EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - Just wanted to check in with a brief follow-up on the announcement from the Boston Globe and NESN that Basketball Bob Ryan will be hosting the previously reported “Globe 10.0″ show on NESN.

(Contents of the announcement from NESN, which also ran in today’s Globe are below, Borgesed - cut and pasted.)

Ryan, who is here covering the Sweet 16 in his home state (and will appear on ESPN’s “Sports Reporters” this weekend) said he is excited for the opportunity and did admit that his newspaper writing duties will be lessened (likely down to twice-weekly on his columns). However, he also indicated that his web presence (in both Blog form as well as in chats and other multi-media presentations) will be ramped up.

The end result is a win-win for the Globe and NESN and is, at long last, a sign that the newspaper is finally getting on board with the changing times and definitions of “Newspaper Columnist.” Having Ryan expand his roles beyond the printed page will enhance the overall product being put out by both media units. Revolutionary, huh?

The fact that Ryan has done fill-in duties on “Pardon The Interruption” will undoubtedly aid him at “10.0,” which will, for all intents and purposes, be an unabashed rip-off of the wildly popular (and entertaining) “PTI,” with Ryan playing equal parts Tony Kornheiser and Michael WIlbon while also leading discussion with Globe regulars and other guests.

“PTI Boston (PTIB),” as we’re deeming it, is a long overdue addition to the local sports talk line-up and the fact that Ryan is involved gives it instant credibility and an immediate shot at being Must-See TV on NESN on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

. . . The show was originally scheduled to launch May 8 as we reported but the technical requirements of the “Virtual Studio” dictated that the start date had to be moved back by a month. Ryan said practice runs have not yet begun but he expects to start some dry runs in May.

Ryan also joked that he’ll now be going up against ESPN’s 5:30 p.m. EST “PTI” and is hoping not to cut too much into Korn’s ratings. The reality is, “PTI Boston” will offer a nice local alternative and, of course, with the advent of DVRing, there’s no need to choose between the two. You can have your Korn and Wilby and your Basketball Bob as well.

. . . It appears the lone writer from the Globe Sports Desk who has taken the buyout option (which received 50 percent more applicants than the paper had allotted packages for) is inconsistent blogger Tony Chamberlain. Since so many Globies ventured in, it’s still not clear what the final list of 19 will look like.

. . . One last reminder to stay tuned to CSTV.com’s Hang Time Blog, where Shots (and an All-Star line-up) is blogging all weekend and again next week from Atlanta for the Final Four.

NESN AND THE BOSTON GLOBE NAME
BOB RYAN AS HOST OF THE GLOBE 10.0 PRESENTED BY VERIZON

New Interactive Sports Debate Show to Debut in June

BOSTON - NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, and The Boston Globe announced a new Original NESN Entertainment program, The Globe 10.0, a fast-paced, debate style program that will air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 PM beginning in June. Hosted by nationally recognized and popular sports columnist Bob Ryan, the ½ hour program will match Ryan against a rotating cast of top Globe writers and other local sports figures who will debate the ten top issues of the day in New England sports.

“Bob Ryan is one of the most respected and popular journalists in the country. He is a frequent contributor to NESN and has a national television following. We are thrilled to have him as the host,” said Joel Feld, NESN’s vice president of programming and executive producer. “The Globe 10.0 will be like cramming a full day of sports talk radio into 30-minutes. Along with Red Sox Monster Mondays and Friday Night Fenway this program will fill out NESN’s weekly lineup at 5:30 PM and make NESN a destination for lively, personality driven, sports discussion throughout the week.”

“I’m very excited, but certainly also a little bit intimidated by all this, because I know there is a big difference between answering questions and posing them as the host of a show,” said Bob Ryan. “I hope I can live up to the strong faith that the people at NESN are showing in me.”

The day’s 10 hottest questions will be the centerpiece of the program’s striking visual appearance, with animated on-screen graphics listing the topics while Ryan and a countdown clock keep the pace brisk. In addition, NESN will let New England sports fans set the debate by choosing at least two fan-submitted questions each day for the 10.0 list. As an extra bonus, Ryan will set aside an ‘11th question’ each night to be asked and answered on NESN.com and in that evening’s SportsDesk.

Bob Ryan is an award-winning writer and sports columnist for The Boston Globe. His resume includes over 20 NBA finals, 20 Final Fours, 9 World Series, 5 Super Bowls and the last 7 Olympic Games. He was named the Associated Press Sportswriter of the Year in 2000 and received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. He has authored 11 books including collaborations with Celtics greats John Havlicek, Bob Cousy and Larry Bird. The Boston College alum has been a regular contributor on NESN and has appeared on several national networks.