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ESPN producer discusses network’s shows

University of Wisconsin alumni and ESPN Vice President of Programming and Production Jim Cohen spoke to students on sports entertainment and journalism Monday.

As a 1972 graduate of the UW School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Cohen — who has helped produce such ESPN hits as "Pardon the Interruption" and "Around The Horn" — spoke to journalism students on the merits and failures of today's media and how new ideas can make a difference.

"Much of the risk-taking is doing something other than what people expect," Cohen said. "And very often when you do that, there's going to be a whole bunch of people out there who say, 'Well, that's just a stupid idea. We've never done that; we've never even thought it. It's not going to work. Go back to Mars.'"

Yet Cohen said he proved many pessimists wrong with "PTI."

"And when we started 'Pardon the Interruption,' there was a lot of that kind of feeling within ESPN," he said, adding network officials encouraged him to do a show similar to SportsCenter. "Now, fortunately, history speaks louder than words, and 'PTI' is easily the hottest show on ESPN."

In conceiving an original and, in some cases, ground-breaking sports program like "PTI," Cohen said his and others' attitudes toward avoiding similarities made all the difference.

"I would say the main reason 'PTI' became such a success is that we came into it with an attitude that we didn't care whether it succeeded or failed," he said.

Cohen added he was so resolute on making "PTI" an original program that he told hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, "If it's a good show and it's not different, we failed."

In speaking on the current state of journalism, Cohen was critical, stating news reporters in today's media society lack the aggressiveness and ambition to break big stories, such as the famed Watergate scandal of the Nixon presidency.

"Unfortunately, I think journalism has gotten very shy over the last several years, and also very sloppy," he said. "When you're shy and you're sloppy, and you combine that with the fact that the [public-relations officials] are a lot more sophisticated than they ever used to be, and the marketing people are a lot more sophisticated than they used to be, every time journalism makes a mistake, which is unfortunately too often … the spinmeisters are very good at jumping on the media at any opportunity they have to remind the public in general that we're the bad guys and we can't be trusted and we have agendas and we can be bought off."

UW senior and ESPN fan Scott Ehlen said while he is more interested in the "business side" of the field, he thought Cohen brought a unique viewpoint to the table.

"I think it's interesting coming from somebody from a sports perspective rather than the straight news perspective," he said.

Erica Salkin, student services coordinator for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said she was pleased with the "real" kind of take on journalism that students should expect in the field.

Salkin added having someone with Cohen's specific persona speak to students is a great and different way to provide them with an ethical perspective of the field not always addressed by professors or in class work.

"I don't think he pulls any punches," she said. "And I think that kind of reality is really important for our students to hear. I think it's great."