an expected head-to-head showdown between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte in primetime on NBC, as they contend for the gold in the men’s 400 meter individual medley. Phelps’ and Lochte’s qualifying heats will air on NBC live (ET/CT) beginning at 5 a.m.

NBC’s daytime will air coverage of women’s basketball, featuring Team USA facing Croatia at 11 a.m. ET/PT, and men’s beach volleyball, featuring Beijing’s gold medal duo Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal of Team USA matching up against Freedom Chiya and Grant Goldschmidt of South Africa from legendary Horse Guards Parade, in the heart of ceremonial London just down the road from the Queen’s home at Buckingham Palace.

NBC Sports Network airs live coverage of women’s soccer as Team USA faces Colombia at 11:30 a.m. ET from Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Live on MSNBC, Olympic host nation Great Britain takes on Camaroon at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, at 12:15 p.m. ET.

All of the events mentioned above and all other events will be live streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app, available on mobile devices and tablets. The vast majority of live stream content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

For more information on live streaming, please go to: NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra

For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, please go to: NBCOlympics.com

Listings subject to change (all times ET unless otherwise noted). Changes are italicized.

Tomorrow’s coverage includes:

SATURDAY, JULY 28 (Day 1)

NBCb
5 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats (LIVE)
Men’s Cycling – Road Race (LIVE)
Men’s Beach Volleyball – Gibb/Rosenthal (U.S.) vs. Chiya/Goldschmidt (South Africa) (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Women’s Basketball – U.S. vs. Croatia (LIVE)
Rowing – Qualifying Heats

• LIVE (ET/CT) Michael Phelps begins his drive to become the most decorated Olympian of all-time in an event he’s won at the past two Olympics: the 400m individual medley. This event also marks the first head-to-head showdown between Phelps and teammate Ryan Lochte, the reigning world champion who defeated Phelps at Trials. 17-year-old Colorado phenom Missy Franklin swims for her first Olympic medal as she leads Team USA in the 4x100m free relay. Plus world champion Elizabeth Beisel competes in the women’s 400m individual medley and Peter Vanderkaayleads the U.S. charge in men’s 400m freestyle.
• LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of cycling’s men’s road race provides viewers with a spectacular introduction to London. The road race travels through the heart of central London, with a mix of majestic landmarks and the natural beauty of the Royal Parks included along the way. Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish is among the favorites, which should add even more energy to the massive crowd expected to line the streets of London. The Americans field a strong team as well, led by Taylor Phinney and Tyler Farrar.
• LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of the U.Sb. women’s volleyball team’s first match vs. South Korea. Led by Hugh McCutcheon, who coached the U.S. men to the Olympic title in 2008, the American women are favored to win their first Olympic gold.
• LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of the U.S. women’s basketball team’s first game. Led by former UConn stars Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, the Americans arbe favored to win their fifth straight Olympic gold medal in London.
• Plus, LIVE (ET/CT) coverage of beach volleyball, always one of the most electric sports of the Games, from the heart of ceremonial London, at Horse Guards Parade, and the first day of the rowing competition, from prestigious Eton Dorney.

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s and Women’s 400M Individual Medley
• Men’s 400M Freestyle
• Women’s 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay

Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Women’s Beach Volleyball – May-Treanor/Walsh (U.S.) vs. Cook/Hinchley (Australia)

• Gymnastics begins with men’s team qualifying. The U.S. men are vying for their third consecutive medal in the team competition. Their prospects look strong with a deep group led by a dynamic pair of first-time Olympians: Bronx native John Orozco and Cuban-born Danell Leyva.
• bBeach volleyball, one of the Games’ hottest sports, comes to the heart of ceremonial London, at Horse Guards Parade. Just down the road from the Queen’s home at Buckingham Palace, the queens of the sand, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, are eyeing a golden three-peat after sweeping the competition in Athens and Beijing without dropping a set.

12:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Gymnastics – Men’s Team Competition
Women’s Weightlifting – 48KG Gold Medal Final

• · The first gold medal in weightlifting will be decided among the sport’s lightest athletes. Women weighing no more than 106 pounds will need to lift more than twice their body weight to reach the podium.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK
4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

• U.S. vs. Colombia (LIVE)
• Brazil vs. New Zealand (LIVE)
• France vs. North Korea (LIVE)

Beach Volleyball –

• Women’s – Zhang/Xue (China) vs. Vasina/Vozakova (Russia) (LIVE)
• Women’s Volleyball – China vs. Serbia (LIVE)

Equestrian – Eventing Dressage
Women’s Handball – Norway vs. France
Women’s Shooting – 10M Air Rifle Gold Medal Final
Men’s Archery – Team Gold Medal Final
Women’s Fencing – Individual Foil (LIVE)
Women’s Badminton – Bae (South Korea) vs. Tee (Malaysia)
Men’s Table Tennis – Wang (U.S.) vs. Kim (North Korea)
Women’s Handball – Spain vs. South Korea

NBC SPORTS NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS

• NBCSN’s daily feast of live Olympic action kicks off today with live coverage of the two-time reigning Olympic champion U.S. women’s soccer team. The 16-hour show also includes the first gold medal to be awarded at the Games, in shooting’s women’s air rifle competition. Czech shooter Katerina Emmons, wife of American shooter Matt Emmons, will attempt to defend her gold medal.

BRAVO
7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

BRAVO HIGHLIGHTS

• The men’s and women’s singles and doubles tennis competitions get underway with live coverage from the historic grass courts of Wimbledon.

MSNBC
7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round

• Japan vs. Sweden (LIVE)
• Canada vs. South Africa (LIVE)
• Great Britain vs. Cameroon (LIVE)

Men’s Beach Volleyball – Grotowski/Garcia-Thompson (Great Britain) vs. Binstock/Reader (Canada) (LIVE)
Women’s Handball – Denmark vs. Sweden
Women’s Fencing – Individual Foil Gold Medal Final
Men’s Badminton – Bach/Gunawan (U.S.) vs. Cung/Lee (South Korea)
Women’s Table Tennis –

• Zhang (U.S.) vs. Molnar (Croatia)
• Hsing (U.S.) vs. Silva (Mexico)

MSNBC HIGHLIGHTS

• · MSNBC offers ten hours of team and racket sports, including live soccer and live beach volleyball from majestic Horse Guards Parade, in the heart of ceremonial London.

CNBC
8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

CNBC HIGHLIGHTS

• · Often the proving grounds for many of the next great professional boxers, the Olympic boxing tournament opens with a full day of bouts between the world’s best.

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL
4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
U.S. vs. Croatia (LIVE)
China vs. Czech Republic (LIVE)
Canada vs. Russia (LIVE)
Turkey vs. Angola (LIVE)
Brazil vs. France (LIVE)
Australia vs. Great Britain (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL
7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
U.S. vs. Colombia (LIVE)
Japan vs. Sweden (LIVE)
New Zealand vs. Brazil (LIVE)
France vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Canada vs. South Africa
Great Britain vs. Cameroon

TELEMUNDO
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ET/PT)

Opening Ceremony
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition

3D
5 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Opening Ceremony

And I’ll have the Canadian Olympic Broadcasting Consortium schedule for Day 1 coming up.

NBCUniversal Programming For Day -1 of the 2012 Olympics

Soccer action continues at the Games of the XXX Summer Olympiad in London. This time, it’s the men’s turn to take the pitch. NBC Sports Network will hit the air first at 7 a.m. and will air four matches live including Great Britain’s first contest against Senegal around 2 p.m. ET.

MSNBC goes on the air at 9 a.m. and will have three matches all live including Spain vs. Japan and gold medal contender Brazil taking on Egypt.

The NBC Soccer Channel will also hit the air at 7 a.m. and Telemundo gets its first taste of Olympic action carrying four games including Mexico vs. South Korea. Lots of action before the official start of the Games on Friday.

Here’s NBCUniversal’s announcement.

OLYMPIC MEN’S SOCCER KICKS OFF LIVE TOMORROW ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK AND MSNBC

Seven Games to Air LIVE on Thursday
Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network
All Games Live Streamed on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Olympics Live Extra Mobile & Tablet App

LONDON – July 25, 2012 – Live coverage of Olympic men’s soccer kicks off tomorrow with Honduras vs. Morocco on NBC Sports Network at 7 a.m. ET, followed by Spain vs. Japan live on MSNBC at 9:30 a.m. ET from Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Brazil and Egypt match up live on MSNBC from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales at 2:45 p.m. ET. Olympic host nation Great Britain takes on Senegal at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, live on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET.

NBCUniversal’s coverage of eight men’s soccer games involving all 16 teams will air tomorrow on NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and Telemundo.

NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app, available on mobile devices and tablets, will live stream all sporting events for the first time ever, more than 3,500 total programming hours, including all 32 sports and the awarding of all 302 medals. The vast majority of live stream content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

For more information on live streaming, please go to: NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra

For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, please go to: NBCOlympics.com

Listings subject to change (all times ET unless otherwise noted).

Tomorrow’s coverage includes:

THURSDAY, JULY 26 (Day -1)

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Senegal (LIVE)
Belarus vs. New Zealand

MSNBC

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Spain vs. Japan (LIVE)
Gabon vs. Switzerland (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Egypt (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Senegal (LIVE)
Spain vs. Japan
Gabon vs. Switzerland
Egypt vs. Brazil
Belarus vs. New Zealand

TELEMUNDO

6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Egypt (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)

Midnight – 1 a.m. (ET/PT)
Soccer Highlights Show

Friday’s coverage includes:

FRIDAY, JULY 27 (Day 0)

NBC

7:30 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Opening Ceremony

• The Games begin in grand and royal style as London, the first city to host the Olympics three times, welcomes the world and Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Games. The Opening Ceremony, directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) also features the Parade of Nations, as athletes from more than 200 countries march into the Olympic Stadium together in one of the most powerful symbolic events in the world. The pageantry culminates with the always highly anticipated lighting of the Olympic Cauldron.

That’s all. More stuff is coming up.

The Olympics Are Here; Let’s Do Some Links

Olympics start today with women’s soccer and there’s more soccer action tomorrow on the men’s side. Let’s bring you some linkage before I get distracted by the live streaming.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand reports that Erin Andrews will get some high profile NFL assignments working with the Fox Sports “A” announcing team of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver on Thanksgiving and the postseason.

Roger Yu of USA Today looks at NBC’s Olympic online streaming plans.

Reid Cherner of USA Today says the Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies will not be streamed online by NBC. Both will be held for primetime broadcast. Grrrrr.

David Bauder of the Associated Press has your Olympics Viewing Guide.

I have my own Olympics Viewing Guide.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report wonders if NBC will force Bob Costas to back of his pledge to honor the slain Israeli athletes from the 1972 Munich Olympics during this year’s Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Jason Fry and Kelly McBride of the Poynter Review Project as the ESPN Ombudsman review ESPN’s coverage of the Penn State story on Monday.

Sports Business Daily Global notes that the Olympics are the second most valuable brand worldwide.

ESPN may not be the Olympics rightsholder in the US, but it does have the rights in Latin America and John Ourand at Sports Business Journal’s Olympic site looks at its sponsors for the Games.

UK Radio personality Polly James of Absolute Radio has started an Olympics blog and it’s quite good.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says Showtime and CBS will team up to show the professional debut of several Olympic boxers.

John Eggerton of Mulitchannel writes that Tennis Channel won a huge victory from the FCC in its carriage battle with Comcast.

Todd Spangler of Multichannel says Netflix feels that growth will be stunted in the current quarter due to the Olympics.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable notes that NBC News will use Storify to piece together certain stories of the Olympics.

Christopher Heine of Adweek reports that one Penn State sponsor has dropped the school in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY talks with former CBS News and WCBS anchor Dave Marash who covered the 1972 Munich tragedy.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that CBS Sports Network will air some US Open Tennis on Labor Day Weekend.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record has Fox Sports college football analyst Charles Davis talking about the Penn State sanctions.

Laura Nachman notes that ESPN SportsCenter anchor Ducis Rodgers will be joining the Philadelphia ABC affiliate.

Tim Richardson in Press Box writes that the military will continue its sports sponsorships in the mid-Atlantic region.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the DC NFL Team has already e-mailed the media on quarterback Robert Griffin III’s availability.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman talks about the Olympic streaming smorgasbord online.

Mel also looks at the local ratings from the weekend.

Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the Bengals aren’t going to relax their requirements to ease TV blackouts.

Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago says a popular Comcast SportsNet reporter is leaving the Windy City.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune has NBC’s Bob Costas lashing out at those who write about Olympic tape delays.

Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News has Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott optimistic about getting DirecTV on board for the Pac-12 Networks.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail talks with CTV Olympic Daytime host James Duthie.

Sports Media Watch looks at NBC Sports Network’s new highlight show.

Joe Lucia of Awful Announcing says the Olympics going digital.

AA’s Matt Yoder feels Fox should ditch the local announcers on its MLB broadcasts.

That’s going to do it.

NBCUniversal’s Programming For Day -2 of the 2012 Olympics

Women’s soccer takes the field for the Olympics as the Games have their unofficial start on Wednesday, two days before the Opening Ceremony. Qualifying Round play takes place all over the UK and Great Britain will begin the whole enchilada with a game against New Zealand. MSNBC will air that game live at 10:30 a.m. and it will also be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app.

And NBC Sports Network also airs its very first Olympic action an hour later with the USA taking on France in its defense of the gold medal won in Communist China.

We have the programming schedule for Day -2 of the Games of the XXX Summer Olympiad in London on the networks of NBCUniversal. I will be posting these press releases every day during the 16 Days of Glory.

NBCUNIVERSAL’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE KICKS OFF TOMORROW WITH LIVE WOMEN’S SOCCER

LIVE Coverage of Great Britain vs. New Zealand Begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on MSNBC
LIVE Coverage of USA vs. France Begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network
LIVE Coverage of Colombia vs. North Korea at 2:30 p.m. ET on MSNBC
All Games Live Streamed on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Olympics Live Extra Mobile & Tablet App

LONDON – July 24, 2012 – NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London begins tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25, with the kickoff of the women’s soccer tournament, featuring six games.

NBC Sports Network will air live coverage of Team USA’s match-up against France from Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, at 11:30 a.m. ET. Live on MSNBC, Olympic host nation Great Britain faces off against New Zealand at scenic Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, with coverage beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.

NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app, available on mobile devices and tablets, will live stream all sporting events for the first time ever, more than 3,500 total programming hours, including all 32 sports and the awarding of all 302 medals. The vast majority of live stream content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

For more information on live streaming, please go to: NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra

For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, please go to: NBCOlympics.com

Listings subject to change (all times ET unless otherwise noted).

