September 16, 2009

CableFAX 2009 Program Awards: Best Show or Series/Sports

WINNER: YANKEEOGRAPHY, YES NETWORK

It was a no-brainer after YES Network and Major League Baseball Productions decided seven years ago to profile shortstop Derek Jeter using footage and interviews. Why not extend the 1-hour bio format to chronicle historic players from one of the most heralded franchises in sports? Thus biographies of the greatest names in Yankees’ lore have followed, including legends like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and Berra.

Honorable Mentions:

2009 Bassmaster Classic, ESPN: Are you kidding? Televising a fishing contest? Hey there’s $1.2 million in prize money at stake.

Dhani Tackles the Globe, Travel Channel: It’s rare to see current pro football players competing off the gridiron. It’s even rarer when they do so overseas in sports indigenous to foreign lands.

Waukegan Sectional Prep Basketball, Comcast CN100 Chicago: Our judges found this high school broadcast very compelling. Of course the fact that the final between rivals Warren and Waukegan was decided by a half-court shot at the buzzer didn’t hurt.

Yankees Baseball, YES Network: The Yankee pride shows in cable’s highest-rated regional telecast, whose quality rivals national productions.

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