Local stations gung-ho for Eagles-Bucs
By Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times

 
The local stations are going full throttle over the Eagles' season opener Monday night vs. Tampa Bay.

Comcast SportsNet starts things off 41/2 hours before game time with "Spotlight," featuring Eagles star Troy Vincent, at 4:30 p.m. "Daily News Live" will be broadcast outside Lincoln Financial Field at 5 p.m., then "SportsNite" will take over at 6. "Pre-Game Live" will continue the hype at 6:30, then expect the always excitable Angelo Cataldi to be totally crazed for his show at 7. "Post Game Live" will air immediately following the game.

This game is such a big deal that WPVI is making Jim Gardner do a pregame show with Gary Papa at 8 p.m. from Lincoln Financial Field. WPVI is broadcasting the actual game at 9 p.m. Following the late news, Papa will host WPVI's postgame show "Football Frenzy." "Eagles Total Access," a production of the Eagles Television Network, moves to CBS3.

Though "Eagles Total Access" will have more behind-the-scenes stuff, courtesy of the Eagles, I expect the Channel 6 show to win the Sunday night Eagles wars.

For CBS3, Beasley Reece will quarterback a pre-game show from 7-8 p.m.

WIP 610-AM, which is ready to burst over this game, will have a three-hour pregame show with Howard Eskin, Cataldi, Rhea Hughes and Mark Eckel. Then Hughes will stick around to provide live reports during the game and after the contest.

"I'll be leaving just a couple hours till I have to be back on the air for the morning show," Hughes said. "So I'll do what I usually do for Eagles night games - head over to the South Street diner and have a coke with a piece of strawberry shortcake for the sugar rush to keep me up."

WYSP 94.1-FM is countering with its own three-hour pregame show at 6 p.m. Kevin Reilly and John Miller will do the first hour, then Bill Bergey, Jody McDonald and newcomer Steve Bucci will take it up until gametime. I'm not sure I like the fact that McDonald, who left Philadelphia to do New York sportsradio a few years ago, should get to come back to do Eagles stuff.

Of course, Merrill Reese and Mike Quick will announce the game. Then, Dave Spadaro will handle halftime, and Bergey, Reilly and Miller will handle postgame.

And here's something that sounds funny. "The Philly Guys" of WMMR 93.3-FM, Mike Missanelli, Joe Conklin and Vinnie the Crumb, will be doing a parody of traditional broadcasts during a commercial-free "On-Air Football Party" beginning at 8 p.m.

Finally, a chance to hear the funny guys on WMMR 93.3 without the awful music!

What's more, Comcast will be broadcasting the game in HDTV.

Enjoy!