Few Format Changes In New Live Morning "SportsCenter" Editions
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Josh Elliott (l) And Hannah Storm Co-Hosting
Some Of Live Editions Of "SportsCenter" |
When ESPN launched the first live edition of its morning "SportsCenter," at 9:00am ET yesterday, the show looked a lot like the other "SportsCenter” episodes ESPN had produced in the past 29 years. The show opened with highlights from Beijing (swimming, basketball and volleyball), which bled into baseball highlights. The only on-air acknowledgement that this morning was different was when co-anchor Josh Elliott opened the show by mentioning that it was the first morning "SportsCenter" to go live. But for ESPN employees in Bristol, this morning had a much different feel than previous mornings in network history, from the company parking lot that was jammed packed well before 9:00am to a busier newsroom in the early hours. "What's different won't be seen on TV right away," said ESPN Exec VP/Production Norby Williamson. "The buzz in this building is bigger this morning. There's just a different feel in the newsroom." The benefits from taking "SportsCenter" live were not seen this morning, with no real news breaking. But ESPN Senior VP/Managing Editor Mark Gross said that ESPN now will be able to move much more quickly than before if news breaks. "Over time, it's going to evolve," he said. "But we're going to be conscious of not destroying what we've built up over time with scores and highlights. We're not looking to turn this into an interview show." If "SportsCenter" had been live last week when the Packers traded Brett Favre to the Jets, Gross said a live "SportsCenter" would not cover that story exclusively. "It's a judgment call how long we stay with a certain story," Gross said, noting that ratings for ESPN's round-the-clock Favre coverage were significantly up. ESPN rolled out some new elements in this morning's live show, including "Morning Buzz" (a familiar name that offers a quick recap of current news), "SportsCenter Inbox" (where viewers can ask Cris Carter questions via a newly launched SportsCenter.com) and "Word on the Street" (where anchors interview ESPN Radio hosts about the topics their listeners are discussing). ESPN plans to do more to send viewers to "First Take" on ESPN2 and ESPNews (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
SAME OLD STORY: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s Paul Gough wrote Elliott and co-anchor Hannah Storm “were in almost constant motion, between two desks and two standup locations,” but there was “no breaking news and only a handful of dropped balls.” Among ESPN execs, it is “hoped that the live nature of the show boosts the ratings after 9, when in the past the re-air ratings dipped.” Nielsen Media Research said that ratings “range from 0.5 in [HHs] between 6-9 a.m. to 0.4 at 11 a.m.,” while the 10:00am re-air “averages a 0.6.” Gross: “We think there is more upside to the 9 a.m. start” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/12). USA TODAY’s Michael Hiestand writes the live "SportsCenter" editions “look like, well, other 'SportsCenter' shows.” There were a "few new interactive wrinkles, and anchors seemed to be standing up more," but ESPN “kept an emphasis on highlights” (USA TODAY, 8/12). On Long Island, Neil Best wrote ESPN is "not breaking dramatic new ground here." By early afternoon, the show "primarily was of use to anyone who had spent the previous 24 hours trapped in an elevator with no access to TV, a computer or a newspaper” (NEWSDAY, 8/12).
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