CBS

Turner Sports And CBS Sports Begin “Road To The Final Four” With “NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show” On Sunday, March 11 On CBS

March 7, 2012 By admin

INFINITI NCAA HARDCORE BRACKETS SHOW ON truTV FOLLOWS WITH FIRST-EVER REVEAL OF THE NCAA SELECTION COMMITTEE’S TEAM RANKINGS FROM 1 TO 68

CBS Sports Broadcasts Exclusive, Live Announcement of

2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Field of 68

CBS Sports and Turner Sports begin the ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR as CBS Sports broadcasts the exclusive, live first-time announcement of the pairings for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 11 (6:00-7:00 PM, ET) during the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW.

CBS Sports’ Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis host the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Turner Sports’ Steve Kerr join Gumbel, Anthony and Davis via satellite from the site of the Big Ten Championship at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. In addition, Jeff Hathaway, Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, joins live from Indianapolis, Ind. to provide an in-depth look into the selection process.

Immediately following the Selection Show, truTV will air INFINITI NCAA HARDCORE BRACKETS (7:00-8:00 PM, ET), a new one-hour show providing in-depth analysis, including the public release of the Selection Committee’s 1 to 68 team rankings for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Gumbel hosts and is joined by Turner Sports’ Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as well as Anthony and Davis. Hathaway and Mike Bobinski, Vice Chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2012-13 season, will join the show to discuss the bracket and provide exclusive details regarding the committee’s deliberations throughout the weekend. The show is part of the NCAA’s expanded educational initiative to enhance understanding of the championship selection process.

Additionally, the NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW will be available online and mobile via NCAA® March Madness® Live, which can be launched from NCAA.com, CBSSports.com and SI.com.

Game coverage for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR™ on truTV presented by Northwestern Mutual, and the tournament concludes with the National Championship game Monday, April 2 on CBS.

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Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Basketball

Jack Whitaker to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Sports Emmys

March 7, 2012 By admin

SPORTS COMMENTATOR & ESSAYIST JACK WHITAKER

TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

AT 33rd ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS

To be Honored During the April 30th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center

New York, NY – March 5, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced that Sports Commentator and Essayist, Jack Whitaker, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports at the 33rd annual Sports Emmy® Awards ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Monday, April 30th, 2012.

“From his days back in the 60’s as Host of ‘CBS Sports Spectacular,’ to working with ABC Sports and News in the 80’s and 90’s, Jack Whitaker was the man on the scene,” said Steve Ulrich, Executive Director, Sports Emmy® Awards. “Jack was the kind of sports commentator who covered it all: the Super Bowl, Secretariat’s win at Belmont, the Olympics in Sarajevo, Los Angeles and Calgary, the America’s Cup Regatta, Golf, Tennis, Track & Field – you name it. At the inaugural Sports Emmy® Awards Gala in 1979, Jack was honored as the Outstanding Sports Personality. We are delighted to have him as this year’s Sports Lifetime Achievement winner.”

“Jack Whitaker brought thoughtful perspective, a sports fan’s passion and dignified gravitas to his every assignment, and his graceful prose elevated the presentation of sports’ biggest events,” said John Skipper, president, ESPN. “We are thrilled he will take his rightful place among the most accomplished individuals ever in sports broadcasting.”

Pat Summerall, the 1994 Sports Lifetime recipient, said, “Jack was always the ultimate pro in everything he does. He was always a role model, whether it was in his dress, behavior, preparation or presentation. Many in our business patterned their efforts after his. Jack deserves more than any honor could bestow.”

Frank Gifford, who received the Lifetime Achievement award in 1997, added, “To have a Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award without Jack Whitaker on the list is hard to believe. He was the best of the best, a great friend and a terrific colleague.”

Born on May 18, 1924 in Philadelphia, Whitaker grew up playing stickball in the streets of the East Germantown section of the city and graduated from Northeast Catholic High School and St. Joseph’s College (now University).

In a 1998 television interview, Whitaker explained how he entered sportscasting: “I listened to the radio a lot. I was kind of a sports and news junkie. Actually, that’s how I got started, as a newscaster and news writer. “

In 1950, he made his television debut as a sportscaster with WCAU in his native Philadelphia. He was the sports anchor of the city’s number one newscast, working with news anchor John Facenda – the legendary “Voice of God” from years of work with NFL Films – and Ed McMahon (later of Tonight Show fame), who provided nightly essays.

