Kenny Mayne says he gets the question all the time. So does Dan Patrick. So, in fact, does almost everyone associated with ESPN's SportsCenter:
"What is it like there all day before a show?"
Tuesday, ESPN will show you. At 10 p.m., This is SportsCenter will take viewers behind the scenes for a daylong look at how the show comes together. ESPN cameras will take you into the first meeting early in the day, into the newsroom and editing and makeup rooms and into the control room as SportsCenter airs live on ESPN2.
ESPN's task, then, is to rise above the obvious here: making something worthwhile for viewers, as opposed to a self-serving two-hour promo for one of its shows.
"This idea ... came out of research with viewers who wanted to know, "How do you do it, how do you make the highlights happen?" said Norby Williamson, ESPN senior vice president and managing editor. "There's a curiousity. Viewers really want to go places they can't get to."
ESPN excels at such "access pieces," though Williamson promises this one will not be as serious as others the network has done.
"We're not taking ourselves too seriously; this is meant as a fun exercise," he said. "We want to take the fun and energy behind the scenes and let our viewers see how it happens. We're not looking to pat ourselves on the back. ... It's not self-indulgence. We're looking to have some fun."
Stuart Scott will host and Mayne will be a roving reporter, taking viewers with him behind the scenes. Mayne notes that his inclusion shows ESPN plans to have fun with the project.
The SportsCenter, to air at 11 p.m., will be anchored by Patrick and Kevin Frazier. Mayne will conduct interviews during commercial breaks, and everything - mistakes, good calls and bad calls - will be fair game.
The show, ESPN promises, is not meant to glamorize SportsCenter, but to show how much work and how many people it takes to pull it off daily.
"I think it's going to open some people's eyes," Patrick said. "Our job is to make it look easy. You'll get an idea of the frenetic pace that's involved in it. I think you'll come away with a different perspective."
It should make for an interesting show, though Patrick's suggestion for the next behind-the-scenes look at ESPN sounds even better - inside the making of the ESPN commercials.
FULL MONTE: Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will be the guest Sunday on WDAE-AM 620's Beyond The Game with Jim Karavellas, from 7-8 a.m.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: It's amazing what passes for Bucs news these days. Sure, they won the Super Bowl, and sure, some stations have nothing going for them but Bucs stuff, and sure, I can always change the channel if the latest breathless proclamation about Brian Kelly almost intercepting a pass during drills is supposed to pass for analysis.
But both WDAE and WQYK-AM 1010 have a tendency to go waaaaayyyyyy overboard in their zeal to prove that they cover the Bucs the most, confusing quantity for quality.
This week's example: WDAE's Whitney Johnson "reporting" on who the captains were during Bucs stretching exercises, a note repeated throughout the day.
Seriously, guys. Settle down.
CHECK IT OUT: NBC Sports will cover the USGA's U.S. Girls Junior Championship for the first time at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
The 90-minute highlight show will chronicle the part-medal, part-match play event, with special focus on an uncommonly strong field highlighted by 13-year old sensation Michelle Wie and 15-year-old Morgan Pressel.
AROUND THE DIAL: Craig James is back at ESPN as a college football game analyst. He was with the network as a studio analyst on the College Gameday and College Football Scoreboard programs from 1991-96 before leaving for CBS. ... ESPN's Monday Night Countdown makes its season debut at 10 p.m. Monday. The show will air from 7-8 p.m. for the next five weeks before moving into its 7:30-9 p.m. slot for the regular season.
