Quite frankly, I'm surprised it took this long
Stephen A. Smith is moving to ESPN2 late nights.
Press release on the jump. Next time I post, it'll be from someplace a lot warmer than KC.
QUITE FRANKLY WITH STEPHEN A. SMITH MOVING TO NEW LATE-NIGHT TIME SLOT
ONE-HOUR SHOW SHIFTING TO 11 P.M. ET BEGINNING JANUARY 30 ON ESPN2
ESPN2’s Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith will move into a new weekday late-night time period beginning Monday, Jan. 30 at 11 p.m., ET. For viewers seeking late night interviews and opinions, the one-hour weekday show will offer immediate reaction to the top sports stories of the day, while continuing to provide timely interviews with high-profile newsmakers. Additionally, a 30-minute “Best of Mike and Mike” show is in development for early evening and will also launch Jan. 30.
Smith, known for his strong and sometimes controversial commentary on sports issues, will continue to feature his long-form interviews as well as offer his unique insights in front of a studio audience. Since its debut in August, the program has welcomed a stellar roster of guests including Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Joe Montana, Allen Iverson, Danica Patrick, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Senator John McCain, Bob Knight, Donald Trump, Larry King, Larry Brown, Scottie Pippen and Jim Brown.
“Quite Frankly will continue to feature Stephen A.’s cutting-edge long-format interviews, and will now be able to offer immediate reaction to each day’s storylines,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and remote production. “When an athlete has a story to tell or there is a hot topic in the sports news, viewers will know Quite Frankly will have it covered.”
Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith will air each weekday at 11 p.m., or following significant live events on ESPN2, including NBA, Major League Baseball, college basketball, college football, Friday Night Fights, among others. During the first week at its new time, Quite Frankly will follow two Big 12 college hoops matchups – Texas Tech at Kansas, Monday, Jan. 30 and Texas at Missouri, Wednesday, Feb. 1 – and Friday Night Fights, Feb. 3.
NEW-LOOK ESPN2
On Monday, Jan. 2, ESPN2 unveiled a new morning and mid-day schedule featuring Mike and Mike in the Morning (6-10 a.m.) followed by Cold Pizza
at 10 a.m. and noon (encore presentation). In its first week, the 6
a.m. – 2 p.m. time slot enjoyed a 66% increase in viewership (180,000
HH) over the previous comparable week in 2005.
ESPN2 has experienced 11 straight years of household viewership growth and has just capped off its most-viewed year ever for both total day (236,000 HH) and primetime (504,000 HH) in 2005. ESPN2 currently reaches 89.3 million homes.
“We’ve bolstered the ESPN2 morning and mid-day schedules and this move will strengthen our late-night lineup,” said David Berson, ESPN senior vice president, program planning and development. “The show will benefit from the tremendous collection of major events that will now serve as nightly lead-ins and will cater to the increasing number of male sports fans watching late-night television.”
Stephen A. Smith joined ESPN in 2003 as studio analyst on NBA Shootaround and NBA Fastbreak and as a reporter for other studio programming. In addition to his duties as host of Quite Frankly, Smith will continue in his role as analyst on NBA Shootaround, plus contributions to ESPN’s news and information programs. Additionally, Smith hosts The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio 1050 in New York City weekdays from 12-2 p.m. Smith has been a sports writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer since 1994. Previously, he covered news and sports at the New York Daily News (1993-94) and worked at the Greensboro News and Record (1992-93) and the Winston-Salem Journal (1991-92). Since 1999, he has also been active in television and radio, primarily in Philadelphia, but also on Fox Sports Net, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports Radio and CNN/SI, in addition to appearances on ESPN Radio.
