Sunday, November 19, 2000
Sports on TV-Radio
Comedians on air? No joke for networks
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Want to be a sports announcer? Skip broadcasting school and work on getting a gig doing improv.
Dennis Miller is doing “Monday Night Football.” Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Mohr are working on Fox pregame shows. NBA comedian Charles Barkley is working on Turner basketball.
And NBC hired Jesse Ventura to do XFL games. Ventura's current job is governor of Minnesota, but the reason he was able to get that job was he made a reputation as a funny guy on the wrestling circuit.
Networks, desperate for viewers in an era of falling ratings, are trying to give people a reason, other than the game, to tune in. It works.
I'm don't care about the NBA this time of year, but I flip over to see what Barkley might say. Mohr has turned the Fox Sports Net pregame show into the wackiest sports broadcast of the week. Things are so out of control that Chris Spielman quit the FSN show. He wanted to keep it to serious football talk.
The vast majority of viewers couldn't care less about the two-deep zone and who is responsible for what gap. But everyone loves a good gag.
ANOTHER FIRST: Andy Treinen, who announced his first football game four weeks ago when he called the UC-Miami game, did basketball play-by-play for the first time Saturday, calling the UC-Boise State game.
Treinen, the Channel 19 reporter/anchor, worked as a fill-in, but it's a nice opportunity.
“I'm excited,” he said. “I haven't watched a tape of the football game I did. But I must have done all right, or I wouldn't have gotten to do the basketball game.”
CONLEY BACK: Larry Conley, one of ESPN's best-known basketball analysts, was back at work Friday for the Memphis-Temple game after a bout with colon cancer. Conley had surgery and chemotherapy but is expected to recover fully. He'll work a full schedule.
ON THE BENGALS: Craig Bolerjack and Charles Mann will call the Bengals-New England game on Channel 12 today.
NASCAR NOTE: Just as it did when it got football from CBS, Fox is hiring CBS talent. Mike Joy, who anchored CBS' last three Daytona 500s, was named Fox's principle announcer for NASCAR. Joy is a 30-year veteran of motor sports. Darrell Waltrip and crew chief Larry McReynolds will work with Joy.
OOPS: The “Sports Attack” on WCKY-AM (1360) Friday said the Reds traded “Brian” Taubensee. Making a mistake is one thing, but the spot ran several times. The problem is the reports come out of San Diego. But didn't anyone at HOMER hear it?
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Sports on TV-Radio
