ESPN
935 Middle Street
Bristol, Conn. 60610
Expect to try several times if you're hoping to pitch an idea over the phone to a real person - not to voicemail. But once you reach an ESPN producer, however you'll be pleasantly surprised at how polite and informative they are. These journalists weed through hundreds of pitches a week, so they want your ideas to be succinct and to fit their programs' formats. It would be wise to spend a few hours in front of the tube doing your research before you try to be a pitch trailblazer in this sports lovers' venue. (HH viewership: ESPN, 75.1 million; ESPN 2, 60.5 million; audience: males 18 & over)
SECTIONS: ESPN SPorts Center
The bread and butter of this cable channel, Sports Center touches on breaking news as well as features, i.e. cancer treatment, lifestyle issues affecting athletes.
Show airs at 6:30 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., with content reairing in the morning between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST.
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Chief of Correspondents Chuck Salituro
Phone: 860/584-4456 E-mail: salituroc@espn.com
Fax: 860/585-2422
Lead time: can be hours since storybook meetings are held several times a week and coverage reflects what's happening in the sports world, including game scores.
METHODS: Preference is a fax, but if you have a breaking news item, a phone call probably will suffice. Timeliness is key, since an induction into a Hall of Fame certainly doesn't promise as much punch weeks later. A player's charitable involvements might be an evergreen piece, however.
COMMENTS: Ripe pitch territory is the "Beyond the Game" slot on Saturdays at 10 a.m. The one-hour program, which is less than a year old, was added to accomodate some of the human-interest ideas thrown ESPN's way that don't fit into its more traditional programming.
SECTIONS: Sunday NFL COuntdown
Coverage, albeit its obvious sports angle, runs the gamut: pieces touch on technology issues, game insight, analysis, medicine, fanfare, with some edgy sidebars.
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Senior Coordinating Producer, NFL Bob Rauscher
Phone: 860-585-2113 Fax: 860/585-2422
Producer Jay Levy Phone: 860/584-4457
METHODS: Faxes are preferred.
Lead time: content meetings are held on Monday mornings so make sure you have your pitch in the idea hopper by then. While these folks generally work five days out, an in-depth piece can take weeks to put together.
COMMENTS: Levy says that "Sunday NFL Countdown" must be fresh and enticing since it's up against Fox and CBS. While coverage hits on what's hot in mainstream pubs covering sports news, the zinger is these folks will weave together a story about a star player's hometown more often than not.
Editorial Contacts at ESPN
Main Number: 860/585-2000
Recent Story on Sunday
NFL Countdown
Sunday, Oct. 18
John Walsh Executive Editor
Bob Eaton Managing Editor
Vince Doria News Director
Chuck Salituro Chief of Correspondents
Jim Cohen Senior Coordinating Producer, News
Norby Williamson Senior Coordinating Producer,
Sports Center
Bob Rauscher Senior Coordinating Producer, NFL
Barry Sacks Senior Coordinating Producer, College Football & ESPN 2 Studio Shows
Feature: In-depth story on what life is like for players out for the season due to injuries. Included a look at the mental stress.