FOX SPORTS BROADCASTS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S
82ND ALL-STAR GAME LIVE FROM PHOENIX’S CHASE FIELD
McCarver Calls His 20th Midsummer Classic –
Most by Any Broadcaster in the Sport’s History
Pregame Coverage Highlighted By World Premiere Preview of “THE X FACTOR”
Jordin Sparks & Michelle Branch Contribute to Star-Studded Night
FOX Sports presents Major League Baseball’s 82nd ALL-STAR GAME, traditionally the most-watched television program of the summer, live and in high-definition from Phoenix’s Chase Field, Tuesday July 12 (8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT). MLB on FOX’s Emmy Award-winning broadcasters play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and analyst Tim McCarver call the action.
McCarver, a two-time National League All-Star catcher with the Cardinals (1966 & 1967), is calling the 20th All-Star Game of his Hall of Fame-worthy broadcasting career, the most by any announcer in history. The pairing of Buck and McCarver for 13 All-Star Games is also a record. MLB on FOX Insider Ken Rosenthal reports from the field, his sixth All-Star Game assignment for FOX Sports.
Chris Rose hosts his third Midsummer Classic with MLB on FOX analysts Eric Karros and Mark Grace. This is Karros’ fifth All-Star Game and Grace’s second. During the game, Rose reports from the American League dugout while Karros handles the Senior Circuit. Grace gets to roam around Chase Field where he has played and served as a Diamondbacks broadcaster. Rose and Karros also provide live commentary and take viewer questions on Twitter throughout the broadcast using the @MLBONFOX & @Chris_Rose14 handles..
In addition to the pomp and circumstance of player introductions, highlighting FOX Sports’ All-Star pregame coverage is a special world premiere preview of THE X FACTOR, FOX’s highly anticipated singing competition debuting in September. Hosted by Steve Jones and featuring judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger, THE X FACTOR awards the next superstar solo artist or breakout musical group with a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music.
Grammy nominated platinum recording artist and AMERICAN IDOL-winner Jordin Sparks sings the U.S. National Anthem before first pitch and later on Grammy Award-winning singer Michelle Branch performs “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch.
To bring viewers the sights and sounds of the first All-Star Game hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the city of Phoenix, more than 21 cameras and 80 microphones will be positioned throughout Chase Field. This year’s star-studded contest also features the FOX “X-MO” a special camera situated behind home plate that shoots at up to 500 frames-per-second. To bring viewers even closer to the action, players, managers, coaches for each league wear microphones and in-game interviews throughout the broadcast. @MLBONFOX and FOX Sports also plan to provide robust game-related content via Twitter and Facebook Monday and Tuesday.
Pete Macheska, the coordinating producer of Major League Baseball on FOX, produces his eighth All-Star Game broadcast and Bill Webb directs his 14th Midsummer Classic. Don Bui produces pre- and post-game segments. David Hill, Ed Goren and Eric Shanks are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. Bill Brown is Senior Producer. Scott Ackerson is the Executive Vice President & Executive Producer of all studio programming, including MLB on FOX’s studio coverage.
About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports media assets. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FSN, which reaches over 85 million homes through more than two dozen owned and affiliated regional sports networks; FSN’s affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; FOX Soccer Channel and FOX Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and FOX College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises www.FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 27 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network and FOX Sports Skybox restaurants.
About “The X Factor”
Since its debut in 2004, “The X Factor” has remained the U.K.’s #1 program for the last seven years, peaking with an audience of 21 million with 65% audience share for its 2010 finale. The format swiftly broke similar records around the world, where local versions have consistently rated #1 in 15 territories, with a worldwide audience now well over 100 million. In Denmark, it has ranked #1 for the last four years, peaking with an 80% share of the audience. In Colombia, it has consistently ranked #1 with a 75% share of the audience. Additionally, “The X Factor” consistently delivers a 50% to 65% share of the viewing audiences in Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, France and Italy – with the highest percentage of these shares in A15-34. In some markets, “The X Factor” has increased the channel average demographic by up to 250%. The series has received numerous honors worldwide, including three BAFTA awards, numerous NTA awards and the coveted Rose d’Or. In the U.K., an unprecedented 1.5 million iTunes downloads were made from “The X Factor” contestant performances in 2010. Globally, more than 100 million records have been sold by artists launched through the series, including over 90 #1 singles and albums and 150 Top Ten records.
— FOX SPORTS —
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