Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

Blimp became an MVP in earthquake coverage

One of television’s most memorable uses of a blimp began on Oct. 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. Pacific time. 

Columbia, in the Bay Area for the World Series, provided shots of the 1989 quake.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

Goodyear’s Columbia blimp was floating above Candlestick Park, preparing to provide ABC with aerial coverage of Game 3 of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s, when a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the area. Broadcaster Al Michaels said, “I’ll tell you what: We’re having an earth—.” At that moment, the network’s live feed was momentarily lost. Generators kicked on, and with the microwave link to the blimp above intact, the coverage turned into an around-the-clock newscast in which the airship played a key role.

“I think the blimp actually saved lives that day,” said Curt Gowdy Jr., now with SportsNet New York but who back then was in charge of ABC’s World Series coverage along with director Craig Janoff. “It was the only thing that was flying after the earthquake struck, and it provided dramatic pictures of downtown San Francisco and the Bay Bridge and the 880 overpass. We put our news hats on and spent days in the truck covering what was not a sporting event, but a news story. [Goodyear’s] Mickey Wittman was front and center with his cameramen and his crew, providing the world compelling pictures.”

— David Broughton

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/06/23/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Blimp-Gowdy.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/06/23/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Blimp-Gowdy.aspx

CLOSE