Fang's Bites

Never Forget: The Man in the Red Bandanna

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

9/11
Countdown to Ground Zero — H2, 11 a.m.
9/11 State of Emergency — H2, noon
9/11: The Towers and the Pentagon — Discovery, 1 p.m.
Two Weeks in Hell — Discovery, 2 p.m.
The Days the Towers Fell — H3, 2 p.m.
Grounded on 9/11 — H2, 3 p.m.
The Last Days of Osama bin Laden — National Geographic Channel, 3 p.m.
Killing bin Laden — Discovery, 4 p.m.
Voices From Inside the Towers — History Channel, 4 p.m.
Secrets of bin Laden’s Lair — Discovery, 4 pm..
Secrets of Seal Team 6 — Discovery, 6 p.m.
9/11: The Days After — History Channel, 6 p.m.
The Falling Man — Military Channel, 6:30 p.m.
The 9/11 Tapes: Chaos in the Sky — Discovery, 7 p.m.
The 9/11 Surfer — Discovery, 8 p.m.
Hotel Ground Zero — History Channel, 8 p.m.
Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero: A Gateway to New York — Discovery Science, 8 p.m.
9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor — Military Channel, 8 p.m.
102 Minutes That Changed America — History Channel, 9 p.m.
Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero: Stories From The Pile — Discovery Science, 9 p.m.
Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero: A Place to Mourn — Discovery Science, 10 p.m.
Witnesses to 9/11 — History Channel, 10:42 p.m.

College Football
CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
ESPNU BCS Countdown — ESPNU, 5 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
The Tony Barnhart Show — CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m.

Cycling
Tour of Britain: Stage 3 — Universal Sports, 9 p.m. (same day coverage)

Golf
Road to the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 8 p.m.
1999 Ryder Cup, Final Day — Golf Channel, 8:30 p.m.

MLB
American League
New York Yankees at Boston — MLB Network/YES/NESN, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Toronto — Root Sports Northwest/Rogers Sportsnet, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Baltimore — MLB Network/Sun Sports/MASN2, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Texas — STO/Fox Sports Southwest, 8 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago White Sox — Fox Sports Detroit/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.
Kansas City at Minnesota — Fox Sports Kansas City/Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.
Oakland at Anaheim — Comcast SportsNet California/Fox Sports West, 10 p.m.

National League
Miami at Philadelphia — Fox Sports Florida/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati — Root Sports Pittsburgh/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Washington at New York Mets — MASN/SNY, 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Milwaukee — SportSouth/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Houston — WGN America/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
San Francisco at Colorado — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Root Sports Rocky Mountain, 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona — KCAL/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.
St. Louis at San Diego — Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports San Diego, 10 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 2 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, midnight
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, 1 a.m. (Wednesday)

NFL
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 5 p.m.

Paralympics
Highlights — Universal Sports, 8 p.m.

Soccer
2014 World Cup Qualifier
England vs. Ukraine — Fox Soccer, 3 p.m.
Chile vs. Colombia — beIN Sport (Al Jazeera Sports), 3:30 p.m.
Paraguay vs. Venezuela — beIN Sport (Al Jazeera Sports), 7:30 p.m.
United States vs. Jamaica — ESPN2, 8 p.m.
Mexico vs. Costa Rica — Univision, 8:30 p.m.
Peru vs. Argentina — beIN Sport (Al Jazeera Sports), 9:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
E:60 — ESPN, 7 p.m.
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight

WNBA
Seattle Storm at Atlanta Dream — NBA TV, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
Eat St.: Global Gastronomy — Cooking Channel, 8 p.m.
The Green Mile — AMC, 8 p.m.
Secretary — Sundance Channel, 8 p.m.
The King’s Speech — The Movie Channel, 8 p.m.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close — HBO, 9 p.m.
Hard Time: Running the Joint — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Mysteries at the Museum: Freakiest — Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
Criminal Defense: And Justice For All (series premiere) — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Gangsters: America’s Most Evil: Anthony Shea and the No-Name Gang — Biography, 10 p.m.
Addicted: Aaron — Discovery Fitness & Health, 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy: Sovereign (season premiere) — FX, 10 p.m.
Twisted: The Devil’s Business (series premiere) — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Hong Kong — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Criminal Defense: Two Sides To Every Story — National Geographic Channel, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark — Sho2, midnight

Never Forget

Finally Some Friday Megalinks

Let’s do some Friday megalinks. You’ve been owed some and I haven’t been able to do links for most of the week.

Of course, you have the Weekend Viewing Picks which provide plenty of college sports, soccer, baseball and the NBA and NHL postseason action.

Now let’s do your links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today explores Jason La Canfora’s decision to leave NFL Network and bolt to CBS.

