Rundown of the Next Costas Now on HBO

On April 29, Bob Costas will host a live show discussing the changing role of the sports media. This has the potential to be a very long, boring program, but there is also potential for fireworks.

Will Leitch of Deadspin will talk about the increased role of blogs in sports. Blog hater Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post will also be featured. And there will be other segments as well. Take a look:

HBO SPORTS’ COSTAS NOW

RETURNS WITH A SPECIAL LIVE EDITION, DEBUTING APRIL 29

Bob Costas returns with a special live edition of HBO Sports’ COSTAS NOW on TUESDAY, APRIL 29 (10:00-11:30 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO. Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein serve as executive producers of the show, which draws on the talents of HBO Sports’ Peabody- and Emmy^®-winning production department.

HBO On Demand availability: May 5-26

“On April 29 we’re going to take stock of the sports media landscape,” says Greenburg, who is HBO Sports president. “We look forward to a comprehensive and opinionated evening of discussion.”

COSTAS NOW spotlights fast-breaking, topical stories that continually emerge in today’s sports arena. Employing a town hall setting, April’s show will expand to 90 minutes for its exploration of contemporary sports media. Each segment will be devoted to a specific topic and after a video set-up piece will spotlight a different panel of high-profile sports personalities, broadcasters, journalists and executives, who will join Costas live on the set for in-depth discussion.

The five hot- button segments that will be explored during the program include:

Segment One: Sports Talk Radio. Video package interviews: Chicago radio host Mike North, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti, WFAN radio hosts Mike & The Mad Dog. Live Panel: NY Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, best-selling author and radio host Mitch Albom and WFAN radio host Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo.

Segment Two: The Internet and Impact of Bloggers. Video package interviews: deadspin.com editor Will Leitch, TV writer and media critic Michael Schur and Washington Post columnist and PTI host Michael Wilbon. Live panel: Pulitzer Prize winning author Buzz Bissinger, Will Leitch and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards.

Segment Three: Sports Television. Video package interviews: NBC Sports broadcaster Al Michaels, former ABC and NBC executive and producer Don Ohlmeyer, syndicated columnist Norman Chad. Live panel: Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck, ESPN broadcaster Mike Tirico and Sports Illustrated’s Dan Patrick.

Segment Four: Athletes and the Media: A Complicated Marriage. Video package interviews: Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, Former NBA star and Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley, Chicago columnist Sam Smith and NBC Sports broadcaster Al Michaels. Live panel: NBC’s Tiki Barber, Sports Illustrated columnist Selena Roberts and former tennis star and current tennis analyst John McEnroe.

Segment Five: A Discussion on Race. Video package interviews: Washington Post columnist and PTI host Michael Wilbon, former NFL star Kellen Winslow, Sr., espn.com editor-in-chief Rob King. Live Panel: former NFL star and current ESPN commentator Cris Carter and Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock.

Note: The “video package interviews” are pre-taped and will set up the live panel discussions from the midtown Manhattan location.

The program will be shown live in the East, tape delayed in the West. I'm not sure if I'll live blog it, but I will be watching.