WNBA Tip-Off 2024: Scripps Sports Constructs New Studio for Second Season of WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION Rush Media, a production partner of the WNBA, will handle live game coverage By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Friday, May 17, 2024 - 1:08 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The WNBA season rolls along with the State Farm WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION, which begins tonight with Washington Mystics vs. Connecticut Sun at 7:30 p.m. ET and Seattle Storm vs. Minnesota Lynx at 9:30 p.m. ET. Scripps Sports, who will be producing a total of 43 regular-season games in their second year of coverage, is supplementing their live studio programming with a brand-new space within their facility in Atlanta.
We decided to put all of our financial and operational resources into our new studio and doing that well, says Brian Lawlor, president, Scripps Sports. With new talent and five hours on Friday night, we're really excited to get it launched.
A Home for Programming: New Studio Ties Friday Night Broadcasts Together From 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET, sports fans will be locked into all things WNBA on ION. For those first 30 minutes, the new studio space will highlight the night's doubleheader matchups and other topics that are circulating around the league. On the tangible front, this studio space is geared purely for sports programming, including the integration of multiple monitor walls and ample touchpoints for real-time telestration. These elements will not only allow for in-depth previews, but also become a destination for fans to enjoy content at halftime and in between both games. When it comes to understanding pacing and timing, the biggest challenge will be readying the crew for long nights or diversions from the schedule if either game goes into overtime.
It's the beauty of sports because everything looks great on paper when we start the night, but anything can change, says Nicole Denne, executive producer, Scripps Sports. That's what makes [this industry] so fun because you're figuring out how to keep these fans invested into each game if the first one runs over.
As for the live games, the WNBA has contracted the services of Rush Media to produce these broadcasts on ION. Lawlor and his team, which also includes VP, Broadcast Operations, Quinn Pacini; Director, Sports Content Management, Alystia; VP, Revenue and Sponsorships, Tony Lamerato; and Senior Director, Revenue, Jim Spadafore, conduct pre-production meetings with the live-services provider to iron out what they'd like to see every week. The two entities will continue a similar workflow that was seen last season. These broadcasts will also include a new graphics package that was developed during the offseason.
President Brian Lawlor and Executive Producer Nicole Denne are leading Scripps Sports' coverage of the WNBA.
Players' Off-the-Court Stories: Space Allows for Original Storytelling, Expert Analysis The biggest positive of building a new studio is the possibility of showcasing the original storytelling that has been put together. Many followers of the league understand the utter dominance and engaging personalities of stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and others, but this space could be reserved for telling more human-interest stories about the other 141 athletes. Scripps Sports' storytelling muscles have already been flexed during their first two months of National Women's Soccer League coverage. Some examples from the NWSL include the special bond between Racing Louisville defender Carson Pickett and a young fan, North Carolina Courage midfielder Victoria Pickett and her connection with her late brother, and a ton more.
These are the types of beautiful stories that we're trying to tell, says Lawlor. Scripps is a 145-year-old media company, so we want to show our ability to bring the same passion and craft that we've had with newspaper, radio, and television to professional women's sports.
The production strategy should feed increased viewership on both ends: coming for live games will allow fans to learn more about these players' off-the-court lives and learning these compelling stories will persuade casual fans to stay for the live game.
When you see a story about a player and then watch them play the sport, you're more invested and want to cheer them on, adds Denne. We're interested in introducing the viewers to all of the players and not just the headliners.
Aside from creative storytelling, the studio will become a hub for breakdowns and intriguing insights. For top-tier commentary, the network has brought in high-quality voices to complement their coverage. The trio in the studio, which includes host Larry Smith and analysts Autumn Johnson and Meghan McKeown, brings their own broadcast experience and pedigree. Smith is a longtime veteran of the industry with a resume that includes 12 Final Fours, seven NBA Finals, six Super Bowls, and four Olympics as well as hosting duties for NBATV's Gametime, and the MLB postseason with Turner Sports. Johnson has contributed to women's college basketball on ESPN and Big Ten Network throughout her career. McKeown is seasoned to the television spotlight as the current analyst for the Connecticut Sun, a former analyst for the Indiana Fever, a former color commentator for the Chicago Sky, and has been seen on NBC Sports/Peacock, Big Ten Network ESPN, and FOX Sports. For this brand-new studio show, Scripps Sports' creative liberty will allow this programming to embody the spirit of their talent and mix it with their analysis.
We're looking at an audience that includes die hard basketball fans and a new group of fans that are coming in, so it's really about the ability to talk to both, adds Denne. You can already feel the energy and th
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
WNBA Tip-Off 2024: Scripps Sports Constructs New Studio for Second Season of WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION Rush Media, a production partner of the WNBA, will handle live game coverage By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