In 1961 he made the move to CBS Sports in New York. As host of CBS Sports Spectacular, Whitaker brought a unique angle to the anthology series. For the next 21 years, he was prominent in the network’s coverage of golf’s major championships, horse racing’s Triple Crown, tennis, track and field, and boxing. He was part of the team covering the first Super Bowl. Over the years, he served many roles, from host to reporter to play-by-play to, in his later years, a poignant essayist.

When Jack was asked what the greatest event he ever covered was, he chose the 1973 Belmont Stakes. “I would say it was Secretariat’s win at Belmont which was the most dominating performance I have ever seen by any athlete, even more than Tiger Woods last year (1997). Because he won by 31. I mean it just blew me away. It blew everybody away. People were crying. It was just perfection. So I think I’ll stick with that, although Tiger is pretty close.”

For ABC, Whitaker covered the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympic Games and the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. In the news department, Whitaker reported for ABC’s World News Tonight, Nightline, and 20/20. In 1992, he worked the America’s Cup regatta in San Diego for ABC and ESPN.

In addition to the Emmy® Award, Whitaker’s has received the Maryland Jockey Club’s 1983 Hilltop Award, becoming only the second member of the electronic press to ever win the award. He was named Best Announcer by Sports Illustrated in 1976, and earned the Kentucky Owners and Breeders, Inc. Engelhard Award in 1973. Whitaker was also the first television commentator honored by the Golf Writers of America at the Memorial tournament.

In 1997, Whitaker was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame. The evening’s program said, “Jack Whitaker is a brilliant sports essayist. He has taken sports commentary on television to a new level rivaled by only a few of the greatest sportscasters. He has the uncanny ability to see and interpret events, give them context and perspective and deliver his impressions in a way that leaves a lasting impact upon viewers.”

Whitaker was also inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 into the St. Joseph’s University Athletic Hall of Fame.

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In addition to Whitaker, winners in 33 categories including outstanding live sports special, live series, sports documentary, studio show, promotional announcements, play-by-play personality and studio analyst will be honored at the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards. Many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities and television professionals will be presenters at the event.

American Airlines is the official sponsor of the 33rd annual Sports Emmy® Awards. Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal is the exclusive magazine partner.

A complete list of all nominees will be available in late March at www.emmyonline.org

About The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Award for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime Entertainment, Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment, Public & Community Service, and Technology & Engineering. Excellence in Primetime programming and international programming is recognized by its affiliate, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Regional Emmys are given in 19 regions across the United States. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including the Regional Student Television Award for Excellence for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public. For more information, please visit the website at www.emmyonline.tv.

Filed Under: CBS, ESPN

CBS Sports’ James Brown Joins CBS News as Special Correspondent

March 2, 2012 By admin

JAMES BROWN JOINS CBS NEWS AS SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

James Brown has been named Special Correspondent for CBS News, it was announced today by CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager and David Rhodes, President, CBS News. Brown will contribute original reported pieces and will appear on various CBS News broadcasts.

Brown begins his assignment this Saturday, March 3, on CBS THIS MORNING: SATURDAY. Brown continues in his current role as host of THE NFL TODAY, CBS Sports’ NFL pre-game studio show.

“James Brown is among the very best in our business,” said Fager. “He is a fixture at CBS Sports and will be a great addition to CBS News because of his abilities, and because he also happens to be a great human being.”

“Audiences know JB as the face of THE NFL TODAY and other sports broadcasts — what they may not know is his curiosity about the news,” said Rhodes. “His wide-ranging interests from sports to faith to community service will be great assets to CBS News and to our viewers.”

Since February 2006, James Brown has served as host for the CBS Television Network’s NFL pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY, and had served as play-by-play announcer for the Network’s coverage of college basketball, including the NCAA Tournament. He has also hosted the Network’s Super Bowl pre-game show for its coverage of Super Bowl XLIV (2010) and for Super Bowl XLI (2007) in Miami.

In addition, Brown hosts INSIDE THE NFL alongside analysts Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp. INSIDE THE NFL debuted in 2008 on SHOWTIME. In its first year on SHOWTIME, INSIDE THE NFL won the Sports Emmy® Award for Outstanding Studio Show-Weekly. Brown also hosted the Pacquiao/Mosley fight for SHOWTIME Pay-per-view.