Tomorrow’s coverage includes:

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Cameroon vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Japan vs. Canada

MSNBC

10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Great Britain vs. New Zealand (LIVE)

2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Colombia vs. North Korea (LIVE)
Sweden vs. South Africa

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Noon – Midnight
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Colombia vs. North Korea (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. New Zealand
Japan vs. Canada
Cameroon vs. Brazil
Sweden vs. South Africa

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 10 a.m. (ET/PT)
Olympic Preview

Coverage for Thursday, July 26 (Day -1) includes:

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Senegal (LIVE)
Belarus vs. New Zealand

MSNBC

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Spain vs. Japan (LIVE)
Gabon vs. Switzerland (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Egypt (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Senegal (LIVE)
Spain vs. Japan
Gabon vs. Switzerland
Egypt vs. Brazil
Belarus vs. New Zealand

TELEMUNDO

6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Egypt (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)

Midnight – 1 a.m. (ET/PT)
Soccer Highlights Show

One more post coming up.

Disembodied Voice To Host New NBC Sports Network Morning Highlights Show

NBC has announced today that it will launch a new highlights show called “The Voice”, “The ‘Lights” (short for highlights), premiering August 13, the day after the London Olympics end. It will air in 20 minute blocks between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET. The host will not be seen on camera and there will not be a set, so that will save some money.

Whether the host is a male or female, all we will know of this person is his or her voice narrating the highlights. In addition, while tape of a highlight is seen on one half of the screen, the other half will show text or sound bites or postgame press conference pertaining to the highlight.

So the host really can do this from home, not come into work and be dressed in jammies for all we know.

Here is the press release.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK TO DEBUT THE ‘LIGHTS, A MORNING HIGHLIGHTS & SCORES SHOW

The ‘Lights Begins Monday, August 13 and Launches NBC Sports Network’s Post-Olympics Programming Schedule
Dynamic Format Designed to Deliver a Complete Sports Report, In 20 Minutes

NEW YORK – July 24, 2012 — NBC Sports Group announced today The ‘Lights, a new morning highlights show that will debut Monday, August 13, at 7 a.m. ET. The ‘Lights will use an innovative format to deliver the major scores and highlights from the previous night and will air weekday mornings during a new two-hour programing block. The program will launch NBC Sports Network’s post-Olympics programming schedule.

Designed to serve the busy morning schedule of sports fans, The ‘Lights will be produced as a 20-minute sports report, and will not feature an on-camera anchor or set. The show will use a unique presentation of simultaneous video clips, graphics and voiceovers to deliver the scores and information. The ‘Lights will repeat every 20 minutes, from 7-9 a.m. ET, and will be updated as necessary.

“We are very excited to launch NBC Sports Network’s new programming schedule,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “The ‘Lights will serve as a catalyst for our new programming lineup, and will quickly provide sports fans all of the scores and highlights they crave as they start their day.”

The ‘Lights will join a lineup of signature programming that will further define the NBC Sports Network’s news, information and entertainment offerings. Programming includes: Sports Illustrated, which will debut tonight at 9 p.m. ET and the re-launch of NBC SportsTalk, Tuesday, August 14 at 6 p.m. ET.

That’s all. I have one more post to write and that will conclude the updates for now.

The Pre-Olympic Linkage

The Olympics get started tomorrow with women’s soccer action and while the Games don’t officially begin until Friday with the Opening Ceremony (live in most countries except the United States), today is really the calm before the Olympic storm. Starting tomorrow and going through August 12, this site will be awash in Olympics sports media coverage as it was in 2008 for Beijing and 2010 in Vancouver. While I’ll be covering other sports media news, I’ll be focusing on NBC’s coverage, the business of the Olympics and other news out of London. I hope you’ll continue to visit.

Ok, let’s do the linkage. It’s time to bring it back. I was doing so well last week, six straight days of links, then last Friday, I got bogged down with family stuff and wasn’t able to do what I wanted to. Sometimes that happens. Time to take life back now.

Starting with the great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated, he has his Media Power List for July.

Ed Sherman of the Sherman Report talks with Big Ten Network’s President about doing an about-face and covering the Penn State story wall-to-wall on Monday.

Ed talks with NBC Olympics Executive Producer Jim Bell who takes the reins from his mentor, former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol, for London.

Sports Business Journal interviews the President of the Jacksonville Jaguars about stadium technology and the NFL Blackout policy.

Daniel Frankel of paidContent says the next sports network carriage dispute will be between the Pac-12 Networks and the two major satellite TV providers.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says NBC will provide an Olympics “Red Zone Channel” that will be online-only.

Shira Ovide of the Wall Street Journal says NBC will delay the Olympics Opening Ceremony and it won’t be seen live on cable or online.

The Big Lead says ESPN lured Brett McMurphy away from CBSSports.com to become one of its college football insiders.

Gabriel Beltone of Adweek looks at some of the best Olympic ads thus far.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says CBS Sports Network will piggyback on CBS’ coverage of the PGA Championship and US Open tennis.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age writes that the Penn State scandal could hurt the school’s marketability down the road.

David Goetzl at MediaPost says McDonald’s has begun its Olympic marketing campaign.

Steve McClellan at MediaPost writes that the Olympics help brand awareness.

Evan Weiner of Examiner.com says the International Olympic Committee should honor the Israeli athletes who were massacred during the 1972 Munich Games.

Sports Video Group notes that the MLB At Bat mobile and tablet app had its 5 millionth download.

Merrill Knox of TVSpy says a former Washington DC sports anchor returns home to the Bay Area.

Excellent story from Jason Schwartz of Boston Magazine on the hard fall of Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios. Nothing to do with sports media, but very good reporting.

The Boston Bruins announced Monday that it has signed an extension with radio flagship WBZ-FM.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir says you’ll be able to see all of NBC’s live Olympics streams, provided you sign up.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks about Sports Illustrated coming to TV.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union says the Open Championship received its highest overnight rating in four years.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record writes that NBC’s Olympic specialty channels will be picked up locally.

Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Comcast will be all over the Olympics on its cable platforms.

David Selig of the Baltimore Sun says an Orioles pitching prospect will be featured on tonight’s premiere of Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that the area’s sports radio stations are getting ready for the Robert Griffin III era in DC.

Dan notes that Maryland’s field hockey coach Missy Meharg who will be an Olympics analyst for NBC.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci who will be a part of the magazine’s TV premiere tonight.

KSAT-TV in San Antonio named Jessica Ghawi an honorary member of its sports department. She was one of the 12 victims killed in the Aurora, CO movie theater massacre.

Jerry Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News writes about the KSAT honor for Jessica.

Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch says MLB Advanced Media is bad for baseball.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says NBC’s Olympic coverage begins and ends with the Holy Diminutive One, Bob Costas.

Ben Fong-Torres of the San Francisco Chronicle profiles Ron Barr and his Sports Byline USA network which keeps plugging along from the Bay Area in a world dominated by ESPN Radio.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing says Big Ten Network got the job done in covering the Penn State sanctions on Monday.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says ESPN should air TSN’s SportsCentre to gain street cred with hockey fans.

Tony Manfred of the Business Insider’s Sports page notes that the Olympics helped to transform one of London’s seedier neighborhoods into a showcase.

And that’s going to do it.

Your US Olympics Viewing Guide

With the Games of the XXX Summer Olympiad in London starting this week, it’s time to provide you with a breakdown of coverage that you’ll see on the networks of NBCUniversal. While the Opening Ceremony will officially start the Games on Friday, soccer action will begin on Wednesday. MSNBC starts the coverage Wednesday morning with women’s soccer.

Let’s breakdown how many hours each network will carry and what they’ll show.

BRAVO

Bravo is back in the Olympics picture. It last carried the Olympics for NBCUniversal in 2004 in Athens. The channel will be the home of Olympic Tennis at the fabled grounds of Wimbledon and NBC gets to return to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club after being kicked out last year. Altogether, Bravo will carry 56 hours of tennis live mostly from early morning to mid-afternoon from July 28 through August 3.

Pat O’Brien will be the venue host. Tennis Channel’s Brett Haber and Andrew Catalon will call the bulk of the play-by-play. They’ll be joined by analysts Justin Gimbelstob and Rennae Stubs both of Tennis Channel. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim will be the on-site reporter.

CNBC

As it was for 2008 Olympics in Communist China, CNBC will be the home of Olympic boxing. With the debut of women’s boxing in London, CNBC will be quite busy carrying 73 hours of boxing from July 28 through August 12. A bulk of the coverage will be delayed and shown from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET on weekdays. Six hours of live boxing will be aired on weekends.

Fred Roggin will host from NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Center studios in New York. Calling the boxing will be Bob Papa and Teddy Atlas. This will be the third consecutive Olympics for Papa and Atlas at the boxing venue known as the ExCel. Papa has also called Olympic boxing for NBC in Barcelona in 1992 and in Atlanta in 1996 as well as in Athens in 2004 and Communist China four years ago. Russ Thaler will be the reporter.

MSNBC

The network will put aside its daytime programming and air a plethora of Olympic sports, 20 overall including archery, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, handball, indoor volkeyball, soccer, table tennis, water polo, weightlifting and six other sports.

MSNBC will lean forward with 155½ hours of coverage starting with women’s soccer between the host country, Great Britain and New Zealand on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

On weekdays, MSNBC will air Olympic coverage between 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. ET with expanded coverage on weekends. The coverage runs from July 25 through August 12 with no Olympic programming on Friday due to the Opening Ceremony.

Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel and Rob Simmelkjaer will host MSNBC’s coverage from the NBC Saturday Night Live studios in New York.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

Now under the NBCUniversal umbrella, the network formerly known as Versus and Outdoor Life Network before that, takes USA Network’s place on the Olympic broadcasting roster. NBC Sports Network will get the bulk of the programming on the cable side, airing a total of 292½ hours.

NBC Sports Network will carry a similar menu of sports as MSNBC, carrying 22 Olympic sports and it will also be the home of USA basketball, women’s soccer and field hockey.

NBCSN’s day will be busy, starting at 4 a.m. ET and running until 8 p.m. making way for NBC’s primetime coverage.

Your hosts will be Michelle Beadle, Liam McHugh and Willie Geist. All three will be based in the International Broadcast Center in London.

NBC Sports Network kicks off its Olympics coverage with the US Women’s National Soccer Team taking on France at 11:30 a.m. ET this Wednesday. It will air the Games continuously until August 12.

TELEMUNDO

NBCUniversal’s Spanish language network will air over 170 hours of the Olympics. Its coverage will most focus on boxing, basketball, soccer and swimming. It will air the Opening Ceremony and will be the only NBCU network that will air a full 20 days of Olympics programming between July 25 through August 12.

NBC

Bolstered by a broadcast network record of 272½ hours, the National Broadcasting Company will focus on the glamor sports of the Olympics, beach volleyball, diving, gymnastics, swimming and track & field.

Due to the five hour difference between the Eastern time zone and London, all of primetime will be delayed. However, action in daytime will be live at least for the Eastern half of the country. Once again, the Mountain and Pacific regions will be forced to wait for three hours to see Olympic action in the morning.

NBC’s coverage will begin with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 27, delayed in all time zones, airing at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. Unlike the sports action, you won’t be able to find the Opening Ceremony online as NBC is going back to its old tape delay shenanigans for that part of the Olympics even though CTV in Canada will be airing it live at 4 p.m. ET. But I digress.

NBC’s coverage will begin at 10 a.m. ET/PT weekdays and as early as 5 a.m. ET/PT on weekends lasting until 5 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends. Primetime begins at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sundays. Late night coverage will last from 12:35 a.m. until 1:35 a.m.

Your hosts on NBC will be Al Michaels and Dan Patrick on daytime, Bob Costas, of course, in primetime, and in late night, it will be Mary Carillo.

ONLINE

This is where Olympic fans finally get their chance to see everything. NBC says 3,500 hours of Olympic programming will be made available either on NBCOlympics.com or through the NBC Olympics Live Extra app for mobiles and tablets. Not only will the TV coverage of CNBC, Bravo, MSNBC and NBC Sports Network will be streamed, but also every event including the glamor sports that NBC used to hold for primetime.

The individual sports that will be streamed will not have the NBC announcers and the NBC production. In all cases, the world feed will be used and there could be occasions where the event will not have announcers.

The catch here is that you will have to authenticate meaning that you will have to sign in through your cable provider, but unlike the process for March Madness, it’s rather easy.

NBC hopes that providing everything online, it will not cannibalize its TV product and actually encourage people to watch later in primetime. We shall see how this Brave New World in Olympics broadcasting takes shape.

NBC is also providing separate channels for basketball and soccer. Check with local cable provider for channel number assignments. And for the 63 people across the country who care, NBC is also providing 3-D coverage.

So this is how the Olympics will be handled this year. Let the Games Begin.

Promo For Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network

Happened to see this on YouTube. This is the promo for the premiere episode of Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network. I already provided you the stories that will be covered when the show launches on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. Here’s the visual promo.

I’ll be watching to see how this compares to the other sports newsmagazines on the air, Real Sports and E:60.

Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network Premieres Tuesday, July 24

Add another sports newsmagazine to the mix and it involves the partnership between Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports Network. This new sports newsmagazine, aptly titled, “Sports Illustrated”, will make its debut on Tuesday, July 24 at 9 p.m. ET.

In addition, some familiar names from SI will be involved in fronting the stories including writers Tom Verducci, Jack McCallum and Jon Wertheim.

Overall, there will be four stories per monthly edition. No host has been named as of yet.

We have the stories that you’ll see on the premiere edition of Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network. Check out the press release.

“SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” SET TO PREMIERE JULY 24, 9:00 P.M. ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

Features include: the extraordinary development of Orioles Pitching prospect Dylan Bundy From Tom Verducci;
Jon Wertheim Goes Inside Jackson’s Gym — the Ground Zero for future MMA Champions and
Jack McCallum on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team scrimmage “The Greatest Game that Nobody Saw”

NEW YORK, NY (July 20, 2012) – The premiere episode of “Sports Illustrated” is set for July 24 at 9:00 p.m. on NBC Sports Network. The following is a synopsis of the first show:

War and Peace in Jackson’s Gym: The soul of one of America’s fastest-rising sports can be found in a desert octagon where mysticism mingles with disciplined mayhem. Mike Winklejohn, a former kickboxing champion and Muay Thai champ, plays the heavy while Greg Jackson, the son of pacifists, embraces a less strident approach to teaching. Together, they have produced some of the MMA’s biggest stars. Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Jon Wertheim has the story.

The Bundy Project: The development of prized Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy is quite extraordinary. He squats 500 lbs. throws a 100-mph fastball, drinks broccoli-and-barley smoothies… while under the watch of pitching guru Rick Peterson. Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Tom Verducci reports.

The Story of Alex Meyer: Training at historic Walden Pond, Meyer has overcome personal obstacles and the death of friend and former champion, Fran Crippen, to make the 10K open-water U.S. Men’s Olympic team competing in the London Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated Writer-Reporter Sarah Kwak reports.

The Point After: The Greatest Game Nobody Saw: An impromptu scrimmage ahead of the Olympics pitted Michael Jordan’s team against Magic Johnson’s in a grudge match where agendas and ego were given their fullest expression. No journalist was closer to the Dream Team than Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum, and he explores “The Greatest Game That Nobody Saw.”

“Sports Illustrated” is a monthly, hour-long sports magazine TV show produced by NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated. The show will deliver the magazine’s DNA of award-winning storytelling through feature segments, original reporting and commentary from SI’s trusted journalists. Emmy Award-winning Red Line Films has been tapped to produce the show.

