ESPN Cuts Bait

The worldwide leader in sports is practicing the old angler's fish-friendly practice of catch and release.

ESPN announced today that it has "an agreement in principle" to sell BASS, LLC to a group of investors led by Don Logan, Jerry McKinnis and Jim Copeland. McKinnis, an outdoorsman, has a long history with ESPN as the host of the network’s second longest-running show, The Fishin’ Hole, which aired from 1980 until 2007, according to information provided by ESPN.

Until the deal is done, BASS will continue to be owned and operated by ESPN, which acquired it in 2001. Granted, holding it for most of a decade is a long time for catch and release, but my store of fishing word plays is somewhat limited.

BASS is the largest membership organization of bass anglers in the U.S. with more than 500,000 members, according to ESPN. It was purchased by ESPN in 2001 and includes several media platforms, including three magazines and a popular web site.

But viewers needn't fear that fishing will disappear from their television screens. As part of the deal, BASS’ core television programming assets – the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic – will remain on ESPN networks, according to ESPN.

Maybe they'll even show those fins in 3D.

Watching the World Cup?

I watched some of the World Cup last week at ESPN, but I never did blog about it. There was a story in The Bristol Press about ESPN venturing into 3D.
Currently, not many people have 3D -- about 100,000, ESPN folks said -- but they've never been ones to wait to see which way the wind is blowing.
Nope, ESPN creates its own wind and takes the culture along with it. They've got a lot of smart people over there and if they think 3D is the next big thing, well, then, I'm inclined to believe them.
As someone who watches very little television, I'm probably not the best person to evaluate 3D. But there I was, and I agree, it can be eye-popping. I didn't like wearing an extra set of glasses, though, and between the vision thing and the buzzing of the vuvuzelas, I got a headache. If you haven't heard them yet, listening to a World Cup match is like being inside a hornet's nest. AAAAGGGH! Get me out of there!
Chuck Pagano, ESPN's top technology guy, told me he watches with the mute function on. Smart guy, that Chuck.

Comcast Customers Can Get ESPN 3D

Just in time for the FIFA World Cup this summer, Comcast cable customers will be able to watch 3D programs from Bristol-based ESPN.Comcast is the first cable company to sign on to with ESPN’s venture into 3D programming.It’s not clear yet whether Comcast customers will have to pay extra for the experience.

I wrote about the deal for Friday's edition of The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/), so if you want the nitty gritty, it should be there.