Off The Record (TSN TV series)
Encyclopedia
Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, a.k.a. Off the Record or OTR, is a Canadian
sports talk show on TSN
hosted by Michael Landsberg
. Since the program debuted on TSN in 1997, it has become the longest-running sports talk show on Canadian television
.
The half hour show features guests from various backgrounds, ranging from the sports athletes to reporters to political figures or even entertainers, participating as panelists in a round table discussion on notable sports events of the day, with Landsberg serving as the moderator. Occasionally, an episode would feature just one guest in a one-on-one interview with Landsberg, usually from the sports world or WWE personalities. Prior to the second commercial break of the show, a portion of the commercial bumper
includes a "Quirky Fact" shown on the screen related either to the major sports topic of the day, or in relation to the guest being interviewed by Landsberg. Prior to the third commercial break, a portion of the bumper includes Landsberg reading a witty e-mail
to the show from a viewer, often a shot directed towards him. However, when there is a one-on-one interview that Landsberg is conducting with someone that is dealing with an issue of seriousness or solemness, this segment is omitted.
During its initial years, Landsberg would always preface before the discussion with his guest panel or one-on-one guest interview that whatever opinions were stated by his guests on the program would be off the record and could therefore not be used against them. This practice, however, eventually disappeared in later seasons.
In recent years, the guest panel segment has been sandwiched between the opening "Up Front" segment (where Landsberg asks a guest one-on-one questions in relation to a sports issue of the day) and the closing "Next Question" segment (where Landsberg quickly rattles off a series of one-on-one questions that relates to the guest's interests and background).
Clips of Off The Record were featured in the 1998 documentary film Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sports talk show on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
hosted by Michael Landsberg
Michael Landsberg
Michael Landsberg is a Canadian sports journalist. Landsberg started his national career in 1984 as an anchor on TSN's SportsDesk , broadcasting more than 5,000 episodes...
. Since the program debuted on TSN in 1997, it has become the longest-running sports talk show on Canadian television
Television in Canada
Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
.
The half hour show features guests from various backgrounds, ranging from the sports athletes to reporters to political figures or even entertainers, participating as panelists in a round table discussion on notable sports events of the day, with Landsberg serving as the moderator. Occasionally, an episode would feature just one guest in a one-on-one interview with Landsberg, usually from the sports world or WWE personalities. Prior to the second commercial break of the show, a portion of the commercial bumper
Commercial bumper
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...
includes a "Quirky Fact" shown on the screen related either to the major sports topic of the day, or in relation to the guest being interviewed by Landsberg. Prior to the third commercial break, a portion of the bumper includes Landsberg reading a witty e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
to the show from a viewer, often a shot directed towards him. However, when there is a one-on-one interview that Landsberg is conducting with someone that is dealing with an issue of seriousness or solemness, this segment is omitted.
During its initial years, Landsberg would always preface before the discussion with his guest panel or one-on-one guest interview that whatever opinions were stated by his guests on the program would be off the record and could therefore not be used against them. This practice, however, eventually disappeared in later seasons.
In recent years, the guest panel segment has been sandwiched between the opening "Up Front" segment (where Landsberg asks a guest one-on-one questions in relation to a sports issue of the day) and the closing "Next Question" segment (where Landsberg quickly rattles off a series of one-on-one questions that relates to the guest's interests and background).
Clips of Off The Record were featured in the 1998 documentary film Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows is a 1998 documentary film, written by Paul Jay, which follows World Wrestling Federation superstar Bret Hart during his last year in the WWF, from his WWF Championship victory at SummerSlam to his final match with the company at Survivor Series on November 9,...
.