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Final Thoughts: ESPN Set To Cancel Long-Running Sunday Show "Sports Reporters"

ESPN is canceling "The Sports Reporters," with the Sunday morning show "expected to end in May," according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. The show began in '88 and "was a forerunner of the flood" of talk shows that air in "most major cities featuring members of the media debating ... the news and issues of the week." The two main hosts during the show's nearly 30-year run, Dick Schaap and John Saunders, "gave the show gravitas" and set it apart from similar programs (SI.com, 1/23). ESPN this afternoon formally announced "The Sports Reporters" will broadcast its final episode on May 7, while "OTL" also will air its final Sunday edition that day. The shows will be replaced by a weekly edition of "E:60," which will be hosted by Bob Ley and Jeremy Schaap. "OTL" will continue to air Monday-Friday at 1:00pm ET on ESPN (ESPN). NBCSports.com's Craig Calcaterra wrote on Twitter, "'The Sports Reporters' was good early, but the bad -- giving Bill Conlin, Albom and others national platforms -- outweighed it eventually." Bleacher Report's Erik Malinowski: "Impossible to overstate how much this show meant to me as a kid." The Big Lead's Kyle Koster: "Remember watching The Sports Reporters as a kid and realizing, 'hey, that's a hell of way to make a living'" (TWITTER.com, 1/23).

DYNAMIC DUO: ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" yesterday featured a special presentation, as the net's NFL studio in Bristol was officially renamed the Chris Berman-Tom Jackson Studio. It is the first time in ESPN's history that a studio has been dedicated to a commentator or exec (ESPN). ESPN’s Chris Mortensen read the plaque that appears outside the studio. It says, "In recognition of their immeasurable contribution ESPN declares the Chris Berman-Tom Jackson Studio. Their 29-year on-air partnership is a sports television record that has earned them a special place in the hearts and minds of football fans everywhere. They will always be part of the ESPN family." Berman asked, “Is this a true award?” ESPN’s Adam Schefter: "You walked right past the plaque when you were coming in. How didn't you notice it?” ESPN’s Wendi Nix said to Berman, “We got the Pro Bowl and we got the Super Bowl, but this is your last ‘NFL Countdown’ here in Bristol. It’s been a long time" (“Postseason NFL Countdown,” ESPN, 1/22).



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