Media Rantz looks into the potential departure of Michelle Beadle from ESPN to NBC.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch says E! will produce a special on New York Jets QB Tim Tebow.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report hears from a Fox Soccer executive on why the Fox Sports Media Group chose to air so many English Premier League games on the final day of the season.

Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk writes that despite reports to the contrary, it appears that the New York Jets won’t make another appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks this summer.

Eriq Gardner at the Hollywood Reporter says a group of fans have filed a class action lawsuit against MLB and its TV partners on the antiquated and silly blackout policy.

Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel says while the Minnesota Vikings will finally get their long-awaited stadium, one state legislator attempted to sneak a bill ending all local NFL blackouts. I think that was a great idea.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News/Broadcasting & Cable writes the long-anticipated Time Warner Cable Los Angeles Lakers-centric regional sports network will launch in October.

At Adweek, Anthony Crupi writes that Fox has sold out its ad inventory for the UEFA Champions League Final.

Thomas Pardee of Advertising Age says social media is changing the way we watch sports.

In the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says there are times when the N-word should to be published in full.

Eric Goldschein at SportsGrid says CBC Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean stretched his analogy too far in comparing the 9/11 First Responders to NHL players this week.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group looks at NBC/Golf Channel’s joint production of this week’s Players Championship.

Brandon Costa of SVG explores ESPN’s expanded multiplatform rights for NCAA Championships.

And SVG tells us about the Big East Conference’s in-house production of the league’s Baseball Tournament.

Kristi Dosh at ESPN.com looks into the dollars and cents of the major college sports TV rights contracts.

Patrick Rishe at Forbes says while the ACC signed a rich contract with ESPN, it still doesn’t compare to the Pac-12′s huge megadeal.

My Twitter Trophy Wife, Amanda Rykoff chronicles her day spent at the MLB Fan Cave for espnW.

Paulsen at Sports Media Watch crunches the numbers behind the ratings rise for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and the lower for the NBA Playoffs.

Joe Lucia of Awful Announcing also looks into the ratings for the NBA and NHL Postseasons.

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead notes the disturbing arrest of the PA Announcer for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth looks at some of the sports media stories that are irking him this week.

East and Mid-Atlantic

I haven’t been able to address the death of Carl Beane, the Red Sox public address announcer. Carl was a radio reporter in Western Massachusetts and also free-lanced for ESPN Radio, CBS Radio, Fox Sports Radio to report on various NFL and college games. He died this week when he suffered a heart attack and crashed his car. He was 59. It seemed everyone in New England had some connection to Beane. I’ll give you some of the stories that have been written about him this week.

David Scott at ESPN’s Front Row PR blog gets reaction from people at the network who knew him.

Gordon Edes at ESPN Boston says Beane felt he was born to be the Fenway Park public address announcer.

WEEI’s Mike Petraglia writes about his personal connection to Beane.

Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox paid tribute to Beane at last night’s game by not having anyone do the PA.

Amanda Bruno of the Springfield Republican writes that Beane was a role model and mentor to her.

To other stories now, heading back to the Globe, Chad Finn says the ACC got its huge deal and it will affect member school Boston College in many ways.

Chad says former Red Sox voice Jerry Trupiano is getting some familial help in trying to get the Houston Astros radio gig.

Desmond Connor of the Hartford Courant says the Big East’s interim commissioner is hopeful his conference can cash in on the recent big spending by ESPN and other networks.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir talks with the legendary Vin Scully.

Richard profiles the person behind a fake Walt Frazier Twitter account.

Jack Bell of the Times interviews Fox Sports President Eric Shanks about Sunday’s unprecedented English Premier League coverage.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Times rails over player unions defending their membership for the wrong reasons.

The Post’s Justin Terranova talks with NBC’s Pierre McGuire.

Justin has five questions for TNT’s Kenny Smith.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY says a former local sports reporter is returning to her roots with Time Warner Cable’s Southern California network.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union says technical difficulties plagued a local radio broadcast of the Yankees.

Pete says many of NBC/Golf Channel’s cameras will be focused squarely on one hole at the Players Championship this week.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record explores the new SNY deal to air UConn women’s basketball games.

At the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner asks if high school football is doomed.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call watched the train wreck of former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens appearing on Dr. Phil this week and being confronted by his multiple baby mommas.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post says MLB Network compared the swings of the late Mickey Mantle and the Nationals’ Bryce Harper.

South

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle says a new local sports radio morning host comes with some baggage from his old job.

David says Comcast and ESPN cut a deal this week for subscribers to watch the network online.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that Fox Sports Oklahoma will air specials next week on the state’s two major college football programs.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Reds TV and Radio ratings are up this season.

Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch explores the Cubs’ Kerry Wood blowing up at the local media this week.

Paul Christian at the Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin looks at NBC’s coverage of The Players Championship.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that a local sports anchor gets to talk news on the radio.

