Two New Shows on ESPNEWS Provide Alternative Look at Sports Starting Aug. 30

Studio Shows

Two New Shows on ESPNEWS Provide Alternative Look at Sports Starting Aug. 30

College Football Overdrive Returns September 4    |    photos

ESPNEWS_setOn Monday, Aug. 30, in conjuction with SportsCenter debuting on ESPNEWS weekdays from 3-6 p.m. ET and 7-11 p.m., ESPNEWS will debut two new shows that provide an alternative look at sports – The Beat will air weekdays at 6 p.m. and Highlight Express will air each night beginning at 11 p.m.  In addition, one of ESPNEWS’ most popular shows returns soon, focusing on college football on Saturday afternoons.

The Beat, hosted by Bram Weinstein at 6 p.m. and repeated immediately at 6:30 p.m., will provide an entertaining and quirky look at sports and sports stories, as an alternative to SportsCenter, airing on ESPN at that time.  It will consist of stories, highlights, interviews and a variety of segments playing off the show’s name – “On the Beat,” “Beats Me,” “Bite Beat,” etc.  The name was chosen to invoke both a heartbeat – the pulse of sports – and the notion of reporter’s beat. 

Highlight Express will present the day’s best highlights and sound bites in a fast-paced half-hour format at 11 p.m.  It will be updated through the end of the day’s action and then reaired until the next afternoon (3 p.m. on weekdays, noon on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays).  The show will focus exclusively on the most amazing plays and action, with all the day’s news and scores provided via the BottomLine.  The two co-hosts will vary among the ESPNEWS anchor roster.

College Football Overdrive returns for the 2010 season every Saturday, starting Sept. 4 at 3 p.m.  Ryan Burr hosts the five-hour show with analyst Jon Ritchie, the seven-year NFL running back who played at both Michigan and Stanford.  College Football Overdrive takes viewers live to key moments in college games all over the country, along with highlights, scores and interviews.

In July, ESPNEWS posted its best performance ever for the month.  The network averaged 60,000 homes in July, topping its previous best for the month, in 2009.  The network is distinguished by its unique combination of youth and affluence amongst its viewers.  Based on 2009, the most recent complete year of statistics, ESPNEWS is the nation’s only nationally measured network with at least 40 million homes, a median age under 40 and a median income over $70,000. 

SportsCenter Anchors Named

In addition, the anchors for the new SportsCenter telecasts on ESPNEWS have been determined.  Cindy Brunson and Robert Flores will anchor the 3-6 p.m. SportsCenter while Linda Cohn will team with Kevin Negandhi for the 8-11 p.m. segment.  (The 7-8 p.m. hour will be a continuation of ESPN’s 6 p.m. SportsCenter.) 

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