That will be it.

CFL Finally Has A US TV Contract; Games Air On NBC Sports Network

After starting the season without a US TV partner, the Canadian Football League had to resort to streaming games on ESPN3. For the past three seasons, NFL Network had aired games, but never any of the CFL’s postseason games.

With a new partnership with NBC Sports Network, the CFL will have a US partner that will air regular season games in August unlike NFL Network, the playoffs unlike NFL Network, and the Grey Cup unlike NFL Network. It’s about time the CFL was served correctly.

The 14 game schedule will begin on August 27 with the Edmonton Eskimos taking on the Toronto Argonauts.

Like NFL Network, these games will be simulcasts of TSN’s coverage.

Here’s the NBC Sports Network press release.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK TO AIR 14 CFL GAMES IN 2012

Live Coverage of The 100^th CFL Grey Cup To Air on NBC Sports Network Sunday, November 25

NEW YORK – July 20, 2012 – NBC Sports Network will telecast 14 CFL games in 2012, including the CFL semifinals, finals and the 100^th edition of the Grey Cup. Coverage of the CFL on NBC Sports Network begins Monday, Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET, when the Edmonton Eskimos host the Toronto Argonauts. The season will conclude with the 100^th Grey Cup on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. ET.

The 2012 schedule also includes the defending Grey Cup Champion BC Lions vs. the Montreal Alouettes at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 31; Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Eskimos at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 7; and Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Toronto Argonauts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 1.

NBC Sports Network’s 2012 CFL schedule (all times ET):

Date	Opponent	Time
Aug. 27	Edmonton vs. Toronto	7:30 p.m.
Aug. 31	BC vs. Montreal	7:30 p.m.
Sept. 3	Toronto vs. Hamilton	1:00 p.m.
Sept. 3	Edmonton vs. Calgary	4:30 p.m.
Sept. 7	Calgary vs. Edmonton	9:00 p.m.
Oct. 5	Hamilton vs. Edmonton	9:00 p.m.
Oct. 19	Edmonton vs. BC	10:00 p.m.
Nov. 1	Hamilton vs. Toronto	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2	Calgary vs. Edmonton	9:00 p.m.
Nov. 11	Semifinals	4:30 p.m.
Nov. 11	Semifinals	11:00 p.m.
Nov. 18	Finals	4:30 p.m.
Nov. 18	Finals	11:00 p.m.
Nov. 25	Grey Cup	6:00 p.m.

That’s it.

A Few Sunday Sports Media Thoughts

Let’s provide a few sports media thoughts on this Sunday. They’ll be in bullet form.

• Last Thursday’s release of Louis Freeh’s report on Penn State University’s conduct in the Jerry Sandusky scandal was the sports media’s version of the Obamacare Supreme Court decision. Unlike the Obamacare decision, no media outlet made errors in reporting. But there were a couple of errors in judgment in the aftermath.

  First was allowing Matt Millen to go solo on SportsCenter to spout freely to defend Joe Paterno and his legacy. ESPN should have had one of its legal experts like Roger Cossack to discuss the contents of the reports. To let Millen go on to defend Paterno right after the report’s release was irresponsible. If ESPN was going to have Millen on, it needed to have an opposing viewpoint accompany him. Bad decision by ESPN.

  Second was crackpot Bill James originally stating on his own site and then again on ESPN Radio’s Doug Gottlieb Show on Saturday that the Freeh Report had somehow exonerated Paterno. James currently works for the Boston Red Sox in an advisory role and while he did not make those statements representing the team, they have a conundrum knowing that the calls for James’ firing have already begun. Someone should have corralled James before he went on ESPN Radio and embarrassed himself. How James could believe the report that report exonerated Paterno is beyond belief. The Red Sox will have to take action on James. And no, this is not a First Amendment issue. Under an organization’s employe, that organization can fire someone for actions or statements it deems offensive or contrary to its values.

  The Paterno story and its effects on Penn State will be going for a while, I’m afraid.

• I’m a fan of HBO’s boxing coverage from Jim Lampley to Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward and Harold Lederman, but when it comes to Max Kellerman, the man is abrasive, obnoxious and a charlatan. Often, he repeats what Jim Lampley has already said. Larry Merchant is much better in the third analyst role. How Kellerman has worked for ESPN, Fox Sports Net and HBO is beyond me.
• After watching a few MLS and US Soccer games on NBC Sports Network, I’ve become a fan of how Arlo White and Kyle Martino call contests. With White in the traditional commentary box and Martino down on the field, the two have very good chemistry. I look forward to having them call Olympic Soccer in the UK at the end of this month.
• If I’m on a baseball team playing on a Fox Saturday Baseball game that’s being called by Kenny Albert, I’m calling in sick. In 2010, Kenny called two marathon games, a 20 inning affair between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals and a 13 inning contest between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Then on Saturday, Kenny had another 13 inning game, this time between Detroit and Baltimore. Kenny is truly a baseball Marathon Man.

That will conclude the thoughts for today.

NBC Universal’s Olympic Programming From July 25 Through August 7

We have this piece of information from NBC. When we get the full schedule, it’ll be posted, but this is from an NBC press release listing its sports events through August 7 and included in the release is the Olympic schedule through that day.

So let’s post what we have so you can plan your Olympic viewing on the networks of NBCUniversal.

NBCUNIVERSAL 2012 LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES LISTINGS

• These listings, which are subject to change, offer daily highlights of the 24-Hour 2012 London Olympic programming on NBC, NBC Sports Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC & Telemundo. During the Olympic Games, please consult NBCOlympics.com for the most complete daily listings.
• For NBC primetime, late night and weekend daytime, all times listed are ET/PT. For NBC Sports Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Olympic Basketball and Soccer Channels, Telemundo and 3D, all times listed are ET.
• The cable channels, NBC Sports Network, Bravo, MSNBC and CNBC, are live across. 3D programming is next-day coverage.
• NBC Olympic Basketball and Soccer Channels are available on most major cable, satellite and telephone companies and distributors.
• More specific information and more precise versions of these listings will become available as any new information or changes arise after Olympic Trials.
• During the Olympic Games, NBCOlympics.com will have the most up-to-date listings and information.
• NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including simulcast of the cable channels and the awarding of all 302 gold medals. Please go to NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra for more details.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25 (Day -2)

MSNBC

10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

2:30 – 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – U.S. vs. France (LIVE)

6 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Re-air

12:30 a.m. – 7 a.m.
Re-air

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Noon – Midnight
Women’s Soccer –
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Columbia vs. North Korea (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. New Zealand
Japan vs. Canada
Cameroon vs. Brazil
Sweden vs. South Africa
U.S. vs. France (re-air)

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 10 a.m. (ET/PT)
Olympic Preview

THURSDAY, JULY 26 (Day -1)

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

6 p.m. – 5 a.m.
Re-air

MSNBC

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Senegal (LIVE)
Spain vs. Japan
Gabon vs. Switzerland
Egypt vs. Brazil
Belarus vs. New Zealand

TELEMUNDO

6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Mexico vs. South Korea
Honduras vs. Morocco
Brazil vs. Egypt
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay

Midnight – 1 a.m. (ET/PT)
Soccer Highlights Show

FRIDAY, JULY 27 (Day 0)

NBC

7:30 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Opening Ceremony

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Soccer Re-air

SATURDAY, JULY 28 (Day 1)

NBC

5 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Men’s Cycling – Road Race (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Women’s Basketball – U.S. Game (LIVE)
Rowing – Qualifying Heats

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s and Women’s 400M Individual Medley
• Men’s 400M Freestyle
• Women’s 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay

Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Beach Volleyball – U.S. Qualifying Round

12:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Weightlifting – Gold Medal Final
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – U.S. vs. Columbia (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Equestrian – Eventing Dressage
Women’s Fencing – Individual Foil Gold Medal Final
Shooting – Men and Women’s 10M Air Rifle Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Archery – Team Gold Medal Final
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round

CNBC

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Australia vs. Great Britain (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Japan vs. Sweden (LIVE)
New Zealand vs. Brazil (LIVE)
U.S. vs. Columbia (LIVE)
France vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Canada vs. South Africa
Great Britain vs. Cameroon

TELEMUNDO

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ET/PT)
Opening Ceremony
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition

3D

5 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Opening Ceremony

SUNDAY, JULY 29 (Day 2)

NBC

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Women’s Cycling – Road Race (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Serbia (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Montenegro (LIVE)
Rowing – Qualifying Heats

7 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming Gold Medal Finals –

• Women’s 100M Butterfly
• Women’s 400M Freestyle
• Men’s 100M Breaststroke
• Men’s 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay

Women’s Diving – Springboard Synchronized Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Canoeing – Whitewater Qualifying Heats

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball –

• U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
• Spain vs. China (LIVE)

Women’s Field Hockey – U.S. vs. Germany (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Equestrian – Eventing Dressage
Women’s Shooting – Skeet Gold Medal Final
Women’s Archery – Team Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Belarus
Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates
Weightlifting – Gold Medal Finals
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round

CNBC

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Brazil vs. Australia (LIVE)
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Spain vs. China (LIVE)
U.S. vs. France (re-air)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Egypt vs. New Zealand (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Belarus (LIVE)
Senegal vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates (LIVE)
Mexico vs. Gabon
Japan vs. Morocco
South Korea vs. Switzerland
Spain vs. Honduras

TELEMUNDO

7 a.m. – 7 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round

• Mexico vs. Gabon
• Spain vs. Honduras
• Senegal vs. Uruguay

Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Tennis – Early Rounds

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

3D

4 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

MONDAY, JULY 30 (Day 3)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Women’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Hungary (LIVE)
Rowing – Qualifying Heats
Canoeing – Whitewater Qualifying Heats

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 200M Freestyle
• Men’s 100M Backstroke
• Women’s 100M Backstroke
• Women’s 100M Breaststroke

Men’s Gymnastics – Team Gold Medal Final
Men’s Diving – Platform Synchronized Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Semifinals
Canoeing – Whitewater Qualifying Heats

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – U.S. vs. Angola (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Equestrian – Eventing Cross Country (LIVE)
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Men’s Shooting – 10M Air Rifle Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Water Polo – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Weightlifting – Gold Medal Finals
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round
Men’s Field Hockey – Qualifying Round
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Russia vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Angola vs. U.S. (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Best of Soccer Qualifying Round

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Tennis – Early Rounds
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Gold Medal Final
Men’s Diving – Platform Synchronized Gold Medal Final

3D

5 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Springboard Synchronized Gold Medal Final

TUESDAY, JULY 31 (Day 4)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Germany (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Romania (LIVE)
Men’s Canoeing – Whitewater, C-1 Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Rowing – Semifinals

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 200M Butterfly
• Men’s 4 x 200M Freestyle Relay
• Women’s 200M Freestyle
• Women’s 200M Individual Medley

Women’s Diving – Platform Synchronized Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Semifinals
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – U.S. vs. North Korea (LIVE)
Men’s Basketball –

• U.S. vs. Tunisia (LIVE)
• France vs. Argentina (LIVE)

Equestrian –

• Eventing, Team Jumping Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
• Individual Jumping Final (LIVE)

Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)
Men’s Shooting – Skeet Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – (LIVE)
Singles Early Rounds
Doubles Quarterfinals

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Field Hockey – U.S. vs. Argentina (LIVE)
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Weightlifting – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Table Tennis – Semifinal
Men’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Australia vs. Spain (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Brazil (LIVE)
France vs. Argentina (LIVE)
Tunisia vs. U.S. (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Canada vs. Sweden (LIVE)
U.S. vs. North Korea (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Japan vs. South Africa
France vs. Columbia
New Zealand vs. Cameroon

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Tennis – Qualifying Rounds

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Platform Synchronized Gold Medal Final

3D

5 a.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Diving – Synchronized Platform Gold Medal Final
Canoeing – Whitewater Qualifying Heats

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 (DAY 5)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. China (LIVE)
Women’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Spain (LIVE)
Cycling – Individual Time Trial
Rowing – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Canoeing – Whitewater, K-1 Gold Medal Final

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 200M Breaststroke
• Men’s 100M Freestyle
• Women’s 200M Butterfly
• Women’s 4 x 200M Freestyle Relay

Men’s Gymnastics – All-Around Gold Medal Final
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Diving – Springboard Synchronized Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Semifinals
Women’s Table Tennis – Singles Gold Medal Final

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – U.S. Game (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Field Hockey – Qualifying Round
Women’s Shooting – 25M Pistol Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying (LIVE)
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)
Weightlifting – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Sabre – Gold Medal Final
Men’s Table Tennis – Singles Quarterfinals
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Australia vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Russia (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Brazil vs. New Zealand (LIVE)
Spain vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Egypt vs. Belarus
Mexico vs. Switzerland
Japan vs. Honduras
South Korea vs. Gabon
Senegal vs. United Arab Emirates

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round

• Mexico vs. Switzerland
• Brazil vs. New Zealand
• Great Britain vs. Uruguay

Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Tennis – Early Rounds
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Gymnastics – All-Around Gold Medal Final
Men’s Diving – Springboard Synchronized Gold Medal Final

3D

7 a.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Platform Synchronized Gold Medal Final
Canoeing – Whitewater Gold Medal Final

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 (Day 6)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Great Britain (LIVE)
Cycling – Track Gold Medal Finals (LIVE)
Rowing – Gold Medal Finals
Canoeing – Whitewater, Men’s C-2 Gold Medal Final (LIVE)

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – All-Around Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Women’s 200M Breaststroke
• Women’s 100M Freestyle
• Men’s 200M Backstroke
• Men’s 200M Individual Medley

Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Women’s Rowing – Eights Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Canoeing – Whitewater, K-1 Gold Medal Final
Men’s Table Tennis – Singles Gold Medal Final

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – U.S. Game (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Women’s Field Hockey – U.S. vs. Australia (LIVE)
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)
Men’s Table Tennis – Singles Semifinal
Men’s Shooting – Double Trap Gold Medal Final
Women’s Archery – Individual Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – (LIVE)
Singles Quarterfinals
Doubles Semifinals

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Water Polo – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Field Hockey – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Semifinals
Women’s Judo – Gold Medal Final
Equestrian – Dressage Qualifying

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Australia vs. China (LIVE)
Argentina vs. Tunisia (LIVE)
Spain vs. Great Britain (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Best of Soccer Qualifying Round

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Tennis –

• Singles Quarterfinals
• Doubles Semifinals

Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – All-Around Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

3D

5 a.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Men’s Gymnastics – All-Around Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Diving – Springboard Synchronized Gold Medal Final
Canoeing – Whitewater Gold Medal Final

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 (Day 7)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Track and Field –
Women’s 10,000M Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Track and Field — Qualifying Rounds
Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round (LIVE)
Women’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. China (LIVE)
Men’s Gymnastics – Trampoline Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Rowing – Gold Medal Final

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 100M Butterfly
• Men’s 50M Freestyle
• Women’s 200M Backstroke
• Women’s 800M Freestyle

Track and Field – Men’s Shot Put Gold Medal Final
Women’s Diving – Springboard Qualifying
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Serbia
Cycling – Track Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Badminton – Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Final

