SportsCenter In L.A.- From ESPN

SMJ’s Ray Frager forwarded me an e-mail sent to him from ESPN in response to my post earlier this week questioning ESPN’s decision to produce the late night SportsCenter from Los Angeles.

Here is ESPN’s response:

Why was the decision made to open a west coast facility?
· To increase production capacity as ESPN continues to grow
· The opportunity to produce the 1am SportsCenter at 10pm on the west coast so that employees who comprise this team do not have to regularly work into the early morning
· To have a visible presence on the west coast in the heart of an entertainment capital – geograhic diversity makes us better
· To have additional access to sports and entertainment celebrities – we are literally in Staples Center parking lot

I understand that the move to the west coast was not going to translate into a totally different looking 1am/10pm SportsCenter.  The brand is the brand.  I still question whether it was a wise move.  At least right now.  But as they say…it’s not my money.

Thanks to ESPN…and Ray for sending over the information.  It is appreciated!

SportsCenter and L.A.- Is It Working?

I’m still trying to figure out why ESPN decided to move it’s late night edition of SportsCenter to Los Angeles.

In the two months or so since the move, nothing on the show has really changed.  It has the same format, same look.  The only references to their presence in Los Angeles are the passing verbal claims and the flashy transition graphics promoting that they are, in fact, in L.A.  So why did ESPN spend all that money for a state-of-the art studio when they are doing nothing different?

Neil Everett and Stan Verrett are okay, but not a compelling enough reason to make this move.

In the face of financially tough times for the WWL, it looks like the only reason they made the switch is to allay the concerns of those on the left coast that ESPN practices East Coast bias.  Goodness gracious let’s hope that’s not the case.

Wait a minute…the verbal references…the Los Angeles themed graphics…the same SportsCenter look…that can be done from anywhere.  Is ESPN really broadcasting from Los Angeles or are they pulling a Capricorn One illusion on us?  Let’s hope so.  Because so far this experiment has not lived up to the billing.