Sunday, August 06, 2000
EPSN makes telecast interactive
By Michael Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ESPN and the ATP Tour are collaborating on a first for tennis.
During the Thursday night ESPN2 telecast of the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati event (8-10 p.m.), Luke Jensen will be at the ESPN Zone at Times Square in New York, taking questions live for players back in the players' lounge at the ATP Tennis Center in Mason. MaliVai Washington will play host in the lounge.
“It's something that hasn't been done before,” said Anne Hartman, director of broadcast media for the ATP Tour. “We think it's going to be very exciting.”
ESPN spokesman Dave Nagle said the plan is to cut to New York five-to-10 times during the two-hour broadcast. The hope is to have the best players on air who aren't playing and are on site.
“Our first priority, of course, is the match we're covering,” Nagle said. “We think it's an innovative way to go behind the scenes and get into the heads of the players.”
There is no plan for such a broadcast again. The network and Tour want to evaluate how it goes first.
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