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Robert Lipsyte Named ESPN Ombudsman

Chris O'Shea — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:18:05 +0000

How much do ombudsman matter? Well, that’s debatable. We do know that ESPN — a company that needs plenty of monitoring — just hired a good one, in Robert Lipsyte. Lipsyte has written many books, was a veteran of the New York Times, and won an Emmy for his work at PBS. He is, to put it bluntly, an icon in the sports journalism world.

“I’m thrilled at the chance to help the ESPN audience — which means just about all sports fans — to understand how the decisions are made, or not made, that affect the presentation of its sports news and entertainment,” Lipsyte said, in a statement. “Sports is an immensely important aspect of American social, moral and economic life and ESPN is the most important window on sports. My job is to keep that window transparent.”

Lipsyte begins in June. We can’t wait.

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Deadspin Out-Reports Major Media with Manti Te’o Scoop

Chris O'Shea — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:20:03 +0000

In case you haven’t heard: Deadspin unleashed the scoop of 2013 (so far) last night by revealing an elaborate hoax involving Manti Te’o, star Notre Dame linebacker. Deadspin’s well-reported account showed that Te’o's “girlfriend” that died of cancer never existed, and either Te’o, his family, and his friend were all involved in scamming the media, or Te’o was the victim of an insanely complex and malicious practical joke by someone he didn’t know.

The facts are still being uncovered, but this much is clear: Deadspin has a huge hit on its hands. As of now, Deadspin’s post has been viewed over 2.7 million times, and in being the first to break the story, Deadspin out-reported a slew of media heavyweights that didn’t bother investigating Te’o's claims.

Here are just a few of the major media entities that Deadspin beat:

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WNBC’s Bruce Beck Nails Sixth Straight New York Sportscaster of the Year Award

Jerry Barmash — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:37:12 +0000

Think of the New York Yankees of the 1940s and 1950, or to a lesser degree the Joe Torre era of the late 1990s. All the teams did was win. Well, Bruce Beck has become a local TV news dynasty.

For the sixth consecutive year, the WNBC sports anchor has been selected as the New York State Sportscaster of the Year. Beck shares the honor with SNY/Mets announcer Gary Cohen.

There’s no truth to the story that the annual award recipient chosen by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has been renamed the “Beck Award.”

“Well it’s not like winning a Barmash award – that’s a goal of mine,” Beck jokes.

In all seriousness, he says being recognized for the award a half-dozen times in a row is the mark of consistency.

“We strive for that in our field — just like the athletes we cover,” Beck tells FishbowlNY.

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MSG Network Takes the Prize for Most Knicks/Nets Viewers

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:07:14 +0000

Knicks fans had multiple choices for viewing the Nets/Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. Not only was the borough-to-borough matchup broadcast by MSG and the Nets’ home, YES, there was a national cable audience on ESPN.

But it was MSG that won the night in two of the key rating measures.

MSG had the highest numbers among Nielsen household indicators with a 3.35, compared to a 2.54 for ESPN and a minuscule 0.32 at the YES Network.

MSG was also tops in the adults 25 to 54 category for Wednesday’s tilt.

The good fortune for the Knicks and MSG extends beyond facing their Brooklyn neighbor. Through 19 Nielsen measured games this season, Knicks telecasts are up a whopping 86 percent in the household rating.

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Jets/Giants Preseason Lifts WCBS to Top of Weekly Ratings

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:47:24 +0000

The Jets and Giants exhibition tilt was still must see TV. The Saturday night matchup on WCBS/Channel 2 grabbed the top spot for the week, according to Nielsen. An estimated 853,000 fans tuned to WCBS with a 4.4 rating.

Back to baseball, as the Yankees made five Top 30 appearances. The highest ranking was the ESPN Sunday nighter against the Red Sox (559,000/2.9) at number four.

It was a big week for 60 Minutes. The stalwart CBS newsmagazine had a second-place finish (609,000/3.1).

The Olympics exited the stage, but that means America’s Got Talent is back on NBC’s prime time schedule. The first season with Howard Stern as a judge landed in third and fifth for the week. It averaged 563,000 WNBC/Channel 4 viewers with a 2.9 rating.

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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Ratings Win of Olympic Proportions for WNBC

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:21:18 +0000

No opening night jitters for Olympics coverage on NBC. The New York prime time ratings gave the Top 3 slots to the London Games. The Opening Ceremonies led the way with an estimated 2.6 million WNBC viewers and a 13.5 rating, winning “gold.”

