{
  "id": 11201890,
  "title": "Michael Wilbon says ESPN isn’t promoting PTI: ‘You won’t find a mention of this show’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/michael-wilbon-says-espn-isnt-promoting-pti-you-wont-find-a-mention",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T13:30:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/michael-wilbon-says-espn-isn-133051470.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ESPN's Pardon the Interruption (PTI) may be one of the network's most successful shows, but it does not receive the promotion it deserves. Michael Wilbon, co-host of PTI, expressed his frustration on Jimmy Traina's podcast. Wilbon stated that viewers will never see any mention of PTI in the network's promos, and he is unhappy with the lack of attention the show receives. Wilbon emphasized that PTI is not part of the ESPN culture, as it was created by outsiders and based outside the network's ecosystem. He believes that many people who work at ESPN are unaware of the show's existence. Wilbon also mentioned that the show's hosts, Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee, are not true Bristol natives, as both have operated in New York and Los Angeles for their respective shows. He argued that PTI has never been integrated into the ESPN culture, and the network's executives might not know about the show at all. Despite Wilbon's admission that he is not upset, he is still passionate about the lack of promotion PTI receives.",
  "summary": "Pardon the Interruption may be ESPN’s most successful show outside SportsCenter in the worldwide leader’s almost 50-year history. But while its viewership has remained impressively constant over the years, it’s not because the network spends millions of dollars on promotion. When the face of ESPN is discussed, it’s usually a race between Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}