In St. Paul, Andy Greder reports a four-part series on Univ. of Minnesota football coach titled “Being P.J. Fleck” debuts Aug. 2 on ESPNU. A "mix of documentary and reality TV show features footage of Fleck’s daily life as he embarks on his first season" as UM coach. The 30-minute episodes will debut on ESPNU at 8:00pm CT Wednesdays through Aug. 23, with reruns on Big Ten Network. The show’s filming will wrap up during UM's first week of training camp next month and the show will "depict Fleck during hospital visits, giving motivation speeches and working with his team in various settings" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 7/21).
THREE MAN WEAVE: On Long Island, Mark La Monica noted Fox for the first time will "go with a three-man team" for Saturday's broadcast from Nassau Coliseum. Jon Anik will serve as the play-by-play announcer while former fighters Brian Stann and Dominick Cruz will serve as analysts. The UFC has "used a three-man booth for some pay-per-view broadcasts recently" (NEWSDAY.com, 7/18). Meanwhile, MMA promotion Combate Americas has "signed a deal with ESPN to broadcast its live event later this month." The televised event, Combate Clasico, will "take place on July 27 in Miami and air on ESPN3 and the ESPN app" (ESPN.com, 7/18).
SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT: In N.Y., John Koblin profiles SNY's Doug Williams, who has had a "quick and steady rise at the network and regularly hosts 'Geico SportsNite.'" However, the show "often goes head-to-head" with MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour,” which is hosted by his father, Brian Williams. Doug Williams "plans on sticking with sports" as news is "not his thing" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/21).