West

John Maffei of the North County Times says the local media plans to cover Junior Seau’s public memorial today.

Jim Carlisle at the Ventura County Star notes that outgoing flagship TV station KCAL gave another farewell to the Los Angeles Lakers this week.

Jim looks at the 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass which will get plenty of attention on NBC/Golf Channel at the Players Championship.

Jim provides his weekend viewing picks.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at Time Warner Cable’s new sports channels.

Tom tries to give Kings fans missing their local TV voices a silver lining.

Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News goes over the latest developments at the Pac-12 Networks.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says CBC’s Ron MacLean had to clarify his 9/11 remarks before Game 6 of the New York Rangers-Washington Capitals series.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has the announcing assignments for both CBC and TSN in the NHL Conference Final round.

And we are done. Enjoy your sports weekend.

The Tuesday Evening Linkage

Because I was a jobsite for most of the morning and into the early afternoon, I wasn’t able to supply links today. I’ll get to them now.

Austin Karp leads the Sports Business Daily team in looking at the overnight ratings for the Monday Night Football doubleheader on ESPN.

Eric Fisher of Sports Business Journal writes that ticket broker StubHub has signed ESPN’s Erin Andrews for an ad campaign to appeal to women.

Eric looks at HBO’s corporate parent Time Warner pulling out all of the stops to promote this Saturday’s Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz fight on pay per view.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand provides his take on some of the weekend TV ratings.

I wondered where Brian Lowry of FoxSports.com has been. He had not written a column since August, but returns this week to talk about the NFL’s TV partners handling of the 9/11 tributes on Sunday.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable writes that HBO will carve out a six hour block of programming on its HBO Zone channel leading up to this Saturday’s Mayweather-Ortiz fight.

Andrea Morabito of B&C says CBS saw a ratings jump for the U.S. Open Men’s Final in the late Monday afternoon timeslot.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek tells us that a shift of several sports events to cable hurt broadcast ad sales in the first half of this year.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life says the ratings proved that NFL fans don’t remember the lockout.

You’ve probably seen it by now, but here’s Ron Jaworski saying, “Shit” on Monday Night Football as provided by Timothy Burke from SportsGrid. And here’s the subsequent apology. For the most part, Jaws said it on cable. It’s no big deal, but it was still funny.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has excerpts of Chris Russo’s appearance on the Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM, discussing former ESPN’er Steve Phillips’ past problems.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says U.S. Open men’s champion Novak Djokovic’s sponsor has failed to properly promote its client while paying him a lot of money.

Darren says the 10th anniversary of 9/11 led to a boom in oversized U.S. flag rentals.

Ken Belson and Richard Sandomir of the New York Times delve into why MLB rejected the New York Mets’ plans to wear caps honoring the first responders for their game on 9/11/11.

Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday reports that a New York radio personality is defending his father who used an illegal taser during a fight with a Dallas Cowboys fan during the Jets game on Sunday night.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the Cowboys-Jets game set a Sunday Night Football viewing record for NBC.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks about the ratings for Monday Night Football and the U.S. Open.

From the DC Sports Bog at the Washington Post, Dan Steinberg says the local ratings for the New York Giants-DC NFL Team were very good.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says he’s not surprised over the record ratings for Sunday Night Football.

Barry Jackson in the Miami Herald isn’t a fan of former CNN anchorman Rick Sanchez in the Florida International football radio booth.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle has a look at the local college football TV ratings.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman lists the local weekend sports TV ratings.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the Bengals scored on local TV.

John says Fox Sports Ohio airs a documentary on Pete Rose’s hit record.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez did well in the Entourage series finale on Sunday.

Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Rams’ ratings for their season opener were down from a year ago.

The Los Angeles Times reports that former ESPN’er and ex-Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay “The Rat” Mariotti pleaded no contest to charges stemming from an assault and stalking case involving his former girlfriend.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Universal Sports is testing how much you want the Olympic sports channel on your cable system.

TSN host Michael Landsberg feels guilty he didn’t see the signs for Wade Belak’s suicide.

Puck The Media’s Steve Lepore talks with Hall of Fame hockey voice Mike Emrick in a two part interview. Part one is here. Part two is here.

Ryan Yoder of Awful Announcing wonders if ESPN is heading towards premium cable channel land.

And that is it for the linkage.

Let’s Do Some Monday Links

Time for some links. I expect press releases galore today announcing NFL ratings news so before they come fast and furious, I’ll do some linkage.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says the NFL and its TV partners handled their 9/11 tributes yesterday as best as they could.

Scott Woolley at Forbes.com writes that cable operators are ready to fight ESPN over its huge rights deal for Monday Night Football.

David Lieberman of Deadline says the battle lines are drawn between cable operators and ESPN.

