May - June 2001
Vol. 12, No. 3 | Contents
ESPN2 To Test Market for Viewer Interest
Scroll down to see how
you can have an impact!
Download a .pdf announcement to post in your club!
The reason for the vastly improved time slot (past Hilton U.S. OPEN shows have aired at 2:00 a.m.) is that ESPN2 is testing the market to see if there is sufficient viewer interest to support expanded racquetball coverage in the future.
“This is the first real opportunity the sport of racquetball has had in over 15 years to become a part of mainstream televised sports in the U.S.” explained Hilton U.S. OPEN Director, Doug Ganim. “We have a genuine chance to make a very positive impression on the executives at ESPN, who are looking for what will be the next hot property in sports programming. It is time for pro racquetball to come out of the closet and be recognized for the truly incredible sports entertainment package that it is.”
Here is how the test will work. ESPN2 will monitor the Nielson ratings for the first showing (on June 18th) and compare them to other shows that have aired during the same time slot in the past. If we match or exceed ratings expectations, ESPN will immediately begin considering expanded future coverage of pro racquetball, including a possible weekly series. It is absolutely critical that racquetball fans throughout the U.S. tune in and watch this show! If you are unable to be near a TV during this time, set your VCR and tape the show, as this also counts towards ratings.
On the production front, J.M. Associates has put together an incredible show featuring exciting graphics, slow motion replays of thrilling rallies, and a new studio set with video backdrop for the event commentators. Color analysts will be former top pro player Aaron Katz and ESPN outdoor sports celebrity Tommy Sanders.
“This will be the best TV production in the history of the sport of racquetball. We have pulled out all the stops to make the best possible impression on ESPN. Now all we need are the fans to respond by watching the show and writing in to ESPN.” explained Jerry McKinnis, owner of J.M. Associates.
ESPN International has also agreed to offer distribution for the show. The Hilton U.S. OPEN show will receive a Spanish commentators overlay and then be shown on ESPN Latin America and ESPN Pacific Rim during the months of July and August.
Let’s all do our part to help racquetball emerge as the next sport to be regularly televised. Chances like this only come around once every 15 years!
Here are five things that can make a major difference to the future of televised racquetball:
1. TELL every racquetball player you know about the broadcast on ESPN2 on June 18th at 1:00 p.m. (eastern).
2. GO to hiltonusopen.com, click on “Download Flyer” to print out a mini-poster promoting the broadcast date, OR pull out the centerfold poster from the May/June issue of RACQUETBALL.
Then POST these flyers in every club you can and pass out copies to every league player you see.
3. CONTACT ESPN by mail, fax, and e-mail to tell them that you are a huge fan of racquetball and ESPN. Tell them that you want to see more racquetball on TV!
MAIL letters to: ESPN
Attn: Programming Department
935 Middle Street, Bristol, CT 06010
FAX your letter to: ESPN
Attn: Programming Department
Fax (860) 766-2415
EMAIL by going to ESPN.com and scrolling to the very bottom of their opening page. Click on “CONTACT US” then click on “ESPN TV” under the “ESPN Content” section. Fill out the form and type (or cut and paste) your message in the box. Then click “Submit.”
COPY your letter to: USRA
1685 West Uintah
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
4. WATCH OR TAPE THE BROADCAST ON MONDAY, JUNE 18 at 1:00 p.m. (eastern).
AFTER ...
5. Immediately after the broadcast, RE-write, RE-fax, and RE-email ESPN (see item #3 above) to thank them for putting pro racquetball on the air and to tell them that you want to see more!
If every USRA member and Racquetball Magazine subscriber executes all five of these steps (particularly the correspondence to ESPN) our sport would make a huge impression on the folks that have the power to put racquetball on TV on a regular basis. This is our chance to really make a difference!
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