Published: Jan 23, 2009
The University of Tampa will take the world spotlight in the days
leading up the NFL’s Super Bowl XLIII as CNN broadcasts live from the UT
campus.
CNN Sports will be headquartered in UT’s Plant Park
during Super Bowl week, Jan. 26-31. The network will broadcast live
updates every hour regarding the upcoming game for CNN’s national and
international headline news shows.
CNN producer David Wilke said he chose to conduct the broadcast at UT due to Plant Hall’s iconic representation of the city.
The
CNN crew will set up near Plant Park’s “Sticks of Fire” sculpture to
have broadcasts take place with UT’s Plant Hall in the background.
The
Super Bowl will be played on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in
Tampa, which is only a few miles from the UT campus. This year’s
matchup is between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Plant
Hall has previously served as a backdrop and filming location for
several other nationally televised events, including a live broadcast of
NBC’s “Today Show” in September.
The
visit from CNN is just one of many Super Bowl-related activities taking
place at UT in the week leading up to Sunday’s game.
On Jan.
26, the College Football Challenge, an event televised on ESPN, will
take place in the evening at UT’s Pepin Stadium. The event features
college football players competing in various athletic skills contests.
Cato
June, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will also host the
SuperSlam Celebrity basketball game on Jan. 30 also at UT’s Pepin
Stadium. The event will benefit the June Family Foundation, which seeks
to help disadvantaged and at-risk youth.
Additionally, UT will serve as the costuming site for the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.