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – U.S. Qualifying Game (LIVE)
Women’s Soccer – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Men’s Archery – Individual Gold Medal Final
Men’s Shooting – 50M Prone Rifle Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Singles Semifinals (LIVE)

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Gymnastics – Trampoline Qualifying (LIVE)
Weightlifting – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Equestrian – Dressage Qualifying
Badminton –

• Men’s and Women’s Singles Semifinals
• Mixed Doubles Bronze Medal

Table Tennis – Team Competition

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Russia vs. Australia (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Quarterfinals

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Tennis – Singles Semifinals
Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Springboard Qualifying

3D

5 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Women’s Gymnastics – All-Around Gold Medal Final
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Canoeing – Whitewater Gold Medal Final

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 (Day 8)

NBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field –
Men’s 10,000M Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Track and Field — Qualifying Rounds
Women’s Tennis – Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Russia (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Serbia (LIVE)
Cycling – Track Gold Medal Final
Rowing – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Gymnastics – Trampoline Gold Medal Final

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s and Women’s 4 x 100M Medley Relay
• Women’s 50M Freestyle
• Men’s 1500M Free

Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals

• Women’s 100M
• Women’s Heptathlon
• Men’s Long Jump

Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round
Women’s Diving – Springboard Semifinals

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Final
Women’s Badminton – Singles Gold Medal Final

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – U.S. Qualifying Game (LIVE)
Women’s Triathlon (LIVE)
Men’s Tennis – Doubles Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round (LIVE)
Women’s Field Hockey – U.S. vs. New Zealand (LIVE)
Equestrian – Jumping Qualifying Round
Cycling – Track Events
Men’s Weightlifting – Gold Medal Final

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – Qualifying Round
Women’s Badminton –

• Doubles Gold Medal Final
• Singles Bronze Medal

Men’s Track and Field – 20K Walk

CNBC

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Tunisia vs. France (LIVE)
China vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Australia (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Quarterfinals

TELEMUNDO

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Quarterfinals
Beach Volleyball – Elimination Round
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Springboard Semifinals

3D

5 a.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Gymnastics – Trampoline Gold Medal Final

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 (Day 9)

NBC

6 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Marathon (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Men’s Tennis – Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Turkey (LIVE)
Women’s Water Polo – Quarterfinal (LIVE)
Women’s Basketball – U.S. vs. China (LIVE)
Cycling – Track Gold Medal Final
Equestrian – Team Jumping Gold Medal Final, Round 1

7 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s Floor Exercise
• Men’s Pommel Horse
• Women’s Vault

Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 100M
• Women’s 400M
• Women’s Triple Jump

Women’s Diving – Springboard Gold Medal Final
Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinals

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Badminton – Singles Gold Medal Final

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tennis – Mixed and Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Women’s Weightlifting – Super Heavyweight Gold Medal Final
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Cycling – Track Events (LIVE)
Men’s Field Hockey – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Badminton –

• Singles and Doubles Bronze Medal
• Doubles Gold Medal Final

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Water Polo – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Wrestling – Greco Roman Gold Medal Finals
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Qualifying Round
Men’s Field Hockey – Qualifying Round
Men’s Table Tennis – Team Quarterfinals
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round

CNBC

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Great Britain vs. Brazil (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
The Quarterfinals Encore

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Marathon
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinals
Men’s Tennis – Gold Medal Final
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Springboard Gold Medal Final

3D

4 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Springboard Semifinal
Women’s Gymnastics – Trampoline Gold Medal Final

MONDAY, AUGUST 6 (Day 10)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Tunisia (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Hungary (LIVE)
Cycling – Track Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Equestrian – Team Jumping Gold Medal Final
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Qualifying Round
Canoeing – Sprint Qualifying Heats

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s Still Rings
• Men’s Vault
• Women’s Uneven Bars

Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s 400M
• Men’s 400M Hurdles
• Women’s Pole Vault

Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinal
Men’s Diving – Springboard Qualifying

12:35 p.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Cycling – Track Events

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – U.S. vs. Argentina (LIVE)
Women’s Soccer – Semifinals (LIVE)
Women’s Boxing – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Women’s Field Hockey – U.S. vs. South Africa (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Weightlifting – Gold Medal Final
Men’s Shooting – 50M Three Positions Gold Medal Final
Men’s Shooting — Trap Gold Medal Final

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Men’s Basketball – Spain vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Wrestling – Greco Roman Gold Medal Finals
Table Tennis – Team Semifinals

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Men’s Boxing – Quarterfinals

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Great Britain vs. China (LIVE)
Spain vs. Brazil (LIVE)
Argentina vs. U.S. (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Noon – Midnight
Women’s Soccer – Semifinals

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 2 p.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Qualifying Round
Beach Volleyball – Quarterfinals

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Diving – Springboard Qualifying
Men’s Boxing – Quarterfinals

3D

5 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Final
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Women’s Diving – Springboard Gold Medal Final
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Qualifying Round

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 (Day 11)

NBC

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (9 a.m. CT/PT)
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Beach Volleyball – Semifinals (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – Quarterfinal (LIVE)
Men’s Diving – Springboard Semifinals
Women’s Water Polo – Semifinals (LIVE)
Cycling – Track Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Canoeing – Sprint Qualifying Heats

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals

• Men’s Parallel Bars
• Men’s High Bar
• Women’s Balance Beam
• Women’s Floor Exercise

Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals

• Women’s 100M Hurdles
• Men’s 1500M
• Beach Volleyball – Semifinal
• Men’s Diving – Springboard Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Weightlifting – Super Heavyweight Gold Medal Final

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Semifinals (LIVE)
Men’s Triathlon (LIVE)
Cycling – Track Events (LIVE)
Equestrian – Team Dressage Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Gold Medal Final
Men’s Field Hockey – Qualifying Round

MSNBC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Beach Volleyball – Semifinals (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – Quarterfinals (LIVE)
Women’s Water Polo – Semifinals (LIVE)
Wrestling – Gold Medal Final
Women’s Table Tennis – Team Gold Medal Final

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Men’s Boxing – Quarterfinals

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Quarterfinals

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Noon – Midnight
Men’s Soccer – Semifinals

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Semifinals
Men’s Boxing – Quarterfinals
Track and Field – Qualifying Rounds
Men’s Diving – Springboard Semifinals
Women’s Volleyball – Quarterfinals
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Gold Medal Final
Beach Volleyball – Semifinals

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Diving – Springboard Gold Medal Final

3D

5 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Gymnastics – Individual Event Gold Medal Finals
Track and Field – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Diving – Springboard Qualifying Round
Synchronized Swimming – Duet Qualifying Round

When we get the complete schedule, it’ll be posted here.

The Thursday Linkage

So weird to have the 4th of July in the middle of the week. You get the holiday after two work days and then have two work days afterwards. Some of you have the entire week off which is good, but for me, there’s no such thing as a vacation. In fact, I haven’t had a vacation since August 2001. That’s true. Anyway, you don’t care about that. Let’s get to the links.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today lists which sports media personality has donated money to which politician.

Michael says ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Jamie Little will work her last race for a few months this weekend.

The BBC reports that a single yellow cable that will carry the Olympics from London to Europe was almost cut in Belgium.

Trefis Team at Forbes says ESPN contributes heavily to Disney’s stock price, but that could be reduced over time.

Keach Hagey of the Wall Street Journal looks at the new NBC Sports/Sports Illustrated partnership.

Mike Barnes of the Hollywood Reporter says former mustachioed Oakland Raiders defensive lineman turned pitchman Ben Davidson has died at the age of 72.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that ESPN set a viewership record for the EURO 2012 final.

Bill Cromwell of Media Life reports that NBC is close to selling out its Olympic ad inventory.

The Associated Press says the ACC has signed a 12 year deal with the Orange Bowl.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo about his two decade long partnership with WFAN’s Mike Francesa.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing writes that ESPN’s Chris Fowler gave John McEnroe a lesson about Twitter parody accounts at Wimbledon this week.

Joe tells us about reporter-on-reporter Twitter crime between ESPN’s Buster Olney and CBS’ Jon Heyman.

Melissa Jacobs at the Football Girl agrees with Erin Andrews’ assessment that sideline reporters are a necessity when used correctly.

Speaking of Erin, she speaks with Adam Silverstein of the Only Gators blog about moving to Fox.

Dave Nagle in ESPN’s Front Row public relations blog notes the network’s new broadcast position at Wimbledon.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says Barclays’ recent troubles are trickling down to the Brooklyn Nets as they prepare to occupy their new home.

Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reports that The Whistle, a sports media company geared towards kids, will have a programming block on NBC Sports Network starting in September.

Dan Steinberg in the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that DC NFL Team radio analyst Sam Huff will work a reduced schedule this season.

Mel Bracht at The Oklahoman says the U.S. Olympic Trials topped the local ratings this past weekend.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Annika Sorenstam joins the NBC golf team this weekend at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch urges the White Sox to calm down in asking people to do last-minute voting for the All-Star Game.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says the Pac-12 Network will be a success in Utah knowing the failings of the mtn.

Bill Mooney of the Thoroughbred Times says Fox Sports Net will air the West Virginia Derby next month.

Media Rantz notes that the NBC President who was responsible for the “Heidi Game” and forever changed how sports was aired on TV has passed away.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog says CTV will bring back a few features for this year’s Olympics that were used in 2010 for Vancouver.

EPL Talk has a partial list of English Premier League games that will be aired in the States on ESPN2 and Fox Soccer.

Sports Media Watch says TNT took a ratings hit for last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest notes that the US Olympic Committee will pass on bidding for the 2022 Games dashing hopes for a couple of cities. It means the earliest an Olympics will be held in the United States will be 2024.

And those are the links that I could manage to squeeze out of the internet today.

Some 4th of July Sports Media Thoughts

On this 4th of July holiday, let’s do some All-American sports media thoughts. They’re in bullet form as always.

• The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir gave us some food for thought in his latest column this week on the MLB rights negotiations. Richard raised the possibility of MLB awarding the entire broadcast contract to one network, having the company air all five jewels, the All-Star Game, Wild Card Playoffs, League Divisional Playoffs, League Championship Series and the World Series. However, that is highly unlikely. MLB has had one broadcaster in the past to air all of its showcases, NBC from 1965 through 1975 and CBS from 1990 to 1994.

  In this current contract, ESPN and Fox share All-Star Game Week, TBS has the Wild Card Playoffs, TBS and MLB Network have the League Division Series, Fox and TBS split the League Championship Series and Fox carries the World Series.

  With NBC extremely interested in getting back into baseball needing programming for NBC Sports Network, ESPN hoping to regain a piece of the postseason, TBS and Fox wanting to keep their present packages or even expand them (Fox does have plans to launch its own cable sports network) and MLB looking for more inventory for MLB Network, this negotiation looks to be a big battleground among the networks. Someone is going to leave the bargaining table very disappointed when all is said and done.

  No matter what, Major League Baseball is bound to get very rich from the networks. As Sandomir reports, MLB currently receives $711 million per year from ESPN, Fox and TBS. Expect that to possibly reach or even surpass $1 billion when the dust settles.

• On Tuesday, Erin Andrews did what many ex-ESPN’ers do, make her first national appearance as an ex-ESPN’er on the Dan Patrick Show. While Erin didn’t trash her former employer, she did make some news by stating that she’ll be roaming the sidelines for NFL games in addition to hosting Fox’s college football studio and having a role on Fox’s MLB Postseason coverage.

  Some have speculated that Erin might replace Pam Oliver on Fox’s NFL “A” team with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. That is not going to happen. Can you imagine what would happen to the Fox executive who had to tell Pam that she was booted from the NFL on Fox? Pam takes crap from no one and is willing to fight anyone at any time. That executive’s limbs would be ripped from his/her joints, so no, Pam Oliver is not going anywhere.

  And let’s think about this realistically. Erin will host the College Football studio from Los Angeles. It would not be conducive to have Erin travel cross country especially when the Fox college football game will most likely end after 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday and then be on the sidelines for a potential 1 p.m. game on Sunday. Yes, she’ll work some NFL games, but if she does a back-to-back, it’ll be on the West Coast.

  It will be nice to have Erin on the NFL.

• Is there any way for Fox Soccer Plus to sublicense some Australian Rules Football games to ESPN2? It doesn’t seem right not to have some Aussie Footy on basic cable.
• Some of you have asked and there is still no US TV for Canadian Football League games. The 2012 season started last week and the only US outlet was ESPN3 online. NFL Network had picked up CFL games in the past, but never went beyond the regular season and never aired the Grey Cup. Unless a cable network steps up, it appears the only way to see the CFL in the US is ESPN3. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.

Enjoy your 4th.

NBCUniversal’s Olympic Programming Schedule From July 25 Through July 29

What I received from NBC Sports was part of its programming schedule press release for the month of July. I’ve culled the Olympic TV schedule for NBCUniversal and you’ll notice that for the cable networks, Bravo, CNBC, NBC Sports Network among others, everything will be live. On NBC, there will be tape delayed coverage in primetime. And even for the weekend daytime coverage, it’ll be live on the East Coast, but delayed out West.

I wish NBC wouldn’t pull this tape delayed crap for viewers on the West Coast, but they’ll argue that ratings out West for the Olympics will be higher on the West Coast than in the East. It still should be live all over no matter what time it starts.

Here’s the schedule.