Brown’s first book, Role of a Lifetime: Reflections on Faith, Family and Significant Living, hit bookstores across the country in September 2009. In his memoir, Brown relayed how he found the role he was meant to play, highlighting both the good and bad decisions he made along the way, teaching readers how to discover life’s purpose for themselves.

Brown served as host of FOX NFL SUNDAY for 12 years prior to returning to CBS Sports. He joined FOX Sports in June 1994 after a decade with CBS Sports. Brown hosted a two-hour radio show called “Hang Time with James Brown,” and also wrote daily commentaries for Sporting News Radio. He also served as a reporter/correspondent for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” and, for 12 years, hosted Championship Boxing matches for HBO.

Brown first joined CBS Sports in 1984, where he was part of the network’s broadcast team for its NFL coverage and college basketball coverage as well as a reporter for the NBA Finals. He also was host of an afternoon show, the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. While at CBS he was also co-host of “CBS Sports Saturday/Sunday,” a weekend anthology series.

His sportscasting career began in Washington, D.C. as play-by-play announcer for the NBA Washington Bullets (now known as the Wizards) for Home Team Sports and served as an analyst for black college basketball on BET. Early in his career, he hosted a mid-day program on WTEM, an all-sports radio station, co-hosted two weekly Washington-area sports programs, was sports anchor for WUSA-TV for six years, and hosted “James Brown’s Pro Football Preview” for SportsFan Radio.

Throughout his career he has earned numerous awards, including three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Studio Host for THE NFL TODAY (2007) and “FOX NFL Sunday” (1998, 1999).” Brown was honored with the 2009 Dick Schaap Memorial Award for Media Excellence. He received the 2007 Maxwell Football Club’s Excellence in Broadcasting Award and the Dallas All Sports Association Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism, and was the first recipient of the annual Pat Summerall Award in 2006, at Super Bowl XL in Detroit. In 2005, he was honored with the Director’s Award for Broadcasting from The 100 Black Men of America and the Greater Washington Urban League’s Sam Lacy Award 2005. Brown was a 2010 honoree as one of the “Faces of Black History” celebrating black media legends who have impacted the black community through their achievements and positive examples, which have included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks to the present-day heroes. He was the 2002 recipient of the International Black Broadcasters Association’s Broadcasting Excellence Award and was chosen as 1999 Sportscaster of the Year (Studio Host) by the American Sportscaster Association. Brown was also awarded the Golden Mike Award (1998) by the Black Broadcasters Alliance, two NATAS Emmys (D.C. chapter) including the Glenn Brenner Award for excellence in sportscasting (1998), and the Quarterback Club of Washington’s Sportscaster of the Year Award (1996). In 2010, he was named “Best Studio Host of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated.

Brown graduated from Harvard with a degree in American Government. A standout on the basketball court, he received All-Ivy League honors in his last three seasons at Harvard University and captained the team in his senior year. He was selected as a fourth-round draft pick by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and a seventh-round pick by the Denver Nuggets. In 1996, Brown was inducted into the Harvard Hall of Fame.

He is a co-founder and principal of the Brown Technology Group, a certified minority-owned and -operated information technology company, and is a founding partner of the Washington Nationals. Brown serves as AARP’s Community Ambassador. He also is executive producer of the documentary “For Aaron,” from JTwoFilms, which won “Best Documentary” at the Puerto Rico International Film Festival and the Indie Gathering Film Festival.

No stranger to charitable efforts, Brown hosts the P.U.L.S.E. Awards, featuring “The JB Awards,” where NFL players are honored for their outstanding community service. He also teamed with the Verizon Foundation to launch a national campaign to end domestic violence against women and men. Additionally, Brown has worked on behalf of Darrell Green’s Youth Life Foundation, the Neimann Pick Disease Foundation and the Marrow Foundation, The HollyRod Foundation, Special Olympics D.C., among numerous other charities and foundations.

He resides with his wife Dorothy in Maryland. Brown’s daughter Katrina and her husband John have three daughters, Kaela, Jordyn and Aniya.

