TUBE TALK: Veteran journalist Storm joins ESPN for new, live morning "SportsCenter"

By JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Friday, May 16, 2008 11:24 AM PDT ∞

ESPN will add a live morning version of "SportsCenter" in August, giving the network a nine-hour block of fresh programming each weekday.

The move to a morning "SportsCenter" on Aug. 11 coincides with the first full week of the Beijing Olympics, and it replaces ESPN's current policy of re-airing the previous night's "SportsCenter" throughout the morning.

"We're thrilled with expansion across all our forums," said Nordy Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production. "Basically, this is the next step."

Perhaps the biggest step is the addition of veteran broadcaster Hannah Storm to the ESPN family.

Storm has worked for CNN, NBC and, most recently, CBS, where she co-hosted "The Early Show" for five years. She will anchor a three-hour "SportsCenter" that will air from 6-9 a.m. on the West Coast.

"'SportsCenter' is one of the icon shows of sports TV," Storm said. "Three hours of live TV a day is a pretty heavy responsibility and workload, but it plays to my strength ---- reporting breaking news. Not everything in sports happens last night. There is breaking news in the morning, and we'll break that down. We'll preview the day's events and fold in interviews.

"There is so much opportunity. I hope my skills will enhance our coverage and give the fans quality TV. After years of doing morning news, I can't imagine a better partnership for me."

Storm has worked in sports for most of her 19 years in the business. It wasn't until she joined CBS in 2002 that she jumped to news ---- and she was good at it, interviewing presidents and heads of state. Plus, she hosted the award-winning CBS news magazine show "48 Hours."

"News was a great, growth opportunity," Storm said. "But sports is what I grew up with. It's authentic. It's important to people."

A strong advocate of sports for young people and especially young girls, Storm is married to NBC sportscaster Dan Hicks. The couple have three daughters.

Storm said she spent a lot of her spare time during the past few years traveling to sports events like the Notre Dame-USC and Florida-Tennessee football games, tennis' U.S. Open, Red Sox-Yankees games, Super Bowls, the Final Four and golf events with her daughters.

"My first-grader, Riley, filled out an NCAA tournament bracket and won $35 in our family pool," Storm said.

ESPN will use three sets of teams for its new nine-hour block, split into three-hour shifts.

Williamson said Storm's partner and the other teams will probably be announced in the next two weeks.

This is all part of ESPN's commitment to mornings.

While "SportsCenter" is more news-oriented, ESPN2 will continue with ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" from 3-7 a.m. and "First Take" from 7-9 a.m., with an encore from 9-11 a.m. ESPNEWS will continue with its 30-minute news blocks.

"With the Olympics starting, plus baseball, and NFL camps in full swing, August is a good time to launch this," Williamson said. "Things are really popping around this time. Certainly, scores, highlights and information will be the core of the morning shows. But I believe we're obligated to experiment. So we'll continue to tweak the shows."

The biggest tweak, though, could be the addition of Storm.

"I'm so glad to get back to my roots," said Storm, a Notre Dame graduate. "Sports is in my blood. I feel like I'm coming home."

Interleague baseball

Interleague play dominates the major leagues this weekend, with six games on local TV.

Fox has the Angels hosting the Dodgers at 12:55 p.m. Saturday. WGN follows with the White Sox-Giants game at 6 p.m., while the Padres and Mariners play at 7 p.m. on Channel 4.

On Sunday, TBS has the Brewers and Red Sox at 10:30 a.m. as part of the network's national package. The Padres and Mariners are on Channel 4 at 1 p.m., while ESPN's Sunday night game at 5 features the Mets and Yankees.

On the bump

Bump Day, the last chance for Indy Car drivers to qualify for the 33-car field for the May 25 Indianapolis 500, is Sunday. ABC and ESPN have coverage at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

ESPN2 also has live coverage of the third day of time trials for the Indy 500 at 1 p.m. Saturday. Last week's second day of qualifying was rained out, so positions 12-33 will be filled Saturday.

