Fang's Bites

CBS Sports Network Becomes The Home of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference

Starting with the 2013-14 season, the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference will begin play and it will also have a new TV contract in tow. CBS Sports Network has announced that it will air at least 18 conference games including the semifinals and finals. The NCHC will start play with teams from the CCHA and the WCHA conferences.

Due to the Big Ten starting a hockey conference, the teams left from the WCHA and CCHA decided to form a new league that would begin play at the same time of the new Big Ten hockey conference.

And to help out, CBS Sports Network announced Tuesday that it would carry the league’s games. We have the press release.

CBS SPORTS NETWORK SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH NATIONAL COLLEGIATE HOCKEY CONFERENCE

Network to be Exclusive National Television Partner for New Hockey Conference Featuring Eight of the Nation’s Top College Hockey Teams

CBS Sports Network has agreed to a multi-year agreement with the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, beginning in the 2013-2014 season. CBS Sports Network will be the exclusive national television partner for the conference, which will feature eight of the nation’s top college hockey programs. The announcement was made today by Dan Weinberg, Senior Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports Network, and Jim Scherr, Commissioner of the National.

The agreement calls for a minimum of 18 conference games, including the National’s semifinal and championship contests. Currently six teams that will be in the new conference are ranked in the USCHO.com Top 20 poll.

“With top teams and passionate fan bases, the National is poised to be an elite college hockey conference, and we’re thrilled to be the national television partner,” said Weinberg.  “College hockey has been a staple of our programming and we’re pleased to expand our coverage and further serve fans with compelling and competitive conference action.”

“We are delighted to be associated with the preeminent national broadcaster of college hockey,” said Scherr.  “It is our goal to be the premier single-sport conference in intercollegiate athletics and the unmatched exposure and production quality that will be provided by CBS Sports Network will contribute significantly to realizing that vision.”

Currently, CBS Sports Network’s comprehensive college hockey coverage includes action from Hockey East, ECAC, CCHA, WCHA and Atlantic Hockey.

That will do it. We’ll shut the site down for the night.

The NBA on TNT Has Another Thursday Nght Doubleheader

This week on TNT, the NBA’s Network of Record will have another two games.

The early game will involve the Chicago Bulls taking on the New York Knicks while the late contest will have the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Denver Nuggets.

Action begins at 8 p.m. and it concludes with Inside the NBA at 1 a.m. or as close as they can get.

Before the games, TNT will have the announcement of the All-Star Game rosters at 7 p.m. ET.

Here’s the Turner Sports press release.

The NBA on TNT Returns on Thursday with Exclusive Announcement of the 2012 NBA All-Star Starters at 7 p.m. (ET)

Exclusive doubleheader follows featuring the Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks (8 p.m. ET) and the Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)

TNT will have the exclusive announcement of the 2012 NBA All-Star Starters on February 2 during a special one hour edition of NBA Tip-Off beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst) will make the announcement. TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 All-Star Game from Orlando, FL will air on Sun., February 26 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

Following the pre-game show, TNT will present an exclusive doubleheader featuring Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls visiting Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. (ET). Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) will call the game alongside Reggie Miller (analyst) with Craig Sager reporting. In the second game of the night, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers will host Danilo Gallinari and the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. (ET). Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) will be courtside with David Aldridge reporting. TNT’s Emmy® Award-winning studio show, Inside the NBA will air following the conclusion of the second game with Johnson (host), Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Webber (analysts) recapping the night’s action.

Through 15 games of TNT’s 2011-12 NBA regular-season schedule, the network continues to deliver double-digit gains vs. last year’s corresponding coverage. The NBA on TNT is averaging a 1.9 U.S. rating (+46%), 2,930,000 total viewers (+50%) and 2,162,000 households (+46%) over last year’s corresponding coverage.

Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news updates and special features from TNT announcers.

NBA ON TNT NBA SCHEDULE:

DAY/DATE
TIME (ET)	EVENT
7 p.m.	TNT NBA Tip-Off
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
8 p.m.	Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks
	Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
10:30 p.m.	Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Clippers
	Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) with David Aldridge (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)

NBA ON TNT UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Thursday, February 9
7 p.m.	TNT NBA Tip-Off
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
8 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics
	Marv Albert (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and Steve Kerr (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
10:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder @ Sacramento Kings
	Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst) with Cheryl Miller (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

 Source: Nielsen Media Research. Based on Live+SD. NBA Regular Season on TNT STD; 15 games vs. 12 games. (12/25/2011-1/26/2012) vs. (12/30/2010-1/27/2011)

That will do it.

UFC Scores in Younger Male Demographics For Fox

UFC on Fox’s official debut last Saturday scored lower than its November special premiere, but when you look inside the numbers, Fox is happy with the ratings in the 18-34 and 18-49 categories. For advertisers, that’s what they want to hear.

The final rating for the mixed martial arts tripleheader was a 2.6 with a 5 share. The broadcast garnered 4.7 million viewers for the night.

In addition, Fox beat the other broadcast networks in the 18-34 and 18-49 demographics. Fox stresses that the audience grew with each passing fight which again is encouraging for the network.

Let’s take a look at the Fox press release and the numbers for the entire card.

UFC ON FOX DOMINATES PRIMETIME IN KEY DEMOS

Saturday night’s UFC on FOX event from the United Center in Chicago posted a 2.6/5 national rating/share, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research today. As expected, FOX dominated the night on the important younger demographics. FOX’s 2.4 among Adults 18-49 nearly beat the combined ratings of ABC, CBS, and NBC (2.5 combined) and FOX’s 2.5 among Adults 18-34 easily beat those three network competitors combined (1.4). The three-bout broadcast on FOX averaged 4.7 million viewers from 8:00 PM – 10:19 PM ET.

The two-hour event, the first official network broadcast of FOX’s partnership with UFC, is off slightly (-16%) from the UFC on FOX premiere in November (3.1/5), which was only one hour and featured a highly-anticipated heavyweight championship fight. When comparing similar time periods for the two events, FOX posted a 3.0/5 from 9:00 – 10:15 PM ET, off only a tenth from the November UFC fight.

In several meaningful demographics, the last hour of Saturday’s broadcast rated higher than November’s UFC premiere on FOX with Men 25-49 up +3%, Men 25-54 up +3%, Men 35-54 up +4%.

As anticipation to the night’s main event grew so did the ratings and viewership. The night’s first match between Demian Maia and Chris Weidman scored a 2.2/4 rating/share. The next fight between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping grew to a 2.7/5. Fans tuned in to see former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans take on undefeated former national champion wrestler Phil Davis with that bout posting a 3.4/6. More than 6 million viewers watched the five-round bout where Evans defeated Davis by unanimous decision.

The top five metered markets for Saturday’s UFC on FOX event are: Las Vegas – 4.1/8; Louisville – 4.1/7; Indianapolis – 3.9/7; Greenville – 3.9/6; Tulsa – 3.9/6; and Knoxville – 3.9/6.

And there will be another press release coming up.

“Costas Tonight” Premieres With A Town Hall Meeting Live From the Super Bowl

One of Bob Costas’ favorite formats, the Town Hall meeting, returns with his new show on NBC Sports Network, aptly titled “Costas Tonight.” The show premieres Thursday night at 8 as Costas will have a plethora of NFL guests including Commish Roger Goodell, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, the NBC Sunday Night Football crew, plus current coaches and players. All will talk about the State of the NFL, what’s good and what’s bad.

The show will take place live from the Indiana Repertory Theater in downtown Indianapolis. We have the particulars of the show as described by NBC Sports Network.

“COSTAS TONIGHT: LIVE FROM THE SUPER BOWL” PREMIERES THURSDAY 8-10 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

Bob Costas Hosts Live Town Hall from Downtown Indianapolis Focusing on State of NFL and Previewing Super Bowl XLVI
Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, Philip Rivers, John Harbaugh and NBC Sports’ Super Bowl XLVI Broadcast Team Scheduled to Appear

INDIANAPOLIS – January 31, 2012 – NBC Sports Group presents the premier edition of 22-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Bob Costas’ live town hall series, Costas Tonight: Live From the Super Bowl, Thursday, 8-10 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network. The two-hour live program features some of the NFL’s biggest newsmakers and stars while taking a comprehensive look at the NFL from the Super Bowl host city just three nights before the big game.

Costas Tonight: Live from the Super Bowl will take place in front of a live studio audience from the Indiana Repertory Theater on, and will include a one-on-one interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Joined in a town hall setting by some of the biggest names in the sport, Costas will explore all of the headlines and critical issues facing the game, from the evolution of the NFL head coach to the all-important topic of safety on the field.

SCHEDULED TO APPEAR:
Roger Goodell – NFL Commissioner
Jerry Jones – Owner, Dallas Cowboys
Robert Kraft – Owner, New England Patriots
John Harbaugh – Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens
Tony Gonzalez – TE, Atlanta Falcons
Dwight Freeney – DE, Indianapolis Colts
Philip Rivers – QB, San Diego Chargers
Larry Fitzgerald – WR, Arizona Cardinals
Jeff Saturday – C, Indianapolis Colts

In addition, NBC Sports’ Super Bowl Commentators:
Al Michaels
Cris Collinsworth
Tony Dungy
Rodney Harrison

SEGMENTS INCLUDE:

• Costas one-on-one with Commissioner Roger Goodell;
• State of the Game – panelists will discuss important issues in today’s NFL including: player safety, performance-enhancing drugs, end zone celebrations and ticket prices;
• Coaches Panel – A look at the state of coaching in the NFL, past and present;
• Panel with NBC’s Super Bowl XLVI broadcasters looking ahead to the big game.

Additionally, there will be a “Hot Zone” in the audience of the Indiana Repertory Theater for Costas and the panelists to interact with past and present NFL players, journalists and NFL insiders Peter King of Football Night in America and Sports Illustrated and Mike Florio of Football Night and ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com.

We’ll break our Super Bowl theme with a few press releases from other networks. Time to give them equal time.

Highlights of NBC Sports Super Bowl Conference Call

On Tuesday, NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football crew, both on-camera and off discussed their thoughts on the upcoming game between the New England Patriots and New York Football Giants. Included in the conference call were NBC Sports Group Fearless Leader Mark Lazarus, producer Fred Gaudelli, host Bob Costas, play-by-play man Al Michaels, analyst Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.

All discussed what they expect in the game and what elements we’ll see on Sunday. The highlights of the conference call are posted below. Check it all out.

SUPER BOWL XLVI PREVIEW WITH NBC SPORTS’ COSTAS, MICHAELS, COLLINSWORTH, LAZARUS AND GAUDELLI

“This is the Super Bowl. There is no event like it.” – Michaels
“I think the thing that I’m most excited about with this one is it’s a game with history.” – Collinsworth
“I never like to rank guys one through five or whatever, but no matter what happens on Sunday, you’re having a conversation about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And Tom is very much in that conversation.” – Michaels on Tom Brady

INDIANAPOLIS – January 31, 2012 – NBC Sports conducted a media conference call today with Bob Costas (host), Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) along with Mark Lazarus (Chairman, NBC Sports Group) and Fred Gaudelli (game producer) to preview its Super Bowl XLVI coverage. Highlights follow:

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Super Bowl begins at Noon ET, Sunday, Feb. 5. Details of NBC Sports’ pre-game programming will be announced later this week.

MICHAELS: “I always think about the old Marv Levy line, ‘Where would you rather be than right here, right now?’ If you’re in this business, that is totally applicable, because this is it. This is the Super Bowl. There is no event like it.”

COLLINSWORTH: “I always sort of equate it to a party. If you’ve got a dinner party for six people that you know really well, the conversation’s going to take on a certain tone. If you have a hundred people that you don’t know all that well, the conversation is going to take on a little bit of a different tone. We’ll try to be as engrossing as we can. We want everybody to have a great time with this one. Let’s face it, there are probably going to be 80 million perspective clients of ours that we’d like to invite to our Sunday Night party come next year. So we’re going to try to make everybody have a great time. Probably a few more stories told early on just to set the cast of characters in this one, and certainly the pregame show will help us do that, too.

“The thing that I’m most excited about with this one is it’s a game with history. You go back to 2007 and what happened in that Super Bowl, which was arguably the most exciting moment that I have ever been a part of watching a game. Like everybody else that week, I picked the Patriots to win. Of course, I was getting heckled a lot during the course of the game as they were making their comeback.”