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Filed Under: CBS

Turner Sports and CBS Sports Announce All-Star Line-up of Broadcast Teams for Coverage of 2012 NCAAR Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

February 23, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Turner Sports and CBS Sports Announce

All-Star Line-up of Broadcast Teams for Coverage of

2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

CBS Sports and Turner Sports today announced their lineup of broadcast teams for the second year of combined coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Once again, Turner Sports and CBS Sports will provide live, full national coverage of the tournament’s 67 games across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – as well as across multiple platforms including NCAA March Madness Live.

The tournament tips-off on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR® on truTV. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will be courtside calling the action from Dayton, Ohio on March 13, with Tracy Wolfson reporting. Last year, tournament darling VCU advanced from the inaugural FIRST FOUR® to the NCAA Final Four®. The quartet will team up again when the tournament concludes on CBS Sports with the Final Four® and National Championship game live from New Orleans, La. on Saturday, March 31, and Monday, April 2. This marks the second consecutive year Nantz, Kellogg, Kerr and Wolfson will team-up to work the Final Four® and National Championship.

Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, along with courtside reporter Lewis Johnson, handle the call for the FIRST FOUR games on Wednesday, March 14.

Following are the announcer pairings for the second and third rounds (Thursday, March 15-Sunday, March 18):

Play-By-Play / Analyst

*Regional Announce Teams

Jim Nantz / Clark Kellogg*

Marv Albert / Steve Kerr*

Verne Lundquist / Bill Raftery*

Kevin Harlan / Len Elmore / Reggie Miller*

Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel

Brian Anderson / Dan Bonner

Tim Brando / Mike Gminski

Spero Dedes / Bob Wenzel

Tracy Wolfson, Craig Sager, Lesley Visser, Marty Snider, Lewis Johnson, Jaime Maggio and Otis Livingston will serve as courtside reporters throughout the tournament.

Studio Coverage

For the second consecutive year, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will utilize two studios, based in New York and Atlanta, to cover all the tournament action. Studio coverage will again be anchored by Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson with Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith providing analysis throughout the tournament from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Matt Winer anchors the coverage from Turner Broadcasting’s Atlanta studio and will be joined by Seth Davis and Steve Smith.

During the Regional semi-finals and finals, Gumbel will remain in the New York studio alongside Barkley, Anthony and Kenny Smith, while Johnson will shift to the Atlanta studios to join Davis and Steve Smith.

Studio coverage for the FIRST FOUR® originates from Atlanta and will feature Johnson, Barkley, Anthony, Davis and Kenny Smith on Tuesday with Winer, Davis and Steve Smith providing analysis on Wednesday.

In the first year of its 14-year partnership, Turner Sports’ and CBS Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship was the most-watched tournament since 2005, averaging 10.2 million total viewers. In 2011, more than 176 million people tuned into the tournament.

NCAA, March Madness, FIRST FOUR and Final Four are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

About CBS Sports

CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL’s American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters® and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs the CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces Inside the NFL for Showtime; and partners with CBS Sports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports’ television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company’s digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

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Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Basketball, Turner

Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAAR Unveil NCAAR MARCH MADNESS LIVE for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships

February 17, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Tournament Coverage Expands to More Platforms than Ever Giving Fans More Ways – However, Wherever – to Watch All 67 Games Live

Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA today announced that NCAA® March Madness® Live, formerly March Madness on Demand, will now provide college basketball fans with more opportunities to watch every minute of every game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Produced by Turner Sports Interactive, NCAA® March Madness® Live is a suite of live products presented across multiple screens, including online and as an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch app and, for the first time, on Android phones.

NCAA® March Madness® Live will be available to users across all video screens – online, mobile and tablet– and over Wi-fi and 3G for $3.99 beginning on March 7. Fans will be able to enjoy live streaming video of every broadcast for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship as they are televised by TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, starting with the NCAA Basketball Selection Show on Sunday, March 11, and continuing through the Men’s Final Four® and National Championship Game from New Orleans on March 31 and April 2.

NCAA® March Madness® Live will continue to be launched from NCAA.com, CBSSports.com and SI.com.

NCAA® March Madness® Live will offer higher quality live video streams across platforms; video highlights for every game of the Tournament on the iPhone and Android phones; live game alerts for Android phones, as well as iPhones and iPads; an updated design; and live radio broadcast courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Radio Network, for all 67 games across the suite of digital products. In addition to the new offerings, NCAA® March Madness® Live will again provide the same fan-favorite features from last year including: schedules and live game scoring, live tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, and live social companion views.

