Not to be a shill for CSN, but Comcast SportsNet will celebrate its 15th anniversary on October 1*, and yesterday, the network announced some planned events… as well as fun facts, which I got way too much enjoyment out of. The press release is after the jump, with the interesting parts bolded for your reading pleasure. The Postgame Live analysts list is a trivia game waiting to happen.

*I still remember watching an hour and a half Daily News Live as, I think, Bill Conlin told Michael Barkann he would be the answer to a trivia question– who was the first live voice in Comcast SportsNet history?

Barkann, of course, is still going strong… and Conlin is a child molester. Allegedly. My, how times change.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (September 24, 2012)  – Philadelphia sports television was changed forever on October 1, 1997 when Comcast SportsNet, Philadelphia’s first and only 24-hour regional cable sports network was launched.  And now 15 years later, Comcast SportsNet is part of the fabric of the Philadelphia sports scene.  To mark the anniversary, the network is offering viewers the opportunity to reminisce about the past 15 years and participate in the celebration through various on-air programs and a special We Live Philly Sports Festival.

 

Daily News Live

On Monday, October 1, Comcast SportsNet will celebrate the network’s anniversary beginning at 5 p.m. with “Daily News Live.”  Host Michael Barkann and guests will reminisce about the past 15 years, with show bloopers and behind the scenes moments. 

 

SportsNite at 10:30 p.m.

A very special edition of “SportsNite,” presented commercial free by Chevrolet, will air on Monday, October 1 at 10:30 p.m. and will feature a retrospective of the people and personalities that have impacted the Philadelphia sports landscape over the past 15 years. Viewers will hear from Jimmy Rollins (Phillies) the city’s longest tenured athlete, Villanova product and Eagles all-time RB great Brian Westbrook (Eagles), 76ers standout Thaddeus Young (Sixers), Keith Jones (Flyers) – the only athlete to play on Comcast SportsNet and retire to become a game and postgame analyst, and Phil Martelli long-time head coach at Saint Joseph’s University, narrate the stories of the teams they played on or coached. Fans can join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #CSN15.

 

We Live Philly Sports Festival

Viewers are invited to be a part of the celebration at the “We Live Philly Sports Festival” at Xfinity Live in South Philadelphia on Sunday, October 21 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.  There will be surprise guests and great giveaways. More details will be released in coming weeks.

 

Comcast SportsNet Across the Nation

Since the launch of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia 15 years ago, the company's regional sports business, now under the NBC Sports umbrella, has grown to consist of 13 local networks that deliver more than 2,400 sporting events annually, along with breaking news and comprehensive analysis to more than 50 million cable and satellite homes.

 

Comcast SportsNet Fun Facts:

 

By the Numbers:

  • Comcast SportsNet has aired over 3,400 Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games since the network launched on October 1, 1997.
  • Comcast SportsNet has received 235 nominations and won 99 Emmys since our inception.
  • In 2012, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia won its first National Murrow Award after being honored with regional awards in 2011 and 2012.
  • There are currently 37 full-time employees at Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia who were with the network when it launched on October 1, 1997.

 

Ratings Highlights:

  • Flyers:
  • Highest rated regular season game: 10/12/2011 vs. Vancouver (5.1 HH rating)
  • Highest rated playoff game:  4/26/2011 vs. Buffalo (12.6 HH rating)
  • Sixers:
  • Highest rated regular season game: 2/14/2001 vs. LA Lakers (7.8 HH rating)
  • Highest rated playoff game:  5/22/2001 vs. Milwaukee (16.5 HH rating)
  • Phillies
  • Highest rated regular season game:  9/22/2010 vs. Atlanta (15.2 HH rating)

 

Fun Facts:

  • Comcast SportsNet produced its first game in high definition on February 15, 2003 with the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • On April 16, 2004, Comcast SportsNet produced what is believed to be the first of its kind: three live games produced out of the same facility on the same day: The HD production of the Phillies vs. Montreal game at Citizens Bank Park was produced in the same HD control room at the Wachovia Center used for Flyers and Sixers games. The two facilities are linked by 100 miles of fiber optic cable.

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Special Guests:

  • The following notables have appeared on Daily News Live: Ted Nugent, Rob Reiner, Larry King, Charles Barkley, Bill Cramer, Tony Robbins, Bob Eubanks, Billie Jean King, Chuck Woolery, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, Matthew Perry, Billy Packer, John McEnroe, John Chaney, Floyd Landis, David Boreanaz, Julius Erving, Jon Bon Jovi, Bernard Hopkins, Ron Jaworski, Dick Vermeil, Nick Faldo, Dana White, Mike Schmidt, Earl Monroe, Ryan Phillippe, Kevin James, Manny Pacquiao, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter

 

Do You Remember?

The following have appeared on Pre/Post Game Live over the past 15 years:

  • Flyers Pre/Post Game Live: Al Morganti, Keith Jones, Chris Therien, Keith Primeau, Rick Tocchet, Steve Coates, Neil Little, Ed Hospodar, John Druce, Tim Panaccio, Bill Clement and Lisa Hillary
  • Sixers Pre/Post Game Live: Bob Salmi, John Nash, Ed Pinckney, Marc Zumoff, Jim Lynam, Sonny Hill, Fred Carter, Rick Mahorn, Bo Kimble, Gerald Henderson, John Celestand, Marc Jackson, Malik Rose and Dei Lynam
  • Phillies Pre/Post Game Live:  Dave Gallagher, Mitch Williams, John Marzano, Joe Kerrigan, Tyler Green, Ricky Bottalico, John Kruk, Darren Daulton, Chris Coste, Ben Davis, Paul Hagan, Rico Brogna, Marty Bystrom, Jim Salisbury and Glenn Wilson
  • Eagles Pre/Post Game Live: Former PA Governor Ed Rendell, Irving Fryar, Vaughn Hebron, Ray Didinger, Mike Quick, Ray Farmer, Tom Brookshier, Bill Bergey, Mike Lombardi, Johnny Sample, Dave Brown, John Spagnola, Jeff Sydner, Jim Cramer, Tra Thomas, Leonard Weaver, Ike Reese, Derrick Gunn, Geoff Mosher and Reuben Frank

 

CSN Launch Pad

Comcast SportsNet has been the launching ground for many national sports analysts including MLB Network’s Mitch Williams and Matt Yallof, NBC’s Keith Jones and NFL Network’s Scott Hanson and Brian Baldinger.  

 

In the Community:

Comcast SportsNet has strong community ties through 15 year partnerships with the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer program, the ALS Association and the American Heart Association’s Home Runs for Heart event.  The network also created a PAL Scholarship in memory of one of the networks’ founders Sam Schroeder, and the Shining Star Awards benefitting the March of Dimes.