TAFOYA: “It’s so much fun to cover. We have two Super Bowl MVPs in this game in Eli and Tom. The coaches, it goes without saying, the reputations of these teams and what they bring in terms of excitement. This is my second Super Bowl. I’m utterly thrilled to be here.”

COSTAS ON NBC SPORTS’ PRE-GAME COVERAGE: “The balance of what (executive producer) Sam Flood and his production team have put together is of interest to both avid football fans and to the casual viewers who fill out the audience and make it the biggest single audience in all of American television.”

MICHAELS ON ELI MANNING AND TOM BRADY: “The match-up is tremendous. If you’re going to put a couple of guy’s names up in lights on the marquee, it’s going to be Eli and Tom Brady. It’s the first time in history that two guys who have won Super Bowl MVPs as quarterbacks face off against each other. And Brady is one of the greatest of all time. I never like to rank guys one through five or whatever, but no matter what happens on Sunday, you’re having a conversation about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And Tom is very much in that conversation.”

LAZARUS ON NBCUNIVERSAL’S PRESENCE AT THE SUPER BOWL: “This is going to be a successful day for us from Noon ET on. On an ad sales front, we’re already in fine shape. We’ve sold out all of the ancillary programming. We have sold out a lot of sponsors for the early portions of the pre-game show. We think the entertainment value in audience enjoyment will be very strong, and therefore we believe that part will be a huge success leading into the biggest sporting event of the year. We have no doubts about our ability to translate the energy that is here to a national audience, both from an entertainment point of view and a sports point of view.”

LAZARUS ON NBC SPORTS’ SET UP IN INDIANAPOLIS: “We have multiple sets here. We have a studio set inside the media center where we’re doing our NBC Sports Network shows from. Then we’re also utilizing theaters around town, one that will house both the Bob Costas town hall meeting, and then the David Feherty show on the next evening. Then another theater that is being used by the Jimmy Fallon group to do the Fallon show Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. So multiple areas, not to mention there is a small place called Lucas Oil Field that will have a big football game, and we’ll utilize that as the backdrop for the biggest show of all. Finally, in terms of numbers of people, we have roughly 450 people here in town working tirelessly in front of the camera, behind the camera to host guests and to make this an NBCUniversal wide success.”

GAUDELLI ON NEW PRODUCTION ELEMENTS: “There will be quite a few new production elements in terms of the graphics that we use to display information in terms of what we’ll do to personalize players. We just did some extensive photo shoots with both teams to try to give people a sense of the player without the helmet on and what he looks like and where he’s from, and hopefully his personality. With the Super Bowl, everything is bigger and bolder in terms of the presentation, and that will certainly be so. But when it comes right down to it, it’s all about how we’re going to cover this game. To me, that is the ultimate litmus test. How well will we do? We expect to do very well.”

COLLINSWORTH ON HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET OVER A SUPER BOWL LOSS: “I’m 53 years old, and I’m hoping it happens on my 54th birthday.”

And I have one more NBC Sports Group press release coming up. I’m a posting machine tonight.

ESPN’s Super Bowl XLVI Coverage Continues Wednesday

The ESPN Family of Nets are out in force once again with TV and radio shows from Indianapolis tomorrow. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio will be represented. Here’s what will be aired on the ESPN Family on Wednesday.

ESPN and ESPN Radio Super Bowl XLV Programs Originating Live from Pan Am Plaza in Indianapolis –- Wednesday, Feb. 1

ESPN’s multimedia coverage of Super Bowl XLVI continues Wednesday, Feb. 1, from Pan Am Plaza (201 South Capitol Avenue) in downtown Indianapolis. All shows are available for free public viewing.

Among the notable guests scheduled to appear on the ESPN programs tomorrow include Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon and defensive end Dwight Freeney, and North Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Scheduled highlights (all times ET):

6 a.m. Mike and Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)
Hosts: Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic
Guests: ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth (7 a.m.), ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter (7:45 a.m.), ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer (8:15 a.m.), ESPN analyst Cris Carter (8:30 a.m.), ESPN analyst Tom Jackson (9 a.m.), Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon (9:15 a.m.) and NBC Sunday Night Football and Super Bowl XLVI play-by-play commentator Al Michaels (9:30 a.m.)

10 a.m. The Herd (ESPN Radio/ESPNEWS)
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guests: Colts wide receiver Garcon (10:45 a.m.), Indianapolis Colts kicker and four-time Super Bowl champion Adam Vinatieri (11:15 a.m.), New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller (11:30 a.m.) and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller (11:45 a.m.)

1 p.m. Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN Radio/ESPNEWS through 3 p.m. ET)
Hosts: Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo
Guests: Keller (1:30 p.m.) and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis (2:15 p.m.)

3 p.m. SportsCenter Special (ESPN)
Host: Mike Tirico. Analysts: Trent Dilfer and Merril Hoge
(Note: Wednesday’s show will be devoted to the topic of NFL player safety and concussions)

4 p.m. NFL Live (ESPN)
Host: Trey Wingo. Analysts: Mark Schlereth and Ron Jaworski
Guest: Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney

5 p.m. SportsNation (ESPN2)
Hosts: Michelle Beadle and Cowherd. Guest analyst Herm Edwards
Throughout the week (M-F, 5-6 p.m.), SportsNation features two acts –- the Blue Monkey Sideshow carnival act for SN’s ‘Halftime Show’ and Indy’s own “The Twin Cats” (official house band).
Guests: Dan and Chris Gronkowski –- two of the three Gronkowski brothers currently playing in the NFL (Browns tight end Dan and Colts running back Chris). Brother Rob is the Patriots All Pro tight end.

5 p.m. SportsCenter (live on ESPNEWS) … to air at 6 p.m. on ESPN
Host: Steve Levy. Analysts: Mike Ditka and Cris Carter
Guest: Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton

6 p.m. NFL 32 (ESPN2)
Hosts: Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen.  Analysts:  Tom Jackson and Tedy Bruschi
Guest: Indianapolis Colt Freeney

8 p.m. SportsCenter (ESPN Deportes)

Host: Ciro Procuna. Analysts: Raul Allegre and Alvaro Martin

9 p.m. SportsCenter ESPN)… to air at 11 p.m.
Host: Stuart Scott. Analysts: Mark Schlereth and Trent Dilfer

Note: Commentator and guest schedules subject to change

That will do it.

NFL Network’s Super Bowl Week Day 2 Quotage Plus Day 3 Schedule

For much of the day on Wednesday, NFL Network will be live from Indianapolis airing press conferences from both the New England Patriots and New York Giants. Included in the coverage will be a live 7 hour Super Bowl Live beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Plenty of stuff to be shown on NFL Network.

And we have the quotage from today’s Super Bowl Media Day coverage. Surprisingly, NFL Network’s press release is not over 3,000 words.

NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM SUPER BOWL XLVI NOTES & QUOTES – TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Seven-Hour Super Bowl Live Kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 11:00 AM ET
Special Guests on Wednesday Include Donovan McNabb, Colts WR Reggie Wayne, Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez & More
“When he came to Indianapolis, they were not known for their football – it was truly a basketball town. He’s changed that image a little bit, and it would be hard to imagine him playing somewhere else.” – Giants QB Eli Manning to NFL Network’s Kurt Warner – Preview of Sunday NFL GameDay Morning Interview

NFL Network’s Super Bowl XLVI Media Day Coverage LIVE from Lucas Oil Stadium

Below are quotes and video links from NFL Network’s Super Bowl XLVI Media Day coverage from Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday:

“At the beginning of this year and last year, I felt like [Aaron] Hernandez was the better tight end. But when he hurt his knee, that’s when we started to see [Rob] Gronkowski come on and they found out this big guy not only can block, he can run and catch.” – Marshall Faulk on New England Patriots tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez

“This is a business decision. This is a football organization. It’s time. It’s time to move on without Peyton Manning.” – Warren Sapp on the quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts

- Deion’s Best of Media Day: NFL Network’s Deion Sanders has some fun with the Giants and Patriots at Media Day:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-player-interviews/09000d5d8267abe4/Deion-s-best-of-Media-Day

- The Impact of Gronkowski: Analysts Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk discuss the impact of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d82678794/The-impact-of-Gronkowski

- Moving on Without Peyton?: Scott Hanson, Jason La Canfora, Jay Glazer and Yahoo! Sports’ Mike Silver discuss the seriousness of Peyton Manning’s neck injury:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/indianapolis-colts/09000d5d82679ab3/Moving-on-without-Peyton

- The End for Peyton?: Have we seen the last of Peyton Manning? Former Super Bowl champions Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk discuss:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d82678848/The-end-for-Peyton

Seven-Hour Super Bowl Live Shows Begin Wednesday, February 1 at 11:00 AM ET

On Wednesday, February 1 at 11:00 AM ET, Super Bowl Live kicks off for seven hours from two sets on-location in Indianapolis. Providing up-to-the-minute news reports, live coverage of the New York Giants and New England Patriots’ media availability, expert analysis, special guest appearances and more, Super Bowl Live brings the action and excitement of Super Bowl week to television.

Host Rich Eisen and analysts Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci and Heath Evans are live from the Media Center, while hosts Andrew Siciliano, Kara Henderson and Fran Charles are live from the NFL Experience with analysts Jamie Dukes, Willie McGinest, Daryl Johnston and Sterling Sharpe.

The following special guests are scheduled to appear on Super Bowl Live Wednesday:

- Donovan McNabb
- Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne
- Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez
- Former Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jerome Bettis
- Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew
- Philadelphia Eagles RB LeSean McCoy
- New York Jets TE Dustin Keller
- Actor/comedian Jay Mohr
- Former New York Giants QB Phil Simms

At 7:00 PM ET, hosts Scott Hanson and Lindsay Soto are joined by analysts Michael Irvin and Kurt Warner on NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl from the NFL Experience. Donovan McNabb will join the show as a special guest.

Preview of Kurt Warner’s ‘Sunday Sitdown’ with New York Giants QB Eli Manning

NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner sits down with his former teammate, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning on ‘Sunday Sitdown’ on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning Super Bowl Sunday at 9:00 PM ET.

Below is a transcript and video link of a preview of the interview:

On if he can imagine his brother Peyton Manning playing with any team other than the Indianapolis Colts:
“It’d be tough. He’s been so important to this town. When he came to Indianapolis, they were not known for their football – it was truly a basketball town. He’s changed that image a little bit, and it would be hard to imagine him playing somewhere else. I know that when he was drafted to the Colts, he had his mind set that he would love to finish his career here. That’s a lot of peoples’ goals; you never know if that’s going to happen, but he wants to play football. He’s going to rehab and he’s going to work as hard as anyone to try and get back healthy. We just have to see what happens.”
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-player-interviews/09000d5d8267a9e4/Sunday-Sitdown-Eli-Manning

Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis Joins Brian Billick on The Coaches Show Live from Indianapolis Wednesday at 6:30 PM ET

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis joins former NFL head coach and current NFL Network analyst Brian Billick on The Coaches Show Wednesday, February 1 at 6:30 PM ET.

Live from the NFL Experience in Indianapolis, Billick and Lewis discuss Super Bowl XLVI from the perspective of the sideline. Each analyzes the thought process of both head coaches this week, how they best can prepare their teams for the big game on Sunday, and potential head coaching decisions that may come up during the game.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 NFL NETWORK’S SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET)

8:00 AM – NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl – LIVE coverage of New England Patriots & New York Giants team availability
11:00 AM – Super Bowl Live – LIVE from NFL Experience & Super Bowl Media Center

• FedEx Player of the Year announcement

6:00 PM – Playbook
6:30 PM – The Coaches Show – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access the Super Bowl – LIVE from NFL Experience
8:00 PM – Full Game Re-Air: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots – Week 9, 2011
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl
12 MIDNIGHT – The NFL Season
1:00 AM – Sound FX: Best of 2011 Season
2:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Biggest Upsets
3:00 AM – Playbook
3:30 AM – Sound FX: Bill Belichick

Coming up on Wednesday, February 1:

- Super Bowl Live Airs from the Media Center and NFL Experience at 11:00 AM ET: NFL Network’s Super Bowl Live show airs for seven hours on Wednesday, February 1 beginning at 11:00 AM ET. With two sets on-location at the Media Center and NFL Experience, NFL Network has Super Bowl week covered with the latest news and reports, live coverage of the Giants and Patriots media availability, expert analysis, special guests and more.

