Pardon the Interruption (abbreviated PTI) is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories of the day in "sports... and other stuff" (as Kornheiser put it in the show's original promo). They had previously done this off-air in The Washington Post newsroom. Either Tony Reali (host of ESPN's Around the Horn) or the uncredited "producer over the loudspeaker" serves as moderator for parts of the show, which is filmed in Washington, D.C.; Around The Horn also originates from the same studio.
Similar in format to Siskel and Ebert, PTI is known for its humorous and often loud tone, as well as the "rundown" graphic which lists the topics yet to be discussed on the right-hand side of the screen. The show's popularity has led to the creation of similar shows on ESPN, and similar segments on other series, and the rundown graphic has since been implemented on the morning editions of SportsCenter among many imitators. The show won a Sports Emmy Award for best Daily Outstanding Studio Show for 2009.
PTI debuted on October 22, 2001. The founding production team behind PTI includes Mark Shapiro, Erik Rydholm, Todd Mason, James Cohen and Joseph Maar. The original deal was for two years with an option for a third. It airs daily at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN (if not preempted by live events such as golf), and is repeated on numerous ESPN sister outlets (see "Broadcast details" below). The show originally also aired Sunday evening, but this was short-lived.
PTI is produced by ESPN. The show's production management is led by Executive Producer, Erik Rydholm. PTI is sponsored by alcoholic beverage company Diageo, via its brand Jeremiah Weed. It features the voicetalent of Kat Cressida.
The October 24, 2011 episode featured a message from president Barack Obama commemorating PTI's tenth anniversary.
Read more about Pardon The Interruption: Broadcast Details, The Set, Segments, Running Gags, Kornheiser and Wilbon in Other Media, PTI in Other Media, Guest Hosts, Other Versions