ESPN will alter its format next month to include special shows commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
During that day, the network will add at least two additional live Major League Baseball games to its weekly Wednesday afternoon and evening telecasts, according to David Berson, vice president of planning and promotion. Additionally, the network's SportsCenter
and Baseball Tonight
shows will offer coverage of Sept. 11 tributes and remembrances.
That evening, ESPN Classic will air a SportsCenter
flashback, which includes segments from the net's signature show that aired on that day and immediately afterward, as well as The First November, a documentary about Major League Baseball's 2001 World Series.
On Sept. 10, ESPN will present a special Outside the Lines
episode, looking at sports in Afghanistan in a post-Taliban era. The network will also premiere The Bravest Team: The Rebuilding of the FDNY Football Club,
chronicling the club's struggle to return to the field; and Flight 93: A Call to Action,
a looks at the actions of four United Airlines passengers who lost their lives in Pennsylvania while thwarting the hijackers.
"We felt it was appropriate to recognize that sports has played such a big role following the attacks last year," Berson said. "We thought it was appropriate to present programs that touch upon what has occurred since and how athletes have really reacted to this."
Elsewhere, MSNBC will provide extensive live coverage of events commemorating the anniversary, said network officials. The network's primetime programs, including Donahue
and Hardball With Chris Matthews, will also focus on the heroes, families and events of Sept. 11 and its aftermath.
ASHLEIGH ON TOUR
Meanwhile, MSNBC news correspondent Ashleigh Banfield will travel across America for five weeks, reporting from a different city each night on how America has rebounded since the attacks.
Wisdom Television will devote its daylong programming schedule to discussions of how the country's spirit has changed and healed within the past year. Hosted by spiritual healing author Caroline Myss, the block will feature interviews with witnesses and survivors of the attacks, said network executives.
INSP: The Inspiration Network on Sept. 9 will debut 9/11: What's Next?,
a one-hour special examining the tragedy's effects. The network will re-air the programming in primetime on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11.
Disney Channel will air a one-hour installment of its animated series Bear in the Big Blue House
on weekday afternoons, beginning on Sept. 9 and running through Sept. 13. The special, Welcome to Woodland Valley, depicts how a community unites in the aftermath of a storm that causes a big tree to fall into the local library, said the network.
Also on Sept. 11, National Geographic Channel will telecast 9.11.02 — A Year in Focus," a one-hour special focusing on experiences of individuals and communities. The show will air as part of the channel's National Geographic Today.
Court TV will air several Sept. 11 specials, including Crime Against America — The Investigation, an hour-long report examining the hunt for the Sept. 11 hijackers; and Mugshots: Soldier of Terror — Mohamed Atta,
an in-depth profile of the man believed to have been the ringleader of the Sept. 11 terrorists.