The Nielsen weekly survey ends Sunday, but not before the Olympics registered for weekend programming.

Sunday night took second place with 2.2 million viewers and an 11.4 rating, while night two “settled” for a third-place finish with 1.8 million fans and a 9.3 rating.

NBC did well also with non-Olympic events. The weekly installments of America’s Got Talent (now on hiatus due to the Olympics) landed at number four (640,000/3.3) and five (559,000/2.9).

Also cracking the Top 10, USA Network’s Monday Night Raw. The one-part entertainment, one-part sporting event, marked its 1,000th episode of MNR. The three-hour, live broadcast was broken into three segments—averaging 534,000 viewers and a 2.7.

More after the jump

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Baseball All-Star Game Hits Home Run in Weekly Ratings for WNYW

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:31:41 +0000

The summer is quiet time for TV viewing habits. But last week’s Baseball All-Star Game had big numbers to finish at number one. The game, on WNYW/Channel 5, had an estimated 900,000 viewers and a 4.6 rating, according to Nielsen. The pre-game show had a ninth-place finish (473,000/2.4).

ESPN also used the All-Star Break to its advantage. The Home-Run Derby was third (681,000/3.5). The pre-game show also did well in a tie for sixth (509,000/2.6).

NBC also had a good week from America’s Got Talent, landing at number two (694,000/3.6).

CBS’ tried and true 60 Minutes had 567,000 WCBS viewers with a 2.9 rating, good enough for fourth place, while HBO’s True Blood was fifth (526,000/2.7).

More after the jump

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Macy’s Fireworks Rockets to Number One in Weekly Ratings

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:00:49 +0000

A Fourth of July tradition was the most popular for the week in New York.

The annual Macy’s fireworks spectacular, airing on NBC, grabbed the top two positions for the week. The two-hour special, hosted by Regis Philbin, had an estimated 1.6 million viewers and an 8.4 rating for the first hour. The second half held onto 1 million WNBC viewers with a 5.0 rating.

The Yankees and Red Sox had the Sunday night matchup on ESPN, and landed in third place (682,000/3.5). The latest series between AL East rivals also got the prime time treatment from Fox on Saturday. The game tied for ninth (538,000/2.8). The Friday night edition scored an 11th-place result on the YES Network (512,000/2.6).

Last week’s episodes of NBC’s America’s Got Talent were Top 5 finishers, averaging 591,000 Channel 4 viewers and a 3.0 rating.

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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NBA Finals Eclipse Subway Series for Weekly Ratings Supremecy

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:11:04 +0000

The Yankees and Mets battled at CitiField, but it fell short for the top spot of the week. Instead, it was celebration night as Lebron James and the Heat received the crowning touching.

The NBA Finals wrapped up with Game 5 Thursday night. New Yorkers watched as the triumphant James earned his first ring. The game with the Thunder had an estimated 1.3 million viewers and a 6.9 rating, according to Nielsen.

Game 4 had a third-place showing (1.2 million/6.3) on WABC.

As for the Subway Series, the latest installment on ESPN Sunday night came in second with 1.2 million fans and a 6.5 rating.

Fox also was in Yankees/Mets mode, with its Saturday night game from CitiField. It was fourth for the week (817,000/4.2). The WNYW post-game show was not too shabby either, finishing sixth (631,000/3.2).

The Friday night Subway Series opener tied for 10th on WWOR/Channel 9 (467,000/2.4) and WPIX/Channel 11 (463,000/2.4).

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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Battling Finales: American Idol Powers Past Dancing With The Stars in Ratings

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:31:24 +0000

It’s on to the summer. But not before American Idol and Dancing With The Stars completed their season last week.

In the latest prime time New York ratings, Idol was king of the week with its star-studded, grand finale Wednesday night. The Fox competition, which crowned Phillip Phillips the winner, scored with an estimated 1.8 million WNYW/Channel 5 viewers and a 9.1 rating.

Not only did Phillips win the night, the Fox 5 News at 10 used that lead-in to its advantage. The Ernie Anastos-Dari Alexander newscast was sixth with 865,000 viewers and a 4.4 rating.

The previous night’s Idol settled for fourth with 1.1 million fans and a 6.0 rating.