NBCUNIVERSAL 2012 LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES LISTINGS

• These listings, which are subject to change, offer daily highlights of the 24-Hour 2012 London Olympic programming on NBC, NBC Sports Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC & Telemundo. During the Olympic Games, please consult NBCOlympics.com for the most complete daily listings.
• For NBC primetime, late night and weekend daytime, all times listed are ET/PT. For NBC Sports Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Olympic Basketball and Soccer Channels, Telemundo and 3D, all times listed are ET.
• The cable channels, NBC Sports Network, Bravo, MSNBC and CNBC, are live across. 3D programming is next-day coverage.
• NBC Olympic Basketball and Soccer Channels are available on most major cable, satellite and telephone companies and distributors.
• More specific information and more precise versions of these listings will become available as any new information or changes arise after Olympic Trials.
• During the Olympic Games, NBCOlympics.com will have the most up-to-date listings and information.
• NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including simulcast of the cable channels and the awarding of all 302 gold medals. Please go to NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra for more details.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25 (Day -2)

MSNBC

10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

2:30 – 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – U.S. vs. France (LIVE)

6 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Re-air

12:30 a.m. – 7 a.m.
Re-air

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

Noon – Midnight
Women’s Soccer –
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Columbia vs. North Korea (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. New Zealand
Japan vs. Canada
Cameroon vs. Brazil
Sweden vs. South Africa
U.S. vs. France (re-air)

TELEMUNDO

9 a.m. – 10 a.m. (ET/PT)
Olympic Preview

THURSDAY, JULY 26 (Day -1)

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

6 p.m. – 5 a.m.
Re-air

MSNBC

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Honduras vs. Morocco (LIVE)
Mexico vs. South Korea (LIVE)
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. Senegal (LIVE)
Spain vs. Japan
Gabon vs. Switzerland
Egypt vs. Brazil
Belarus vs. New Zealand

TELEMUNDO

6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Mexico vs. South Korea
Honduras vs. Morocco
Brazil vs. Egypt
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay

Midnight – 1 a.m. (ET/PT)
Soccer Highlights Show

FRIDAY, JULY 27 (Day 0)

NBC

7:30 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Opening Ceremony

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Soccer Re-air

SATURDAY, JULY 28 (Day 1)

NBC

5 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Men’s Cycling – Road Race (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Women’s Basketball – U.S. Game (LIVE)
Rowing – Qualifying Heats

8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s and Women’s 400M Individual Medley
Men’s 400M Freestyle
Women’s 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Beach Volleyball – U.S. Qualifying Round

12:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Weightlifting – Gold Medal Final
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – U.S. vs. Columbia (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Equestrian – Eventing Dressage
Women’s Fencing – Individual Foil Gold Medal Final
Shooting – Men and Women’s 10M Air Rifle Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Archery – Team Gold Medal Final
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Women’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round

CNBC

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Australia vs. Great Britain (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Japan vs. Sweden (LIVE)
New Zealand vs. Brazil (LIVE)
U.S. vs. Columbia (LIVE)
France vs. South Korea (LIVE)
Canada vs. South Africa
Great Britain vs. Cameroon

TELEMUNDO

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ET/PT)
Opening Ceremony
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Women’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition

3D

5 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Opening Ceremony

SUNDAY, JULY 29 (Day 2)

NBC

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Women’s Cycling – Road Race (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Volleyball – U.S. vs. Serbia (LIVE)
Men’s Water Polo – U.S. vs. Montenegro (LIVE)
Rowing – Qualifying Heats

7 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming Gold Medal Finals –
Women’s 100M Butterfly
Women’s 400M Freestyle
Men’s 100M Breaststroke
Men’s 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay
Women’s Diving – Springboard Synchronized Gold Medal Final

12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. (ET/PT)
Canoeing – Whitewater Qualifying Heats

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball –
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Spain vs. China (LIVE)
Women’s Field Hockey – U.S. vs. Germany (LIVE)
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Men’s Handball – Qualifying Round
Equestrian – Eventing Dressage
Women’s Shooting – Skeet Gold Medal Final
Women’s Archery – Team Gold Medal Final

BRAVO

7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tennis – Early Rounds (LIVE)

MSNBC

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Belarus
Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates
Weightlifting – Gold Medal Finals
Table Tennis – Qualifying Round
Badminton – Qualifying Round

CNBC

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Boxing – Elimination Bouts (LIVE)

NBC OLYMPIC BASKETBALL CHANNEL

4 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Brazil vs. Australia (LIVE)
U.S. vs. France (LIVE)
Spain vs. China (LIVE)
U.S. vs. France (re-air)

NBC OLYMPIC SOCCER CHANNEL

7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Egypt vs. New Zealand (LIVE)
Brazil vs. Belarus (LIVE)
Senegal vs. Uruguay (LIVE)
Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates (LIVE)
Mexico vs. Gabon
Japan vs. Morocco
South Korea vs. Switzerland
Spain vs. Honduras

TELEMUNDO

7 a.m. – 7 p.m. (LIVE)
Men’s Soccer – Qualifying Round
Mexico vs. Gabon
Spain vs. Honduras
Senegal vs. Uruguay
Swimming – Qualifying Heats
Men’s Basketball – Qualifying Round
Boxing – Elimination Bouts
Beach Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Men’s Volleyball – Qualifying Round
Tennis – Early Rounds

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. (ET/PT)
Women’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

3D

4 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Competition
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals

When we get more listings, they’ll be posted on the site.

“Sports Illustrated” Monthy Newsmagazine To Air on NBC Sports Group

Continuing to sign programming for inventory on both NBC and NBC Sports Network, we find this announcement from the NBC Sports Group that Sports Illustrated magazine will partner to create a new TV newsmagazine. This will air monthly on either NBC Sports Network or NBC. The first edition will premiere on July 24, just three days before the Olympics.

Various SI writers and reporters will appear on the program. No host has been named as of yet.

Here’s the NBC announcement.

“SPORTS ILLUSTRATED”, AN HOUR-LONG SPORTS MAGAZINE TV SHOW, SET TO PREMIERE JULY 24 ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (July 2, 2012) – The NBC Sports Group and the Time Inc. Sports Group will partner to produce “Sports Illustrated,” presented by Lexus, a monthly, hour-long sports magazine TV show. The announcement was made today by Jon Miller, President of Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network and Time Inc. Sports Group President Mark Ford. It was also announced that Lexus will be the program’s presenting sponsor.

“Sports Illustrated” debuts Tuesday, July 24, 9:00 p.m. on NBC Sports Network. The show will deliver the magazine’s DNA of award-winning storytelling through feature segments, original reporting and commentary from SI’s trusted journalists. It will also tap into the SI Vault to spotlight great stories from the past, updating our favorite characters and events. Emmy Award-winning Red Line Films has been tapped to produce the show

“Sports Illustrated is an iconic brand and the gold standard in long-form journalism,” said Miller. This programming fits incredibly well with our rich history of storytelling, and partnering with Sports Illustrated for this show adds even more quality programming to NBC Sports Group’s growing portfolio.”

The premiere episode will air just three days prior to the Opening Ceremony from the 2012 London Games with subsequent new episodes originating on either NBC Sports Network or NBC. At least one featured subject from the show will be chronicled in the magazine’s current issue and additional editorial vehicles across SI.com and NBCSports.com will surround and amplify each new episode.

“This is an exciting opportunity to further expand Sports Illustrated storytelling beyond the magazine and our digital offerings,” says Ford. “We have a terrific partner in the NBC Sports Group and are incredibly optimistic about the show’s potential for our franchise and for sports fans.”

“Sports Illustrated’s writing and photography have been intrinsically tied to television sports coverage for nearly 60 years,” said Terry McDonell, Time Inc. Sports Group Editor. “Working with the NBC Sports Group and Red Line Films takes us to a new level.”

The following is the show’s schedule (All times ET):

Episode #1 July 24 9:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network
Episode #2 September 12 9:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network
Episode #3 October 13 2:30 p.m. NBC Sports
Episode #4 November 3 2:30 p.m. NBC Sports
Episode #5 December 13 9:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network

More later.

NBC Expands Fight Night Boxing Series

NBC Sports Group has announced that it has extended its agreement with promoter Main Events to expand the Fight Night boxing series on NBC Sports Network. The deal which was originally for one year will now extend to 2014. In addition, the number of Fight Night cards will expand from the original six this year to a total of 16 over the life of the contract.

The Fight Night series will also air at least twice on NBC. The first Fight Night card on NBC is scheduled to air on December 22.

We have the NBC Sports Group press release for you below.

NBC SPORTS GROUP RENEWS FIGHT NIGHT BOXING SERIES

NBC Sports Network Extends Deal With Main Events For 2013-2014
Saturday Night Boxing Series To Expand From Six Telecasts To Up To 16

NEW YORK – July 2, 2012 – NBC Sports Group will partner with Main Events to produce a second season of the network’s successful primetime boxing series Fight Night. The Saturday night boxing series will expand from six telecasts to up to 16 and will showcase compelling match-ups between some of the world’s best fighters.

NBC Sports Group will continue to work with Main Events and Hall-of-Fame matchmaker J Russell Peltz, to once again feature a multi-promoter strategy for the series. Designed to produce the best quality fights, the collaboration allows any promoter the opportunity to get their boxers involved in these programs and allows viewers the ability to see world class match-ups that would not otherwise take place.

“We are once again reaching out to all promoters to get involved in the series.” said Kathy Duva, president, Main Events. “The multiple promoter format worked incredibly well during season one and we are hoping to continue to build on the momentum. All fighters who are willing to further their careers by engaging in compelling, interesting, meaningful matches are welcome.”

“This series is the best thing that has happened to boxing in years,” said Hall-of-Fame promoter/matchmaker J Russell Peltz. “In just four shows, we have seen the emergence of US heavyweight prospect Bryant Jennings and junior middleweight contender Gabriel Rosado. We have shown matches between world-rated fighters and that’s something you rarely see these days on television. On top of that, the fights have been promoted the old-fashioned way, in sold-out noisy venues in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Bethlehem and Newark. This is the way boxing was meant to be.”

“Fight Night has been a tremendous success. The unique approach to have multiple promoters competing to put fights on the NBC Sports Network has allowed us to produce compelling match-ups and incredibly exciting shows.” said Jon Miller, President of programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “The NBC Sports Group is committed to the property and we are looking forward to expanding the series from six telecasts to up to 16.”

Starting in 2013, a minimum of six Fight Night telecasts will take place each year on the NBC Sports Network. The NBC Sports Group will also look to place up to two Fight Night broadcasts on NBC.

As part of the agreement, an additional Fight Night telecast has also been added to the 2012 calendar. The show will air Saturday, December 22 on NBC, from 4-6 p.m. ET. The fight card will be announced at a later date.

2012-2013 NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT SCHEDULE
(All times ET and subject to change)

Saturday, December 22 4-6 p.m. NBC
Saturday, January 19, 9-11 p.m. NBC Sports Network
Saturday, March 9, 9-11 p.m. NBC Sports Network

Kenny Rice will continue to serve as the play-by-play commentator for all telecasts, and will be joined by Hall-of-Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach and cruiserweight contender B.J. Flores. Chris Mannix will continue to serve as the ringside reporter for each telecast.

FIGHT NIGHT 36: The NBC Sports Network will continue to use its all-access 36 series to compliment the Fight Night telecasts. In 2012, individual Fight Night 36 episodes featured fighters Zab Judah and Eddie Chambers. The collaboration between Fight Night 36 and Fight Night allowed fans a unique opportunity to go behind-the-scenes prior to each fight and see how the boxers train, spend time with their family and interact with fans.

One more NBC Sports press release coming up.

Providing Your Thursday Linkage

Looks like I’m going to be busy today so I’m going to do the linkage a bit early for me at least.

David Bauder of the Associated Press writes that even though he’s no longer NBC Sports Emperor, Dick Ebersol’s presence will still be felt at the London Olympics.

Michael Hiestand at USA Today says NBC will utilize Late Night’s Jimmy Fallon and Shaun White as guest commentators during the Olympics.

Reid Cherner of USA Today writes that ESPN the Magazine has released the roster for its annual “Body” issue.

Alex Sherman of Bloomberg says NBC Sports Network is the key to Comcast turning a profit when NBC’s new Olympic deal begins in 2014.

Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter says NBC is hoping the Olympics will give its struggling Today show a ratings boost.

Scott Roxborough in the Reporter writes that the EURO 2012 semifinal between Spain and Portugal set a ratings record in Europe.

Neil Reynolds of Sky Sports in the UK has New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft lobbying for an NFL franchise in London and increasing the amount of regular season games in the UK from one to two.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable reports NBC expects to lose money on the London Olympics.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says NBCUniversal is pushing people to authenticate in order to watch the Olympics online.

Anthony Crupi at Adweek looks at NBC’s nearly $1 billion take from Olympic ad sales.

Rocco Pendola of The Street wonders if NBC can make a run at ESPN.

Ed Sherman at the Sherman Report notes how polarizing Chris Berman can be.

Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid doesn’t quite understand the vitriol thrown Berman’s way.

Natan Edelsburg at Lost Remote says NBC is making the London Olympics a truly social media experience. That will make Bob Costas so happy to read Twitter and Facebook promos.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says NBC’s going all in online at the Olympics.

Jack Bell at the Times looks at ESPN’s EURO 2012 ratings.

Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY notes that the NBA Finals beat Mets-Yankees in New York.

Jerry talks with the first voice ever to be heard on WFAN when it launched 25 years ago.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette says Buffalo Sabres TV voice Rick Jeanneret will do the entire team’s schedule.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says even with a new playoff system, there will still be debates in college football.

In the Washington Examiner, Jim Williams talks with ESPN’s Jay Bilas about tonight’s NBA Draft.

Ron Green, Jr. of the Charlotte Observer also talks with ESPN’s Jay Bilas about the Bobcats’ choices at the Draft.

David Barron in the Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets have changed flagship radio stations.

W. Scott Bailey of the San Antonio Business Journal says local native Michelle Beadle has come a long way from covering Professional Bull Riding.

Ryan Sharp at The Oklahoman has proof that the Big 12 pursued Notre Dame to increase its TV value.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman reviews the weekend’s TV ratings.

Paul M. Banks in Chicago Sports Media Watch wonders what will happen to the BCS brand now that a college football playoff is firmly in place.

Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune says Fox Sports San Diego will air November’s Syracuse-San Diego State college basketball game on board the USS Midway.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the West Coast is getting screwed again with NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Trials.

Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says the viewership for the NHL Draft and NHL Awards Show was down.

The Brothers Yoder at Awful Announcing have some random sports that ESPN should televise and I totally agree with the number one choice.

And that’s going to do it for the linkage today.

2012 NBC Olympics Hosts and Commentators

Ok, NBC’s press release on its 2012 Olympics hosts and announcers has yet to arrive. Thanks to an alert reader, I was tipped off to NBC Sports Group’s press release website which has the talent bios of its announcers for London. I’m not sure if NBC wants to make that site public, so I won’t link to it for now. But through this website, I’ll be able to piece together the announcing teams for you.

We already know the hosts for NBC and the hosts for Bravo (tennis), CNBC (boxing) and MSNBC. And this week, we learned the hosts for NBC Sports Network.

Ok, let’s list everything I’m able to compile. This is not complete as some sports are missing analysts and one is missing a play-by-play person, but it’s based on what I’ve been able to piece together from NBC’s PR site. I’ll provide reactions to the announcers later.

Randy Moss and Steve Schlanger will call multiple events during the Olympics. There are a couple of analysts who will provide color on multiple sports.

And when NBC finally sends its official press release with the complete announcing teams, I’ll publish that in a separate post.

Here we go.