Softball in the spotlight

ESPN2 and ESPNU have 10 NCAA softball regional playoff games this weekend, beginning today with Purdue-Nevada at 2:30 p.m. and Cal State Fullerton-UCLA at 4:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Saturday's schedule includes six games starting at 9 a.m. and running all day. ESPN2 has games at 9 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday's schedule includes games on ESPNU at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.

ESPN and ESPNU will have all 16 games from the Super Regionals, which start May 23. The Women's College World Series begins May 29, with ESPN and ESPN2 providing full coverage.

Overall, the ESPN networks could have 45 games over the next three weeks.

Local notes

- Padres radio voice Ted Leitner missed a couple of days on the team's current road trip with a minor medical problem. He was back in the booth Wednesday.

- Jerry Coleman is taking some time off from Padres radio broadcasts to attend the college graduation of his daughter, Chelsey, who received her degree from the University of Virginia.

- ESPN's Norby Williamson, the network's executive vice president for production, said he's very aware that San Diego radio station ESPN 800 doesn't register in the ratings. "We're looking hard at the radio side," Williamson said. "We're aware of our presence in San Diego, and we want to make that work. We want to make it register."

- The mtn., which has the Texas Christian-New Mexico baseball game live at 11 a.m. Saturday, will carry every game of the Mountain West Conference baseball tournament starting Tuesday. San Diego State must win the tournament to advance to the NCAA playoffs.

Tennis anyone?

ESPN and the U.S. Tennis Association have agreed to a six-year agreement that will bring the U.S. Open to ESPN beginning in 2009.

USA Network had held the rights for 25 years.

ESPN2 will carry about 100 hours of live action. The deal completes a grand slam for ESPN, which will hold the rights to tennis' four majors ---- the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

ESPN will continue to use broadcasters Bud Collins, Cliff Drysdale and Dick Enberg, who have worked ---- or played in ---- 278 Grand Slam events.

In addition, ESPN2 will continue to carry the U.S. Open Series, the summer hardcourt events in North America leading to the U.S. Open.

WNBA tips off

The WNBA opens its 12th season Saturday with ABC televising the day's premier game between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks at 12:30 p.m.

With Lisa Leslie returning from maternity leave and No. 1 overall draft pick Candace Parker, the Sparks are the league's new glamour team. The Mercury are led by all-star guard Diana Taurasi and WNBA finals MVP Cappie Pondexter.

ESPN2 and ABC will carry 22 WNBA games this season.

NBA-TV will carry 65 games and nine playoff games, starting with a doubleheader Saturday featuring Washington-Indiana at 4 p.m. and San Antonio-Sacramento at 7 p.m.

The Sparks are scheduled for 12 appearances on NBA-TV, as are the Detroit Shock.

Triple Crown talk

NBC has the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

There hasn't been a Triple Crown winner in 30 years, but many feel Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown is the monster horse that can do it for the first time since Affirmed in 1978.

NBC's two-hour Preakness coverage is 30 minutes longer than last year.

The highlight of the pre-race show figures to be a round-table discussion that will examine the tragic death of filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby and the challenges that lie ahead for the horse racing industry.

Bob Costas leads the discussion along with Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones, NBC horse racing analyst and hall of fame jockey Gary Stevens, noted veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage and Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

Tom Durkin calls the race for NBC.

Around the dial

- Track fans can get a look at much of the U.S. Olympic track and field team in the Adidas Track Classic. ESPN has coverage at 1 p.m. Sunday from the Home Depot Center in Carson. This is one of the last big meets before the U.S. Olympic trials.

- ESPNU has all four games of the NCAA tournament men's lacrosse quarterfinals. Maryland and Virginia play at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by Navy and Johns Hopkins. Sunday's schedule is Ohio State versus Duke at 9 a.m., followed by Notre Dame against Syracuse.

- ESPN will have full coverage of the NBA draft lottery at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

- Fueled by huge audiences in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Sunday's NHL Eastern Conference final game between the Flyers and Penguins drew a 1.7 rating ---- the best ever for Versus ---- and was seen by 2.385 million viewers. The game did a 9.4 rating in Philadelphia and a 22.3 in Pittsburgh.

John Maffei's TV/Radio Column appears every Friday. He can be reached at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.

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