The NCAA® March Madness® Live video player is presented by NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Capital One and Coke Zero. To generate fan excitement leading into March Madness Live coverage, Coke Zero will provide a limited number of fans the opportunity to receive free NCAA® March Madness® access. The promotion launches the week of Feb. 20.

“Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA are committed to providing the excitement of March Madness on as many screens as possible – television, online, mobile and tablets – for viewers to experience all of the exciting action of this great event wherever they are,” said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager of operations for Turner Sports. “Combining TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV with the enhanced offerings of the new NCAA® March Madness® product provides fans with instantaneous on-the-go access ensuring they won’t miss a moment of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.”

“We continue to look at ways to bring the tournament to more of our fan base and keep them connected to the excitement that culminates with the Final Four,” said NCAA interim executive vice president of championships and alliances Greg Shaheen. “NCAA® March Madness® Live is one of many options college basketball fans will have to watch this year’s tournament how they want, when they want.

The 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be available through the following platforms:

For the second consecutive year, all 67 games will be televised across four television networks in their entirety — TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV.
Turner will stream its linear television games online for free on an authenticated basis on the Turner websites (TBS.com, TNT.tv and truTV.com) for consumers who have a cable, satellite or telco subscription that includes these respective Turner networks. Authenticating this year’s Tournament across the Turner Networks is an extension of the company’s TV Everywhere initiative, which is currently available to over 75 million households.
All games airing on CBS will be available for free on CBSSports.com.

NCAA® March Madness® features include:

My Channels: Through My Channels, fans can easily find games using this personalized channel finder. By plugging in their zip code, users can select their TV provider and see their channel lineup for every game on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
The Game Center View: The Game Center view provides fans with a control center at their fingertips for live in-game stats such as player stats, team leaders, scoring streaks, biggest lead and foul trouble, depending on which device they use – along with a graphic lead tracker – and live social features.
The Coke Zero™ NCAA March Madness Social Arena: Extending the conversation beyond the broadcast, Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will return as the social water cooler for March Madness conversation. New this year, features will be live across the entire NCAA March Madness suite of products and, for the first time, let fans grab key game moments and share them with friends and family. In addition, fans will be able to view social commentary from other fans and celebrities everywhere, answer live tournament trivia, and cheer for their favorite teams. The Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will extend onto Coke Zero’s Facebook page – offering a complete video gallery of all fan-grabbed moments, complete access to specially-aggregated Twitter feeds of all 68 teams, a uniquely-visualized bracket view of the loudest fans, and more.

NCAA March Madness will be played at 14 venues around the country beginning March 13. For more information, go to NCAA.com.

Last year, more than 176 million people tuned into the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

About CBS Sports

CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL’s American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters(r) and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs CBS Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBSSports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe’s, Northwestern Mutual, Reese’s (Hershey’s), Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins (Kraft).

NCAA, March Madness and Final Four are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $128.3 billion in deposits and $200.1 billion in total assets outstanding as of September 30, 2011. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “COF” and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot team, Capital One Academic All-America Program, and supports all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.

About Turner Sports

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Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Basketball, Turner

NFL Analyst Pat Kirwan Joins CBSSports.com

February 13, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Kirwan brings over 30 years experience working in and covering the NFL

FEB. 13, 2012: CBSSports.com today announced that veteran NFL analyst Pat Kirwan has joined the site to cover the NFL. He will officially begin on February 15th.

In his new role with CBSSports.com, Kirwan will contribute columns on a weekly basis, providing NFL news and analysis and dissecting game matchups during the regular season and playoffs. Kirwan will also be a regular contributor to CBSSports.com video productions covering the NFL. Rounding out his duties, Kirwan will contribute to CBSSports.com’s award-winning fantasy football service, providing player analysis and matchup breakdowns to help fantasy football managers.

No stranger to CBS, Kirwan has been an editorial consultant for CBS Sports’ THE NFL TODAY for nine years, a role he will continue to serve in. In addition to his work for CBSSports.com & CBS Sports, Kirwan will continue his radio show on Sirius XM, Movin’ The Chains (3 pm – 7 pm ET daily).

Kirwan joins CBSSports.com from NFL.com where he served as an NFL Analyst for the past 10 years. Kirwan began his football career in 1972 coaching high school and college football before moving on to the NFL. He spent eight years (1989-’97) with the New York Jets, beginning as a defensive assistant coach and advancing to Director of Player Administration, where he negotiated contracts and managed the team’s salary cap. Before his time with the Jets, Kirwan was an area scout for the Phoenix Cardinals (1989) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1983-’86).