STUDIO HOSTS

NBC
Today at the Olympics: Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera, Ann Curry, Al Roker
Weekdays/Weekend: Al Michaels, Dan Patrick
Primetime: Bob Costas
Late Night: Mary Carillo

Correspondents: Mary Carillo (primetime), Jimmy Fallon (primetime), Bela Karolyi (primetime) John McEnroe (primetime), Jimmy Roberts (daytime), Ryan Seacrest (primetime),  Shaun White (primetime)

MSNBC
Kelly Tilghman

NBC Sports Network
Morning: Michelle Beadle
Midday: Willie Geist
Afternoon: Liam McHugh

Olympic Sports Desk Reporters
Tamron Hall
Marshall Harris
Lester Holt
Carolyn Manno
Pierre McGuire
Carolyn Peck
Dr. Nancy Snyderman
Michele Tafoya

VENUE COMMENTATORS

Badminton
Jim Kozimor (play-by-play)
Steve Kearney (analyst)

Basketball (men’s & women’s)
Chris Carrino (play-by-play)
Bob Fitzgerald (play-by-play)
Dave Strader (play-by-play)
Doug Collins (analyst)
Lisa Leslie (analyst)
Ann Meyers (analyst)
Craig Sager (reporter)

Beach Volleyball
Chris Marlowe (play-by-play)
Kevin Wong (analyst)
Heather Cox (reporter)

Boxing (CNBC)
Fred Roggin (venue host)
Bob Papa (blow-by-blow)
Teddy Atlas (analyst)
Russ Thaler (reporter)

Canoe
Randy Moss (play-by-play)

Cycling
Todd Harris (play-by-play)
Steve Schlanger (play-by-play)

Diving
Ted Robinson (play-by-play)
Cynthia Potter (analyst)
Alex Flanagan (reporter)

Equestrian
Tim Ryan (play-by-play)
Melanie Smith Taylor (analyst)

Field Hockey
Mike Corey (play-by-play)
Missy Meharg (analyst)

Gymnastics
Al Trautwig (play-by-play)
Tim Dagget (analyst)
Elfi Schlegel (analyst)
Andrea Joyce (reporter)

Handball
Mike Gorman (play-by-play)
Dawn Allinger Lewis (analyst)

Judo
Leo White, Jr. (analyst)

Open Water
Steve Schlanger (play-by-play)
Rowdy Gaines (analyst)

Race Walk
Randy Moss (play-by-play)
Chris Maddocks (analyst)

Rowing
Terry Gannon (play-by-play)
Yasmin Farooq (analyst)

Shooting
Shari Legate (analyst)

Soccer
Steve Cangialosi (play-by-play)
Glenn Davis (play-by-play)
JP Dellacamera (play-by-play)
Arlo White (play-by-play)
Marcelo Balboa (analyst)
Brandi Chastain (analyst)
Allen Hopkins (analyst)
Cobi Jones (analyst)
Kyle Martino (analyst)
Shep Messing (analyst)

Swimming
Dan Hicks (play-by-play)
Rowdy Gaines (analyst)
Andrea Kremer (reporter)

Synchronized Swimming
Randy Moss (play-by-play)
Heather Olson (analyst)

Table Tennis
Ari Wolfe (play-by-play)
Sean O’Neill (analyst)

Tennis (Bravo)
Pat O’Brien (venue host)
Andrew Catalon (play-by-play)
Brett Haber (play-by-play)
Ted Robinson (play-by-play)
Justin Gimelstob (analyst)
Rennae Stubbs (analyst)
Jon Wertheim (reporter)

Track & Field
Tom Hammond (play-by-play)
Ato Boldon (analyst)
Craig Masback (analyst)
Dwight Stones (analyst)
Tim Hutchings (analyst -Marathon)
Lewis Johnson (reporter)

Trampoline
Al Trautwig (play-by-play)
Tim Dagget (analyst)

Triathlon
Steve Schlanger (play-by-play)
Julie Swail (analyst)

Volleyball
Paul Sunderland (play-by-play)
Kevin Barnett (analyst)

Water Polo
Mike Emrick (play-by-play)
Julie Swail (analyst)
Wolf Wigo (analyst)

Weightlifting
Jim Watson (play-by-play)

White Water
Randy Moss (play-by-play)

Wrestling
Jason Knapp (play-by-play)

That is your list for now. As stated above, when NBC provides the press release with the complete teams, I’ll put that on the site.

UPDATE, 1:35 a.m.: Through a check of Twitter and hearing from sources, I’ve added NBC MLS voice Arlo White to soccer, and through Drea Avent’s account and in particular, her tweet to me directly, she’ll be a reporter during the Games, in what capacity, we have not been able to confirm just yet. More to follow when it becomes available.

Michelle Beadle To Host Olympics on NBC Sports Network; ESPN Makes Personnel Moves on College Football

Wednesday’s sports media column from USA Today’s Michael Hiestand is chock full of information.

Like the sports media thoughts, we’ll handle them in bullet form.

• First, NBC will announce its Olympic talent roster along with its programming schedule. And Wednesday’s announcement will mark a month until the Opening Ceremony in London. That will be fun to watch. In Hiestand’s column, we find that Michelle Beadle will be the morning host for NBC Sports Network’s Olympic program which will begin at 4 a.m. ET. Other hosts on NBCSN will be Willie Geist (why?) of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and Liam McHugh. NBCSN’s coverage will last until the NBC Mothership hits the air in primetime.

  NBC will unveil other plans during a media conference call to be held Wednesday in New York. I already know of a couple of announcing assignments, but I’ll wait until the press release is published.

• Hiestand also reports that ESPN has made a couple of changes in its Thursday Night College Football crew. We already knew that failed Texas U.S. Senate candidate Craig James would not return to the booth. ESPN had already declared that the Butcher of Texas would not be coming back. So David Pollack who has mostly been on ESPNU and the first hour of College GameDay with Erin Andrews, will be the second analyst in the booth joining incumbents Rece Davis and Jesse Palmer. ESPN is also expected to announce that Samantha Steele of the Longhorn Network will be the Thursday night sideline reporter replacing Jenn Brown. Samantha had a few assignments on ESPN’s Friday night games last season.

I expect an NBC press release on Olympic plans later today and I’ll be posting that when it finally arrives in the Fang’s Bites inbox.

NBC Sports Group Announces Long-Term Extension For Tour de France

Announced today by the NBC Sports Group, the Tour de France will air primarily on NBC Sports Network and on NBC through 2023. The new agreement begins in 2014 and calls for a ten year contract. Most of the 21 stages will air on NBC Sports Network with some shown live on NBC.

NBC will own all television, digital and mobile rights for the Tour de France. Other events affiliated with the Tour de France including the Paris Marathon and the Dakar Rally will also be aired on NBCUniversal networks.

This year’s Tour de France will air on NBC Sports Network and NBC starting this Saturday at 8 a.m. ET. We have details of the new agreement below.

NBC SPORTS GROUP EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH ASO FOR MULTI-PLATFORM RIGHTS TO TOUR DE FRANCE THROUGH 2023

New Agreement, Beginning in 2014, Includes All U.S. Television, Digital and Mobile Rights to Tour de France Though 2023
NBC Sports Network Continues to be Home of Tour de France
NBC Will Air Live Stages in Each Year Beginning in 2012

New York – June 26, 2012 – The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and NBC Sports Group today announced a 10-year multi-platform extension that includes exclusive U.S. television, digital and mobile rights for the Tour de France through 2023. As part of the agreement, which begins in 2014, the NBC Sports Group will continue as the exclusive U.S. television home of the Tour de France, with live coverage of every stage, including live coverage on NBC each year.

Additionally, the NBC Sports Group will continue coverage of several other ASO properties, including the Dakar Rally and the Paris Marathon, as well as spring classic cycling events including Paris Nice, Criterium International, Criterium du Dauphine, Paris Roubaix, Fleche Wallonne, Liege Bastogne Liege and the Paris Tours.

“The Tour de France has long been one of the tent pole events on the NBC Sports Network schedule, and now will be an integral part of our NBC broadcast schedule, with live coverage each year,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the ASO on all of its properties for another decade.”

“We are very happy to see the Tour de France exposure growing in the United States,” said Yann le Moënner, Managing Director of ASO, organizers of the Tour de France. “Our long term agreement will give us the opportunity to work with the skilled storytellers at NBC to build a beautiful sports story during the next ten years. Beyond the Tour de France, this agreement continues NBC Sports Network’s coverage of all other ASO sporting events such as Paris-Roubaix, Dakar Rally and Paris Marathon, which will benefit from a large exposure on NBC Sports Group platforms.”

As previously announced, NBC Sports Group, the exclusive U.S. television partner of the Tour de France, will surround this year’s race with 295 total hours of coverage and robust digital offerings including:

• 19 of the 21 stages live on NBC Sports Network;
• Two stages (7 and 8) live on NBC; first ever live over the air coverage of the Tour de France;
• An average of more than 13 hours of race action per day, in full HD, throughout the 21-stage competition on NBC Sports Network including a nightly studio show;
• NBC recap shows on July 1 and July 22 for the first and final stages of the epic race.

The nightly studio show, 8-11 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, will feature a combination of race coverage and cycling insight, as well as highlights from some of the most compelling stories throughout the Tour. Each show will include analysis and strategy segments, as well as interviews with the riders at the start and finish lines.

NBC Sports Group’s live coverage of the 99th Tour de France begins on Saturday at 8 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, at the grand start in Liege, Belgium.

That will do it.

NHL Draft Starts on NBC Sports Network, Ends on CNBC & NHL Network

Tonight, the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh will air on three outlets. The first round will air on NBC Sports Network starting from 7 – 9 p.m. ET. At 9, NBC Sports Network will move to U.S. Olympic Trials coverage airing the Track & Field trials. The NHL Draft will move to CNBC and NHL Network which will simulcast TSN’s coverage.

We have the blurb from NBC Sports regarding the Draft.

2012 NHL DRAFT BEGINS AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

NBC Sports Network to air first two hours of the first round; CNBC to air final hour

NEW YORK — June 21, 2012 – The 2012 NHL Draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. ET with first-round coverage on NBC Sports Network from Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. NBC Sports Network will carry the first two hours of the first round (7-9 p.m. ET) with the final hour airing on CNBC. The NHL Network will also simulcast the Draft beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

For the 50th time in NHL history, teams and executives will come together to select the next generation of hockey players. Top prospects for this year’s draft; include right winger Nail Yakupov with the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League, defenseman Ryan Murray, the No. 2-ranked North American skater with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League (Canada), and center Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts in the Ontario Hockey League.

The Edmonton Oilers have the first pick.

That’s all.

A Few Sports Media Bullet Points

Ok, as we’re all in denial over the Miami Heat winning the NBA Championship, it’s time for a few sports media thoughts. Too many things to go over, but I’ll do my best to cover as many things as I can.

As always, we do them in bullet form. And to drown out the thoughts of LeBron James celebrating, I’m listening to Korn on my iPad at the highest volume.

• Over 24 hours since first learning about Darren Rovell’s decision to leave CNBC for ESPN and I’m still baffled. Now, over all the sports media free agents I’ve mentioned or heard about for 2012, Darren’s name never came up. Darren who started his career at ESPN and left for CNBC in 2006 seemed to be happy with the NBCUniversal, having his own show on NBC Sports Network, his own CNBC site, and occasional appearances on NBC Sports events.

  But when the Worldwide Leader comes a’calling, you have to listen. Deadspin reported Thursday that Disney will pay Rovell $500,000 to file reports for both ABC News and ESPN.

  I don’t know if he’ll have his own show as he did with NBC Sports Network, I tend to doubt it. But the timing is rather interesting. Just after getting the sports business show that he had been clamoring, Darren leaves.

  ESPN has made a few recent sports business hires including Kristi Dosh and Michelle Steele. I wonder if ESPN is making a concerted effort to cover sports business again.

  And as we know, Darren is a prolific tweeter. Will his penchant for Twitter be controlled under ESPN’s social media policy? I’m sure this will all be addressed down the line.

• CBS Radio’s announcement that it was launching a sports radio network came as a surprise. The timing came just ten days after NBC announced it was launching a radio network of its own.

  This makes an already crowded radio scene even more so. Considering you have ESPN which has been firmly established since the 1990′s, Fox Sports Radio, Yahoo and even the Sports USA Radio Network, one wonders if there’s enough room for one more national radio net let alone two.

  Personally, I love to see more networks because competition can only lead to better programming, however, economic realities tell you that one of these fledgling entities may not make it.

  The eyeball test from the outset shows that CBS has the best infrastructure having already established sports stations in several major markets that will be part of CBS Sports Radio. Plus teaming with Cumulus Media’s 67 stations cross the country helps the reach.

  As for NBC, it’s just getting back into the radio business after General Electric had sold the Radio Network to Westwood One and its entire radio station group to various owners. It will partner with the former Westwood One now known as Dial Global.

  The question is whether this will lead to a bidding war for sports properties. ESPN Radio has the BCS, MLB and the NBA while Dial Global has the NFL, NCAA Championships and The Masters.

  Suddenly radio is red hot once again and I like it. And as SportsbyBrooks pointed out, it could lead to more poaching of ESPN talent by CBS and NBC to fill programming slots.

• I was disappointed to learn that Radio Wimbledon will not be handling the worldwide audio play-by-play of the Championships Wimbledon starting next week.

  Last October, Wimbledon’s parent, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club accepted a bid from IMG to take over the radio rights to call the matches. The new entity called Live@Wimbledon will be using some, but not all of Radio Wimbledon’s team. Over the years, Radio Wimbledon had been the only link to live tennis when NBC was pulling its tape delay shenanigans. Unfortunately, despite Radio Wimby attracting 2.7 million listeners in 2011, the AELTC decided to take IMG’s money and ruin a very good service for the fortnight.

  Radio Wimbledon will be missed.

• As Sports Business Journal reported this week, Fox Sports has begun talks with NASCAR in hopes of extending its current contract. It expires in 2014.

  As Fox has been successful in obtaining rights to the FIFA World Cup, Big 12 and Pac-12, the thinking behind many of these acquisitions has been to play keep away from NBC Sports Group. You know that with NASCAR rights in play, NBC Sports would love nothing more than to add inventory to NBCSN.

  If Fox is successful, it leaves only TNT’s mid-season Sprint Cup races and ESPN’s Chase for the Cup races being up for grabs. And both Turner and ESPN want to prevent NBC from grabbing their packages.

  With MLB, NASCAR, the Big East and the NBA negotiations all unsettled thus far, NBC still has a chance to lure one if not all to its war chest.

• Lastly, the aforementioned SportsbyBrooks tweeted that Chris Berman will call the late game for Monday Night Football’s season opening doubleheader on September 10. And in addition, he’ll call one preseason game as practice. If you thought the venom towards Berman is bad when he calls the U.S. Open or the All-Star Home Run Derby, just wait until he does the NFL. It’s probably best that ESPN public relations stay off social media on the nights Berman calls the NFL.

And that will conclude the thoughts. Enjoy your Friday.

NBC Sports Group All Over The Tour de France

It’s that time of year when we get notices on summer sports events. The Tour de France is no exception. When Versus was trying to get on the map, it was the Tour de France that helped the network gain a small foothold, especially when Lance Armstrong was in the midst of his run of victories.

Now, the NBC Sports Group will look beyond Lance and try to promote the event while the sport tries to recover from various doping scandals.

Starting next weekend and spanning through July 22, the Tour de France will run through 20 stages including various time trials. As usual, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen will call the live action in the morning and during the nightly recap shows. Liam McHugh will act as the roving host and be accompanied by analysts Bob Roll and Scott Moniger.

Two stages, 7 & 8 will be aired live on NBC which marks the first time ever, that Tour de France stages will be aired live on network TV.

We have the details of NBC’s coverage.

