Sportswriters on TV
Encyclopedia
The Sports Writers on TV was a sports talk show produced by John E. Roach
for the Chicago-based SportsChannel and syndicated
to most of the other ones across the SportsChannel America
network. Bill Jauss, Bill Gleason, Ben Bentley, Joe Mooshill, Lester Munson, and Rick Telander
were the usual writers discussing the sports issues of the day, and the show was a forerunner of many of the sportswriter TV shows that are much more common now (The Sports Reporters
, Pardon the Interruption
, Around the Horn
, etc). The show also featured occasional conversations with Bill Veeck
and Billy Corgan
.
The show was a video adaptation of The Sportswriters, a long-running radio program on Chicago's WGN
. The first airing of Sportswriters on TV was on WFLD-TV in 1985. The set remained the same over the next 15 years of existence. The panel of three sportswriters (usually Jauss, Gleason and Telander) and moderator Bentley (a former public relations executive with the Bulls and a longtime boxing promoter before that) would sit around a card table, which was littered with newspapers, and talk sports. Gleason and Bentley would constantly smoke cigars, and the sportswriters would wear casual clothes. It was not uncommon to see Jauss wearing a faded pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt with the name of an area bar. Adding to the informal nature of the show, they would often call each other by their last names (e.g., "Jauss," "Gleason") as guys sitting around a bar might do.
After a year on WFLD, it moved to SportsVision
, the precursor to SportsChannel Chicago. When the Fox Sports Network purchased SportsChannel in 1997, the show continued until 2000, when Fox decided not to renew the show.
John E. Roach
John Roach is an award-winning television and film producer and screenwriter.He is president of JRP, an Emmy Award-winning video production and film production company based in Madison, Wisconsin....
for the Chicago-based SportsChannel and syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
to most of the other ones across the SportsChannel America
SportsChannel America
SportsChannel America was a cable television network operated by Cablevision. It was the country's first regional sports network, and thus an important ancestor to many of the United States' regional sports outlets, especially Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. SportsChannel New York was the...
network. Bill Jauss, Bill Gleason, Ben Bentley, Joe Mooshill, Lester Munson, and Rick Telander
Rick Telander
Rick Telander is the senior sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. Hired in 1995 from Sports Illustrated where he was a Senior Writer, Telander's presence at the newspaper was expected to counter the stable of sports columnists the rival Chicago Tribune had.Telander is a native of Peoria,...
were the usual writers discussing the sports issues of the day, and the show was a forerunner of many of the sportswriter TV shows that are much more common now (The Sports Reporters
The Sports Reporters
The Sports Reporters is a sports talk show that airs on ESPN at 9:30 a.m. ET every Sunday morning . It is broadcast from Bristol, Connecticut at the main ESPN studios. However, before 1999, it was broadcast from a studio in Manhattan. and from 1999-2010 it was recorded at the ESPN Zone at Times...
, Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
, Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
, etc). The show also featured occasional conversations with Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
and Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
.
The show was a video adaptation of The Sportswriters, a long-running radio program on Chicago's WGN
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
. The first airing of Sportswriters on TV was on WFLD-TV in 1985. The set remained the same over the next 15 years of existence. The panel of three sportswriters (usually Jauss, Gleason and Telander) and moderator Bentley (a former public relations executive with the Bulls and a longtime boxing promoter before that) would sit around a card table, which was littered with newspapers, and talk sports. Gleason and Bentley would constantly smoke cigars, and the sportswriters would wear casual clothes. It was not uncommon to see Jauss wearing a faded pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt with the name of an area bar. Adding to the informal nature of the show, they would often call each other by their last names (e.g., "Jauss," "Gleason") as guys sitting around a bar might do.
After a year on WFLD, it moved to SportsVision
Sportsvision
Sportsvision was a subscription TV service founded by Chicago White Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, and media mogul Fred Eychaner. The service broadcast live sporting events....
, the precursor to SportsChannel Chicago. When the Fox Sports Network purchased SportsChannel in 1997, the show continued until 2000, when Fox decided not to renew the show.
External links
- Telander, Rick. "Farewell to Bill Gleason, a legend," Chicago Sun-Times, Monday, January 4, 2010.
- O'Donnell, Jim. "Columnist Gleason was true to S. Side roots," Chicago Sun-Times, Monday, January 4, 2010.
- Daniels, Serena Maria. "Bill Gleason, 1922–2010: Sox fan, sports talk pioneer," Chicago Tribune, Monday, January 4, 2010.