In the Hollywood Reporter, Lindsay Powers reports that the NFL saw its best season opening primetime ratings in 15 years.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable notes that NBC’s Universal Sports is going to be a cable-only channel starting in 2012. Universal is on several NBC owned-and-operated local digital channels and will be removed starting in January.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says Universal Sports has begun an ad campaign asking cable and satellite distributors to pick it up in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Anthony Crupi at Adweek asks if the flashy Maryland football uniforms were a nightmare or a brilliant marketing scheme for athletic apparel manufacturer, Under Armour.

Anthony says Dunkin’ Donuts will be sponsoring ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown this season.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine writes that the NFL regular season opener last Thursday really scored for NBC.

Kat Stoeffel of the New York Observer notes that former Boston Globe curmudgeon Charlie Pierce is joining Bill Simmons’ Grantland. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch points out that it comes after Pierce lambasted Simmons last December.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the video of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart being a dick to Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer.

Deadspin has video of Fox Sports’ Chris Myers ordering a stiff drink on the air.

TMZ says former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Josh Elliot could replace Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos.

ESPN’s Front Row PR blog profiles the man who literally drives the bus for Monday Night Football.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post believes everything in the world is bad.

Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Temple-Penn State game will be on ESPN this Saturday.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun has fun with the CBS NFL Today analysts picking Pittsburgh before yestserday’s game with the Ravens.

Leigh Pressley of the Charlotte Observer says a local man will be seen on Golf Channel’s Big Break reality show this month.

Paul Woody of the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch profiles ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Jamie Little.

Paul also talks with ESPN’s NASCAR pit studio stage manager who is from Virginia.

Gary Smits of the Florida Times-Union says ESPN College GameDay comes back to Tallahassee this Saturday after a 10 year absence.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times reviews the weekend in sports television and radio.

Mike Baldwin of the Daily Oklahoman writes that Oklahoma University is in a mini-slump when College GameDay goes to one of its games.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business is amazed at the local TV ratings for the Bears season opener.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will be seen on Golf Channel this week as part of an NFL-themed program.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post talks with ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer who will be working tonight’s Oakland-Broncos game.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has your sports calendar for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that one local talk show host was on the warpath last week.

Susan Krashinsky of the Globe and Mail explores the potential new partnership between Canadian TV rivals CTV and CBC for the 2014/16 Olympics.

Jamie Sturgeon of the National Post writes about Rogers’ decision to pull out of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Consortium.

Dusan Belic of IntoMobile says the NFL has launched a new Android tablet app.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing explains why ESPN’s GamePlan college football pay per view package has been rendered obsolete and worthless by ESPN.

Matt Clapp at AA has the stirring video of America’s Unofficial Anthem Singer, Jim Cornelison, helping to kick off the NFL season before yesterday’s Atlanta Falcons-Chicago Bears game.

Joe Favorito says even in its worst times, hockey finds a way to heal the sport and its players.

Dug out as many links as I could today. That’s it for now. More press release posts as they come in.

Some Sunday Linkage

I wasn’t able to link yesterday due to some personal commitments. I’ll be doing some today.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today says ESPN yanked teams with anti-Semitic names from its fantasy football leagues.

Daniel Riley of GQ speaks with the best baseball announcer of all-time, Vin Scully about his greatest calls.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable notes that the American Cable Association is blasting ESPN for its huge rights contract for Monday Night Football.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that NBC and Universal Sports have begun to air coverage of the Rugby World Cup.

Mike writes that YES Network is coming in to air Fox NFL Sunday for Fox in New York for one week only.

Eric Deggans from the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that fans will be footing the bill for the NFL’s recent megadeal with ESPN.

Brandon Costa at Sports Video Group says NFL Films will have a nationwide tribute to 9/11 before all games today.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid notes that TNT’s Charles Barkley wasn’t quite himself doing an interview on ESPN yesterday.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid has the audio of Yankees broadcaster John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman using a cell phone to broadcast a game last week.

Former CNN correspondent Kelly Wallace, now of iVillage, speaks with NBC Sunday Night Football sideline reporter Michele Tafoya about balancing motherhood with her job.

Rob Neyer at SBNation wonders if MASN handled Orioles analyst Mike Flanagan’s death properly.

Ian R. Rapoport of the Boston Herald has a look at the NFL Films documentary on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with some of New York’s sports figures who remember 9/11.

Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reports that some cable providers are unhappy over ESPN’s megadeal for Monday Night Football and may fight back.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says the local CBS affiliate will be throwing Monday’s U.S. Open men’s final to another station.

John Brennan of the Bergen (NJ) Record writes that several NHL promos for the league’s TV partners are being shot in Newark, NJ.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says a rainout prevented a local minor league baseball announcer from making a signature call.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with NBC/Versus’ programming chief about its new lineup.

Mike Madden of the Washington City Paper says DC NFL team Daniel Snyder has dropped his SLAPP lawsuit against the publication. If you’re wondering what a SLAPP lawsuit is, go here.

