Friday, April 16, 1999
SPORTS ON TV-RADIO
NFL draft tough task, top draw for ESPN
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OK, we're going to have a man at a podium, and he's going to read a name every 15 minutes or so for five or six hours, then he'll pick up the pace and read a name every five minutes or so for a few more hours.
Now, does that sound like great TV, or what?
ESPN thinks so. ESPN and ESPN2 will show 17 hours of live NFL draft coverage Saturday and Sunday. That's four more hours than the 1960 Summer Games got.
A lot of people laughed and very few watched in 1982 when ESPN decided to air the draft for the first time. Ratings numbers weren't kept the first two years, but they would have been frighteningly low. In 1984, 178,000 tuned in for the draft.
Few people are laughing and a lot are watching these days. Last year's broadcast drew 2.3 million viewers and a 3.1 cable rating. That's good enough to be the top-rated sports cable show most weeks.
That's also a testimony to the nice job ESPN does with the production.
“It's three months of hell getting ready,” producer Jay Rothman said. “But it's a tremendous day. It's an exciting show to execute. The first five minutes are scripted. Then you fly by the seat of your pants for the next 17 hours.”
It's such a big undertaking because of the variables.
“You've got 300 players, 30 teams, 200 highlight packages, breakdown segments on 40 or 50 players,” Rothman said.
Chris Berman is the host/master of ceremonies.
“It's the hardest thing I do,” he said, “and the most rewarding.”
Mel Kiper Jr., the lead analyst, would be nothing without the draft show, and the draft show would be nothing without him. Kiper has a million opinions and firmly believes each one is correct.
This year's draft could be the most watched so far.
“This is what we call a sexy draft,” Berman said. “You have the five quarterbacks, the running back that everyone knows about. There's been better drafts, but this year the best players are skill players.”
RENEWED: Channel 12 and the Bengals have agreed to extend the station's contract to air the team's preseason games through the 2001 season.
“It's a good deal for us,” WKRC General Manager Bill Moll said. “The regular-season games are on CBS, so the Bengals' preseason games should be as well.”
WKRC did the preseason games last year. Brad Johansen, the station's sports director, will return as play-by-play man. The analysts were not announced. Sam Wyche and Anthony Munoz shared the analyst duties the last two years. The Bengals would like a commitment from one or the other to do all four games.
The Bengals make that call. That's the one difference with the new contract. The Bengals are responsible for producing the games and selling the commercial spots.
The production will be no different, because Lou Rainone, who has done the games the last two years, will produce and direct.
“Viewers won't see any differences,” he said.
Channel 12 also will air a half-hour pregame show at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday during the regular season.
ALL-DRAFT RADIO: The all-sports stations in town will be all over the draft this weekend as usual.
The crew from WBOB-AM (1160) will broadcast from Damon's in Eastgate from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. Bengals play-by-play man Pete Arbogast will be in the studio with draft expert Jerry Jones. Dave Lapham will report from Bengals headquarters at Spinney Field.
Jacor's coverage will begin on WLW-AM (700) at 10 a.m. Saturday with Andy Furman and Tom Dinkel. Marc Amazon will join them at noon, and they'll simulcast on WCKY-AM (1360, “Homer”) until 12:45.
From 12:45 to 4p.m., 1360 will carry the draft.
WBOB will carry Host Communications' draft show from 11 to 5 p.m. Sunday, and BOB2 (1230) will air One-On-One Sports' coverage from noon to 5 p.m.
John Fay covers TV/radio for The Enquirer. He
can be reached at 768-8445.
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