- Debut of NFL.com Live at Super Bowl XLVI: For the first time, NFL.com is live at the Super Bowl with NFL.com Live at Super Bowl XLVI. Host Dave Dameshek is joined by Adam Rank, Elliot Harrison and Jason Smith live from Radio Row Wednesday through Friday from 1:00 – 4:00 PM ET, providing analysis of the upcoming matchup and interviews with special guests such as NFL Network analysts Steve Mariucci and Brian Billick, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, actor Adam Sandler and more.

And the ESPN Family of Networks schedule for Super Bowl coverage on Wednesday is next.

Mike & The Mad Dog Back Together Again… For 15 Minutes

It took the Super Bowl and Radio Row in Indianapolis to bring WFAN’s Mike Francesa and SiriusXM’s Chris Russo back together again. The duo had been together at WFAN in New York, part of the legendary Mike and the Mad Dog show fom 1989 until 2008 when Russo was lured to Sirius Satellite Radio to head up his own sports talk channel.

Since then, there was one reunion in 2009 when Francesa and Russo went on each other’s shows before the American League Championship Series.

Today for 15 short minutes, Russo joined Francesa once again on WFAN on “Mike’s On” live from Indianapolis. For that quarter- hour, the magic was back. Both talked about baseball, Russo’s son and a little bit about the Super Bowl. Thanks to the TV simulcast on YES Network, we have video of the encounter. It was fun to see them back, albeit for a short time. Here’s the video courtesy of YES.

Certainly fun to watch.

Cranking Out Your Tuesday Links

Since late last night, I’ve been culling linkage for today. Let’s get to them.

Terry Lefton and Daniel Kaplan at Sports Business Journal discuss how Indianapolis hotels are gouging customers for Super Bowl Week.

Anick Jesdanun of the Associated Press reviews NBC’s online presentation of the Super Bowl for this Sunday.

Sergio Non of USA Today looks at the UFC on Fox rating from Saturday.

Michael Learmonth of Advertising Age says USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter wrecked Super Bowl ads for good.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch provides his thoughts on The Big Lead’s profile of ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd.

Tim Goodman of the Hollywood Reporter has an appreciation for The Beautiful Game.

Tim Nudd of Adweek looks at the highly successful “This is SportsCenter” ad campaign.

Wayne Friedman of MediaPost says NBC is copping $4 million per Super Bowl ad.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine writes that a survey shows that a majority of readers feel Super Bowl XLVI will set a viewership record.

Toni gives us a media buyer’s primer on the Super Bowl.

Diego Vasquez of Media Life says advertisers want to get buzz about Super Bowl commercials weeks before the Big Game.

The Daily says it appears Madonna’s set list for the Super Bowl halftime show has been leaked.

Peter Schrager of Esquire lists 10 current NFL players who could make a second career on TV.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that Jerry Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi will appear in a Super Bowl ad.

Frances Martel of Mediaite reviews the ESPN2 show, “Dan Le Batard is Extremely Crazy Highly Questionable.”

Robert Littal of Black Sports Online has details of the Mexican TV reporter who made an impression during Super Bowl Media Day.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group looks at ESPN taking over Pan Am Plaza in downtown Indianapolis for the Super Bowl.

Karen Hogan of SVG writes that sports has entered into reality TV in a big way.

Summer Harlow of the University of Texas Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas writes about CBSSports.com’s firing of Adam Jacobi over his premature report on Joe Paterno’s death.

Karen Rosen of TV Guide talks with ESPN’s Hannah Storm about her NFL special tonight.

All Access says a new ESPN Deportes Radio affiliate will launch tomorrow in Chicago.

Mark Miller of Examiner.com says Gary Thorne makes his Pro Bowling announcing debut this Sunday on ESPN.

Larry Mahoney of the Bangor (ME) Daily News speaks with former MLB’er Matt Stairs who joins NESN as a studio analyst for the 2012 season.

Michael Hayes of the Clinton (CT) Patch says ESPN will report from the geological center in between Gillette and Met Life Stadiums on Sunday.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times has an interesting story on a small Connecticut NPR station which has a sports talk show that is not your typical run-of-the-mill program.

Judy Battista of the Times notes that the NFL will address head safety in one its in-house ads during the Super Bowl.

David Hinckley of the New York Daily News says rivals WFAN and ESPN Radio New York are squaring off in their Giants Super Bowl coverage.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes the release of ESPN’s Bracketbusters schedule.

Stacy Jones of the Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger says Super Bowl advertisers are hoping to hook viewers from their computers and mobile devices as well as through their TV’s.

Neal Zoren of the Delaware County Daily Times notes Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s countdown of the worst sports villains of all-time.

Long-time New Orleans sports anchor Jim Henderson is retiring from WWL-TV, however, he’ll remain as Voice of the Saints.

Dave Walker of the New Orleans Times-Picayune gets reaction Henderson on his retirement.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle discusses the busy Super Bowl week and the ads.

Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer speaks with ESPN’s Erin Andrews about sports, life and her hosting the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Annual Awards Banquet this week.

Tim Evans of the Indianapolis Star says Radio Row at the Super Bowl is the perfect place for star gazing this week.

Emily Hatton of the Indy Star gives us an inside look at ESPN’s Pan Am Plaza set.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has NBC’s Bob Costas calling for a revote if National League MVP Ryan Braun of the Brewers loses his appeal for testing positive for steroids last year.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says ESPN College GameDay visits the Missouri campus this weekend.

Brian Gomez of the Colorado Springs Gazette says ESPN may pull the Winter X Games out of Aspen after an 11 year relationship.

Jason Blevins of the Denver Post writes that ESPN has been airing this year’s Winter X in 3-D.

Jill Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News says longtime UCLA voice Chris Roberts was honored by his peers as was Daily News sports media writer Tom Hoffarth.

And Tom writes an appreciation for being honored last night.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has videos of the Big Ten Network going behind the scenes with Gus Johnson.

Josh Tinley of Midwest Sports Fans explains how the Super Bowl got its name and why every game has Roman numerals.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes the NHL All-Star Game did really well for CBC.

And that will do it for now.

Superbowl.com is Live and Mobile Too

The National Football League wants you to know that Superbowl.com is up and running. In addition, the site is now mobile-ready meaning you can access it through your cell phone and tablets.

The site has video, 3-D maps of Indianapolis and the official Super Bowl guide as well as the official game program.

For visitors to Indianapolis, the site provides detailed information on events in the city leading up to the Big Game. The press release from the National Football League is below.

SUPERBOWL.COM DELIVERS INFORMATION, ANALYSIS, VIDEO & IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE GO

Super Bowl XLVI Goes Mobile with The Official Guide & Game Program

NFL fans will be able to experience all aspects of Super Bowl XLVI at SUPERBOWL.COM with dynamic live programming, community features, in-depth event coverage from reporters and expert analysts, plus an interactive trivia challenge.

THE SUPER BOWL XLVI OFFICIAL GUIDE features a detailed guide to local restaurants, nightlife, and official Super Bowl events, with a 3D map of Indianapolis and an interactive 3D map of Lucas Oil Stadium for game day. Follow all of the social media buzz, pin your parking spot and find your seating section in the stadium, plus much more. You can get the app on your Android phone (http://market.android.com/details?id=com.nfl.sbxlviguide), Android tablet (http://market.android.com/details?id=com.nfl.sbxlviguidetab) or iTunes App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sb-xlvi-guide/id413928892?mt=8).

THE SUPER BOWL XLVI GAME PROGRAM is a digital version of the iconic souvenir program optimized for a tablet. With additional interactive content, the Program chronicles the New York Giants’ and New England Patriots’ roads to Super Bowl XLVI, captures memories of past Super Bowls and recaps key moments from the 2011 season. “The Super Bowl XLVI Game Program” will be available for free in the Android Market and iTunes App Store.

SUPERBOWL.COM contains detailed information on events during the week, live streaming of Media Day and Radio Row, a visitor’s guide and how to buy Super Bowl XLVI tickets. Fans may visit SUPERBOWL.COM to find out locations around Indianapolis of all official NFL Shops at Super Bowl XLVI as well as information about The NFL Experience, pro football’s interactive theme park. Fans may follow @nfl and @superbowl on Twitter or go to www.superbowl.com/nflx for the most up-to-date information on player and celebrity appearances at The NFL Experience.

Fans may watch live online streaming of the week’s biggest events including Super Bowl XLVI Media Day, Super Bowl Live from Radio Row, the Commissioner’s news conference, and the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012.

In addition to the unprecedented live Super Bowl streaming on NBCSports.com and NFL.com, the Super Bowl broadcast will be exclusively available to Verizon Wireless mobile customers in the U.S. via NFL Mobile. The NFL Mobile app also includes exclusive live streaming of the Super Bowl XLVI radio broadcasts in English and Spanish, as well as on-demand Super Bowl XLVI video highlights. NFL Mobile users can get additional Super Bowl XLVI coverage on the application’s live 24-7 stream of NFL Network. For more information on mobile access, Verizon Wireless customers can visit: http://verizonwireless.com/nfl/.

NFL.com also features a powerful lineup, including senior writers Steve Wyche and Jason La Canfora, analysts Bucky Brooks, Gil Brandt and Elliot Harrison and national reporter Jeff Darlington.  Information and insight from NFL Network reporter Albert Breer, former front office executive Michael Lombardi and Super Bowl XXXV winning coach Brian Billick round out the comprehensive coverage.

On game day, fans around the globe can listen to international radio broadcasts of Super Bowl XLVI. NFL.com will stream broadcasts from 10 countries including Spain, Germany, China, Russia and Japan. Additionally, Super Bowl commercials will be available on SUPERBOWL.COM at the end of each quarter. Fans will be able to rate, comment on, and share the commercials.

For the twelfth consecutive year, fans will be able to vote for the Super Bowl XLVI MVP on NFL.com.  In addition, fans also will be able to visit NFL.com on web-enabled mobile devices to vote for the MVP.  In the fourth quarter of the game, fans, along with a media panel, will select the MVP, who will be awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy. Combined votes on NFL.com and web-enabled mobile devices will count 20 percent towards the MVP.

Fans can test their Super Bowl knowledge with the NFL Two-Minute Trivia Super Bowl game. To prepare for the challenge, check out the comprehensive history section that includes highlights from the first 45 Super Bowl games.

More will be posted later. Keep your feeds updated.

United Football League Commissioner Resigns

The United Football League which was hoping to gain fans in its three years of operation has announced that Commissioner Michael Huyghue has resigned. He has been the Commissioner since the league’s inception in 2009. The league has played with four or five teams in its three seasons. Plans for the 2012 season will be announced at a later date.

Huyghue has overseen league play and attempts to expand beyond five teams, however, the UFL has been hampered by lack of interest, lack of a steady TV contract and funding.

We have this press release from the UFL regarding Huyghue’s resignation.

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE COMMISSIONER RESIGNS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JACKSONVILLE, FL – Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - MICHAEL HUYGHUE announced today that he has resigned as Commissioner of the United Football League with immediate effect.

Huyghue has served as Commissioner of the United Football League since its inception and oversaw all three seasons of on-field competition in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“I am proud of the quality product we were able to put on the field and the overwhelmingly positive fan response,” said Huyghue. “While new professional football leagues have struggled to find a niche historically, I believe the UFL exceeded those other attempts.

“The UFL has experienced significant funding issues and at this juncture it seems most prudent that I step aside while the owners work to raise the necessary funds to conduct a fourth season.”

UFL owner and founder BILL HAMBRECHT said: “We are greatly indebted to Michael for taking an idea and turning it into a reality against very challenging circumstances. We remain committed to taking the league forward and face some challenges heading into a fourth season, but we would not be here today without his steadfast leadership.”

The United Football League is currently revising its business model and strategy for the upcoming 2012 season and will announce details of future plans in the coming months.

Prior to joining the UFL, Huyghue was CEO and founder of Axcess Sports & Entertainment, where he represented a number of NFL, NBA and PGA TOUR players. The Sports Business Journal has twice named Huyghue to the “Forty Under 40″ Top Sports Business Executives.

At the age of 29, he became the youngest general manger in professional football when he joined the NFL’s World League in 1989. Huyghue joined the Detroit Lions as Vice President and General Counsel, before becoming Senior Vice President of Football Operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the team’s inaugural NFL season. During Huyghue’s tenure with the Jaguars, the team became the winningest franchise in expansion history, achieving two AFC Central Division Championships and an unprecedented two AFC Championship appearances.

