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The Wind Up
ESPN, the undisputed champion of cable sports programming, has
been trying to expand its brand lately, with mixed results. After
drawing the ire of National Football League officials, ESPN's
original series ''Playmakers,'' which sought to portray life in the
NFL, was cancelled in February following a (very) brief run.
(Better not bite the hand that feeds.) On the other hand, ESPN2's
"Cold Pizza," which debuted in October, is shaping up as a major
player on ESPN's lineup.
The show, which airs live from New York City weekdays from 7
a.m. - 9 a.m. ET (encores from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. ET), offers viewers
a stark alternative to the hardcore sports fare found on ESPN's
"SportsCenter," which runs simultaneously. By contrast, "Cold
Pizza" covers a lot more bases, blending coverage of sports, pop
culture, politics, lifestyles and entertainment. "We want to reach
out to some new viewers," says Brian Donlon (ex-"The Early
Show"/USA Today), coordinating producer for the program. "Sports is
so ingrained in pop culture and society in general it's hard not to
have an interest in sports on some level and this show aspires to
answer some of those needs." The program, with four co-hosts, now
draws about 250,000 viewers a day; ESPN2 is currently available in
85.6 million homes.
The show could be defined as a "guy thing," but Donlon is quick
to point out that he doesn't program demographically. "I put the
best stories on the air," he says. "If you put on good stories and
have good storytelling throughout the program, any age group will
watch it. The minute you start putting stories down because you
think a certain demographic is going to watch them, you're in
trouble." "Cold Pizza" - the name was inspired by the "morning
after" delicacy for college students - goes head-to-head with NBC's
"Today" show and ABC's "Good Morning America." Donlon says "Cold
Pizza" is able to distinguish itself from such network heavyweights
by "being a little more fun and creating an environment where
people want to come on." To wit, Arizona Senator John McCain will
soon appear on the program to discuss his effort to reform the
boxing industry but also to chat about his love for the Arizona
Cardinals and whether the Phoenix Suns should have traded Stephon
Marbury to the New York Knicks. "They can talk sports but also some
other issues," Donlon says. Likewise, Donlon encourages pitches
about corporate chieftain's who may have sports-related stories to
share.
The Pitch
In addition to covering the headlines, the show has a bevy of
regular features to pitch. Monday includes an in-depth look at
non-sports programming via TV Guide; Tuesday features a segment on
non-sports DVDs as well as "What's Pumping," which has the lowdown
on the music biz. Wednesday includes the "Gizmo Girl," with all the
latest gadgetry (both high-tech and not so high-tech), and "For the
Love of the Game," which tackles the nexus between sports and
personal relationships. For example, a recent segment involved all
the rage about Fantasy Sports leagues and how to avoid becoming a
"Fantasy Sports" widow or widower if your significant other happens
to be into it a bit too much. Thursday includes a segment on the
latest video games as well as a fashion report by New York City
radio personality and long-time style watcher Lisa G. Friday
features "The Must List," a look at what's hot in entertainment in
conjunction with Entertainment Weekly. The show's co-hosts bat
around unusual stories. For example, with the baseball season right
around the corner, the show ran a recent conversation between a New
York Yankees beat writer and a clown from the Big Apple Circus --
in full clown regalia -- comparing the Yankees to, well, a circus.
Another recent segment talked about the partnership between the San
Diego Padres and San Diego State University to offer a customized
MBA in sports business management, starting in 2005.
"We try to zig where other people zag and do things differently
- but not for the sake of doing it differently," Donlon says.
"We're not interested in telling stories the way they've been told
in other places." It helps if the story has a sports element but it
is not absolutely necessary. "We say no to a lot of stuff but don't
reject anything out of hand either."
Staff members can be contacted either by e-mail or telephone.
Don't contact the show between 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. -
4:30 p.m., when there are two separate editorial staff meetings.
Due to executive meetings -- in addition to rigging the show --
avoid contacting the staff on Wednesday "unless someone has got the
resurrection," Donlon says. Members of the staff are pretty good
about getting back to people, although it may take a few days.
Watch the show carefully before you pitch (get your VCRs out), so
you know where to pick your spot. "We're always trying to expand
the breadth and depth of our Rolodexes," Donlon says.
Cold Pizza Contacts
Brian Donlon, [email protected], Beat:
Coordinating Producer
Denise Cavanaugh , [email protected].
Beat: Senior Producer/ Entertainment
Jeremy Louwerse, [email protected],
Beat: Senior Producer/Specials & Series
Bruce Reznick, [email protected],
Beat: Senior Segment Producer/Enterprise
Barry Stanton, [email protected],
Beat: News Editor