Lauren Bailey of the Charlotte Observer profiles an Emmy-award producer who has helped to shape the way ESPN does its features.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times has your NFL Viewing Guide for this season.

Norm Sanders of the Belleville (IL) News-Democrat remembers a local man who worked behind the scenes for both CBS and Fox Sports.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the NFL Films documentary on Patriots coach Bill Belichick lifts the curtain on some of his mysterious persona.

Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals’ ratings are down compared to last year.

Dr. Michael Chung writes in the Kansas City Star that based on its TV ratings, baseball might be in trouble.

Jason Franchuk of the Provo (UT) Daily Herald compares how the Longhorn Network shapes up against BYUtv.

Marcus Vanderberg of Fishbowl LA says Kings on-air personality Heidi Androl won’t be returning to her duties with Fox Sports West this season.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that CTV and CBC will team up for the Canada’s Olympic Broadcasting Consortium’s bid for the 2014/16 Games. Rather shocking. That would be like NBC and CBS teaming up for a joint Olympic bid here.

And the CSM writes that former Hockey Night in Canada insider Scott Morrison has joined his on-air partner Jeff Marek at Rogers Sportsnet. In fact, Morrison now becomes Marek’s boss.

Sports Media Watch looks at the ratings for the NFL regular season opener on NBC.

SMW says ESPN’s college football Labor Day game did not do well in the ratings.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says the New Jersey Devils have chosen the man to replace Mike Emrick as lead play-by-play voice.

And that is going to be it. The Sunday NFL pregame quotage is in so I’ll be posting that in the next hour.

We Shall Not Forget

Let’s Do Some Linkage, Shall We?

I was in between offices yesterday and could not do the links as I had wanted. Let’s provide some now while I can.

Nate Davis at USA Today writes about ESPN extending the rights to air Monday Night Football and keep the series on cable through 2021.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that tonight’s Presidential jobs speech has forced the networks to change their schedules including NBC regarding tonight’s NFL season opener.

Marisa Guthrie of the Reporter talks about ESPN’s new MNF deal.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says ESPN is in position to air an NFL Wild Card Playoff game sometime in the future.

Adweek’s Anthony Crupi notes ESPN’s eight year NFL extension includes a whole host of digital rights.

Lucia Moses of Adweek says Sports Illustrated is tapping into younger readers’ appetites by going high-tech.

All Access notes that Boston’s sports radio WEEI announced an FM simulcast today.

Also from All Access, Fox Sports Radio nighttime host Tony Bruno is leaving to take a midday hosting job in Philadelphia.

It’s rare that I get a sports media story from Women’s Wear Daily, but I have one today. John Koblin of WWD talks with ESPN tennis courtside reporter Pam Shriver.

Hey, we link to Grantland! Jonah Keri writes that the Texas Rangers are positioning themselves to be an MLB power for the long-term thanks to its mega rights deal with Fox Sports Southwest.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid says The Onion’s online parody of ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption is everything its TV sports shows were not.

Timothy Burke at SportsGrid examines the new ESPN/Monday Night Football deal and what it really means.

Congrats to former Yardbarker Managing Editor Alana G. who has left the company and becomes Executive Producer for the San Francisco Chronicle’s website.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group writes that ESPN’s “SpiderCam”, the overhead camera providing spectacular shots at the U.S. Open has been added to the tournament’s world TV feed.

Karen Hogan of SVG notes that NBC is pulling out all of the technical stops for Sunday Night Football this season.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that an injured Peyton Manning could cost fantasy players some money.

Darren says the University of Michigan has inserted an audio chip for this week’s game program for the Notre Dame contest.

Jorge Rivas at Colorlines says FoxSports.com has pulled the web series that made fun of Asian USC students not knowing football and also mocking their accents.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reviews the NFL Films documentary focusing on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says WEEI is ramping up for the next phase of its sports radio war with 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Ian Rapoport of the Herald has some interesting tidbits from the NFL Films Bill Belichick doc.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks inside the ESPN MNF deal.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the particulars of the ESPN Monday Night Football contract extension.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union reports on the Fox Sports Radio show that will replace Tony Bruno.

Pete notes that MSG Network will be New York Giants-heavy this fall.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner interviews Russ Thaler who goes from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic to Versus as the host of NBC SportsTalk.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle writes about the local college football ratings.

Bob Finnan of the News-Herald (OH) talks with Cleveland Browns radio voice and sports anchor Jim Donovan about returning to work after taking the summer off for a bone marrow transplant.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has CBS’ Phil Simms and Dan Dierdorf extolling the virtues of having a running game in the NFL.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business writes about Bears games being broadcast on FM for the first time this season.

Ed says the Chicago Tribune is bolstering the Bears beat.

