The Big Lead

ESPN considering big plans for 'Pardon the Interruption'

By Joe Lago

Feb 14, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Team Wilbon coach Michael Wilbon during lineup introductions before the NBA All Star-Celebrity Game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-Imagn Images
Feb 14, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Team Wilbon coach Michael Wilbon during lineup introductions before the NBA All Star-Celebrity Game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-Imagn Images / Quinn Harris-Imagn Images
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No "Around the Horn" could mean more "Pardon the Interruption."

ESPN has "made overtures" about expanding "PTI" — the network's longtime debate show featuring former Washington Post columnists Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon — from 30 minutes to one hour, according to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand.

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The cancellation of "Around the Horn," which reportedly will have its 22-year run conclude next summer, will open up ESPN's 5 p.m. ET weekday time slot. The half-hour window could be used to lengthen "PTI" to 60 minutes.

ESPN is "still in the process" of determining how to replace "Around the Horn," the debate-style program that has showcased sportswriters around the country and more recently the network's leading voices since November 2002.

Expanding "PTI" ranks as one of the "top ideas," according to Marchand.

While ESPN has invested heavily in new programming with fresh perspectives that reflect the changing media landscape, such as "The Pat McAfee Show," the 76-year-old Kornheiser and 66-year-old Wilbon remain fixtures in the network's weekday programming. Sports Business Journal recently ranked "PTI" as one of the 25 best sports studio shows.

“It’s our job to find the format that suits the personalities,” ESPN senior vice president of programming Mike Foss told Sports Business Journal. “No show has done that better in the past 30 years than ‘Pardon the Interruption.'"

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