ESPN will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pardon the Interruption with a one-hour documentary special and a four-part podcast series.
(Photo by Randy Sager / ESPN Images)
What’s Happening:
- ESPN will be celebrating 20 years of Pardon the Interruption with a one-hour documentary special and four-part ESPN Daily podcast series.
- The one-hour documentary will premiere on Tuesday, September 28 at 7:00 pm ET with the podcast series hosted by Pablo Torre debuting a new episode each Saturday from October 2 – October 23.
- Pardon the Interruption premiered as a regular series on October 22, 2021 with co-hosts Kornheiser and Wilbon remaining as some of the most respected and influential voices in sports media.
What They’re Saying:
- Norby Williamson, ESPN EVP, Event and Studio Production & Executive Editor: “PTI is the gold standard of sports discussion shows and one of the seminal programs in ESPN history. Tony and Mike have shared a friendship for decades which has resulted in a remarkable television partnership – now 20 years strong, an incredible milestone that deserves to be celebrated.”
More on the PTI Podcast Series
- Segment/Podcast 1 – Kornheiser and Wilbon’s backgrounds, their years together at The Washington Post, and the creation of PTI.
- Segment/Podcast 2 – PTI’s launch and early years, and Tony Reali’s “Stat Boy” role.
- Segment/Podcast 3 – Behind the scenes, the emergence of Kornheiser and Wilbon’s personalities, and the show’s biggest topics.
- Segment/Podcast 4 – Memorable guests, staying true to the show’s vision, and PTI’s legacy.
PTI Fun Facts and Notable Achievements (From ESPN.com):
- PTI has won the Sports Emmy Award for Daily Outstanding Studio Show three times – 2009, 2016 and 2019.
- The innovative graphical rundown and topic bar that PTI introduced in 2001 has since been adopted by programs of all genres – sports, news, entertainment, weather, and more.
- PTI’s fast-paced, wide-ranging and humorous discussion of the days’ sports news sparked an era of opinion-based sports shows, including ESPN’s popular Around the Horn, which debuted a year after PTI in 2002.
- PTI’s success led to a Spanish-language version of the show on ESPN Deportes called Cronometro, which debuted in 2004 and still airs today.
- Reali, the popular host of ESPN’s Around the Horn since 2004, played the role of “Stat Boy” on PTI from 2001-14, serving as the end-of-show ombudsman.
- Well-known fans of PTI include former president Barack Obama.
- Kornheiser and Wilbon received the National Press Club’s most esteemed prize, the Fourth Estate Award, in 2017, recognizing journalists who have made significant contributions to the field. They have also both been inducted in the National Sports Media and DC Sports Halls of Fame. In 2021, Wilbon received the Basketball Hall of Fame’s prestigious Curt Gowdy Award.
Fans can check out the PTI20 documentary on demand after its airing on September 28 and check out the podcast via the ESPN Daily podcast feed, available on popular podcast apps and on ESPN.com.
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