Scott Dochterman at the Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette says those who want to watch this Saturday’s Iowa-Iowa State game will have to do a little searching.

Robin Carlin at Mile High Sports says yesterday’s plane crash in Russia that killed all but two on board was truly a dark day for hockey.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily Herald likes the 9/11 commemorative football jerseys.

The Canadian Sports Media blog notes that Rogers is pulling out of the Canadian Olympics Broadcasting Consortium for the 2014/16 Games.

Joe Favorito says the BCS conferences might want to consider picking up one of the Service Academies.

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

ESPN’s Plans For Commemorating 9/11

Most TV networks are planning programming around the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and ESPN is no exception. Each outlet is hoping not be exploitative while being understated at the same time. On Sunday, ESPN plans to take part in the National Moment of Silence at 8:46 a.m., the precise minute the first plane struck the World Trade Center in New York. Then ESPN’s platforms will have various features and reports throughout the day including pregame ceremonies at Citi Field in New York on Baseball Tonight prior to the Chicago Cubs-New York Mets contest.

Let’s take a look at ESPN’s plans for Sunday.

ESPN’s Plans for Commemorating September 11

“ESPN’s coverage surrounding the 10^th anniversary of September 11 will balance our desire to reflect on the tragic events through a sports prism. Through our news outlets and event coverage, we will do our very best to thoughtfully tell relevant stories with a sports perspective, document how the sports world commemorates this emotional day, and provide the appropriate reaction.” – John Skipper, Executive Vice President, Content

ESPN will commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks with a combination of features, essays, tributes and live event coverage throughout the day.

Below is a sampling of ESPN’s 9/11-related content plans:

• ESPN will observe the national moment of silence Sunday at 8:46 a.m. ET.
• SportsCenter and Outside the Lines will feature a roundtable discussion with three of New York’s professional coaches on the day of the attacks: Joe Torre and ESPN’s Herm Edwards and Bobby Valentine.
• ESPN The Magazine’s September 19 issue (on sale: September 9) will look at What We Forgot; What We Remember; and How We’ve Changed through stories told by, among others, Tom Friend, Steve Wulf, Seth Wickersham, Luke Cyphers and Peter Keating.
• Sunday NFL Countdown will share the story of survivor, Tim Coughlin, son of New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, who was working as a bond trader on the 60th floor of the South Tower when the planes hit the Twin Towers.
• Baseball Tonight will include coverage of pregame ceremonies emanating from Citi Field during the 7 p.m. show leading into Sunday Night Baseball’s telecast of the Chicago Cubs at the New York Mets (8 p.m.).
• ESPN.com will augment several pieces from ESPN The Magazine with interactive components, and will post original content including a piece by Pulitzer Prize-nominated columnist Tommy Tomlinson that contemplates the notion of sports and tragedy, and whether sports can heal us.
• ESPNNewYork.com will offer a full week of content leading up to 9/11 with writing from Buster Olney, Ian O’Connor and Kieran Darcy.
• ESPN Audio’s September 9 The Sporting Life will feature 9/11 stories including Jeremy Schaap’s interview with the widow of a former Cornell lacrosse player who died in the 9/11 attacks.
• ESPN’s September 10 NASCAR coverage from Richmond will include an ESPN produced piece “I Remember” with reflections and memories from the sport’s stars.
• espnW.com will profile the Pat Tillman Foundation, and its scholarship program, which awards college athletes funding in the name of the former NFL player, who enlisted in the Army after 9/11.

I will be listing 9/11 programming in the Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks under “9/11″ as you certainly cannot list it as “Entertainment”.

NFL Announces Plans For 9/11 Remembrances and Tributes

The first Sunday of the the NFL regular season is also the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. On 9/11/2011, the NFL plans to commemorate the day with special pregame tributes in locations that were near the attacks. In Pittsburgh before the Baltimore Ravens-Steelers game and all of the 1 p.m. Eastern games, “Taps” will be played at the Shanksville, PA site where United Airlines 93 was taken down by passengers fighting the terrorists who hijacked their plane.

Before the 4:15 games on Fox which include the New York Giants-DC NFL Team contest, “Taps” will be played at Arlington National Cemetary near where American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon.

And before the Sunday Night Football game between Dallas and the New York Jets, “Taps” will be played in Hoboken, NJ across the Hudson River where two planes flew into the World Trade Center.

All players, coaches and sideline personnel will wear a special 9/11 patch or pin on their apparel during the game.

Here are the details of the NFL’s plans.

NFL ANNOUNCES SEPTEMBER 11^th PLANS TO REMEMBER AND SALUTE RESILIENT SPIRIT OF AMERICA

The NFL, its players and fans will take time to remember the courage and resilience that followed the events of September 11, 2001 with special tributes in stadium, on field and on television during all games on Sunday, September 11.