Best of luck to the UFL in 2012.

NBC’s Football Night in America Crew Talks About Their Super Bowl Traditions

NBCUniversal has sent this video with the Football Night in America crew of Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison talking about their favorite Super Bowl memories and some of their favorite Big Game traditions before the game. It runs 3:08.

And that will do it.

NFL Pro Bowl Attracts 12.5 Million Viewers…12.5 Million????

People complain about the Pro Bowl and say they won’t watch, but when the numbers come out, especially in the last few years, the ratings show that people do indeed watch the game. According to Nielsen and the following joint press release from NBC and the National Football League, an average of 12.5 million people watched part or all of the game. And the local ratings showed that football traditional markets of New Orleans, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Charlotte were particularly interested. Of course, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisburger and Cam Newton helped to generate local interest in each of the aforementioned respective markets.

The NFL says this was the second most watched Pro Bowl since 2001. Last year’s game on Fox generated 13.4 million viewers.

Your press release.

2012 PRO BOWL ON NBC RANKS AS SECOND MOST-WATCHED NFL ALL-STAR GAME IN MORE THAN A DECADE

INDIANAPOLIS – January 31, 2012 – An average of 12.5 million fans tuned into the 2012 Pro Bowl Sunday on NBC, ranking as the second most-watched NFL All-Star game since 2001 behind last year’s game (13.4 million viewers).

The 2012 Pro Bowl also topped by 14 percent sports’ second-most watched all-star game in the past year (2011 MLB All-Star Game on FOX, 11.0 million viewers).

The top local overnight ratings for Pro Bowl are as follows:

1. New Orleans, 21.8 rating/29 share
2. Milwaukee, 17.6/25
3. Pittsburgh, 17.2/24
4. Charlotte, 12.1/18
5. Norfolk, 11.8/16
6. Cincinnati, 11.7/17
7. Las Vegas, 11.0/18
8. Jacksonville, 10.4/15
9. Sacramento, 10.2/17
10. Nashville, 10.1/14

The 2012 Pro Bowl was played the week before the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year.

I’m sure NBC feels this will be a good omen for Super Bowl XLVI.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
Men’s
Michigan State at Illinois — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Clemson at Virginia — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Tennessee at Virginia — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Seton Hall at Marquette — Big East Network: Bright House/Cox Sports Television/CSS/MASN/SNY, 8 p.m.
Wisconsin at Penn State — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech — Big 12 Network, 8 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Arkansas — ESPN, 9 p.m.
North Carolina at Wake Forest — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
New Mexico at Air Force — the mtn., 10 p.m.

Women’s
Notre Dame at Rutgers — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Air Force at New Mexico — the mtn., 8 p.m.
Louisville at DePaul — CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m.

English Premier League
Wolverhampton vs. Liverpool — Fox Soccer Plus, 2:30 p.m.
Manchester United vs. Stoke City — ESPN2, 2:55 p.m.
Everton vs. Manchester City — Fox Soccer, 3 p.m.

Golf
The Golf Fix — Golf Channel, 8 p.m.

MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
Hot Stove Live — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball IQ: Reds vs. Pirates — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
Baseball IQ: Rockies vs. Padres — MLB Network, 9:30 p.m.

NBA
Denver at Memphis — NBA TV, 8 p.m.

NFL
Super Bowl Live: Media Day — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Super Bowl XLVI Media Day: New England Patriots — NFL Network, 9:30 a.m.
Super Bowl Live: Media Day — NFL Network, 11 a.m.
Super Bowl XLVI Media Day: New York Giants — NFL Network, noon
SportsCenter Special: NFL Face-to-Face with Hannah Storm — ESPN2, 9 p.m.

NHL
New York Islanders at Carolina — MSG Plus 2/Fox Sports Carolinas, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at New Jersey — MSG 2/MSG Plus, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Boston — TVA/Rogers Sportsnet East/NESN, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Pittsburgh — TSN/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Winnipeg at Philadelphia — TSN-Jets/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Washington at Tampa Bay — NBC Sports Network/TSN2, 7:30 p.m.
Buffalo at Montreal — RDS/MSG Buffalo/TSN-Habs, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Minnesota — Fox Sports Tennessee/Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.
Anaheim at Phoenix — Fox Sports Prime Ticket/Fox Sports Arizona, 9 p.m.
Detroit at Calgary — Fox Sports Detroit Plus/Rogers Sportsnet West, 9 p.m.
Colorado at Edmonton — Altitude/Rogers Sportsnet Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.
Chicago at Vancouver — TSN/WGN, 10 p.m.
Columbus at San Jose — Fox Sports Ohio/Comcast SportsNet California, 10:30 p.m.

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL on the Fly — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 10 p.m.
NHL Overtime — NBC Sports Network, 12:30 a.m. (Wednesday)

Sports Talk
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.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 2 p.m.
NBC SportsTalk Live From the Super Bowl — NBC Sports Network, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Entertainment
Eat St.: Sounds Tasty — Cooking Channel, 8 p.m.
Annie Oakley: American Experience — PBS, 8 p.m.
New Girl — Fox, 9 p.m.
Jesse James: American Experience — PBS, 9 p.m.
Ringer — The CW, 9 p.m.
Dirty Jobs: Dirty Little Bits — Discovery, 9 p.m.
United Tastes of America: Kansas City Barbeque Festival — Cooking Channel, 10 p.m.
Jamie’s American Road Trip: Georgia — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Justified — FX, 10 p.m.
Southland — TNT, 10 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

ESPN’s Super Bowl XLVI Coverage Continues Tuesday

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Radio will be back at it at Pan Am Plaza in Indianapolis from its indoor studio. We have the details of its programming for tomorrow. Check it out.

ESPN and ESPN Radio Super Bowl XLV Programs Originating Live from Pan Am Plaza in Indianapolis – Tuesday, Jan. 31

ESPN’s multimedia coverage of Super Bowl XLVI continues tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 31, from Indianapolis beginning with ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning (ESPN2) at 6 a.m. ET. The day’s programming includes live reports from Super Bowl XLVI Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium on SportsCenter (10 – 11 a.m. and 12 – 1 p.m.) with host Trey Wingo and analyst Mark Schlereth, as well as team-specific updates from reporters Ed Werder (Patriots) and Rachel Nichols (Giants) throughout the day.

All ESPN TV and radio shows are originating live from Pan Am Plaza (201 South Capitol Avenue) in downtown Indianapolis, throughout the week and fans are encouraged to attend. Tuesday’s schedule highlights (all times ET):

6 a.m. Mike and Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)
Hosts: Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic
Guests: ESPN analyst Herm Edwards (6:30 a.m.), Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (8 a.m. via phone), ESPN NFL insider John Clayton (8:15 a.m.), ESPN NFL senior analyst Chris Mortensen (9 a.m.), and Monday Night Football analyst Ron Jaworski (9:15 a.m.)

10 a.m. The Herd (ESPN Radio/ESPNEWS)
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guest: Gary Bracket (12:15 a.m.)

1 p.m. Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN Radio/ESPNEWS through 3 p.m. ET)
Hosts: Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo
Guest: Brackett (1:30 p.m.), ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer (2:30 p.m.), Fox Sports and NFL Network analyst Brian Billick (2:45 p.m.)

3 p.m. SportsCenter Special (ESPN)
Host: Steve Levy. Analysts: John Clayton, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter

4 p.m. NFL Live (ESPN)
Host: Trey Wingo.  Analysts: Tom Jackson and Mark Schlereth

5 p.m. SportsNation (ESPN2)
Hosts: Michelle Beadle and Cowherd. Guest analyst Herm Edwards
Throughout the week (M-F, 5-6 p.m.), SportsNation features two acts – the Blue Monkey Sideshow carnival act for SN’s ‘Halftime Show’ and Indy’s own “The Twin Cats” (official house band).

5 p.m. SportsCenter (live on ESPNEWS) … to air at 6 p.m. on ESPN
Host: Greenberg. Analysts: Cris Carter and Ron Jaworski

6 p.m. NFL 32 (ESPN2)
Hosts: Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen. Analysts: Carter and Dilfer

8 p.m. SportsCenter (ESPN Deportes)
Host: Ciro Procuna. Analysts: Raul Allegre and Alvaro Martin

9 p.m. SportsCenter (ESPN)… to air at 11 p.m.
Host: Stuart Scott. Analysts: Merril Hoge and Tedy Bruschi

Note: Commentator and guest schedules subject to change

That’s it.

NFL Network Quotage For Super Bowl Week Coverage, Day 1 Plus What’s On Tap For Day 2

NFL Network has sent the quotage from its Super Bowl Live program from today. And it’s added its programming schedule for Tuesday. This includes Media Day and from what I’ve heard, the infamous Inês Sainz of Azteca Deportes and CNN en Español will be back so expect to see her.

Here’s the press release from NFL Network.

NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM SUPER BOWL XLVI NOTES & QUOTES – MONDAY, JANUARY 30

100+ Hours of Super Bowl XLVI Coverage Kicks Off 4.5 Hours of Coverage of Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 9:00 AM ET
“The Maras and the Tischs probably never thought about firing Tom Coughlin. I really believe that. Truly, they believe that Tom Coughlin is the best coach for their football team.” – Michael Lombardi on New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin

NFL Network’s More than 100 Hours of Super Bowl Coverage Kicks Off

NFL Network’s 100+ hours of Super Bowl XLVI coverage from Indianapolis kicked off today at 2:00 PM ET with Super Bowl Live from the NFL Experience. Host Rich Eisen and analysts Michael Lombardi, Jamie Dukes, Willie McGinest and Heath Evans opened Super Bowl week with analysis, interviews with special guests, the latest news and reports, and live coverage of the New York Giants’ arrival and the New England Patriots’ press conference.

Below are video links and quotes from today’s show:

“Now, the offensive coordinators have realized the best mismatch on the football field is the tight end against their safety or linebacker; it’s not wide receiver against cornerback anymore. These guys are getting opportunities that guys in previous years didn’t get.” – Shannon Sharpe on the evolution of the tight end

“Change is here. Chris Hoke just came out and retired, Aaron Smith had the same surgery that Chris had…It’s going to be different this year. We are getting older, it’s inevitable there are going to be some new guys coming in and taking over.” – Steelers DE Brett Keisel on Pittsburgh’s defense

“What we have with [Bill] Parcells is what’s happening now: it’s legacy. In other words, two of his children are in this game.” – Jamie Dukes on the impact of former head coach Bill Parcells, who had Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick on his coaching staff with the New York Giants

“The Maras and the Tischs probably never thought about firing Tom Coughlin. I really believe that. Truly, they believe that Tom Coughlin is the best coach today for their football team.” – Michael Lombardi on New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin

- The New York Giants arrive in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d82673473/The-Giants-have-landed

- Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe joins the show to talk about the new era of tight ends and how the game has changed since his playing days:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d82673836/Sharpe-Hernandez-reminds-me-of-me

- Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel breaks down the team’s season and gives his prediction for Super Bowl XLVI:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d826730c6/Keisel-and-beard-give-predictions

- Analysts Jamie Dukes and Michael Lombardi discuss if New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was ever really on the hot seat this season:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/09000d5d826732a0/Did-Giants-really-consider-firing-Coughlin

NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora on Colts QB Peyton Manning and his Future in Indianapolis

NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports on quarterback Peyton Manning’s future in Indianapolis on Super Bowl Live:
“I reported that people associated with that general manager search, people who were involved in that general manager search who were in direct contact with [Jim] Irsay came out of it absolutely convinced that the decision [to move on] had been made. There wasn’t a whole lot of talk about Peyton Manning because there didn’t need to be a whole of talk on Peyton Manning. It was focused on the first overall pick and what to do at quarterback. It was focused on the salary cap and getting their salary cap house back in order, and figuring things out that way. It was about how much of the team can we gut, how deep does this run and how far away are we from turning it around. People came out of there – multiple people came out of those discussions thoroughly convinced that really there is nothing to talk about regarding Peyton Manning because they are going in a different direction as an organization because of Manning’s health primarily and paramount. They didn’t see any scenarios existing where Peyton Manning is going to be healthy enough to play football for Indianapolis in enough time for them to actually make this decision on his option.”
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d82672fcd/Manning-on-the-move

To read La Canfora’s column on Manning, visit:
http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/01/28/la-canfora-manning-decision-made-weeks-ago/?module=HP11_content_stream

Live Coverage of Super Bowl Media Day from Lucas Oil Stadium — Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 9:00 AM ET

Tuesday, January 31 is Super Bowl Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium and NFL Network brings viewers live coverage from 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM ET as the New York Giants and New England Patriots face the media.

