Fox Grabs The Super Moment And The New Kid Will Make It Last All Day

Fox Sports will televise its first Super Bowl Sunday. Viewers shouldn’t worry, however; the people at the controls won’t be closing their eyes and hoping for a smooth telecast.

Producer Bob Stenner and director Sandy Grossman are Super Bowl veterans. Stenner did five Super Bowls for CBS. Super Bowl XXXI will be Grossman’s eighth, the most of any director in television history.

Pat Summerall and John Madden called five Super Bowls for CBS. These people clearly know what they’re doing. Expect a quality production.

Fox’s Mississippi River-length pregame schedule begins at 10 a.m. with the 90-minute All-Time All-Madden team. Throughout the afternoon, features will include “NFL Diary” segments, with unprecedented behind-the-scenes looks at the Packers and Patriots preparing for the game.

“Fox NFL Sunday” producer Scott Ackerson believes the mix of football and entertainment will keep viewers interested. But the Ridley Park native is candid enough to acknowledge relatively few people will watch the entire five-hour pregame show.

With Summerall and Madden, award-winning partners for 16 years, viewers know what they’re getting: Summerall’s competent, low-key play-by-play and Madden’s insight and humor.

The Super Bowl is a monster money-maker. Thirty-second commercial spots bring in $1.2 million each. Fox’s revenue take for the pregame and game is estimated to be about $100 million.

Madden and Summerall have done enough important games not to be awed by this Super Bowl assignment. But they do recognize its importance for Fox.

“Four years ago, there was no Fox Sports,” Madden said. “(Now), we’re doing a World Series, a Stanley Cup and a Super Bowl. I think that’s amazing. This is the crown. The other ones are nice events, but the Super Bowl is really special. It’s not even a game anymore. It’s a whole day, Super Bowl Sunday.”

Summerall has been around so long, he was working the Super Bowl before it was called the Super Bowl. For the first few years, it was the AFL-NFL World Championship.

One of Summerall’s fondest memories is working the sideline for CBS in the first AFL-NFL title game in 1967.

CBS and NBC simulcast the game, using different sets of announcers.

“Because I had played for Vince Lombardi, I was behind the Packers bench,” he recalled. “Charlie Jones was behind the Kansas City bench and was interviewing Bob Hope at the half. Green Bay kicked off and (NBC) missed the kickoff.

They called down to me and said, ‘You go ask coach Lombardi if he will kick off again.’ I said, ‘Get somebody else for that job.’ “

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON TV KAYU Fox 28 (cable channel 3 in Spokane) will be carrying “Super Sunday on Fox.” The five hours of coverage starts with John Madden’s all-time Super Bowl team at 10 a.m. At 11:30 a.m. the pregame show begins, hosted by James Brown and featuring the usual Fox crew. The game is scheduled to kick off at 3:18 p.m. Pat Summerall and Madden will call the action.