SPORT SECTIONS
Thursday, November 16
 
New "This is SportsCenter" Promotional
Spots Debut Today on ESPN.com

Wednesday, November 15

The latest batch of ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" ad campaign promos will debut first on ESPN.com prior to appearing on the television network, beginning today, Wed., Nov. 15. The site will also be home to more than 100 past SportsCenter promos, all produced by one of the network's advertising agencies, Wieden & Kennedy/New York. The campaign has been awarded AdWeek's Best Spots of the Decade (2000) and ranked among TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Commercial's of All-Time (1999). ESPN.com is part of Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG).

The first spot celebrates the state of New Jersey and features the band Bon Jovi giving a live performance of one of their latest hits to staffers in the ESPN newsroom at the network's headquarters in Bristol, Conn. "Posting these spots exclusively on ESPN.com and enabling fans to download them on demand is the latest in our efforts to bring the aura of the worldwide leader in sports to the Web," said John Walsh, senior vice president and executive editor, ESPN.com.

"Debuting our new promos on ESPN.com is a unique way of introducing them to the public," said Spence Kramer, director of advertising and program marketing, ESPN. "The award-winning "This is SportsCenter" campaign has been a huge hit with both fans and critics for years, and making the spots available on the Web is a unique twist to our traditional marketing plans."

The first four spots to debut on ESPN.com are:

  • Jersey Day (Nov. 15): In the spirit of interstate camaraderie, the SportsCenter crew declared September 22nd "Jersey Day." Needless to say, it's quite a party. Ken Daneyko shows up with the Stanley Cup, a couple of farmers bring along some tomatoes, and Miss Garden State gets down to some tunes by Jon, Richie and the boys from Bon Jovi;

  • New Blood aka Carrot Top (Nov. 22): After the producers of Monday Night Football hired comedian Dennis Miller, SportsCenter staffers were quick to add their own comedian. Maybe a little too quick;

  • Seriously Man, aka What's My Name? (Nov. 29): When Jerry Stackhouse stops by, anchor Trey Wingo finds out that not all professional athletes are as kind as Tony Gwynn. Then again, when your last name is Wingo, a little ribbing should be expected. Poor Trey, he probably thought it would get easier after elementary school;

  • The Golden Years, aka Old Timers Day (Dec. 6): Everybody loves Old Timers Day at the ballpark, so SportsCenter's producers decide to give it a try. Phone calls are made, a couple of retired sportscasters are flown in, and everyone prepares for the first annual SportsCenter Old Timers Day. But as soon as the "Hall of Famers" take their seats alongside Stuart Scott and Kenny Mayne -- it becomes pretty obvious that Old Timers Day is one tradition best left to baseball.

    ESPN.com, the leading sports Web site, is part of the Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG). WDIG manages some of the Internet's most popular Web sites, including ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com, Disney.com, Disneystore.com, DisneyTravel.com, ESPN.com, Family.com, GO.com, Movies.com, Mr. Showbiz, NASCAR Online, NBA.com, NFL.com and Soccernet.

    The Internet Group also includes The Walt Disney Company's direct marketing business. Steve Bornstein is chairman of Walt Disney Internet Group, which is headquartered in North Hollywood, Calif., with operations in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Seattle; New York; Bristol, Conn.; and London. For more information, visit our web site at www.dig.com (http://www.dig.com).




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