The first Sunday of the NFL regular season falls on the 10^th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

The games and broadcasts on that opening Sunday will unite fans to recognize those who lost their lives, honor the families who lost loved ones, and salute the American spirit, the early responders on 9/11, and other heroes that contributed to the nation’s recovery.

The schedule of games for that day was designed to appropriately commemorate 9/11 on a national level and what it represents to Americans.

• Eight games will kick off at 1:00 PM ET, including the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are based approximately 80 miles from Shanksville, PA (CBS).
• The 4:15 PM ET window of four games includes FOX’s telecast of Washington hosting the New York Giants.
• To conclude the day, the Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Jets on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The NFL will unite fans on that day by synching the pregame salutes during the Sunday afternoon CBS and FOX telecasts, followed by a special Sunday night presentation from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on NBC.  The special pregame events that will be televised nationally also will be shown on videoboards in each of the stadiums hosting games that day.

All games in each of the broadcast windows (1:00 PM, 4:15 PM and Sunday Night Football) will feature a special video introduction followed by performances of “Taps” from near the sites of the attacks, and moments of silence. For the 1:00 PM games, “Taps” will be performed in Shanksville, PA while the 4:15 PM games will feature a rendition from Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. The Sunday night game will include a performance from Hoboken, NJ, looking across the Hudson River to Ground Zero. Coaches, players and local first responders and other heroes will come together to hold field-length American flags for the playing of the National Anthem prior to each game.

The nationally televised Cowboys-Jets game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ will feature additional special pregame and halftime presentations.

Players, coaches and sideline personnel will wear a special NFL 9/11 ribbon as a patch or pin on their uniforms and sideline apparel.  All stadiums hosting games on September 11 will feature the ribbon logo on the field.

It was announced on Tuesday that the National Football League and the NFL Players Association that it will contribute $1 million to three memorials and two charities related to the events of September 11, 2001.

The NFL and NFLPA will contribute $500,000 to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial in Lower Manhattan, and $250,000 to be divided between the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C.

In addition, the NFL and NFLPA will donate all proceeds from the sale of auction items from games played on Sunday, September 11.  These items, which fans can bid on at www.NFL.com/Auction, will include game-worn autographed player jerseys, coaches and player hats, and commemorative game coins used during those games.

NFL Auction proceeds will be divided equally between Tuesday’s Children and MyGoodDeed.  Tuesday’s Children is a leading organization providing support and services to those who lost a loved one on 9/11, as well as to rescue and recovery workers who responded to the events.  As the principle organizer of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, MyGoodDeed is providing a positive, forward-looking way for Americans to honor and remember 9/11 victims, survivors, and first-responders.

NFL Auction proceeds from 9/11/11 are expected to total at least $250,000.  Including the $750,000 in charitable donations to the national 9/11 memorials, total NFL-NFLPA donations will reach $1 million.

This marks the second time September 11 has fallen on the first Sunday of the NFL season since 2001. The fourth anniversary of September 11 in 2005 also was on a Sunday.

2001 TIMELINE

9/9 – 9/10	Week 1 of regular season. President George W. Bush participates in pregame coin toss ceremony from the White House Rose Garden prior to the 10, 1:00 PM ET Sunday games
9/11	Terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and Western Pennsylvania
9/13	NFL postpones Week 2 games
9/18	NFL announces that Week 2 games will be played on weekend of Jan. 5-7, 2002 to retain a 16-game regular-season schedule
9/20	NFL & NFLPA announces establishment of $10 million Disaster Relief Fund
9/23	NFL games resume
10/3	NFL announces that Super Bowl XXXVI would be rescheduled from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3, 2002 to retain full playoff format for the ’01 season.
10/22	NFL announces that the Pro Bowl will be moved back one week to Feb. 9, 2002
11/26	President Bush designates Super Bowl XXXVI as a “National Special Security Event,” allowing all security for the game to be coordinated by the Secret Service
2/3/02	Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans. New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl by defeating the St. Louis Rams 20-17. First time in Super Bowl history that the winning points came on the final play, a 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Pregame performances by Boston Pops, Paul McCartney, Marc Anthony, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey (National Anthem). Halftime show by U2.

That’s all.

National Geographic Presents Interview with Former President GW Bush on 9/11

Later this month, National Geographic Channel will present a week of programming dedicated to the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. To anchor the programming, NatGeo will present a one-hour special featuring former President George W. Bush giving his recollections from the day that changed the United States forever.

Bush XVI will provide a first-person account of when he was first informed of the attacks on the World Trade Center and then learning of the attack on the Pentagon. Plus, he shares his thoughts on the killing of Osama bin Laden, an event that took the day before the NatGeo interview took place. We have a press release and a video for you.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WORLD TELEVISION EXCLUSIVE

FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH MARKS 10^TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 WITH HIS MOST IN-DEPTH AND INTIMATE INTERVIEWON HIS EXPERIENCES THAT FATEFUL DAY

GEORGE W. BUSH: THE 9/11 INTERVIEW

Premieres Sunday, August 28, at 10 PM ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel; Anchors Week of Programming Remembering 9/11

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)  As the nation prepares to mark the 10^th anniversary of the day that changed America and the world as we know it, the National Geographic Channel presents GEORGE W. BUSH: THE 9/11 INTERVIEW. 

