Dave Morris » disney

ESPN.com to redesign, feature more video

davemorris — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:29:02 +0000

Saw this last month, just now got around to reading it.
Looks like ESPN.com will launch a redesign in January, this according to paidContent.org.

ESPN.com is slated to get a major redesign this January, John Skipper, the sports networks’ EVP of Content, told ContentNext Media’s EconSports conference. In a Q&A with NYT TV sports and business reporter Richard Sandomir, Skipper said that the revamp will be video-centric, including a larger video player and a new navigational scheme. He also talked about ESPN’s various content platforms, including how important (yet still nascent) ESPN360 is, how ESPN The Magazine is faring in the horrid economy, and even what the company would do better than NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) if it got the Olympic bid.

ESPN says it posts between 125 and 150 video clips a day. I mean, that’s just showing off. But it does illustrate their depth of content and the partnerships they have with the major sports leagues, notably excluding the NFL and its footage.

By comparison, NewsOK cranks out and posts around 100 video clips a week.

Here’s my favorite quote from this article, and one I applaud big-time, as they talk about getting rights to the Olympics from NBC:

“We (ESPN) don’t believe we’re serving sports fans by making them wait four or five hours to see an event, which is why we show Euro soccer in the afternoon, and we just got rights to cricket in India, which we think will be a good product for 3 am. We’re not anti-time zone in our company, and we know that there are lots of sports fans up at all times of the day.”

Miley Cyrus pics too racy?

davemorris — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:57:45 +0000

Miley Cyrus has the best of both worlds. G-rated school girl for Disney. Rock star in real life.

Now she has people talking about apparently racy pics in Vanity Fair. She’s only 15.

Cyrus is apologizing for the uproar. Here is video from behind the scenes at the photo shoot.

And here is more from a Miley Cyrus unofficial fan blog.

One Night in… Bongo’s again?

davemorris — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:23:59 +0000

Yes, a return trip to Bongo’s. But with a mission. Joe Hopper and I return to Downtown Disney to catch the U23D movie at the AMC. I tried to catch it in Washington DC last week, but it was only playing on the weekends. So we cab it over in the monsoon and run into the themepark. I manage to completely wipe out just as I reach the Bongo’s stoop, complete with a sliding stop in the rain. Nice.

I had steak last time here, I ordered chicken this time. More rice. More plantains. Slightly less garlic.

We ordered some appetizer that I can’t pronounce or don’t remember. Basically it’s a fried mashed potato with meat in the center. I’m telling you, this would be a smash hit in OKC.

It’s been a big news day in Florida. Tornado warnings up north. Massive power outtage in the south.

Also grabbed strong cigar from Sosa Family Cigars. Man. They recommended a “full bodied” cigar. And it was.

One Night in… Raglan Road Irish Pub

davemorris — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:46:30 +0000

Sunday night while in Orlando at the NAA Marketing conference…

Back to downtown Disney. I’m sensing this is a trend. Last night Bongo’s for Cuban. Tonight we want seafood. When near the coast, do the seafood. Probably a fresher option than in Oklahoma.

Of course we go Irish. We’re advised Raglan Road Irish Pub has tasty fish. Turns out the salmon, about $20, is really good. Came with mashed potatoes. They had some really dry wheat bread that came with dinner. It was served with what they called Guinness sauce. Tasted like honey. No, not in a “man this beer is good” way, but I think it really was honey.

We were seated right next to the stage where Paul Duffy (no relation to Patrick Duffy of Dallas fame) was the one man band. Good entertainer, talented musician, but he has a Web site from the 1990′s.