by Larry EderThe simple fact is that if our sport is to gain relevance, it must be on the major networks. NBC sports and WNBC will provide both national and regional coverage for the ING New York City marathon, giving the five boroughs race the distinction of the most national TV coverage of any marathon outside of the Olympic marathon.
NBC has done a superb job this spring on our track events, and CBS sports this past weekend did a stellar job on the Live NCAA coverage. ESPN and ESPN2 coverage has continued to grow faster on their network than any other sport covered. That should tell us something.
Congrats again to NYRR and Mary Wittenberg. Nice news for the sport!
2008 ING NYCM, Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher, photo by Photorun.net.
Official Release
WNBC, NBC Sports, and New York Road Runners Announce Three-Year Exclusive Broadcast Partnership for ING New York City Marathon
WNBC New York to broadcast more than five hours of race coverage; NBC Sports doubling national network coverage to two hours
Multimedia platforms giving global fans comprehensive coverage of world’s most widely distributed race
New York, June 15, 2009–WNBC, NBC Sports, and New York Road Runners announced today a three-year extension of exclusive broadcast rights and expanded coverage of the ING New York City Marathon at both the local and national level, starting with the 2009 race on Sunday, November 1.
New this year, NBC Sports, America’s Olympic network and leading presenter of the most prestigious sports properties, will increase its national same-day taped coverage of the marathon from one hour to two hours–from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST. This two-hour same-day coverage is the only national TV network coverage of any major marathon outside of the Olympics.
“The ING New York City Marathon is one of the iconic sporting events in our country,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. “We are looking forward to continuing this great partnership with New York Road Runners and our flagship station WNBC and expanding the network coverage to two hours.”
WNBC is scheduled to air live coverage of the Marathon from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., just one part of the unprecedented live multi-platform coverage of the five-borough extravaganza that attracts more than 40,000 participants and 2.5 million spectators. Additional coverage will appear on NBC Local Media New York’s new digital channel New York Nonstop and on nbcnewyork.com.
“We are thrilled to continue serving the New York community with the finest in sports entertainment,” said Tom O’Brien, president and general manager of NBC Local Media New York. “The renewal is the logical extension of the growing coverage that WNBC can now offer via its numerous media platforms. This year’s coverage allows for the ideal celebration of this 40th-anniversary milestone, which speaks to the pioneering spirit, endurance, and legacy of New York Road Runners, an outstanding institution.”
WNBC will begin its pre-marathon coverage at 6:00 a.m. on the Sunday edition of the “Today in New York” show and will feature a full day of special coverage surrounding the broadcast of the world’s most celebrated road race. New York Nonstop will also include marathon play-by-play and in-depth analysis of runners and strategies.
“We are so pleased to continue to expand our partnership with WNBC and NBC Sports and to bring more of the ING New York City Marathon to more people as part of our 40th-running celebrations,” said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners and race director of the ING New York City Marathon.
The ING New York City Marathon coverage is produced by IMG World. IMG is the world’s premier and most diversified sports, entertainment, and media company.
New York Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community needs. NYRR’s road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with its magazine and website, support and promote professional and recreational running.
Celebrating its 40th running in 2009, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world’s great road races, drawing more than 100,000 applicants annually. The race, the premier event of New York Road Runners, attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and a worldwide audience of more than 300 million. As any one of the nearly 788,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit www.ingnycmarathon.org.
To learn more about our sport, we encourage our readers to go to the
following places:
http://www.iaaf.org to learn about our global sport.
http://www.usatf.org to learn about the sport in the U.S.
http://www.runningnetwork.com to find a local running community, running store, running event, or to get involved in the grass roots culture of our sport.
To reach Runblogrun.com, please email runblogrun@gmail.com
