Latest ESPN Ombudsman Report is interesting, as usual

• "With all genuine and due respect for the SportsCenter producers who try daily to find a balance between sports news and entertainment, I think that SportsCenter's big tent is bursting at the seams from the strain of trying to reconcile irreconcilable audiences and values within one show.

I wish ESPN would consider adding to its lineup a crisp, half-hour, nightly news version of SportsCenter -- just news and highlights, without gimmicks or sponsored segments or recaps, without self- or cross-promotion, with a consistent anchor team accountable for a consistent tone, with spare to no use of instant commentary.

• A prime-time island of clean, clear, straightforward news on which ESPN's journalistic credibility could securely rest. On most nights, such a show is already lurking within the expanded 60- to 90-minute editions of SportsCenter. Many viewers probably use their DVRs to seek and carve out just such a show, but ESPN's producers could do a better job of it than we can, if they would. I know viewers can go to ESPNEWS for updated half-hour news, but ESPN is the parent channel and SportsCenter is the face of the franchise.

If viewers like those who wrote me about Who's Now were provided a reliable half-hour nightly news, I suspect ESPN could take all the risks it wanted with the other editions of SportsCenter and still reduce complaints so significantly that this ombudsman could retire."

• Last part of ESPN Ombudsman report by Le Anne Schreiber, 8/7/07, "Question for ESPN After Who's Now, What's Next?"

Ms. Schreiber's comments pretty much echo what Mike Francesa said on these subjects on WFAN in the past couple of weeks. Which isn't to say any of it will affect any change on ESPN. (sm)

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