Host Rich Eisen is joined by Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, Kurt Warner and Michael Irvin at the desk, while Deion Sanders and Lindsay Soto roam the scene, providing interviews with players and coaches.

Between the Giants and Patriots media sessions, host Scott Hanson and analysts Willie McGinest and Jay Glazer offer further analysis and reflect on their own experiences participating in Media Day.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 NFL NETWORK’S SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET)

9:00 AM – Super Bowl Live: Media Day – LIVE
9:30 AM – Super Bowl XLVI Media Day: New England Patriots availability – LIVE from Lucas Oil Stadium
11:00 AM – Super Bowl Live: Media Day – LIVE
12 NOON – Super Bowl XLVI Media Day: New York Giants availability – LIVE from Lucas Oil Stadium
1:30 PM – Super Bowl XLVI Media Day: New England Patriots availability – ENCORE
3:00 PM – Super Bowl Live: Media Day – ENCORE
4:00 PM – Super Bowl XLVI Media Day: New York Giants availability – ENCORE
5:30 PM – America’s Game: 2007 New York Giants
6:30 PM – The Coaches Show – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl – LIVE from NFL Experience
8:00 PM – Super Bowl Classic: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots – Super Bowl XLII
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl
12 MIDNIGHT – Super Bowl Classic: New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams – Super Bowl XXXVI
3:00 AM – America’s Game: 2001 New England Patriots

Coming up on Tuesday, January 31:

- Live Coverage of Super Bowl Media Day: NFL Network is live at Lucas Oil Stadium for Super Bowl Media Day at 9:00 AM ET. Host Rich Eisen is joined at the desk by analysts Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, Kurt Warner and Michael Irvin, while Deion Sanders and Lindsay Soto roam the field.

- The Coaches Show Live at 6:30 PM ET: NFL Network analyst and former NFL head coach Brian Billick is joined by Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis on The Coaches Show, live at 6:30 PM ET from the NFL Experience.

- Full-Game Re-Airs of Super Bowls XLII & XXXVI: Get ready for Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots with full-game re-airs of two classic Super Bowls. At 8:00 PM ET, re-live the Giants’ victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. At 12 Midnight ET, Super Bowl XXXVI between the Patriots and St. Louis Rams is shown in its entirety.

That is all for this post. ESPN’s programming schedule for Tuesday at the Super Bowl is next.

The Mighty Monday Links

I don’t know why they’re mighty, but they’re here. Let’s get to them.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy looks at Super Bowl Media Day which will be covered from all angles on both ESPN and NFL Network.

Preston Bounds from Sports Business Daily lists the top 11 most marketable NFL players. Your humble blogger is quoted in the story.

At the Poynter Institute, Kelly McBride takes both the New York Times and Yale Daily News to task for their handling of the Patrick Witt alleged sexual assault story.

Michael O’Connell of the Hollywood Reporter writes that the NFL Pro Bowl gave NBC a Sunday primetime win over weak competition.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek notes that marketers and star players are for the most part, a winning combination.

Tim Nudd from Adweek looks at the advertiser rundown for Sunday’s Super Bowl on NBC.

Tim loves the extended Honda Ferris Bueller-themed Super Bowl ad.

Back to Crupi who delves into the April launch of Univision Deportes.

Adweek talks with Jim Rome about his move from ESPN to CBS.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says social media campaigns can enhance and also detract from the Super Bowl viewing experience.

The Nielsen Wire blog looks at the spending trends for Super Bowl ads over the last five years.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group notes that NFL Network is gearing up for a very busy Super Bowl Week.

Patrick Burns of Deadspin breaks down ESPN SportsCenter’s coverage from last week.

At All Things Digital, Peter Kafka says it’s ESPN that’s weighing down your cable bill.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes that NESN has made additions to its Red Sox broadcast team.

Here’s a rarity, Phil Mushnick of the New York Post giving praise and today he’s dishing it out to Knicks radio voice Spero Dedes.

Bob’s Blitz has caught WFAN’s Mike Francesa in a lie regarding his Super Bowl XLVII prediction.

From the Albany Times Union, Pete Dougherty notes that former Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian has signed with SiriusXM to co-host some radio shows.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times looks back at the weekend in sports television.

Cleveland Plain-Dealer ombudsman Ted Diadun discusses the reassignment of Browns beat writer Tony Grossi after a private tweet about Browns owner Randy Lerner went public.

The Waiting for Next Year blog looks at the Plain-Dealer decision.

Also from the Plain-Dealer, Bill Lubinger writes about how local TV rights money is playing a huge role in baseball free agency signings.

Dusty Saunders from the Denver Post notes that MLB Network has plucked Root Sports’ Alana Rizzo for a national gig.

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

Friend of Fang’s Bites Jackie Pepper is heading to the Super Bowl.

John Daly of the Daly Planet looks at NASCAR taking over operation of its website from Turner Sports.

John also looks at the future of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series on ESPN.

Sports Media Watch has the overnight ratings of the NHL All-Star Game and Australian Open finals.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing says UFC on Fox’s ratings may have gone down from its November debut, but they’re still good in the desired demographic.

That will do it.

NASCAR To Take Over Operations of NASCAR.com; Turner Sports To Handle Ad Sales

In an extension of their current agreement, Turner Sports will hand over the keys to NASCAR.com starting in 2013 while still handling ad sales for the site. Turner has been operating NASCAR.com since 2001. By handling all digital rights, Turner has had the main say in how NASCAR’s online properties have been managed. Next year, NASCAR will manage the property and will continue to do so at least until 2016.

And by continuing to handle NASCAR.com’s ad sales, Turner can continue to maintain that the site is still one of its digital properties along with NCAA.com, PGA.com and NBA Digital.

We have the press release for you.

NASCAR And Turner Sports Restructure And Extend Digital Partnership Through 2016

Sanctioning Body To Operate Its Digital Platforms Starting In 2013; Turner To Continue Exclusive Advertising Sales

Daytona Beach, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2012) — NASCAR and Turner Sports announced today a restructuring and extension of their long-standing digital partnership. The new agreement takes the relationship through 2016, with NASCAR managing business and editorial operations for its digital platforms beginning in 2013 and Turner Sports continuing to oversee advertising sales and sponsorships across NASCAR-branded digital platforms.

“Turner Sports has been, and will continue to be, a great partner for NASCAR,” said Brian France, chairman and chief executive officer of NASCAR. “Taking a leadership role as it relates to our digital rights is something we as the sanctioning body know is important for the future of our sport, the development of our drivers and most importantly, the experience for both our current fans and future followers.”

“Turner Broadcasting and NASCAR have helped make each other successful for more than 28 years through a working relationship that, over time, has evolved with the media and technology landscape,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “The latest extension of our partnership is a strategically and fiscally enhanced business model for our company and ensures that NASCAR.COM remains a core asset of Turner’s leading digital ad sales portfolio.  Our unrivaled sports assets and scale offer advertisers the means to deliver the most targeted and relevant marketing messages across multiple digital and mobile platforms and properties.”

Under the new partnership, NASCAR will assume operational control in 2013 of all of its interactive, digital and social media rights including technical operations and infrastructure of all NASCAR digital platforms. Turner will continue to represent sponsorships and advertising for all NASCAR digital platforms, with the unique users from the NASCAR digital properties continuing to roll up to the Turner digital portfolio.

NASCAR’s comprehensive digital and social media portfolio includes NASCAR.COM, the official online destination of NASCAR which provides racing enthusiasts with an all-inclusive offering of engaging content including fantasy games, video highlights, social elements and in-depth editorial content. NASCAR.COM, and the sport’s other digital and social media platforms, have been managed by Turner Sports since 2001.

“This move is about the media, our sponsors and most importantly, our fans,” said Marc Jenkins, vice president of digital media for NASCAR. “We will build an innovative portfolio of platforms that strives to be as diverse as it is comprehensive. For our fans our digital platform will become the online destination for all things NASCAR. For everyone else, it will be the vehicle we’ll use to turn them into fans.”

And we’re done here.

Comcast SportsNet New England Goes All Out For Super Bowl XLVI

With the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Comcast SportsNet New England announces it will air almost 65 hours of coverage from Indianapolis by sending the largest media contingent from the region. In addition, the network will have live programming from Indy, the site of Super Bowl XLVI.

CSNNE says it will staff its Super Bowl bureau with 15 on-air reporters and analysts. That’s a lot.

Here’s the Comcast SportsNet New England press release.

COMCAST SPORTSNET TAKES THE SHOW ON THE ROAD TO SUPER BOWL XLVI WITH 64 HOURS OF COVERAGE FROM INDY

BURLINGTON, MA — The Patriots will take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI and Comcast SportsNet will be there to capture the excitement. With plans to televise up to 64 hours of programming from on-site in Indianapolis beginning Sunday, January 29^th, no local station or regional network is providing more coverage dedicated to the match-up than Comcast SportsNet.

Comcast SportsNet’s on-location coverage will include original programs like the Felger & Mazz show, SportsNet Central, Sports Tonight, Patriots Wednesday Live, Quick Slants, Patriots Football Weekly, New England Tailgate, The Dan Patrick Show and special pre and post game editions of Chevrolet SportsNet Central Extra on Super Bowl Sunday.

More than 15 of Comcast SportsNet’s on-air talent will be covering the events from Indianapolis, including Michael Felger, Gary Tanguay, Ty Law, Troy Brown, Tom E. Curran, Mike Giardi and Kevin Walsh. Talent will be contributing to the variety of shows scheduled throughout the week, culminating with the pre-game show at 3PM Super Bowl Sunday and the post-game show which will begin immediately following the game — both originating from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy.

CSNNE.com, the online home to Comcast SportsNet, will feature digital exclusives throughout the week from Patriots Insider Curran and Quick Slants co-host Mary Paoletti. Rich Levine will provide a special online report as he takes the long way to Super Bowl XLVI, including stops in Gronkowski’s hometown, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and French Lick, IN. CSNNE.com will also feature on-demand video of the entire week’s coverage.

Comcast SportsNet’s television coverage from Indianapolis includes:

Monday, January 30
2pm Felger & Mazz
6pm SportsNet Central
6:30pm Sports Tonight
10pm Sports Tonight
10:30pm SportsNet Central
1am SportsNet Central

Tuesday, January 31
9am Dan Patrick Show
2pm Felger & Mazz
6pm SportsNet Central
10pm SportsNet Central
10:30pm Sports Tonight
1am SportsNet Central

Wednesday, February 1
9am Dan Patrick Show
12pm Patriots Wednesday Live
2pm Felger & Mazz
6pm SportsNet Central
6:30pm Sports Tonight
10:30pm SportsNet Central
11pm Sports Tonight
1am SportsNet Central

Thursday, February 2 “New England Football Night”
9am Dan Patrick Show
2pm Felger & Mazz
6pm SportsNet Central
6:30pm Sports Tonight
7pm Quick Slants
7:30pm Patriots Football Weekly
8pm New England Tailgate
10pm Sports Tonight
10:30pm SportsNet Central
1am SportsNet Central

Friday, February 3
9am Dan Patrick Show
2pm Felger & Mazz
6pm SportsNet Central
6:30pm Sports Tonight
11pm SportsNet Central
11:30pm Sports Tonight
1am SportsNet Central

Saturday, February 4
6pm SportsNet Central
7pm Encore of New England Football Night
10:30pm SportsNet Central
1am SportsNet Central

Sunday, February 5
3pm SportsNet Central Extra – Pats Pregame
10pm SportsNet Central Extra – Pats Postgame
1am SportsNet Central

That is all.

NESN Officially Announces Jenny Dell As Red Sox Field Reporter

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe broke the news last week and ESPN helped to confirm the story by deleting all of her videos from its website. Now, NESN has made the announcement official by unveiling that Jenny Dell, a UMass grad, will be the new on-field reporter for Red Sox games, replacing Heidi Watney who left after last season. Heidi will become the Lakers sideline reporter for Time Warner new regional sports network.

Dell who has been seen mostly on ESPN.com and on the X Games, will join in February.

NESN also announces that former designated hitter/first baseman and outfielder Matt Stairs will be a part-time studio analyst for the 2012 season.