NBC SPORTS GROUP SURROUNDS THE 99TH ANNUAL TOUR DE FRANCE – THE MOST GRUELING CYCLING EVENT OF THE YEAR

Stages 7 & 8 Live on NBC; First Ever Live Network Coverage of Tour de France
295 Total Hours Including Each of the 21 Stages Live, Nightly Studio Show and Daily Stage Re-airs
Multi-platform Coverage Available with Tour de France LIVE on NBCSports.com and through Tour de France LIVE Mobile App
NBCSports.com Will Live Stream the Stages on NBC
“After the recent Dauphine race in France, Cadel Evans has shot himself into the favorite category to win the Tour for a second time.” – NBC Sports’ Phil Liggett on 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans

New York – June 21, 2012 – NBC Sports Group, the exclusive U.S. television home of the Tour de France, will surround the world’s most grueling cycling race with 295 total hours of coverage and robust digital offerings including:

• 19 of the 21 stages live on NBC Sports Network;
• Two stages (7 and 8) live on NBC; first ever live network coverage of the Tour de France;
• Nightly studio show and re-airs of each stage on NBC Sports Network;
• An average of more than 13 hours of race action per day, in full HD, throughout the 21-stage competition on NBC Sports Network.
• NBC recap shows on July 1 and July 22 for the first and final stages of the epic race;
• Tour de France LIVE, at NBCSports.com, and the Tour de France LIVE Mobile app.

The nightly studio show, 8-11 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, will feature a combination of race coverage and cycling insight, as well as highlights from some of the most compelling stories throughout the Tour. Each show will include analysis and strategy segments, as well as interviews with the riders at the start and finish lines.

Coverage of the 99th Tour de France begins on Saturday, June 30, at 8 a.m. ET, live on NBC Sports Network, at the grand start in Liege, Belgium. Full schedule is below.

COMMENTATORS: Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the voices of cycling, will once again call all the race action for both the live and nightly shows, with Craig Hummer and Steve Porino contributing as field reporters. Liam McHugh, who will be on-site in Paris, will host NBC Sports Group’s coverage alongside former American cyclists Bob Roll and Scott Moninger. Robbie Ventura will report on the tech elements and equipment used by these elite athletes during the network’s three weeks of coverage.

PRODUCTION: Tour de France coverage will include exclusive live look-ins to team cars for Team Garmin-Barracuda, Team Sky, Team Omega Pharma-Quickstep and Team RadioShack Nissan Trek as they relay strategy and updates to their riders. New this year, reporters Hummer and Porino will be embedded with these teams, providing unprecedented access. NBC Sports Network will utilize several production features, including a pointer feature which will easily identify and focus on one rider in the peloton; exclusive, in-depth profiles and features on teams and riders; and an onscreen predicted time for the peloton riders who are trying to catch the leading riders. Individual rider profiles will include 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins, sprinter Mark Cavendish, and American riders Tom Danielson, Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie, who will be riding in his 17^th Tour, breaking the record he held with Dutch rider Joop Zoetemelk for the most starts in history.

LIGGETT ON 2011 WINNER CADEL EVANS: “After the recent Dauphine race in France, Cadel Evans has shot himself into the favorite category to win the Tour for a second time. If he does, he will be the oldest since Firmin Lambot in 1922. However, he has yet to work out how to beat Bradley Wiggins, who will be trying to become the first British winner ever of the event. Evans has a great competitive spirit and will still start as the favorite to win.”

Tour de France LIVE and Tour de France LIVE Mobile: NBC Sports Group will surround its on-air coverage with Tour de France LIVE, unprecedented cycling content online at NBCSports.com, and through the Tour de France LIVE Mobile app. The network will offer users two premium-subscription products which will give fans a multi-platform, all-encompassing viewing experience to the Tour. Tour de France LIVE offers live streaming video of every stage in full HD, with the ability to pause, rewind and slow-mo the video. While watching live coverage online, viewers will also have access to a live GPS tracking map to follow the riders’ progress or to see an enhanced interactive map for each stage. Also, subscribers can personalize their Tour experience by choosing their favorite riders and teams to track throughout the Tour. To experience the Tour de France on the go, fans can also purchase the Tour de France LIVE Mobile app, which is available for iPhone and iPad, as well as Android devices. All the features of the NBCSports.com online experience will be mirrored in the Tour de France LIVE Mobile app, including live video of every stage, and is sold separately from the online product. Stages 7 and 8, which will air live on NBC, will also be streamed live for free, on NBCSports.com.

Other elements available to cycling fans at NBCSports.com and through the mobile apps, are listed below.

Before the Tour:

• Stage-by-stage descriptions and previews, featuring historical stage information, technical information and interesting travelogue vignettes
• Breakdown of top contenders
• Historical top 10 lists
• Look back at the best of the 2011 Tour de France

During the Tour:

• Recaps and highlights of each stage
• Route previews, course and stage maps, elevation profiles and stage descriptions
• Interviews with the top riders
• Live stage results and detailed standings
• Rider profiles by country and team
• Live news stream during every stage
• Photo slideshows
• Tour de France Twitter stream, which will showcase the top race authorities, including riders, analysts, officials and fans

Additional Features and Elements:

• The Ultimate Access Sweepstakes will give away a trip to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (Aug 24 – 27) where one lucky fan and a guest will get the chance to get insider’s access to one of the world’s premiere cycling team, RadioShack Nissan Trek. Additional prizes include Trek bikes, and team autographed helmets and jerseys. Fans register at http://ultimateaccess.nbcsports.com/ and enter the code word “Colo” (for Colorado).

Social Media: Fans can also keep up with the Tour de France through NBC Sports social media platforms throughout the race. Content will include:

• Behind the Scenes: Through the NBC cycling Facebook page and @NBCSNCycling on Twitter, fans will receive exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, interviews and video clips.
• News: Fans can follow NBC Cycling Facebook and @NBCSNCycling Twitter accounts to receive the most up to date reports and stories from around the cycling world.

NBC Sports Group’s Live Schedule (all times Eastern and subject to change):

DATE	STAGE	TIME	NETWORK
Sat., June 30	Prologue: Liege to Liege	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Sun., July 1	Stage 1: Liege to Seraing	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Sun., July 1	Recap Show	4 p.m. – 6 p.m.	NBC
Mon., July 2	Stage 2: Vise to Tournai	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Tues., July 3	Stage 3: Orchies to Boulogne-sur-mer	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Wed., July 4	Stage 4: Abbeville to Rouen	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Thurs., July 5	Stage 5: Rouen to Saint-Quentin	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Fri., July 6	Stage 6: Epernay to metz	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Sat., July 7	Stage 7: Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Filles	8 a.m. – Noon	NBC
Sun., July 8	Stage 8: Belfort to Porrentruy	8 a.m. – Noon	NBC
Mon., July 9	Stage 9: Arc-et-Senans to Bescancon	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Wed., July 11	Stage 10: Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Thurs., July 12	Stage 11: Albertville to La Toussuire-Les Sybelles	7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Fri., July 13	Stage 12: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Annonay Davezieux	6:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.	NBCSN
Sat., July 14	Stage 13: Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Le Cap d’Adge	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Sun., July 15	Stage 14: Limoux to Foix	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Mon., July 16	Stage 15: Samatan to Pau	8 a.m. – Noon	NBCSN
Wed., July 17	Stage 16: Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon	6:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Thurs., July 19	Stage 17: Bagneres-de-Luchon to Peyragudes	7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Fri., July 20	Stage 18: Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde	8 a.m. – 11 a.m.	NBCSN
Sat., July 21	Stage 19: Bonneval to Chartres	8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Sun., July 22	Stage 20: Rambouillet to Paris Champs-Elysees	8 a.m. – Noon	NBCSN
Sun., July 22	Recap Show	1 p.m. – 3 p.m.	NBC

That’s all.

Quotage From Latest Edition of “Costas Tonight”

Since this month’s “Costas Tonight” program was taped in advance for airing this evening, NBC Sports Network has provided us with the quotage from the program. This includes some quotes from NBC tennis analyst John McEnroe, HBO’s Bill Maher, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio who appeared in place of the originally scheduled Jonathan Quick of the Stanley Cup Champions Los Angeles Kings.

Always nice to tap someone in the NBC Sports family to make an emergency appearance in case of a last-minute cancellation.

Here’s the quotage from tonight’s “Costas Tonight” on NBC Sports Network. It’ll air at 9 p.m. ET following the 2012 NHL Awards.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM “COSTAS TONIGHT” AIRING TONIGHT 9 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

Tonight’s Show Includes Interviews with John McEnroe, Bill Maher and Mike Florio, Costas’ Essay on the Roger Clemens Case
60-Minute Interview Show Taped Last Night from Studio 8G at 30 Rock
“I was told by inside people, and I am going to mention names, my old friends, Linda Rambis and Jeanie Buss, who have an in with Phil (Jackson), that he supposedly wanted the job. Now, why didn’t they ask?” – John McEnroe to Costas on Phil Jackson coaching the Knicks
“I’m watching the playoffs and it’s a little North Korean, Bob, you know that everyone in the crowd is wearing the same color jersey.” – Bill Maher to Costas on watching the NBA Finals

NEW YORK – June 20, 2012 – Tennis legend John McEnroe, Bill Maher, host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, and ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio joined Bob Costas, a 23-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and one of America’s preeminent interviewers, on the latest edition of Costas Tonight, a 60-minute interview program taped last night that premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

• McEnroe discusses his relationship with Jimmy Connors, his love of the Knicks and how today’s players are unlike when he played the game.

• Maher talks about the color-coordinated fans at the NBA Finals, his minority stake in the Mets and his childhood love of baseball cards.

• Florio gives his take on the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.

• Costas ends the show with an essay on the Roger Clemens case.

Below are highlights from the taping of last night’s Costas Tonight:

MCENROE ON PHIL JACKSON AND KNICKS SITUATION:

McEnroe: “I sort of went into a depression because Phil Jackson, apparently, wasn’t even asked (to coach the Knicks). I was like, how could he not be asked?”

Costas: “But then he said that even if he was asked he would have said no because he thinks that the Knicks are too disjointed and clumsy.”
McEnroe: “Well, that’s what he has said apparently, but I still would have like to have him asked. I was told by inside people, and I am going to mention names, my old friends, Linda Rambis and Jeanie Buss, who have an in with Phil, that he supposedly wanted the job. Now, why didn’t they ask?”

Costas: “If that’s the case, he was probably offended that he wasn’t asked by the team that he is connected to, the team for which he played.”
McEnroe: “I mean, isn’t it the ultimate no brainer, I mean, to ask?”

MCENROE ON JIMMY CONNORS:

McEnroe: “We really didn’t like each other for the most part, and I think people liked that in a way. I mean the Yankees and the Red Sox, they hate each other, and that’s wonderful to the fan…it brought out the best and the worst in us when we played against each other, particularly me.”

Costas: “If you disliked, truly disliked, some of your main rivals, you reconciled with most of them, right, but not with Connors?”
McEnroe: “No, we respect each other. We may not like each other a whole lot. I doubt we will be having a lot of dinners, but certainly we respect. I respect Jimmy Connors. I am not going to speak for him, but he made me a better player. He made me try a lot harder. I think his twin is Pete Rose. He was the same guy.”

Costas: “Same haircut.”
McEnroe: Same haircut. Same just annoying, in your face type of style that actually drove you so insane that it was like I am going to do anything, I am going to go 120 percent instead of 100 percent just so I am going to beat this guy. But, he fed off that, so we both loved it ultimately. I know that we respect each other.”

* * *

MAHER ON COLOR-COORDINATED SHIRTS AT THE NBA FINALS:

Costas: “We’re going to let you write some new rules here for sports, as you do in one way or another each Friday night on HBO. I know, if you could, you would ban the wearing of color-coordinated t-shirts by every fan at NBA games.”
Maher: “I’ve noticed this trend. You see it now because, I mean, I’m watching the playoffs and it’s a little North Korean, Bob, you know that everyone in the crowd is wearing the same color jersey. And now I noticed they do it in two-tone and in one section you’re wearing blue and in the next section they’re all wearing white. Can’t we just come and watch the game? Do we really have to leave our individuality at the door when we’re just going to a sporting event? It’s ridiculous.”

MAHER ON HIS OWNERSHIP STAKE IN THE METS:

Costas: “Now I know you’re not discussing exactly how large a piece you have, but obviously it’s not a controlling interest. So you get a nice parking space, probably clubhouse privileges, free food, but you don’t get to sit in the room when Sandy Alderson decides how much he’s going to pay David Wright, have I got that correct?”
Maher: “I put a call into him the other day, I said, ‘start the runners.’ And I think you’ll see that happening.”

Costas: “Regardless of the situation, just start the runners?”
Maher: “Absolutely. I’m the opposite of Billy Beane. I’m playing big ball.”

* * *

FLORIO WITH COSTAS ON EVIDENCE FOR MORE SUSPENSIONS:

Costas: “Isn’t it entirely possible that the league has even more damning evidence that might implicate other players, maybe not to the extent that they feel Vilma and the rest whom they’ve already suspended are implicated, but enough to bring their names in? And the Players Association ought to be concerned about that. If they force the league’s hand here, it will get worse for the players rather than better?”
Florio: “That’s a great point because, when this initially came up, the league said there were 22-27 players who participated in the alleged bounty program. And even now we’ve seen more names get dragged into this who previously weren’t part of it.”

That’s all.

NBC Sports Network & CBC Air 2012 NHL Awards

My apologies for the site being down for most of Monday and all of today. Unfortunately, it took all day to get this site working again. I thank you for your patience through this really frustrating day for the site.

Let’s post two press releases in one post.

On Wednesday, NBC Sports Network and CBC will air the 2012 NHL Awards live from Las Vegas. NBCSN airs it live at 7 p.m. ET while CBC airs it an hour later.

After last year’s disaster with extreme hack job Jay Mohr hosting, the NHL decides to bring in another horror show in Nickelback to perform two songs live.

In addition, viewers will be subject to Pierre McGuire presenting an award. I’m sure fans all over North America will be muting their TV’s as Pierre will wax poetic about frozen ponds, lost youth, junior hockey, college programs and lost teeth all before handing out whatever award he’s doling out.

There will be plenty of celebrities to hand out hardware and ESPN’s Erin Andrews makes her first appearance ever on the NBC Sports Network and CBC.

Here’s NBC Sports Network’s press release.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF 2012 NHL AWARDS TOMORROW

Awards air at 7 p.m. ET from Las Vegas

NEW YORK — June 19, 2012 – The NBC Sports Group continues its coverage of the NHL with live coverage of the star-studded 2012 NHL Awards on NBC Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET this Wednesday live from the Wynn Las Vegas.

The 2012 NHL Awards celebrate the season’s best performances in categories including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy). The winner of the EA Sports NHL 13 Cover Athlete will also be unveiled live. NBC Sports Group NHL analysts Pierre McGuire and Eddie Olczyk will be presenters.

American Music Award and Billboard Music Award winner Nickelback will headline the 2012 NHL Awards with two live performances on the Encore Theatre stage at the Wynn. NHL Award nominees, NHL legends and celebrities such as actors Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”), Ray Liotta (“All Things Fall Apart,” “Killing Them Softly,” Goodfellas”), Adam Pally (“Happy Endings”), and professional dancer and TV personality Cheryl Burke (“Dancing with the Stars”).