Kirwan joins an already experienced staff of writers covering the NFL for CBSSports.com including Pete Prisco, Clark Judge, and Mike Freeman.

Kirwan represents the first editorial hire for CBSSports.com in 2012. In 2011, CBSSports.com bolstered its stable of award-winning writers with the addition of college football writers Bruce Feldman, Tony Barnhart, and Brett McMurphy, college basketball writer Jeff Goodman and Major League Baseball insider Jon Heyman.

Follow CBS Sports on Twitter: twitter.com/cbssports and on Facebook: facebook.com/cbssports

Filed Under: CBS

CBS Sports’ Presents College Football’s National Signing Day

January 25, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

CBS SPORTS NETWORK, CBSSPORTS.COM AND MAXPREPS.COM PRESENT
COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

Wall-to-Wall Content Spread Across Television and Digital Properties Featuring Recruiting Expert Tom Lemming

Rick Neuheisel and Ron Zook In Studio to Offer Insight and Analysis

JAN. 25, 2012: CBS SPORTS NETWORK, CBSSPORTS.COM, MAXPREPS.COM and the CBSSPORTS.COM COLLEGE NETWORK are providing fans the most extensive multi-media coverage of college football’s annual National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 1 with in-depth content across all platforms. Both CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will offer eight hours of live programming. CBS Sports Network’s coverage features recruiting expert Tom Lemming and guest analysts, former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel and former Illinois coach Ron Zook, while CBSSports.com’s coverage is highlighted by college football insider Bruce Feldman and recruiting expert Bryan Fischer. In addition, CBS Sports Network’s coverage includes the 2012 International Bowl, which features the United States Under-19 national team against the IFAF (International Federation of American Football) World Team.

CBS SPORTS NATIONAL SIGNING DAY presented by American Family Insurance kicks-off on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, Jan. 31 (6:30 PM, ET) with a special edition of LEMMING REPORT, the weekly high school football recruiting show. Recognized as the country’s leading expert on college football recruiting and high school talent, Lemming logs approximately 55,000 miles each year visiting the top recruits in the country. He is also a regular contributor to CBSSports.com and MaxPreps.com.

Coverage continues on Wednesday with a five-hour program (1:00 PM-6:00 PM, ET), anchored by Adam Zucker and Molly Qerim, who are joined in studio by Lemming, Neuheisel, Zook, MaxPreps.com National Football Editor Steve Spiewak. Aaron Taylor reports from the University of Arizona where he will have a behind-the-scenes look at signing day with Wildcats’ new head coach Rich Rodriguez. Brian Jones reports from the International Bowl in Austin, Texas, where he will interview many of the nation’s elite prep players.

The show also features interviews with college coaches including Al Golden (Miami), Urban Meyer (Ohio State), Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Mack Brown (Texas), Steve Spurrier (South Carolina), Brady Hoke (Michigan), Jim Mora Jr. (UCLA), Chris Petersen (Boise State) and Larry Fedora (North Carolina), as well as comprehensive video footage and in-depth analysis of elite recruits and recruiting classes, live cut-ins to player commitment press conferences, conference breakdowns and a special look at the top high school juniors. Live coverage of the International Bowl follows at 6:00 PM, ET. Studio coverage of National Signing Day returns at 12:30 AM, ET to wrap up the day with news and analysis.

Located at cbssports.com/collegefootball/recruiting, the CBSSports.com 2012 Signing Day site offers continuous multi-media coverage leading up to and throughout Signing Day. Featuring breaking news, video, and in-depth analysis by Lemming, Spiewak, Fischer, Feldman and a host of other experts, CBSSports.com will track the commitments and signings of all players heading to NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs, with a focus on the CBS Sports Top 100 list.

The centerpiece of signing day coverage on CBSSports.com is “Signing Day Central,” eight straight hours (9 AM-5 PM, ET) of live news and in-depth analysis on the latest commitments, class rankings, and the day’s winners and losers. Hosted by Feldman and Fischer, Signing Day Central will feature interviews with coaches, players and a number of CBS Sports experts while also allowing viewers to interact directly with the show and ask questions about their favorite school or player. The first half of Signing Day Central will focus on commitments from the CBS Sports Top 100 list while the second half will turn to analysis of how the recent signings will affect Lemming’s Top 25 classes and which kids could make an impact during their freshman year.

