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Monday, July 29, 2002

The 3:30 meeting started one minute late, which, in the communications business, is pretty darn punctual. Nineteen folks gathered in the corner conference room at Fox Sports Net's Pittsburgh offices to discuss that night's live sportscasts, and they were far from corporate suits. In fact, the one kid wearing a tie was there for a job interview. The casual Friday attire was typified by "SportsBeat" and "Pittsburgh Sports Tonight" co-anchor Guy Junker: Hawaiian shirt, shorts, sandals -- the last two would stay hidden underneath the studio desk all night, through both shows.

"Pittsburgh Sports Tonight," the relatively new newscast celebrating its second anniversary this month, has endured fits and starts, anchors away (ousted Keith Wilson and Stephanie Gabos, along with gone-to-Boston Rob Nikoleski) and the shuttering of a half-dozen similar shows in other part- owned Fox cable stations. Still, it has grown into Fox Sports Net's second-biggest ratings winner in that 10 p.m. local time slot, behind Seattle's newscast. And it might even grow some more, possibly transforming this fall into a one-hour show.

This Friday night in the dual life of "Pittsburgh Sports Tonight" and "Midwest Sports Report" -- both of them sprouting from the same North Side floor -- started at 3:31 p.m. with news director Shawn McClintock delivering some handouts.

"Shawn McClintock ... created a brilliantly organized, highly effective, buttoned-down structure," Larry Eldridge, general manager of Fox Sports Net's affiliate here, said afterward. "He is exceptional at dealing with the high-wire maneuvers required to effectively accommodate newscasts produced at one location and serving two separate regions."

Because Pittsburgh is charged with handling newscasts for its region and Midwest -- much like Seattle handles Detroit's -- McClintock handed out a production sheet that reminded everyone in the room: Pirates at Houston 8:05 p.m., Cards vs. Cubs 8:10 p.m. Two games, two newscasts on the same high wire, the differences in Eastern and Central time zones helping little. "It's a trigonometry problem," McClintock said. Another handout dealt with the "Pittsburgh Sports Tonight" minute-by-minute rundown, subject to change throughout the night by the guy slugging Mountain Dew Code Red in the corner, producer John Foster. Yet another handout dealt with the "Midwest Sports Report," produced by Stefani Kazel.

By 8:20 p.m., Junker was at his desk dining on watermelon and keeping an eye on two monitors: one with the Pirates' game, the other with "SpongeBob SquarePants." "It's a regular work night," he joked. By the fifth innings, Code-Red Foster was preparing to go into the studio any second. "He's our guru of clock management," said Pat Parris, who would anchor both Pittsburgh and St. Louis shows. Ten o'clock being a hazy time designation, these newscasts go on the air whenever their game broadcasts end, so these folks have to be constantly ready, live or on tape.

By 9:13, Foster was leading his workhorses to the trough. By 9:24, they were rolling tape for the Pittsburgh show. By 9:47, they were done. Most of the stories were Steelers and Penguins related, so they weren't going to change in the 61 minutes it would take for the Pirates game to end and "Pittsburgh Sports Tonight" to hit the air. A few minutes of the newscast were left open, so Fox Sports Net control in Houston could later insert a Lanny Frattare-Bob Walk piece taped after the game.

By 10:10, Parris was back at the studio desk, girding for a quick Cardinals conclusion and an early "Midwest Sports Report."

"We try not to resort to Jedi mind tricks," Eldridge added. "When we do have to tape a segment, the timing is usually so close to the actual airing that it is virtually irrelevant."

"This is a wacky one," Foster said of this freaky Friday. The Cardinals ended at 10:32 p.m., the Pirates at 10:35 p.m. They cannot do two newscasts at once, but they sometimes come thisclose -- one anchor nearly sitting in the lap of another amid the hasty studio desk changeover. This Cardinals' early conclusion meant "Bonus Coverage," anywhere up to an extra half-hour of Midwest news that sprang from the video closet, Fox Sports Net's national coverage and the seat of producer Kazel's pants. Parris was on TV in both Pittsburgh and St. Louis at the very same time.

"In many ways, I think we've already hit our stride," Eldridge continued. "What's exciting to me is that we have some intriguing things in store that I know are going to make us even bigger and better."

Pack more Code Red and get the control room ready earlier. If this sucker goes to one hour a night, that makes for great sports TV viewing on two local Fox Sports Nets -- in Western Pennsylvania and around St. Louis -- and it makes for far more frantic nights at Two Allegheny Center.

In addition to The Big Picture, Chuck Finder writes a general-sports column exclusive to the http://www.post-gazette.com/ every Tuesday. He can be reached at cfinder@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1724.