ESPN Looks to Put More Personality into ESPN2.
ESPN prog/prod chief Mark Shapiro is adding pieces to his plan to give ESPN2 an identity distinct from ESPN and make it personality driven. The Deuce is producing a pilot for the 6pm slot called "ESPN Hollywood" (it shoots Sept 13). It'll be a mix of "Entertainment Tonight" and sports, he says. If that works, in early '05 there'll be a 1hr "personality driven" sports show at 6:30pm in the style of "O'Reilly." There'll also be a late-night talk show for ESPN2 that will be personality driven, he says. Still, games will be ESPN networks' bread and butter programming, he says, adding that tennis will move to ESPN2. Other plans for ESPN2 include moving "Cold Pizza" to 8am from 7am; he's creating a 7am lead-in sports news/info show for Pizza; the target on those moves is late fall. -- Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon signed a 5-yr extension to host "Pardon the Interruption" and appear across ESPN platforms. Skip Bayless was signed to be Woody Paige's counterpart on Pizza as the show becomes more of a sports-driven show with entertainment/style added. - - ESPN's also working on a movie for next Sept, "The Long Count," about the Jack Dempsey-Gene Tunney fight.
ESPN prog/prod chief Mark Shapiro is adding pieces to his plan to give ESPN2 an identity distinct from ESPN and make it personality driven. The Deuce is producing a pilot for the 6pm slot called "ESPN Hollywood" (it shoots Sept 13). It'll be a mix of "Entertainment Tonight" and sports, he says. If that works, in early '05 there'll be a 1hr "personality driven" sports show at 6:30pm in the style of "O'Reilly." There'll also be a late-night talk show for ESPN2 that will be personality driven, he says. Still, games will be ESPN networks' bread and butter programming, he says, adding that tennis will move to ESPN2. Other plans for ESPN2 include moving "Cold Pizza" to 8am from 7am; he's creating a 7am lead-in sports news/info show for Pizza; the target on those moves is late fall. -- Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon signed a 5-yr extension to host "Pardon the Interruption" and appear across ESPN platforms. Skip Bayless was signed to be Woody Paige's counterpart on Pizza as the show becomes more of a sports-driven show with entertainment/style added. - - ESPN's also working on a movie for next Sept, "The Long Count," about the Jack Dempsey-Gene Tunney fight.