CBSSports.com will also rank the top college recruiting classes, provide a state-by-state breakdown of all signed players, track major players who remain unsigned and provide a match-up tool allowing users to do a head-to-head comparison of any of the 2,500 players in the MaxPreps.com database. CBSSports.com also features a comprehensive player commitment database with a dedicated page to every Division I recruit as well as a page listing the signings for each of the 120 FBS programs.

In addition, the over 160 official athletic school sites produced by the CBSSports.com College Network, will offer live streaming press conferences and exclusive on-demand video content, with various in-depth features and individual recruit highlight packages when available. The CBSSports.com College Network produces the official athletic site for 50 of the 66 (76%) BCS eligible schools from the big six conferences, and finished the 2011 college football season in a dominant position with 18 schools in the AP Top 25, including the National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide (rolltide.com).

The CBSSports.com College Network includes top programs such as Michigan (MGoBlue.com), Florida State (seminoles.com), Notre Dame (und.com), Oklahoma (soonersports.com), North Carolina (tarheelblue.com), Ohio State (ohiostatebuckeyes.com), Southern California (usctrojans.com), and Wisconsin (UWBadgers.com). The National Signing Day online content can be accessed through each individual school’s All-Access broadband product.

* Tom Lemming, Stephen Spiewak, Bryan Fischer, and Bruce Feldman are available for recruiting interviews. If interested, please contact Dan Sabreen, Alex Riethmiller or Mariel Brady.

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Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Football

CBS Sports Boast Highest Viewer Avg for AFC Champ Game in 30 Years

January 23, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

CBS SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF AFC CHAMPIONSHIP BOASTS HIGHEST VIEWER AVERAGE FOR

EARLY AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN 30 YEARS WITH 48.7 MILLION

Fast National Rating is Highest for Early AFC Championship Game in 17 Years with 27.4/48

CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2012 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP game featuring the New England Patriots defeating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Jan. 22 (3:07-6:16 PM, ET) averaged 48.7 million viewers (Persons 2+), which is the highest viewer average for the early AFC Championship game in 30 years (1/10/1982; 51.6 million viewers; San Diego-Cincinnati: NBC).

The 48.7 million viewers for the 2012 AFC Championship game also was the second-highest viewer average (behind last year’s 54.9 million for New York Jets-Pittsburgh) for the AFC Championship game in 30 years (1/10/1982; 51.6 million viewers; San Diego-Cincinnati; NBC).

The AFC CHAMPIONSHIP game earned a fast-national live + same-day average household rating/share of 27.4/48, which is the highest rating for an early AFC Championship game in 17 years (1/15/1995; 28.3/58; San Diego-Pittsburgh; NBC)

The Network’s coverage in the comparable early window in 2010 earned a 26.3/47 (New York Jets-Indianapolis) and last year earned a 28.3/43 (New York Jets-Pittsburgh) in the late window.

The AFC CHAMPIONSHIP game rating peaked at a 31.2/52 with an average of 56.8 million viewers from 5:30-6:00 PM, ET.

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Filed Under: CBS, NFL, Ratings

NFLON CBS Previews AFC Championship

January 23, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

“THE NFL ON CBS” TRAVELS TO FOXBOROUGH FOR

2012 AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HOST BALTIMORE RAVENS LIVE ON CBS ON SUNDAY, JAN. 22

EXCERPTS FROM AFC CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE CALL ON JAN. 17

THE NFL ON CBS, celebrating its 52nd year broadcasting the NFL, travels to Foxborough, Mass. for the 2012 American Football Conference Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 22 (3:00 PM, ET) as the AFC North Champions and No. 2-seeded BALTIMORE RAVENS (13-4) take on the AFC East Champions and No. 1-seeded NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-3) live on the CBS Television Network.

CBS Sports’ lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the action, along with Steve Tasker reporting, from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Lance Barrow is coordinating producer of THE NFL ON CBS and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.

CBS Sports’ coverage of the AFC Championship Game begins with THE NFL TODAY, the Network’s pre-game studio show, on Sunday (2:00 PM, ET) with host James Brown and analysts Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher, as well as NFL TODAY “General Manager” Charley Casserly, and Lesley Visser reporting, live from THE NFL TODAY studio at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.

