ESPN Radio takes Eclipse in Audio/Multi-Media Internet category

ESPN Radio takes Eclipse in Audio/Multi-Media Internet

category

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form

and the National Turf Writers Association announced Thursday that ESPN Radio has

won the 2009 Media Eclipse Award in the Audio/Multi-Media Internet category for

its live coverage of last year's Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 2.

"We're thrilled and gratified to win the Eclipse Award," said John Martin,

senior director and executive producer of ESPN Radio Event Production. "It's a

tremendous honor for ESPN radio and everyone who worked on the broadcast.

"Radio is theater of the mind. What we try to do with the Derby is place the

listener there in the middle of the tremendous excitement and ambient sound of

the jockeys, trainers and the fans."

For its two-hour live broadcast of the Derby, ESPN Radio reporters and

analysts covered a wide range of news and feature topics surrounding the event,

including the scratch of morning line favorite I Want Revenge (Stephen Got

Even); an examination of racing surfaces and safety measures in horse racing one

year after the fatal injury to 2008 Derby runner-up Eight Belles, and a feature

on 75-year-old local trainer Tom McCarthy. 

The Kentucky Derby broadcast was hosted by Rece Davis, who was joined by

analyst Jerry Bailey, reporters Bob Valvano, Ron Flatter and handicapper Jody

McDonald.

Martin, who produced the broadcast, described the victory of 50-1 longshot

Mine That Bird (Birdstone) as an "exhilarating challenge" for his talent and

crew, and credits his reporters and analysts for being on top of one of the

greatest upsets in Derby history.

"The great thing about live radio is that you can't script the ultimate

result. When things happen that you don't expect -- that's when you need to be

at your most creative."

Honorable mention in the Audio/Multi-Media Internet category went to the

Lexington (Kentucky) Herald-Leader for its Heraldleader.com multi-media

web site presentations of "Keeneland Blossoms for Spring Meet," which first

appeared on April 3. The site was produced by Ron Garrison, Director of

Multi-Media.

Judges for the Audio/Multi-Media Internet category were: Stu Kirshenbaum of

Oak Street Films; Mike Farrell, racing journalist and former UPI Radio reporter

and Mike Brunker of MSNBC.com.

The 39th Annual Eclipse Awards will be held on January 18 at the Beverly

Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.