BRISTOL, Conn. - Jan. 13, 2002 - It's a new season for "The Bassmasters" on ESPN2 and co-host Jerry McKinnis is excited.
"It's going to be another wild year," McKinnis said, citing a new graphics look, faster turnaround from event dates to air dates, more Tour events and the addition of outdoors sports reporter Kirsten Gum.
The 15-episode series will follow the world's best professional bass anglers across the nation in competition on the Bassmaster Tour. McKinnis, his co-host Tommy Sanders, and Gum will follow all the action as anglers vie for tournament victories and coveted Busch B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year points.
The first of 10 events was held last weekend in Central Florida with 175 anglers. The top 40 in the final point standings will qualify for berths in the sport's biggest event, this summer's Bassmasters Classic in New Orleans.
"B.A.S.S.'s expanded schedule of events will allow us to showcase all the drama and intensity among these professional athletes." said Gary Morgenstern, executive director of programming for ESPN.
The show has also tightened its production deadlines, bringing the competitions to fans soon after the final bass is weighed.
"It should make better TV because it's going to be so much more current," McKinnis said. "The fast turnaround is a real, real tough thing for us, but we do get a bit of an adrenaline rush with the urgency of how that comes into place."
"The Bassmasters" will be aired Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN2 and again at 4 p.m. on Thursdays. For show descriptions and additional times, visit www.bassmaster.com.
Since its inception in 2001, ESPN Outdoors - a multi-departmental initiative to coordinate company-wide, multi-media efforts - has strived to inform and entertain anglers, hunters, campers and people of all ages who enjoy the outdoors. ESPN Outdoors is committed to increasing awareness of outdoor activities, a direction best exemplified by daily television programming totaling more than 1,200 hours annually on ESPN and ESPN2. Each year, ESPN Outdoors stages more than 30 marquee events including the BASS Masters Classic and the Great Outdoor Games. ESPN Outdoors encompasses B.A.S.S., the world's largest fishing organization that sanctions more than 20,000 events through the B.A.S.S. Federation. ESPN Outdoors also features Bassmaster.com, ESPNOutdoors.com, a weekly fishing show on ESPN Radio as well as a growing array of promotions and activities that deliver a clear message of conservation and ethical sportsmanship.