Eric Mann is senior producer and Bob Matina is director of THE NFL TODAY.

Sean McManus is Chairman, CBS Sports and serves as executive producer for the Network’s coverage of THE NFL ON CBS. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

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EXCERPTS FROM AFC CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE CALL

SEAN McMANUS, Chairman, CBS Sports and Executive Producer, THE NFL ON CBS

(On anticipation of AFC Championship Game): It seems that almost every weekend one of the networks is making a statement about how great their NFL ratings are, and the fact that all three broadcast partners have had such a good year in the NFL, I think is just good news for the NFL in general, and certainly good news for the NFL on television. It is a sport that seems to get bigger and better and stronger every single year.

There is great anticipation based on what has happened in the playoffs so far to see what is going to happen this Sunday. We are excited about Sunday, and in a more generic way, we are excited about the NFL and for what the future holds for the NFL and CBS.

PHIL SIMMS

(On Tom Brady): I think his play speaks for itself. I think what is interesting is that he’s had a tremendous career with three distinct, different-style offenses. I think that says a lot about him. It says a lot about the coaching up in New England. When I watch them now, and see their offense, the tight ends and how they use them, I mean, really, it’s like going back 25 years in the NFL. That’s the way it used to be. The tight ends were such a big part and then they got phased out by wide receivers…I think the week off, he let his body heal and it showed in his play. It really showed in his ability just to throw it and pinpoint everything.

(On Joe Flacco): I thought he played very well (against Houston), not good, not well, very well. It’s just the way it is. They are a team not built and designed for the quarterback to be the superstar. And I think he does a very good job of handling everything that is given to him and the opportunities that are presented to him.

(On Baltimore’s defense stopping New England’s offense): The only way I think to completely stop the New England offense, to do what people want to get done, it’s all about the pass rush. That’s hard to do when you have an offense that can get rid of the football. They can hurry-up. They have a library of plays that is second-to-none. There are a lot of good plans and good thought processes. The reality is, they (New England) are good and they are going to make their plays.

(On memories of Giants-49ers rivalry during his career): The games were awesome. It was a great setting out there. Of course that hasn’t changed. That stadium is still the same. Those locker rooms are still as bad, probably. But there was something very good about it, all those great stars. I remember our playoff victories in our stadium. And of course, I remember the playoff losses out there, too, which were pretty rough. When we lost out there, we took beatings and we knew when the game was over, they were the better team. I always told people, and I mean this in a light-hearted way, when my career was over I’ll never get over the Dallas Cowboys and I’ll never get over the San Francisco 49ers because it just seemed like there were so many big, high-profile games against both.

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Filed Under: CBS, NFL

Steelers-Broncos On CBS Most-Watched Wild Card Game Ever

January 11, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

GAME ALSO MOST-WATCHED PROGRAM SINCE SUPER BOWL XLV

SECOND MOST-WATCHED WILD CARD WEEKEND EVER

Following a record-setting regular season, NFL fans continued to tune in for the Wild Card playoffs. Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos game on CBS drew 42.4 million viewers ranking as the most-watched show since Super Bowl XLV and the most-watched Wild Card game ever (topping last year’s Packers-Eagles game on FOX, 39.3 million).

The Wild Card games averaged 31 million viewers to rank as the second most-watched Wild Card Weekend ever (32.3 million in 2010). The four games were also the four most-watched shows on television last week (chart below).

Saturday night’s Detroit Lions-New Orleans Saints game on NBC drew 31.8 million viewers, marking the third consecutive year with two Wild Card games averaging more than 30.0 million viewers.

Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Jan. 2-8, 2012

Program			Average Viewers
1. CBS Wild Card Playoff (Steelers-Broncos)			42.4 million
2. NBC Wild Card Playoff (Lions-Saints)			31.8 million
3. FOX Wild Card Playoff (Falcons-Giants)			27.7 million
4. NBC Wild Card Playoff (Bengals-Texans)			21.9 million
5. NCIS			19.8 million
6. 60 Minutes			18.1 million
7. 2012 Rose Bowl (Oregon-Wisconsin)			17.6 million
8. NCIS: Los Angeles			17.1 million
9. Modern Family			14.0 million
10. Two And A Half Men			13.9 million

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company