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Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,197
Registered: ‎07-29-2014

First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

'Bout time. Cool

Women talk about sports on CBS Sports Network

TERESA M. WALKER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
POSTED: Tuesday, August 26, 2014, 6:50 PM

CBS officials talked about an all-women sports show for more than a year, and now they're set to make television history.
The network announced Tuesday that "We Need to Talk" will premiere Sept. 30 on CBS Sports Network. The weekly, hour-long, prime-time program on the cable channel will be the first of its kind.

The panel will feature a core of CBS Sports announcers: Lesley Visser, Amy Trask, Tracy Wolfson, Dana Jacobson and Allie LaForce. Other contributors include Andrea Kremer and former athletes Laila Ali, Lisa Leslie, Dara Torres, Swin Cash and Summer Sanders.

"I think it's long overdue," CBS Sports president David Berson said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "We're excited to be the home for it, and all these women have such meaningful roles already within CBS or in various other places. I know they're all excited."

"CBS This Morning" co-hosts Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King will appear as guests.


Visser, who started covering sports in 1974, considers the show "a cultural pivot point."

"There are many shows that have a woman on, but not one that has a table filled with women," Visser said in a release.


Trask was the first female chief executive officer in the NFL and worked for the Oakland Raiders for nearly 30 years.

She noted each woman brings her own perspective and experience, ranging from the former athletes on the show to Wolfson as a sideline reporter,


Visser as a Hall of Fame reporter and Kremer as a reporter for HBO's Real Sports.

"We each view things uniquely as well," Trask told the AP. "I believe we will offer a different perspective than is currently available on television. We'll approach issues with our own different perspectives and that will make the show even richer."


Visser recalled sports media credentials often said, 'No women or children in the press box.'

"Forty years later we are accepted as members of the media, assistant coaches (San Antonio Spurs' Becky Hammon) college officials and executives," she said. "We have learned to love sports the same way boys and men do - not all of them played the game either. I'm proud to play for CBS."


The show will be led by Emmy Award-winning coordinating producers Emilie Deutsch and Suzanne Smith, the only woman currently producing or directing NFL games. Amy Salmanson and Julie Keryc will produce with Smith directing.


The show will air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EDT, although on a relatively new network that's in just under half of U.S. homes with televisions.


"It also underscores our commitment to this that we're putting it in such a marquee time slot," Berson said.
Berson isn't worried about sports fans finding the show, and he said hopefully people will ask for the network if they don't have it.


Ali, the daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali, said in the release she's "honored to have a seat at the table for meaningful conversation with so many accomplished women in the sports world."


Trask sees the show as innovative and creative, despite the long wait.

"It's exciting that this is happening now," she said.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 28,905
Registered: ‎03-27-2014

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

Excellent!!!

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality ~  Dante Alighieri
Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

As much as I, as a woman, want this to succeed, it's not going to make it. Their website (as of this writing) doesn't even have it promoted....and yes, a month+ out for shows is not unusual.

It's a new network, so the PR about this might be a 'bit' to get the public aware of the network. The network's website shows it to have lots of 'fringe' sports, ie bull riding, bowling & area football, so it might work...if they have Title 9 sports featured.

Amusing: Laila Ali....they have to explain who she is ("daughter of boxing great") and that's never a good sign. If you have to ID her (the most 'famous' on the panel) I guarantee you, no one has a clue who the others are. #fail

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,570
Registered: ‎06-13-2012

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

I love sports but I don't really care if a man or woman is on the panels or announcing. In fact, some of the women aren't very knowledgeable and I believe, only there as a pretty face or to try to attract women. It has gotten better over the years and there are some really knowledgeable women in sports broadcasting but I don't really care one way or another- I just want good discussions and announcing. There are some terrible men at the job too, don't get me wrong.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,347
Registered: ‎07-25-2010

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

I applaud the effort. They have a lot of respected journalists. But I don't think a lot of men will watch it. There's not a lot of ""eye candy"".

Super Contributor
Posts: 585
Registered: ‎04-21-2010

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

GREAT IDEA.....WILL PROBABLY HAVE MORE GUYS WATCHING THAN WOMEN LOL

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

On 8/27/2014 NanaS said:

GREAT IDEA.....WILL PROBABLY HAVE MORE GUYS WATCHING THAN WOMEN LOL

Probably not... unless they look like this!!!!..

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Super Contributor
Posts: 1,354
Registered: ‎11-30-2011

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

Excellent!! And finally!

Valued Contributor
Posts: 748
Registered: ‎05-24-2011

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

I don't care either way, but if this panel is like most of the all-women talk shows, they'll be screaming and talking over each other until the viewer, exhausted, turns them off.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,913
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: First ever sports show to debut with an all-female panel!

Don't think much of the name of the show, but it does sound interesting. There are now quite a few female sports people covering the Major Leagues in almost all sports, some sports more than others.

Don't know too many of the names I read that are going to be part of it, but I pretty much limit my sports viewing to hockey and Nebraska Big Red college football.

hckynut(john)