Longest Running Nightly Sports Television Show in the Region
Looks Back at 10 Years on the Air
BURLINGTON, MA, August 7, 2012UNOs Sports Tonight, Comcast SportsNet New Englands twice a night news and analysis program, will celebrate its 5,000th episode on Monday, August 13th with a one-hour prime time special beginning at 6:30PM. At 5,000 episodes and 10 years, Sports Tonight is the longest running nightly sports television show in the region.
The celebratory special episode on August 13th, hosted by Michael Felger, Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson, will begin with a look back to the Sports Tonight launch in 2002 which commenced with coverage of the Patriots 2002 Super Bowl Championship title. Since then, Sports Tonight has featured six years of Red Sox Spring Training shows, aired live from four different Super Bowls, two NBA Finals, two World Series, one MLB All-Star Game and hosted more than 350 of New Englands most influential athletes, team personnel and media as guests on the show. From the heated moments and contentious arguments, to the sincere laughter and hilarious bloopers, Sports Tonights 5000th show will reflect on a decade of serving New England sports fans with the most in-depth, unfiltered and proactive sports talk and opinion in the market.
Following are some of the highlights from the past 10 years of Sports Tonight:
Show launched on February 11, 2002, hosted by Gary Tanguay & Wendi Nix
Glenn Ordway and Gerry Callahan were the first ever guests on Sports Tonight during the debut episode
The 10 p.m. edition of Sports Tonight debuted one year later, February 10, 2003
Dickerson and Tanguay were co-hosts from February 2003 until October 2007 ; In November 2007, Felger and Tanguay became co-hosts and continue to co-host the show today
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was a special guest on the show in 2002 while running for Governor of Massachusetts
In 2007, Paul Pierce hosted the show on three separate occasions
Additional athletes who have made regular appearances on the show include: the Red Soxs Kevin Millar, Coco Crisp, and Jonathan Papelbon; the Patriots Vince Wilfork, Rodney Harrison, and Mike Vrabel; the Celtics Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker; and the Bruins Shawn Thornton.
CSNNE.com, the online home of Comcast SportsNet, will feature clips from the various Sports Tonight promo campaigns, will showcase highlights from some of the best episodes, and will run extended, uncut clips from features aired during the special. A bracket has also been launched for fans to vote on Sports Tonights Most Valuable Personality from over the years.
Since 2002, Sports Tonight has been the gathering place for the most influential voices in the region with daily participation from New Englands best personalities, said Bill Bridgen, Comcast SportsNet New England Executive Vice President and General Manager. The opinion-driven show has gained a loyal following from passionate sports fans in New England, who are never short on opinions. We are pleased to share Sports Tonights 5,000th episode & retrospective with all of the partners, guests, and viewers who have helped make the show a success over the past decade.
Sports Tonight airs every weeknight at 6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Comcast SportsNet reaches more than 4 million households in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Comcast SportsNets programming includes the Boston Celtics, SportsNet Central, New England Revolution, Connecticut Sun, Unos Sports Tonight, Celtics Now, Sports Sunday, Quick Slants, The Baseball Show and New England Tailgate. Comcast SportsNet New England is owned and managed by Comcast Sports Group. Visit www.csnne.com for more information. Check local listings for the specific channel location for your area.