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ESPN is on schedule to land in L.A. in 2009

Cable sports giant's five-story building near Staples Center will complement the hub in Bristol, Conn.

December 18, 2007|Greg Johnson, Times Staff Writer

ESPN's L.A. facility will incorporate perches in the upper floors where cameras will be able to get a bird's-eye view of downtown, including the pedestrian plaza off Chick Hearn Court that fills up with people whenever there are events at Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre.

The outside views are designed to feed into AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke's vision of a gathering place in L.A. that will serve as a backdrop for telecasts. To that end, AEG is equipping a state-of-the-art digital television production studio in the building being constructed next door. That studio, which will boast a huge window to allow cameras a clear view of the plaza, will be made available to visiting broadcasters.


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Though the ESPN building is designed to serve in a digital age, there is one decidedly analog element worth noting -- an open staircase that connects the three upper floors.

"We noticed in Bristol that people don't wait for the elevators," Eaton said. "They just take to the stairs if it's one or two flights because it's faster."

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greg.johnson@latimes.com

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