The world premiere documentary, airing Sunday, August 28, 2011, at 10 PM ET/PT, reveals exclusive, first-person insight into the man at the epicenter of our government’s decisions in the face of the deadliest terrorist attack launched on American soil.  Taped over the course of a two-day interview, President George W. Bush opens up with candid details and personal experiences on the grueling hours and pressure-packed days following the attacks.  George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview also opens a new window into his personal account, with never-before-released archival footage and exclusive materials directly from the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

After its U.S. premiere August 28, the film will premiere globally on National Geographic Channels worldwide in early September, reaching a total of 370 million homes, 188 countries and 37 languages.Until now, the former president has never discussed on camera what he was thinking and feeling, and what drove his real-time, life-or-death decisions in the first minutes, hours and days after the attacks.  In the most in-depth televised interview he has ever given on the subject, he provides intimate detail on what he grappled with as both commander in chief charged with protecting his fellow citizens, and as a family man concerned for his loved ones.

Through the two-day interview, President George W. Bush tells his first-person story, starting with his morning jog before a school visit where he first learned the nation was under attack.  We hear what facts he weighed when Andrew Card first whispered in his ear; the impact of his situation in a classroom full of children and the press corps; his first efforts to communicate with the nation at large; the concerns of the Secret Service for his safety on Air Force One; the flow of information from the military, intelligence agencies and news outlets; and his historic trip to Ground Zero in New York in the aftermath of this unprecedented moment.

“From the air it looked like … a giant scar.  But when I actually got to the site, it was like walking into hell,” President Bush said of his Sept. 14 visit to Ground Zero.

President Bush also shared the personal concerns that many Americans had that day — for his parents, his children, his wife.  Hear in intimate detail as never before what the president was feeling, not only as the president but as a man worried for his family.  “One of my concerns, like the concerns of other husbands and wives, was, ‘Was my spouse okay? Was Laura okay?’ And my second concern was ‘Were our girls okay?’”

Coincidentally, the day before NGC’s two-day interview with President Bush, the announcement that the United States had killed Osama bin Laden was made by President Obama. Bush gave his real-time reaction to those fresh events on camera: “And President Obama called me [and] told me that Osama bin Laden had been killed. And my response was, I congratulated him, and the special operators that conducted a very dangerous mission.… And so I was grateful. I didn’t feel any great sense of happiness or jubilation. I felt a sense of closure. And I felt a sense of gratitude that justice had been done.”

The in-depth interview and candid observations by the former president illuminate his personal journey through one of the most unforgettable moments in modern American history. “There were no politics, no agenda as he recalled what happened that day,” explains Peter Schnall, executive producer and director, who conducted the two-day interview. “What you hear is the personal story of a man who also happened to be our president. Listening to him describe how he grappled with a sense of anger and frustration coupled with his personal mandate to lead our country through this devastating attack was incredibly powerful.”

“Eventually, September the 11^th will be a day on the calendar; it’ll be like Pearl Harbor Day,” President Bush concludes. “For those of us who lived through it, it’ll be a day that we’ll never forget.”

In the U.S., the film begins Remembering 9/11, a week of programming that includes the premieres of Inside 9/11: The War Continues (also premiering Sunday, August 28), a new chapter in NGC’s critically acclaimed, definitive four-part documentary on the attacks; CIA Confidential: 9/11 Mastermind (August 29), chronicling the CIA’s dramatic story of the quest to capture Khalid Sheik Mohammed; and 9/11: Where Were You (August 30), offering fresh stories of life-and-death decisions people made amid the chaos on the ground in New York City and Washington, D.C., the day of the attacks.

George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview is produced by Partisan Pictures for National Geographic Channels worldwide. For Partisan Pictures, director/producer is Peter Schnall; producer/writer is Don Campbell; editor is Connie Rinehart; coordinating producer is Whitney Johnson; associate producer is Kyle Giddens. For National Geographic Channels, executive producer is Allan Butler. Senior vice president of programming and production is Michael Cascio.

And we have this video preview of the program.

George W. Bush: The 9/11 interview airs Sunday, August 28 at 10 p.m. East/West on the National Geographic Channel.

Never Forget 9/11/2001

From the Boston Globe, here’s a remembrance of 9/11 done last year. Pictures tell a thousand words. Images in this post are very powerful. Thanks to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch for the link.

Never forget 9/11 and the thousands of people who perished. Let their memories not go in vain.