As for Dancing, it ended the season with a number-two performance for the Monday episode (1.4 million/7.3). The ABC celebrity talent showcase also found a home in third place for the results (1.3 million/6.6).

Game 6 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals on NBC Sports Network landed in eighth place, as the Rangers were elimated by the Devils (806,000/4.1). Game 5 also cracked the Top 10 at number 9 (722,000/3.7).

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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Idol and Dancing Land in a Tie Atop Weekly Ratings

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:52:24 +0000

The weekly ratings battle between American Idol and Dancing With The Stars gave neither program an outright victory. Two-hour editions of Dancing and Idol each were number one for the week, according to Nielsen.

The Dancing and Idol telecasts had an estimated 1.3 million viewers and a 6.7 rating on WABC and WNYW, respectively.

Elimination night proved slightly more successful for Idol, which came in third (1.1 million/6.0). The evening featured the shocking result of Jessica Sanchez being the lowest vote-getter.

As for the Dancing, the results show also registered 1.1 million viewers, but had a 5.6 rating.

NBC’s The Voice just missed the Top 10 with a tie for number 11 (642,000/3.3). It was lumped with Fox’s musical Glee (639,000/3.3).

ABC’s sitcom Modern Family was fifth (1 million/5.1), while the 60 Minutes tribute to Mike Wallace was number six (938,000/4.8).

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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News Corp. Planning ESPN Rival

Chris O'Shea — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:30:58 +0000

News Corp. is thinking about going after the biggest name in sports. No, not Tim Tebow dammit — ESPN. Bloomberg reports that the plan is to convert the Fuel network to a new, nationally focused sports channel. The channel is rumored to be launching by the end of this year and will be led by David Hill, the chairman of Fox Sports.

Of course the big problem with trying to challenge ESPN is that it has contracts with the NFL, NBA and MLB. That’s pretty much all American sports fans care about.

Fox’s biggest grab? The rights to the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. Soccer — despite its thrilling 0-0 ties and players flopping at the slightest bit of contact — is not exactly the best way to lure viewers.

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Barack Obama Knew About Jeremy Lin Before You Did

Chris O'Shea — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:11:45 +0000

Here is how powerful Bill Simmons and ESPN is: He did a podcast with President Barack Obama. Allow us to be giddy school children for a moment and say, “How cool is that???” Okay, now that we’ve settled down, here are a few of our favorite quotes from Obama:

On Jeremy Lin:

I knew about Jeremy before you did, or everybody else did, because Arne Duncan, my Secretary of Education, was captain of the Harvard team. And so way back when, Arne and I were playing and he said, I’m telling you, we’ve got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard. And then one of my best friends, his son is a freshman at Harvard, and so when he went for a recruiting trip he saw Lin in action. So I’ve been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon for a while.

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Breaking Down the Magazine Super Bowl Parties

Chris O'Shea — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:20:57 +0000

Before the Giants win the Super Bowl on Sunday, there are parties to be had. The New York Post reports that ESPN The Magazine, Rolling Stone, Maxim and Playboy are all having festivities, starting tonight. Since we won’t be attending them, let’s break down what we’re missing.

ESPN is kicking things off tonight with a party featuring a performance by Drake. Cam Newton will be the guest of honor, which is cool, but Drake — a man who sings about love, longing to love and loving love — isn’t a guy that we associate with letting loose.

This is Rolling Stone’s first Super Bowl party, and it’s bringing LMFAO, Lupe Fiasco, Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes to entertain guests. A ticket for the magazine’s Saturday party is $1,000.

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Giants Super Bowl Push Takes Number One in Weekly Ratings

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:03:45 +0000

The New York Giants are onto the NFC Championship and a date with the San Francisco 49ers. But first, the G-Men had to do away with the Green Bay Packers Sunday night in the divisional round. The game broadcast on Fox won the week, according to Nielsen. An estimated 4 million WNYW/Channel 5 viewers were bleeding Big Blue, with a 20.4 rating.

Fox’s post-game coverage was second-best with 2.3 million and a 12.o rating.

Saturday playoff action also performed well. Fox’s early game–the Niners and Saints (2.1 million/11.2) was number three. The prime time matchup, New England hosting Denver on CBS, was number four (2 million/10.1).

The Golden Globes on NBC took fifth place for week (1.7 million/9.1)

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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