ESPN's New $175M Studio: 'Unlike Anything On Sports TV'

[jostar1]

Digital Center 2 opened Monday with a ceremonial fiber optic cable cutting and a brief "sports report" that aired live on the ESPN streaming site, from the anchor desk by Malloy and Skipper. "Welcome to SportsCenter from Olliewood," Skipper announced from the set, repeating the play on UConn Coach Kevin Ollie's name that ESPN used in the Final Four.

In a cut-rate bargain for Connecticut taxpayers, ESPN is expected to collect $10 million in tax credits rather than the $20-plus million package of grants and loans, much of it forgivable, that was announced on this spot nearly two years ago when Malloy made ESPN one of the state's "First Five" companies with major development incentive money.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-haar-espn-digital-center-2-20140516,0,2244330.column

 

[Drew]

I've been thinking about this for a while but Uconn and the state of Connecticut should be doing everything in their power to partner with ESPN to have them sponsor our broadcast journalism department (do we even have one?)

Imagine taking all those kids who want to go to cuse for broadcast journalism and instead having them go to the UConn school of broadcast journalism with the buildings named after/sponsored by espn with direct internship opportunities that could lead to jobs in the state of CT after they graduate. Just a thought.

 

[uconNYC]

You've got to think CR comes up in meetings between ESPN execs and CT politicians.

 

[itgoeslike]

You've got to think CR comes up in meetings between ESPN execs and CT politicians.

The meetings typically end on the following note. . ."On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question."

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I've been thinking about this for a while but Uconn and the state of Connecticut should be doing everything in their power to partner with ESPN to have them sponsor our broadcast journalism department (do we even have one?)

Imagine taking all those kids who want to go to cuse for broadcast journalism and instead having them go to the UConn school of broadcast journalism with the buildings named after/sponsored by espn with direct internship opportunities that could lead to jobs in the state of CT after they graduate. Just a thought.

I am not sure about journalism; but, UConn does have a focus on the production side of the house that is getting amped-up with the move of NBC Sports to Stamford and several others.

http://www.dmc.uconn.edu/news.html

 

[Drew]

I am not sure about journalism; but, UConn does have a focus on the production side of the house that is getting amped-up with the move of NBC Sports to Stamford and several others.

http://www.dmc.uconn.edu/news.html

perfect, partner with NBC Sports and exclude ESPN all together. Just think were missing a golden opportunity here

 

[CTMike]

You've got to think CR comes up in meetings between ESPN execs and CT politicians.

Even if just in a private moment, I hope Malloy leaned over to Skinner and said "Hey man stop us in the a. Find us a spot."

 

[DarthGrumpy]

perfect, partner with NBC Sports and exclude ESPN all together. Just think were missing a golden opportunity here

Just to clarify, I do not know if UConn has any alliance (department, major, internships, etc.) with ESPN, just that the Digital Media Center in Stamford was heavily promoted when NBC Sports announces there move to Stamford. I could not find any mention of ESPN on UConn’s journalism website.

http://www.journalism.uconn.edu/majors.html

FYI, CBS Sports is based out of Midtown in NYC while Fox Sports is based out of LA.

 

[zls44]

I can say, from experience, that the UConn Journalism department put up as many roadblocks as possible when I had an internship offer with ESPN Radio back in 2005. The ESPN Radio folks were shocked at how difficult- and eventually, impossible- they made it for a UConn student to get an internship at ESPN. Isn't a problem with other schools.

 

[ZooCougar]

CT gives tax credits to ESPN, ESPN builds new venue, uses new venue to diss UConn and it's "conference".


Seems like a fair trade to me.

 

[Dooley]

CT gives tax credits to ESPN, ESPN builds new venue, uses new venue to diss UConn and it's "conference".


Seems like a fair trade to me.

Seriously. Other than Jay Bilas calling Storrs the Capital of College Basketball, I can't think of a single time when anyone employed by ESPiN has said anything positive about UCONN. Even if they have to write a positive piece, there is ALWAYS some sort of backhanded swipe at UCONN.

"UCONN is the fastest program to ever get to a BCS game...but that was only because the Big East was so awful."
"UCONN and Kevin Ollie have reached a contract extension...but when will Ollie leave like Marshall and Smart will eventually leave Wichita St and VC friggin' U?"
"Kevin Ollie just wiped the floor with the faces of Phil Martelli, Jay Wright, Fred Hoiberg, Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan, and John Calipari...but he did it with Jim Calhoun's recruits."
"Bob Diaco won the Top Assistant Coach Award in 2012 before being hired by UCONN...but Pat Narduzzi won it in 2013 and turned down UCONN because of Assistant Coach pay ranges." (this one is completely bogus and really gets under my skin)
"UCONN has more guys in the NFL than BC, Syracuse, Pitt, and Louisville...but UCONN can't recruit because they are in the northeast and all of these other teams can."
"UCONN only had 4K fans at the Fiesta Bowl because that's how many tickets they sold through the school...but OU had 40K fans even though they only sold 6K through the school because their fans know what StubHub is and UCONN fans don't."

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I don't know how much ESPN pays in taxes in Connecticut, but I bet you it's a non-trivial sum which makes them worth keeping, regardless of whether or not you think politicians should be strong-arming journalists into sharing only favorable opinions.

 

[CL82]

I don't know how much ESPN pays in taxes in Connecticut, but I bet you it's a non-trivial sum which makes them worth keeping, regardless of whether or not you think politicians should be strong-arming journalists into sharing only favorable opinions.

No doubt, but I promise you that any future state aid to them is a non-starter. There are many in the legislature who are pretty pissed about the fact that evisceration of the Big East was funded by a Connecticut company. There are far more in the electorate who are far more angry.