Here’s the press release.

NESN ADDS JENNY DELL AND MATT STAIRS TO RED SOX BROADCAST TEAM

January 30, 2012 – NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, announced today that Jenny Dell will join the network as its Red Sox field reporter and Matt Stairs will join as a Red Sox studio analyst. Dell and Stairs will join NESN’s popular and talented Red Sox broadcast team that includes play-by-play voice Don Orsillo, color commentator Jerry Remy, studio host Tom Caron, and the network’s trio of Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice and Peter Gammons, who all serve as studio analysts.

Jenny Dell

Dell comes to NESN from ESPN where she served in several different roles, including on-air reporter. The University of Massachusetts graduate has reported from the last two Super Bowls and delivered AccuScore reports for ESPN.com. She also has experience behind the camera, working since 2008 at several different high profile events and programs for ESPN, including Major League Baseball (MLB), Monday Night Football, National Basketball Association (NBA) and NASCAR coverage. Dell, a Connecticut native, will begin working for NESN in February.

“Jenny is smart, resourceful and displays a professional approach to reporting,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s President and CEO. “Her ability to connect with viewers makes her the ideal choice to join Don and Jerry as part of our Red Sox coverage this season.”

Matt Stairs

Stairs retired in 2011 after a 19-year MLB career with a record 12 teams, including one year with the Red Sox (1995). He finished with a .262 career batting average while slugging 265 home runs and 899 RBIs. He holds the major league record for pinch-hit home runs in a career with 23. A native of Frederickson, New Brunswick, Canada, Stairs played for Canada in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He currently resides in Bangor, Maine, where he serves as an assistant coach for the local high school hockey team.

“Matt brings incredible passion for the game of baseball and a great sense of humor,” said McGrail. “He adds a unique perspective since he has played with or against most of the current major league players, including one year with Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego.”

Red Sox on NESN

On February 19th NESN begins 46 days of live coverage from the Red Sox new Spring Training home JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, Florida. In addition, this Thursday, February 2nd at 10:00 pm, NESN will broadcast the Red Sox Town Hall, which is being held on February 1st in Worcester, Massachusetts. NESN’s Tom Caron will host new Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine and Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington for an interactive conversation in front of approximately 800 fans at Worcester Technical High School.  Fans not at the event can submit questions in advance at NESN.com/TownHall or via Twitter by sending a tweet to @NESN and including the hashtag #TownHall.

That’s it.

NBC To Air 42nd Annual “Road to the Super Bowl”

NBC kicks off its Super Bowl coverage on Sunday with the NFL Films-produced special, “Road to the Super Bowl” starting at noon ET. The show will review the 2011 season and show viewers how the New England Patriots and New York Giants ended up in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVII.

NFL Films has culled through millions of feet of game footage, plus hundreds of hours of audio from coaches and players to produce a one-hour special.

This year’s edition marks the 42nd time that “Road to the Super Bowl” has aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

We have the press release from the National Football League.

NFL FILMS’ “ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL” DEBUTS ON NBC AT 12:00 PM ET ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

42^nd Year of TV’s Longest-Running, Most-Honored Annual Sports Special One-Hour Special Culled From 1.7 Million Feet of Game Film & 400 Hours of Game Audio from 133 Coaches & Players

How did the New York Giants and New England Patriots advance to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis? Re-live the journey as only NFL Films can present it on “Road to the Super Bowl” on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5 at Noon ET on NBC.

“Road to the Super Bowl” begins with Kickoff Weekend and chronicles the 2011 NFL season utilizing NFL Films’ signature captivating video and sound from on the field and in the locker room from exclusive player and coach wirings.

“For those who love football, this show is red meat,” said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “No interviews, no talking heads, all action.”

“Road to the Super Bowl” is the longest-running (42 years) and most honored (28 Sports Emmys) annual sports special. “Road to the Super Bowl,” which debuted following the 1969 season, was culled by NFL Films producers from more than 1.7 million feet of game footage to 980 feet for the one-hour special. In addition, more than 400 hours of audio were captured from 133 exclusive coach and player on-field wirings. Original orchestral music, including a 60-person choir, was used in producing the show.

That will do it.

Overnight Ratings Notes

Just a quick post here. I’ll give you links sometime around mid-afternoon.

From John Ourand of Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily, we learn the overnight ratings of the two big events from Sunday, the NFL Pro Bowl and the NHL All-Star Game. John tells us that yesterday’s Pro Bowl on NBC registered a 7.9 overnight and the NHL All-Star Game on NBC Sports Network received a 1.1.

How did they compare with last year’s events? John tells us.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/Ourand_SBJ/statuses/164021331531280386"]

More later.

UPDATE, 12:05 p.m.: Austin Karp, managing editor of Sports Business Daily has the overnights for UFC on Fox from Saturday. The two hour event was down from November’s debut.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/AustinKarp/statuses/164031081371271168"]

More updates will be posted as they come in.

Aaron Rodgers is No. 1 Among Most Marketable NFL Players

Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily did a survey among sports business executives, analysts, and media on which current NFL players are the most marketable. Not surprisingly, quarterbacks were in the top 5 out of the 11 players listed.

One piece of disclosure, your humble blogger was asked to take part in the survey and my top 5 players matches those in SBJ/SBD’s list, although not in the exact order.

The highest defensive player on the list was Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and that is based on the strength of his Head & Shoulders ad.

Take a look at the list and see if you agree with it. The press release is below.

PACKERS’ AARON RODGERS TOPS SPORTSBUSINESS DAILY’S SURVEY OF NFL’S MOST MARKETABLE PLAYERS

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is the most marketable player in the NFL, according to an exclusive survey of sports business execs, analysts and media personalities conducted by SportsBusiness Daily. The Super Bowl XLV MVP edged out Patriots QB Tom Brady, with three other QBs – the Colts’ Peyton Manning, the Saints’ Drew Brees and the Broncos’ Tim Tebow – rounding out the top five. Rodgers was named on 41 of 50 ballots, five more than either Brady or Manning. However, Brady did receive 15 first-place votes compared to 12 for Rodgers.

Quarterbacks not surprisingly dominated the survey, with eight signal-callers making the top 11. The Steelers’ Troy Polamalu is the highest-ranking defensive player. Notably, no running backs or wide receivers placed higher than 13^th. Six participants in Super Bowl XLVI received at least one vote in the survey – Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Chad Ochocinco and Vince Wilfork for the Patriots and the Giants’ Manning and Victor Cruz.

The survey was distributed to corporate brand managers, marketing and brand executives, agencies and football media, who were asked to list, in order, the top five more marketable players in the NFL. Points were awarded on a five-point scale, with a player awarded five points for a first-place vote, four points for second place, etc. For more, and to see the full results, please see today’s issue of THE DAILY.

NFL MOST MARKETABLE PLAYERS

1.         Packers QB Aaron Rodgers
2.         Patriots QB Tom Brady
3.         Colts QB Peyton Manning
4.         Saints QB Drew Brees
5.         Broncos QB Tim Tebow
6.         Steelers S Troy Polamalu
7.         Giants QB Eli Manning
8.         Panthers QB Cam Newton
9.         Packers LB Clay Matthews
T10.     Ravens LB Ray Lewis
T10.     Cowboys QB Tony Romo

I’ll be interested to see the article when it comes out today.

SiriusXM To Air 13 Different Super Bowl Feeds in 10 Languages

SiriusXM, the satellite radio partner for the National Football League, will air Super Bowl XLVI in ten languages including Chinese, French, Hungarian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. English language feeds will include the local radio broadcasts from Boston and New York, plus the Dial Global national feed as called by Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason and the BBC Radio feed as well. The feeds can be accessed on both the Sirius and XM satellite platforms as well as online.

We have the SiriusXM press release that lists the feeds as well what the satellite radio provider has in store for its live programming from Indianapolis for Super Bowl week. Check it out.

SiriusXM Announces Wide-Ranging Programming Plans for Super Bowl

Listeners get 13 individual broadcasts of Super Bowl XLVI in 10 languages
Super Bowl Week programming features unparalleled mix of sports, entertainment and music
Live shows from SiriusXM NFL Radio, Rosie O’Donnell, Mad Dog Radio, Larry the Cable Guy, Sway Calloway, Maurice Jones-Drew, Fran Tarkenton and others

NEW YORK – January 30, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, announced today that it will broadcast Super Bowl XLVI in 10 languages, offering listeners 13 different live broadcasts plus a wide mix of sports and entertainment programming from Indianapolis throughout Super Bowl Week.

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 5 (6:00 pm ET), SiriusXM will offer the most extensive lineup of play-by-play broadcasts live from Lucas Oil Stadium to SiriusXM subscribers*.  Subscribers who have SiriusXM Internet Radio access in addition to their satellite radio subscription can also listen to the game online through their computers and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphone and wireless devices.

• New England Patriots broadcast – Sirius 86/XM 226/Online 879
• New York Giants broadcast – Sirius 92/XM 225/Online 881
• National radio broadcast – Sirius 88/XM 88/Online 88
• Spanish broadcast – Sirius 149/XM 234/Online 870 **
• BBC Radio broadcast – Sirius 93/XM 227/Online 861
• Chinese broadcast – Sirius 139/XM 231/Online 866
• Japanese broadcast – Sirius 94/XM 228/Online 862
• German broadcast – Sirius 138/XM 233/Online 865
• Hungarian broadcast – Sirius 113/XM 235/Online 869
• Portuguese broadcast – Sirius 137/XM 230/Online 864
• Russian broadcast – Sirius 117/XM 236/Online 868
• Dutch broadcast – Sirius 134/XM 229/Online 863
• French broadcast – Sirius 136/XM 232/Online 867

* NFL programming is available to Sirius subscribers, XM Premier (formerly known as “The Best of Sirius”) and SiriusXM Premier subscribers.  (Visit www.siriusxm.com/subscriptions for info.)

** The Spanish-language broadcast of the Super Bowl will also air on SiriusXM Latino, the new suite of Spanish-language channels available via satellite on SiriusXM Edge and Lynx radios and online.  Subscribers will find the broadcast on XM channel 550 and online on channel 950.

Starting Monday, January 30, SiriusXM NFL Radio will broadcast live every day from the NFL’s Radio Row in Indianapolis, offering listeners the latest news and expert analysis leading up to the biggest game of the year, plus dozens of interviews with players, coaches, league executives and celebrities in town for the event.  Available on channel 88 on Sirius and XM Premier, SiriusXM NFL Radio features a lineup of expert hosts that includes Gil Brandt, Derrick Brooks, Rich Gannon, Pat Kirwan, Jim Miller, Bob Papa, Tim Ryan, Solomon Wilcots, Adam Schein and others.

SiriusXM NFL Radio will broadcast live from Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday, January 31, offering one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from the Patriots and Giants.  On Saturday, February 4 at 5:00 pm ET, SiriusXM NFL Radio will provide live coverage as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012 is announced, plus interviews with the newly elected Hall of Famers.  The channel will also have live coverage from Lucas Oil Stadium after the game on Sunday, featuring interviews with the Super Bowl XLVI MVP, the winning head coach and other players.

In addition to SiriusXM NFL Radio’s comprehensive coverage, SiriusXM will offer a myriad of programming options throughout Super Bowl Week from the worlds of sports, entertainment and music.

Rosie O’Donnell will host a special edition of SiriusXM’s Rosie Radio, featuring celebrity guests, live from Radio Row in Indianapolis on Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Stars (channel 107).

SiriusXM’s Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will be in Indianapolis all week to host his daily show, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from Radio Row from 2:00 to 7:00 pm ET.  The show is the anchor program for SiriusXM’s all-sports talk channel, Mad Dog Radio (channel 86).

Mad Dog Radio’s Dino Costa will host The Dino Costa Show live from 7:00 to 11:00pm ET from multiple locations around Indianapolis throughout the week including Radio Row (Mon.), Nicky Blaine’s Cocktail Lounge (Tue.), the NFL Experience (Wed.), Buffalo Wild Wings (Thurs.), and the High Velocity Bar at the JW Marriott (Fri.).  Costa will also host live from Radio Row on Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm ET.

Evan Cohen, of Mad Dog Radio’s Evan & Phillips in the Morning, will host the show from Radio Row on Thursday and Friday from 6:00 to 10:00 am ET.

Comedian Larry the Cable Guy will be featured on a Blue Collar Radio special airing live from Radio Row on Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET (channel 97).

