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(l-r) Lisa Molosky, Hannah Storm, and Ann Meyers of NBC Sports |
Houston considers the dyed-in-the-wool Midwesterner a Houston homegirl, as she’s spent the better part of the last decade in that market as sports reporter for both KTXH and KPRC. For a brief period, she even put in a stint as co-anchor for American Gladiators upon being discovered by Samuel Goldwyn who caught her on a McNeil-Lehrer piece about Title IX. But for Houston and the rest of Texas, Malosky is best known for her work the past two seasons covering the NBA’s Houston Rockets for Fox Sports and KTXH. Her new challenge lies with the WNBA.
Despite Malosky’s unquestionable professionalism, the Houston homey can’t hide her favorites. “Right now, the Comets are the hottest team in the WNBA. They’re jelling at exactly the right time. Sheryl Swoopes is coming back and improving every day. On top, they’ve got the frontrunners for league M.V.P., Cynthia Cooper and Rookie of the Year, Tina Thompson.”
Malosky becomes absolutely giddy talking about Houston’s potential… and fans, “Kids, parents, couples, lots of folks who can’t afford Rockets tickets are coming out to participate in pro basketball. Since I cover both the NBA and the WNBA, I can tell you. There’s just as much excitment. People are just as satisfied. And the response has been averaging double what was expected.”
“I hope this is a long-term deal for me,” Malosky says of her WNBA gig. “I’m so proud this is happening and to be a part of it. It’s been incredible to work with such talented women.” Malosky is referring of course, to her on-air anchor team, sportscasting and Houston market veteran Hannah Storm and Basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers — the key commentators for NBC’s broadcasts of WNBA games. Storm provides a TV-savvy satin to her pairing with the charmingly encyclopaedic Ann Meyers. The two complement each other well. While Storm’s wide eyes and infectious grin add energy to the play-by-play, Meyers provides hard, efficient analyses with warm, intelligent insight. For as well as they work together, their interaction is further enhanced by field reporter Malosky, who “comes off the bench,” as it were, to hustle around the arena and go in for the action one-on-one with players on the scene.
The “players” in this case refer not only to the actual basketball players, but also to the celebrities, the coaches, and the supporting NBA personalities who come out to the games and create an atmosphere of excitment. Sometimes the NBA dudes can be tough. They are there to support the women, but as Malosky says, “You gotta wonder if the guys are just thinking, `Yeah, this is okay, but this is their game.'” This was painfully evident at a Utah Starzz-Cleveland Rockers match in which Malosky valiantly attempted to lead Utah Jazz megalith Karl Malone to say something positive about his sister Starzz, occupying the bottom of the league’s rungs. Malosky might as well have tried to get butter from a duck.
This season in general, however, must seem like a cake-walk to Malosky, a reporter accustomed to the mostly male domain of sport. The WNBA presents an unusual scenario for Malosky, who says that she had never before worked for a woman sports director, and in fact, was often the only woman in the sports department.
“The most exciting thing about this summer is that not only are we an all-female broadcast team, but that we have a female producer (Lisa Lax) in charge of the show.” Malosky ruminates for a moment, “There are more women working on NBC’s coverage of the WNBA than I think have ever worked on a project at network level. This at least rivals Olympic coverage.”
This particular broadcast team is in its inaugural season along with the new league. Professional strides made by players in the WNBA are shared by these newswomen. Similarly, Storm, Meyers, and Melosky may find themselves admired as groundbreakers in their field, with the same legions of fans as the players they cover. What they have accomplished professionally in this historic first season will directly influence women’s progress in media for years to come. And just as for the players, the survival of the league (and their future careers) depends upon their credibility.
Check out NBC Sports’ WNBA Web page at: http://www.nbc.com/sports/wnba
This article appears in August 22 • 1997 and August 22 • 1997 (Cover).