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Stuart Scott Enters The N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame

Jason Barrett

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“He became, for so many people, the spirit of Carolina, a dream of what this place could be.”

Those were the words Chancellor Carol Folt spoke in reference to the late Stuart Scott.

A member of the class of 1987, Scott was inducted into the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame Friday night at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.

Scott died on Jan. 4 from appendiceal cancer, which he was fighting for the third time in his life.

Speaking at the 2014 ESPYs after accepting the Jimmy V award for perseverance, Scott said, “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and the manner in which you live.”

The Hall of Fame induction fell on the same day as Late Night with Roy, which Scott hosted 10 times between 2001 and 2012.

The emotional ceremony was filled with fond memories of the ESPN broadcaster. The event kicked off with a highlight package of several broadcasters in North Carolina sharing their stories of how Scott impacted their careers.

Susan King, dean of the School of Media and Journalism, welcomed the guests and spoke of the trailblazing effect Scott had in the industry. “Stuart Scott was a new voice in broadcasting, an authentic voice that challenged a new generation of students to find their own voice,” King said.

The ceremony highlighted several important parts of Scott’s life, including his persona behind the camera, his love for UNC and the impact he had on so many aspiring journalists. “Stuart Scott created a broadcasting coaching tree, and there are now hundreds of young journalists, men and women, black and white, who will be true to their experience,” King said.

North Carolina women’s soccer legend Mia Hamm was chosen to induct Scott into the Hall of Fame. Hamm presented Scott’s plaque to his sister, Susan Scott, on her brother’s behalf.

“I wanted to give you more of an insight into Stuart Scott the man, but you already know him,” Hamm said. “Stuart was exactly who you saw on TV. He was the same whether he was in front of the camera or just hanging with his boys and talking about sports.”

If Hamm could use just one word to describe Scott, it would be “real.” “He was never acting. He was genuine, and he was full of life. Every time you tuned in to watch him, you saw the love and passion he had for what he did.”

Credit to the Daily Tarheel who originally published this article

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ESPN Coverage of Men’s NIT Tournament Quarterfinals Up 33% vs. 2023

Viewership of the Men’s NIT Quarterfinals on ESPN were up 33 percent compared to last year and featured two games that averaged over one million viewers.

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Even the NIT is riding the recent hot streak of live sports viewership numbers. According to data provided by ESPN, the 2024 NIT Quarterfinals are up 33 percent compared to last year’s tournament. Perhaps more surprisingly, two NIT quarterfinal games topped one million viewers.

The network’s Georgia/Ohio State matchup averaged 1.03 million viewers, while the Cincinnati/Indiana State contest averaged 1.02 million viewers. These two games were the most-watched NIT games since 2017 — including title games. Both Georgia and Ohio State have rabid fanbases, while many thought Indiana State was unjustly left out of the March Madness tournament, which could be a reason why viewers tuned in.

Much of the focus this season has been on the women’s game, thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Dawn Staley. ESPN just had its most-watched women’s college basketball season since 2008-09 because of the increased interest in the women’s game. The men’s game, however, hasn’t been heralded as much this season for whatever reason, mostly because numbers seem to be holding steady compared to previous years. However, if the NIT is posting viewership wins, that should bode well for the NCAA Tournament’s incoming viewership totals.

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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Colorado Rockies & DirecTV Reach Agreement to Carry Games on TV

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination for their favorite local teams. We will continue to work with MLB…so fans can get their games.”

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Breathe easy, Rockies fans — you will be able to watch your club on linear TV this year. At the buzzer, DirecTV and the Colorado Rockies agreed on terms to distribute the team’s games throughout its local service.

Starting today, DirecTV Choice subscribers across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Idaho, Western Nebraska, and Northern New Mexico can now watch the Rockies on a special channel simply titled, “ROCKIES.” The games will be available on DirecTV and DirecTV STREAM via channel 683.

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination to get all their favorite local teams,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV. “We will continue to work with MLB, the NBA, NHL, and other top leagues and their local franchises so the most avid fans can get the games they want while other customers have more choice over the content they want to pay to have in their homes.”

Reports just days ago out of Colorado said there were “no guarantees” the Rockies would not find a TV home in time for Opening Day following the sunsetting of AT&T SportsNet. The only other way to watch the team is to use its direct-to-consumer Rockies.tv streaming service, which fans say is too pricey for a team that lost 103 games last season. Luckily, the team was able to secure a TV home for 2024, though the future is still uncertain.

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