Sway Calloway will host Sway in the Morning, his live weekday show on Eminem’s Shade 45 channel, live from Radio Row on Thursday and Friday at 8:00 am ET (channel 45).

On Thursday, Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will be on Radio Row to host his SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio show, Runnin’ with MJD, live from 4:00 to 6:00 pm ET (channel 87 on XM and channel 210 on Sirius Premier).

Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton will host a special broadcast from Radio Row on Friday at 3:00 pm ET.  The show will air on SiriusXM Stars Too (channel 104) on Friday at 10:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 8:00 am ET.

SiriusXM’s Covino & Rich, hosted by Steve Covino and Rich Davis on SiriusXM Stars Too (channel 104, weekdays at 11:00 am ET), will broadcast from spots around Indianapolis, including the Maxim Party and Radio Row.

Additionally, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, SiriusXM listeners can tune in for regular traffic and weather reports for the Indianapolis area on SiriusXM channel 145.

As the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, SiriusXM broadcasts every NFL game live nationwide, from the preseason through the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.

Visit www.siriusxm.com/superbowl for more information.

That’s all.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
Men’s
Pittsburgh at West Virginia — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Morgan State at Hampton — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona — Fox College Sports Pacific, 8:30 p.m.
Missouri at Texas — ESPN, 9 p.m.
Texas Southern at Alabama State — ESPNU, 9 p.m.

Women’s
Morgan State at Hampton — ESPNU, 4:30 p.m.
UConn at Duke — ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Golf
PGA Merchandise Show — Golf Channel, 8 p.m.

Hockey
AHL All-Star Game — Altitude/Comcast SportsNet California/Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus/Comcast SportsNet New England/Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports Ohio/MSG Plus/The Comcast Network/Rogers Sportsnet/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
Hot Stove Live — MLB Network, 6 p.m.

NBA
Chicago at Washington — NBA TV, 7 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Clippers — NBA TV, 10:30 p.m.

NFL
Super Bowl Live — NFL Network, 2 p.m.
Top 10 Players Who Never Played in a Super Bowl — NFL Network, 10 p.m.

NHL
NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Second Half Preview — NHL Network, 9 p.m.

Sports Talk
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 — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m. (new time)
NBC SportsTalk Live From the Super Bowl — NBC Sports Network, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Tennis
Australian Open, Men’s Final: Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal (reair) — ESPN Classic, 4 p.m.

Entertainment
Heat Seekers: San Diego — Food Network, 8 p.m.
House — Fox, 8 p.m.
Alcatraz — Fox, 9 p.m.
Hart of Dixie — The CW, 9 p.m.
Inside the NSA: America’s Cyber Secrets — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Frank’s Brother — FX, 10 p.m.
Rock Center with Brian Williams — NBC, 10 p.m.
Intervention: Suzon — A&E, 10 p.m.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Storm of the Century — FX, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

HBO Airs “Namath” Documentary on Saturday

The first great sports documentary of 2012 will air Saturday night on HBO. The 90 minute film was co-produced by HBO Sports and NFL and gives us a look at Joe Namath’s life and career starting in high school in Beaver Falls, PA, to college in Alabama, then to the New York Jets of the old American Football League, and finally to retirement. It doesn’t sugarcoat Namath’s demons, but it also shows that while Namath loved the big lights of New York, the small town of Beaver Falls, PA never left him.

There are appearances by his brothers, sister, daughter, friends, former teammates, and even Suzy Kolber and if you’ve followed sports over the last ten years, you’ll know why she’s in the documentary.

It’s well done and I give the documentary an A.

Here’s the HBO press release and a video preview.

HBO SPORTS AND NFL FILMS EXAMINE THE LIFE OF “BROADWAY JOE” NAMATH, ONE OF PRO FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST STARS, IN A DOCUMENTARY DEBUTING JAN. 28, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

The Emmy^®-winning combination of HBO Sports and NFL Films explores the fascinating life and career of one of pro football’s biggest stars when NAMATH, a documentary on New York Jets icon Joe Namath, debuts SATURDAY, JAN. 28 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Jan 28 (1:00 a.m.) and 31 (noon, midnight), and Feb. 3 (5:30 p.m.), 5 (11:15 a.m.), 7 (noon, 3:30 a.m.), 9 (8:00 p.m., 1:30 a.m.), 11 (3:00 p.m.), 15 (11:30 a.m., 5:45 p.m.) and 17 (7:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Jan. 30 (4:30 p.m., 12:50 a.m.) and Feb. 6 (6:30 p.m., 4:30 a.m.), 18 (7:45 a.m.), 21 (12:25 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 26 (8:30 a.m.) and 29 (midnight)

HBO On Demand availability:  Jan. 30-Feb. 28

Born in Beaver Falls, Pa. in 1943, Namath was raised in western Pennsylvania and was a stellar high school athlete in basketball, baseball and football. He accepted a football scholarship to the University of Alabama and played quarterback for the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. Namath led the Crimson Tide to the top of the national polls in 1964 and his stock as a pro football prospect soared.

With entertainment mogul Sonny Werblin at the helm of ownership of the New York Jets, Namath elected to sign with the upstart American Football League for a then-staggering $427,000, and by game five of his first season had become the Jets’ starting quarterback. He was subsequently named AFL Rookie of the Year, and was one of the first sports celebrity superstars, captivating both the entertainment press and fans with his movie-star looks and bigger-than-life “Broadway Joe” personality.

In a moment that would alter the NFL landscape, Namath led the underdog New York Jets to a world championship title in Super Bowl III versus the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.  His “guarantee” of a Jets upset brought him legendary status.

While his MVP performance in Super Bowl III was the high point, Namath fashioned a high-flying all-star career during his 13 years in pro football, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Now 68, Namath remains engaged in the game with which he has had a lifelong love affair. He provides radio commentary, is connected to new media initiatives through Facebook and Twitter (@realjoenamath), and hosts his own website destination (broadwayjoe.tv).

Interviews for the documentary include:  family members Frank Namath, Rita Sims and Jessica Namath; family friends Linwood Alford, Wibby Glover, Al Hassan, Jimmy Walsh and Tad Dowd; former New York Jets teammates Matt Snell, John Schmitt, Don Maynard, Richard Castor, Emerson Boozer and John Riggins; former Jets assistant coach Ken Meyer; former Alabama teammate Gaylon McCollough; former Alabama assistant coach Howard Schnellenberger; former Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula; former NFL players Mike Curtis, Ben Davidson and Fred Dryer; sports journalists Sal Marchiano, Suzy Kolber, Dave Anderson and Rick Telander; producers Larry Spangler and Roger Smith; attorney Mike Bite; and actress Ann-Margret.

HBO Sports and NFL Films have a long history of acclaimed football productions, including the 2010 documentary “Lombardi,” which earned rave reviews and received the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Documentary.

The executive producers of NAMATH are Rick Bernstein for HBO Sports and Steve Sabol for NFL Films; produced by Joe Lavine for HBO Sports and Keith Cossrow for NFL Films; Liev Schreiber narrates; music composed by Dave Robidoux of NFL Films; writer, Ouisie Shapiro; senior coordinating producers for NFL FILMS, Pat Kelleher and Ross Ketover; executive producer for Namanco Productions Inc, James Walsh.

Highlights of NAMATH:

Former Alabama teammate Gaylon McCollough: “He had good command of the Alabama offense. He was shifty, he was all over the field and he almost left you standing in your boots when you were trying to tackle him. He had tremendous speed and quickness and agility. He was like trying to tackle the wind. He could stop on a dime and throw a jump pass 40 or 50 yards. It was different from what our opponents had seen in the past.”

Gaylon McCollough: “One of the tragedies in American sports is that most people never had the chance to see a healthy Joe Namath play, to see how good he really was. If you had ever seen him at his best, you’d never forget it.”

Former New York Jets offensive coach Ken Meyer:  “[He’s] the only quarterback I’ve ever been around that you didn’t have to look to see when the ball was released…You could hear the ‘whoosh’ when the ball left his hand. And that is not kidding!”

Sports journalist Rick Telander: “There had not been anybody like Joe Namath, not in sports. Long hair, sideburns…a Fu Manchu. Suddenly it’s like, ‘We got some kind of revolutionary here.’ No, you got a guy who’s growing a Fu Manchu ‘cause the chicks dig it.”

New York sportscaster Sal Marchiano: “So here was this rascal – not a maverick – a rascal who wore white shoes, wore his hair long, and he went his own way. He was Mick Jagger in a football uniform. He wasn’t Pat Boone. And that’s what America wanted.”

Former Colts head coach Don Shula on Namath delivering in Super Bowl III: “You gotta give credit where credit is due, and Namath, he made the predictions, then he made ‘em come true.”

Former NFL player Fred Dryer: “That guy was very important to the game of football as a cultural icon, and how he brought professional football into the television era and with it a whole degree of excitement…The likes of him will never ever, ever pass this way again.”

Joe Namath: “Something’s been guiding me around throughout my life. I keep saying, ‘I’m just a lucky guy.’ ”

Here’s the video preview of the documentary.

That’s it.

ESPN’s Super Bowl XLVI Coverage Begins on Monday

ESPN’s week long coverage of Super Bowl XLVI from Indianapolis begins in earnest on Monday. There will be live ESPN Radio shows all day starting with Mike and Mike (also simulcast on ESPN2), live studio programs like SportsNation, NFL32 and SportsCenter.

We have the programming schedule for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes.

ESPN’s Super Bowl XLVI Coverage Starts Monday, Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. ET

Multiple Programs Originating Live from Pan Am Plaza in Indianapolis

ESPN’s multimedia news and information coverage of Super Bowl XLVI kicks off Monday, Jan. 30, at 6 a.m. ET and continues throughout the week with more than 110 hours of television and radio programming originating live from Pan Am Plaza (201 South Capitol Avenue) in downtown Indianapolis, Ind. Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Scott Van Pelt Show, NFL Live, SportsCenter, SportsNation, NFL Live, NFL 32 and Sunday NFL Countdown are some of the ESPN television and radio programs based in Indianapolis throughout the week.

Celebrated ESPN studio hosts Chris Berman, covering his 30^th Super Bowl, Mike Greenberg, Suzy Kolber, Steve Levy, Stuart Scott, Mike Tirico and Trey Wingo, will rotate as anchors for the television programs. Tedy Bruschi, Cris Carter, Trent Dilfer, Herm Edwards, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, Antonio Pierce, Jerry Rice, Mark Schlereth, Darren Woodson and Steve Young, will be among the ESPN personalities who will appear on various programs throughout the week leading into Super Bowl XLVI matchup between the Patriots and Giants.

ESPN television and radio shows will be open for public viewing all week and fans are encouraged to attend.

Monday’s schedule (all times ET):

6 a.m. – Mike and Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio/ESPN2)
Hosts: Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic
Guests: ESPN analyst Cris Carter (8 – 9 a.m.), Colts linebacker Gary Brackett (8:30 a.m.), Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel (9 a.m.), and NBC’s Sunday Night Football and Super Bowl XLVI analyst Cris Collinsworth (9:30 a.m.)

10 a.m. –  The Herd (ESPN Radio/ESPNEWS)
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guest: Keisel (10:30 a.m.)

1 p.m. –  Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN Radio/ESPNEWS through 3 p.m. ET)
Hosts: Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo
Guest: Keisel (2:45 p.m.)

3 p.m. — SportsCenter Special (ESPN)
Host: Steve Levy. Analysts: John Clayton, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter.

4 p.m. — NFL Live (ESPN)
Host: Trey Wingo.  Analysts: Tedy Bruschi and Mark Schlereth

5 p.m. — SportsNation (ESPN2)
Hosts: Michelle Beadle and Cowherd. Guest analyst Herm Edwards
Throughout the week (M-F, 5-6 p.m.), Sportsnation will originate from ESPN’s demo field and will feature two acts as part of the show each day: the Blue Monkey Sideshow carnival act for SN’s ‘Halftime Show’ and Indy’s own “The Twin Cats” will be the show’s official house band.
Guest: Four-time Super Bowl winning kicker and Indianapolis Colt Adam Vinatieri

5 p.m. — SportsCenter (live on ESPNEWS) … to air at 6 p.m. on ESPN
Host: Greenberg. Analysts: Carter and Tom Jackson

6 p.m. — NFL 32 (ESPN2)
Hosts: Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen.  Analysts: Bruschi and Schlereth

8 p.m. — SportsCenter (ESPN Deportes)
Host: Ciro Procuna. Analysts: Raul Allegre and Alvaro Martin

9 p.m. — SportsCenter (ESPN)… to air at 11 p.m.
Host: Stuart Scott. Analysts: Merril Hoge and Edwards

Note: Commentator and guest schedules subject to change

That is all.

