So this week was kind of boring. Didn’t do much. Went to my internship, worked on a project, oh and visited a TV show that has been a staple in my afternoon routine for nearly 7 years. 3 other program-ers and I were lucky enough to join Amos at a taping of the award-winning ESPN show Pardon the Interruption, and l think I’m still floating. Here’s a recap of the trip that may be the highlight of the whole summer:
Sean and I arrived at what we thought was the right building, that is until Michael Wilbon walked out of the door. Yep, that’s the place. After meeting up with the rest of the crew we headed down into the studio. Located in the basement of DC’s ABC affiliate, PTI shares a studio with its preceding show, Around the Horn. Anyone familiar with both shows knows that Tony Reali acts as host to Around the Horn and fact-checker for PTI. That being said, my first thought upon walking into the studio was about how lucky Tony was to be able to film both roles in the same room. The studio itself was surprisingly small and not nearly as spacious as it looks on TV. It was definitely made for HD broadcast though, everything being clean, sharp, and new.
The first member of the show we met was the aforementioned Reali, rushing in to re-tape a piece of audio for Around the Horn that didn’t come out right earlier. He was shorter than I had imagined and his hair looked so shiny and full of product that I immediately wondered how much money he spends on hair gel, but his good-natured and friendly personality was true to the show. While I’m on this point I have to say that all 3 of PTI’s stars (Wilbon, Kornheiser, and Reali) were true to their show-personalities. Wilbon- opinionated but not pushy, kind, and with a bit of hood to him. Kornheiser- typical new yorker, abrasive, openly opinionated, and hilarious. Reali- in addition to what I said earlier witty and definitely italian.
It was amazing how similar the show was in person and on TV; minus all the theme songs and commercials it looked and sounded exactly the same. The whole thing is shot on 3 standing camera’s and one “boom” cam (a camera mounted on a huge arm that floats around to get arial/moving shots), which I found astonishing. There’s also an ungodly amount of makeup used throughout the show, with every break being filled by a makeup lady rushing up to the hosts and patting their faces (and in Wilbon’s case, head) with various forms of coverup. I suppose that’s the price they pay for making the jump to HD.
After all taping was done we got to meet both Wilbon and Kornheiser and take pictures with them. True to form, Wilbon was very interested in where we were from and what we were doing in DC, and Kornheiser was more interested in his post-show notes. We then went to take pictures of us sitting at Around the Horn’s command-desk, throwing out points and waves of mutilation willy-nilly. Reali and his friend sportswriter Bomani Jones (also an off-and-on contender on Around the Horn) chatted with us for a bit, and then we were off.
The 3 of us who walked home together were abuzz with excitement over the experience we had just shared, recapping conversations and situations like middle school girls. It wasn’t until later that I realized the grandiose nature of that experience, not only the fact that PTI had been a cornerstone in my daily life for so long but that, for Wilbon especially, it was an important reason I chose to pursue journalism as a career. Even as I write this (while covering a Blue Jays blowout of the Red Sox at work, my bad) I’m amazed at how lucky I am to have been able to watch the show in action. It was an opportunity I am truly grateful for and one that I will surely never forget.
Nick Rothschild 