Pittsburgh Penguins Confidential
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh Penguins Confidential, sometimes called Pens Confidential, was a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
based half-hour TV sports series that aired on various local stations throughout Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and Northern West Virginia. Its main subject was the Pittsburgh Penguins
, the National Hockey League
franchise in Pittsburgh. The show ran from 1996 until 1999 and was hosted by Jake Ploeger
and Jeanne Blackburn.
Segment number two was known as Inside Hockey, and was always sponsored by Giant Eagle
. This segment took viewers inside the game itself.
Another segment was called the BP Flashback, which took viewers on a time machine ride into the team's history.
Segments during the last part of each episode included Hockey Tips, where Penguins players and on-ice personnel taught some of the basics of the game to the viewers. The final segment was Viewer email, where Jake and Jeanne read emails sent by viewers to the players.
before pre-game warmups at Penguins games.
A sampling of the stations that aired the show included WPXI
in Pittsburgh, WYTV
in Youngstown, Ohio
, and WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio
.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
based half-hour TV sports series that aired on various local stations throughout Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and Northern West Virginia. Its main subject was the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
franchise in Pittsburgh. The show ran from 1996 until 1999 and was hosted by Jake Ploeger
Jake Ploeger
Jake Ploeger was a weekend anchor for Channel 4, WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, PA from 2002 to 2009. Ploeger started with the station in sports in 2000 and moved to news in 2002. In 2009, Ploeger was offered the sports position, recently vacated by Jon Burton but Ploeger was already leaving...
and Jeanne Blackburn.
Segments
The first segment was always called the Starter Rewind, which showed highlights of the previous week's games.Segment number two was known as Inside Hockey, and was always sponsored by Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle, Inc., is a supermarket chain with stores in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Supermarket News ranked Giant Eagle No. 21 in the 2009 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2008...
. This segment took viewers inside the game itself.
Another segment was called the BP Flashback, which took viewers on a time machine ride into the team's history.
Segments during the last part of each episode included Hockey Tips, where Penguins players and on-ice personnel taught some of the basics of the game to the viewers. The final segment was Viewer email, where Jake and Jeanne read emails sent by viewers to the players.
Outreach
The show aired on various local stations around the tri-state area, and were aired on either a Saturday or a Sunday. The shows were even shown on the jumbotron at the Civic ArenaMellon Arena
Civic Arena is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition. It was the first retractable roof major sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with just shy of 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel...
before pre-game warmups at Penguins games.
A sampling of the stations that aired the show included WPXI
WPXI
WPXI, channel 11, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter located on the north side of Pittsburgh. Owned by Cox Enterprises, the station has studios in the...
in Pittsburgh, WYTV
WYTV
WYTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Mahoning Valley of Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Youngstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Shady Run Road in Boardman Township...
in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, and WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.