The NBA Returns to ABC This Sunday

Just one game for ABC on Sunday and it’ll pit the Chicago Bulls against the Miami Heat. It’ll be an Eastern Conference Finals rematch in South Florida. Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy call the game. Lisa Salters will report from courtside.

And then there will be NBA Countdown with Magic Johnson, Michael Wilbon, Jon Barry and Chris Broussard all talking about the game.

Here’s the press release.

NBA Sunday Showcase Returns with Bulls-Heat on ABC

ESPN’s NBA Ratings Up 31 Percent

ABC’s NBA Sunday Showcase returns with a blockbuster matchup this weekend when the Miami Heat and LeBron James host the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose – in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch – at 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPN’s lead commentator team – Mike Breen and analyst Jeff Van Gundy – will call the game with reporter Lisa Salters. NBA Countdown with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and analysts Jon Barry, Michael Wilbon and Chris Broussard will preview the action at 3 p.m. Additionally, ESPN Radio will broadcast the game with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. Hall of Famers Jim Durham and Dr. Jack Ramsay will describe the action.

Also, ESPN will televise a Sunday night contest when the defending champion Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki host the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan at 8 p.m. Dan Shulman will call the game – also available via ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV and the WatchESPN app – with analyst Doris Burke.

ESPN’s Van Gundy and Breen on Heat/Bulls game:

On whether this matchup is a preview of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final:
Van Gundy – “Without question. I don’t see anybody beating the Heat in the early rounds. Atlanta and Indiana, with their length and depth, could give Chicago a good run. Right now, they have what it takes to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Even though last year’s matchup was decided in five games, I thought it was a close series. Chicago is going to have to be a very driven team to overcome Miami’s talent.”

On the Heat as his championship pick:
Van Gundy – “They are the best team because of their talent and tenacity. They can be a dominant team. Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem are healthy, Shane Battier was a great pickup and Norris Cole has been a great backup at the point guard position. They have good chemistry and a phenomenal talent base. I think they are better than last year when Dallas beat them in The Finals.”

On the top storyline heading into Sunday:
Breen – “So far, they are clearly the top two teams in the East and both teams have a real shot at winning the championship. It will be interesting to see how Chicago comes out after being eliminated by the Heat last season. The Bulls know this is the team they will have to go through again this postseason. It’s tough to get a barometer on the teams right now with so many players missing time and there is a long way to go between now and the playoffs.”

On Derrick Rose as the best point guard in the NBA:
Van Gundy – “He’s certainly one of the elite players in the league and he was deserving of the MVP award last year. The point guard position is excellent. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are excellent. There are a lot of really good players. Rose had a special season and he’s a special player. Most importantly, it sounds like he’s a special teammate who cares most about team success.”

ESPN’s NBA Ratings Up 31 Percent
ESPN’s 14 NBA telecasts this season are averaging a 1.7 rating, an increase of 31 percent when compared with a 1.3 rating for 13 NBA games during the same time span (since Christmas) last year, according to Nielsen. The corresponding household impressions are up 26 percent (1,664,000 vs. 1,319,000) and average viewers are up 21 percent (2,149,000 vs. 1,780,000).

ESPN.com’s Heat/Bulls Coverage

This weekend’s content on ESPN.com, ESPNChicago.com and the Heat Index will include:

• a “Hot Button” feature on which team improved the most since last season;
• previews (including Sunday’s ESPN.com Daily Dime), photo galleries and columns leading up to the game;
• in-game updates;
• immediate reaction and postgame reports.

ESPN Classic: “The Heat is On”

Prior to the Heat’s matchups against the Knicks and Bulls this weekend, ESPN Classic will re-live some of the best games between the teams Friday, Jan. 27, including:

• 1992 NBA Playoffs, First Round, Game 3: Bulls vs. Heat (2-4 a.m.) – Michael Jordan nets 56 points in a 119-114 Bulls victory;
• 2000 NBA Playoffs, Semifinals, Game 3: Heat vs. Knicks (4-6 a.m.) – Anthony Carter hits a baseline runner with 2.2 seconds left as the Heat escape 77-76 in overtime;
• 1999 NBA Playoffs, First Round, Game 5: Knicks vs. Heat (8-10 a.m.) – Allan Houston scores the game-winning basket in a 78-77 Knicks win;
• 2000 NBA Playoffs, Semifinals, Game 7: Knicks vs. Heat (10 a.m.-12 p.m.) – the Knicks survive with a 83-82 win in a classic Game 7;
• 1997 NBA Playoffs, Semifinals, Game 5: Knicks vs. Heat (12-2 p.m.) – the Heat win 96-81 as a brawl occurs with 1:53 remaining in the game;
• 1998 NBA Playoffs, First Round, Game 4: Heat vs. Knicks (2-4 p.m.) – the Knicks edge the Heat 90-85;
• 2011 regular season: Knicks vs. Heat (4-6 p.m.) – Amare Stoudemire blocks LeBron James’ layup with seven seconds left to secure a 91-86 Knicks win;
• 2011 regular season: Bulls vs. Heat (6-8 p.m.) – the Bulls win the third straight regular season game against the Heat 87-86.

That’s going to do it.

Doing Some Friday Megalinks

With a rainy day in Southern New England, it’s time to provide you with some media links. Lots of them on a Friday.

You can check out the Weekend Viewing Picks for the sports and entertainment programming suggestions.

Now to the links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with NBC’s Al Michaels about calling his 8th Super Bowl and 2nd for NBC.

Mike Ozanian from Forbes says NFL TV rightsholders will be able to reap financial benefits while non-rightsholders end up holding the bag.

Sam Mamudi of Marketwatch.com says you can follow along the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter results in real time thanks to a new Facebook app.

Michael O’Connell from the Hollywood Reporter has a sneak peek at some of the Super Bowls ads.

Kelly McBride of the ESPN Poynter Review Project looks at why ESPN made so much of Tim Tebow.

Alex Klein at Romanesko looks into why the Yale Daily News sat on a story for several months and how it took the New York Times to report on former quarterback Patrick Witt’s alleged sexual assault on campus. You may remember that Witt was a candidate to become a Rhodes Scholar but then skipped his interview. Now we know why.

Todd Spangler at Multichannel News says ESPN will let viewers see additional highlights and material from the Winter X Games via the Shazam mobile app.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that NBC Sports Network goes into the NHL All-Star Weekend with increased ratings for the games.

Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily also has a story on the increased NHL ratings for NBC Sports Network.

Gabriel Beltrone from Adweek says Coke will have a Super Bowl microsite where its famous polar bears will react to the game and ads in real time.

David Gianatasio of Adweek writes one local Super Bowl spot will urge you to pee during its commercial.

E.J. Schultz at Advertising Age has Anheuser-Busch’s Super Bowl plans.

Matt Hardigree at Jalopnik says he’s solved the mystery behind the advertiser behind the Ferris Bueller-themed Super Bowl spot.

Adam Jacobi, the college football writer at CBSSports.com, who put the link to Onward State’s erroneous tweet about Joe Paterno’s death last Saturday has been fired. Jacobi says he understands the decision and has apologized to the Paterno family for his mistake.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group says NBC will take a lighter approach for Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

Harry A. Jessell at TV NewsCheck notes that while the national TV ratings for the NFL are good, go inside the local numbers and they’re even better.

ESPN PR man Bill Hofheimer gives you an inside look at the network’s Super Bowl studios in Indianapolis.

Sports Media Watch says college basketball ratings are up on both ESPN and ESPN2.

SMW has some news and notes on some various people in the sports media.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing goes into some of the on-screen typos on TV this week.

Jeff Pearlman gets vindication from Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

Steven Crist from the Daily Racing Form feels returning the Breeders Cup to NBC can only help horse racing.

All Access says a Hartford, CT FM station has flipped to all-sports.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says NESN has selected the replacement for Heidi Watney on its Red Sox broadcasts.

Chad says of all of the local TV outlets, Comcast SportsNet New England will have the largest contingent covering the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Johnny Diaz from the Globe says Boston DirecTV subscribers will see the Super Bowl after all.

Bill Doyle from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks with NBC’s Rodney Harrison about Super Bowl XLII and how some present New England Patriots still remaining from the game want revenge.

Stuart Elliot at the New York Times says some Super Bowl advertisers are returning buyers.

Richard Sandomir of the Times has Joe Namath’s reaction to the HBO/NFL Films documentary on his career that premieres tomorrow.

Richard adds that Namath is right now estranged from his former team, the New York Jets.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says the Namath documentary for the most part is good.

Justin Terranova of the Post speaks with NBC NHL charlatan Pierre McGuire.

Mike Silva at Sports Media Watchdog wonders why Kim Jones left YES.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says a local sports talk show will broadcast live from the Super Bowl next week.

Pete talks with the host of that talk show who also wears other hats in the Albany market.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says NYC residents will be able to hear the local and national radio calls of the Super Bowl next Sunday.

The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News notes the firing of a CBSSports.com writer for falsely reporting Joe Paterno’s death.

DCRTV’s Dave Hughes at Press Row has media notes from the Baltimore-DC area.

South

The Tallahassee (FL) Democrat writes that a local sports talk show host who left his former station this week will be back on the air at another station later this year.

Billy Cox of the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune says ESPN’s Dick Vitale will be the subject of a profile produced by ….. ESPN!

Josh Bowe of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Fox Sports Southwest will stream Lone Star Conference football games and a highlight show over the internet.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle talks with a retiring local sports anchor who looks back at the 2011 Texans rather fondly.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman reviews the HBO/NFL Films documentary on Joe Namath.

Mel says ESPNU will be all over National Signing Day.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with former Bengal Artrell Hawkins who is now co-hosting Fox Sports Radio’s national morning show.

Jeff Moss of the Detroit Sports Rag looks into the new program director and on-air host of a local sports radio station.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Wisconsin sports teams did well in the national TV ratings last year.

Dan McGrath of the Chicago News Cooperative notes the 20 year anniversary of sports talk radio in the Windy City.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says new Minnesota Twins radio voice Cory Provus has big shoes to fill.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks with Bob Costas about returning to host his familiar town hall format next week.

West

Thomas Harding of MLB.com says Root Sports Rocky Mountain’s Alana Rizzo is leaving the network’s Colorado Rockies broadcast team and heading for MLB Network.

John Maffei at the North County Times says HBO’s documentary on Joe Namath is on par with previous efforts.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star also reviews the documentary.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with Kings radio analyst Daryl Evans and also lists his best/worst LA broadcast analysts.

Tom has more on Evans in his blog.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says it’s time to play the NHL All-Star Game outdoors.

And that will do it.

CBS Airs Two College Basketball Games This Weekend

Details of the games are below.

BIG TEN BATTLE BETWEEN MICHIGAN AND OHIO STATE HIGHLIGHTS CBS SPORTS’ COLLEGE BASKETBALL LINE-UP ON SATURDAY, JAN. 28 AND SUNDAY, JAN. 29

CBS Sports’ college basketball schedule continues on Saturday, Jan. 28 (1:00-3:00 PM, ET) with national coverage of *No. 6-ranked Baylor taking on Texas. On Sunday, Jan. 29 (1:00-3:00 PM, ET), CBS Sports broadcasts nationally *No. 4-ranked Ohio State hosts *No. 20-ranked Michigan. 

Verne Lundquist joins CBS Sports’ lead college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg to call the action at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas for the Baylor-Texas contest. Bob Dekas, CBS Sports’ coordinating producer for college basketball, produces and Bob Fishman directs.

Kevin Harlan is joined courtside by Bill Raftery for the call from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State-Michigan game.  Steve Scheer produces and Bryan Lilley directs.

AT THE HALFÒ, CBS Sports’ halftime studio show, hosted by Tracy Wolfson provides all the day’s news, scores and highlights live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Vin DeVito produces and Jim Cornell directs. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

In addition, CBS Sports will stream the Ohio State-Michigan game, as well as select games from the entire 2011-12 college basketball schedule, live on CBSSports.com. The games are available exclusively on CBSSports.com and CBS Sports Mobile.

That’s it.