Burke, Liotta, Pally and Stonestreet join previously announced presenters actors Kevin Connolly (“Entourage”), Colin Hanks (“Dexter,” “The Good Guys”), Joshua Jackson (“Fringe”), Cory Monteith (“Glee”), Matthew Perry (“Go On,” “Friends”), Vince Vaughn (“The Watch,” “Wedding Crashers,” “The Break-Up”) and Michael Vartan (“Hawthorne,” “Alias”); Hockey Night in Canada’s Andi Petrillo and PJ Stock; NHL Network’s Barry Melrose and Kathryn Tappen; sports broadcaster Erin Andrews; and hockey legends Ted Lindsay and Mark Messier.

The broadcast also will feature special appearances by actors Will Arnett (“Up All Night,” “Arrested Development”) and Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock”) and director/writer/actor Kevin Smith (“Red State,” “Clerks”).

One of these years, I’m going to attend the NHL Awards and hang with the beautiful people before being asked to leave the VIP Suites.

Anyway, here’s CBC’s press release. CBC’s PJ Stock and Andi Petrillo will be presenting awards as well.

CBC-TV ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE NHL AWARDS ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 AT 8 P.M. ET

Celebrity presenters including Vince Vaughn, Joshua Jackson, Cory Monteith, Matthew Perry, Erin Andrews, P.J. Stock, Andi Petrillo and more to honour the game’s best players from the 2011-12 season

The NHL’s biggest stars head to Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 20 and CBC has exclusive coverage as the league hands out the hardware to the top performers from the regular season at the 2012 NHL Awards. Live coverage from the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas begins at 7 p.m. ET online at cbcsports.ca, and complete coverage of the two-hour event airs on CBC-TV across Canada beginning at 8 p.m. local (8:30 p.m. NT).

Hockey’s biggest names will be joined at the annual celebration by an impressive list of celebrities who will be acting as presenters throughout the evening, including actors Vince Vaughn, Kevin Connolly, Colin Hanks and Michael Vartan as well as sportscaster Erin Andrews. Homegrown celebrity presenters include actors Joshua Jackson, Cory Monteith and Matthew Perry as well as CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA analysts P.J. Stock (@PJStockHNIC) and Andi Petrillo (@andipHNIC).

“The NHL Awards is always a great event and it’s going to be a lot of fun to be part of the show, but I’m taking my duties as a presenter seriously,” said Petrillo. “The amount of effort and passion these players and coaches put in on a nightly basis all season long is unbelievable, so I’m honoured to be part of the ceremony that recognizes all of that hard work.”

Some of the prestigious awards to be handed out at the ceremony include: the Hart Memorial Trophy honouring the league’s most valuable player; the Vezina Trophy for the top goaltender; the James Norris Memorial Trophy recognizing the best defenseman; the Calder Memorial Trophy for the most outstanding rookie; and the Ted Lindsay Award for the most outstanding player as voted by the players.

Hall of Famers Ted Lindsay and Mark Messier will be on stage to present the awards named for them. Also making appearances at the NHL Awards are Toronto-born actor Will Arnett, comedian Tracy Morgan and director/writer/actor Kevin Smith. In addition, Canadian rock band Nickelback will take the stage for two live performances throughout the night.

That is it.

NBC Sports Group Really Ramps Up Its Olympic Trials Coverage

Earlier this year, NBC Sports Group showed various Olympic Trials that lasted through May. Now with the London Olympics just a little more than a month away, the glamor events like Swimming & Diving, Track & Field and Gymnastics will all hold their trials starting this week.

Both NBC and NBC Sports Group will have live coverage including a lot of primetime hours devoted to the Olympic Trials. It begins with the Diving Trials starting at midnight Tuesday.

Starting this Friday, NBC will air the Track & Field Trials and then the Swimming Trials all live in primetime going all the way through to July 2. meaning 11 consecutive days of coverage on the air. A total of 15½ through that period.

NBC Sports Network will air the bulk of the trials with 39½ including live BMX, rowing, field hockey and exhibition water polo.

Covering the diving will be Ted Robinson, Cynthia Potter and new Olympics addition Alex Flanagan. The swimming will be called by the familiar crew of Dan Hicks, Rowdy Gaines and Andrea Kremer, holdovers from 2008. Gymnastics will be called by Al Trautwig, Tim Dagget and Elfi Schlegel. Track & Field will be led by Tom Hammond, Ato Boldon, Craig Masback and Dwight Stones with others included.

Here’s the NBC press release.

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS MORE THAN 45 HOURS OF LIVE OLYMPIC TRIALS COVERAGE OVER THE NEXT THREE WEEKS

Includes 15.5 Hours on NBC in Primetime
14 Hours of Diving Trials Begins Tomorrow
12 Hours of Track & Field Trials Begins Friday
16.5 Hours, Including Every Night of Swimming Trials in Primetime on NBC, Begins Monday, June 25
8.5 Hours of Gymnastics Trials Begins Thursday, June 28

NEW YORK – June 18, 2012 – NBC Sports Group continues its coverage of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials with live diving, track and field, swimming and gymnastics trials beginning tomorrow. In the next three weeks, NBC and NBC Sports Network will air more than 45 hours of live trials coverage (56 total hours) including, for the first time ever, every night of the swimming trials in primetime on NBC.

DIVING: NBC Sports Group’s 14 hours of live diving trials begins tomorrow at Midnight ET on NBC Sports Network and includes five hours of weekend afternoon coverage on NBC. NBC’s Olympic diving broadcast team of Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Cynthia Potter (analyst) and Alex Flanagan (reporter) will call the competition from Federal Way, Wash.

TRACK AND FIELD: NBC Sports Group’s 12 hours of live track & field trials coverage begins this Friday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. It includes eight days of coverage; with four nights in primetime on NBC. NBC’s Olympic track and field broadcast team of Tom Hammond, Ato Boldon, Craig Masback, Tim Hutchings, Dwight Stones and Lewis Johnson report from Eugene, Ore.

SWIMMING: For the first time, every night of the swimming trials will be in primetime on NBC. In all, NBC Sports Group will air a total of 16.5 hours of the swimming trials beginning on Monday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, immediately followed by the first of eight straight nights in primetime on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. NBC’s Olympic swimming broadcast team of Dan Hicks, Rowdy Gaines and Andrea Kremer report from Omaha, Neb.

GYMNASTICS: NBC Sports Group’s 8.5 hours of gymnastics trials coverage begins Thursday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and includes four straight days of coverage ending with the women’s final in primetime on NBC on Sunday, July 1. NBC’s Olympic gymnastics broadcast team of Al Trautwig, Tim Daggett, Elfi Schlegel and Andrea Joyce report from San Jose, Calif.

Olympic Trials coverage highlights:

• More than 45 hours of live trials coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network; including 15.5 hours on NBC in primetime;
• For the first time, every night of the swimming trials in primetime on NBC;
• Sunday, July 1: four hours primetime coverage including track & field, swimming and gymnastics on NBC;
• Rowing and BMX trials and live coverage of USA Women vs. Argentina in Field Hockey on Saturday, June 23;
• USA Women vs. China live water polo match on Sunday, July 8.

NBC SPORTS GROUP 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Remaining Television Schedule
Date	Time	Network	Event
Tues., June 19	12-2 a.m. ET	NBCSN	Diving – Semifinals: Men’s 10-meter (live)
Wed., June 20	10 p.m.-2 a.m. ET	NBCSN	Diving – Semifinals: Men’s 3-meter (live);Women’s 10-meter (live); Women’s 3-meter (next day coverage)
Thurs., June 21	10 p.m.-12 a.m. ET	NBCSN	Diving – Synchro Finals: Women’s 3-meter;Men’s 10-meter (live)
Fri., June 22	9-11 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Track & Field – Finals (live)
	11 p.m.-12 a.m. ET	NBCSN	Diving – Synchro Finals: Men’s 3-meter (live)
Sat., June 23	1:30-3:30 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Field Hockey – USA Women vs. Argentina (live)
	4-6 p.m. ET	NBC	Diving: Men’s 10-meter – Finals (live)
	6-7:30 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Rowing (from June 11-14) and BMX (from June 16)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Track & Field – Finals (live)
Sun., June 24	3-6 p.m. ET	NBC	Diving: Men’s 3-meter, Women’s 10-meter, Women’s 3-meter – Finals (live)
	7-8 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Track & Field – Finals (live)
Mon., June 25	6:30-8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
	9-11 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Track & Field – Finals (live)
Tues., June 26	6:30-8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
Wed., June 27	7-8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
Thurs., June 28	4:30-5:30 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	5:30-8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Gymnastics – Men’s Competition (live)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
	9-11 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Track & Field – Finals (live)
Fri., June 29	4:30-6 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	6-8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Track & Field – Finals (live)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
	9-11 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Gymnastics – Women’s Competition (live)
Sat., June 30	4-6 p.m. ET	NBC	Gymnastics – Men’s Final (live)
	6:30-8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
	9-10 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Track & Field – Finals (live)
Sun., July 1	6-7 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Swimming – Qualifying Heats (same day coverage)
	7-8 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Track & Field – Finals (live)
	8-9 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
	9-11 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Gymnastics – Women’s Final (live)
Mon., July 2	8-8:30 p.m. ET/PT	NBC	Swimming – Finals (live)
Sun., July 8	6-7:30 p.m. ET	NBCSN	Water Polo – USA Women vs. China (live)

Leading into the 2012 London Games, NBC Sports Group will have aired a record 67½ hours of event coverage – 43 on NBC Sports Network and 24½ on NBC – featuring 10 sports, including live primetime coverage of trials for diving, swimming, gymnastics and track & field, as well as events for field hockey. Trials coverage began in January and will conclude on Sunday, July 8, with the U.S Women’s Water Polo Olympic Team taking on the Chinese Olympic Team.

The 67½ hours of coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network marks the most ever for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, topping the 49 hours of trials coverage in 2008 and 40½ hours in 2004. Additionally, NBC Sports Network and Universal Sports will re-air a combined 117 hours of trials coverage (74 hours on NBC Sports Network and 43 hours on Universal Sports).

There you have it.

NBC Sports Group To Air 32 College Football Games This Season

Here’s another press release from last week that is being posted now. From the NBC Sports Group, over 30 college football games will air on NBC and the NBC Sports Network. NBC will show 7 Notre Dame games and the annual Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern University. NBC Sports Network will have a schedule consisting of games from the Mountain West Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, the Ivy League and the annual Atlanta Football Classic.

Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and newbie analyst Hines Ward will be the NBC Sports college football studio team. Tom Hammond and Mike Mayock will call Notre Dame football. Other announcers for the Mountain West, CAA and Ivy League will be brought forth at a later date.

Here’s the NBC Sports Group college football schedule.

NBC & NBC SPORTS NETWORK TO TELEVISE 32 COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES IN 2012

2012 Coverage of Notre Dame, Mountain West, CAA & Ivy League Kicks Off Sept. 8
NBC to Broadcast Bayou Classic between Grambling & Southern for 21^st Consecutive Year; NBC Sports Network to Televise Atlanta Football Classic between Florida A&M & Southern for 5^th Straight Year

NEW YORK – June 7, 2012 – NBC and NBC Sports Network will combine to televise 32 college football games during the 2012 season, beginning with a triple-header on Saturday, Sept. 8. The combined NBC and the NBC Sports Network 2012 college football schedule is comprised of Notre Dame home games; games from the Mountain West Conference, the Colonial Athletic Association, and the Ivy League; the annual Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern, which NBC has broadcast every year since 1991; and the Atlanta Football Classic, this year between Florida A&M and Southern, which NBC Sports Network has televised since 2008.

Coverage kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 8, with Purdue at Notre Dame on NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET and Delaware State at Delaware (CAA) at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Later that night, NBC Sports Network will air Army at San Diego State (MWC) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The first Ivy League telecasts air on NBC Sports Network on Saturday, Sept. 22, when Cornell hosts Yale at 1 p.m. ET followed by defending champion Harvard at Brown at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The NBC and NBC Sports Network 2012 college football schedule includes seven Notre Dame games, 10 Mountain West Conference games, six Colonial Athletic Association games, seven Ivy League games, plus the Bayou Classic and Atlanta Football Classic.

NBC Sports’ college football studio team of Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and Hines Ward will provide pre- and post-game coverage on NBC and/or NBC Sports Network every Saturday. Game commentators will be announced closer to the start of the season.

Highlights of the 2012 College Football schedule include:

• Seven primetime/nighttime games, including Army at San Diego State on Sept. 8 on NBC Sports Network and Michigan at Notre Dame on Sept. 22 on NBC.
• Three quadruple-headers on Sept. 22, Nov. 10 (all on NBC Sports Network) and Nov. 17.
• Continuing its off-site home series, Notre Dame will host the Miami Hurricanes at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
• For the fifth consecutive year, NBC Sports Network will present the Atlanta Football Classic from the Georgia Dome at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 29. This year’s game features Florida A&M taking on Southern.
• Perennial Mountain West powerhouse Boise State plays four times on NBC Sports Network.
• The Game: Yale at Harvard airs at Noon ET on NBC Sports Network on Saturday, Nov. 17.
• On Saturday, Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC will broadcast the 39^th Annual Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern for the 21^st time from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, La.

	NBC SPORTS GROUP COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times ET)
3:30 p.m.	Sat, Sept. 8	Purdue at Notre Dame	NBC
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 8	Delaware State at Delaware	NBCSN
7:30 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 8	Army at San Diego State	NBCSN
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 15	William & Mary at Towson	NBCSN
4:00 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 15	Miami (Ohio) at Boise State	NBCSN
1:00 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 22	Yale at Cornell	NBCSN
4:30 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 22	Harvard at Brown	NBCSN
7:30 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 22	Michigan at Notre Dame	NBC
10:30 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 22	Nevada at Hawaii	NBCSN
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 29	Penn at Dartmouth	NBCSN
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Sept. 29	Atlanta Football Classic: Florida A&M vs. Southern	NBCSN
1:00 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 6	Towson at James Madison	NBCSN
7:30 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 6	Miami at Notre Dame (Soldier Field)	NBC
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 13	Brown at Princeton	NBCSN
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 13	Stanford at Notre Dame	NBC
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 13	Fresno State at Boise State	NBCSN
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 20	Penn at Yale	NBCSN
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 20	BYU at Notre Dame	NBC
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 20	UNLV at Boise State	NBCSN
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Oct. 27	Delaware at Old Dominion	NBCSN
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 3	Towson at Delaware	NBCSN
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 3	Pittsburgh at Notre Dame	NBC
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 10	Harvard at Penn	NBCSN
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 10	Air Force at San Diego State	NBCSN
7:00 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 10	Boise State at Hawaii	NBCSN
10:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 10	Fresno State at Nevada	NBCSN
12:00 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 17	Yale at Harvard	NBCSN
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 17	Wake Forest at Notre Dame	NBC
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 17	Colorado State at Boise State	NBCSN
7:00 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 17	Old Dominion at James Madison	NBCSN
2:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 24	Bayou Classic: Grambling State vs. Southern	NBC
3:30 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 24	Air Force at Fresno State	NBCSN

That’s going to do it.