text:
Phil Liggett
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Philip Alexander Liggett
MBE
Commentating at the 2010 Bay Cycling Classic
Born
(1943-08-11) 11 August 1943 (age 75)
Bebington, Merseyside, England, UK
Residence
Bayford, Hertfordshire and South Africa
Nationality
British
Occupation
Cycling commentator and journalist; also commentates on events such as snow-sports and triathlon[1]
Years active
1967–present
Employer
NBC Sports (US)
SBS (Australia) (—2016)
Philip Alexander Liggett MBE (born 11 August 1943) is an English commentator and journalist who covers professional cycling.
He currently commentates on the Tour de France and bike races for ITV and NBC Sports, and was previously associated with Australia's SBS.[2][3] He is a former amateur cyclist and received a professional contract in 1967; instead of turning professional, he saw a future in sports journalism after writing articles in cycling magazines about races in which he participated.[4]
Contents
1 Journalism
2 Cycling
3 Defence of Lance Armstrong
4 Personal life
5 Books
6 References
7 External links
Journalism[edit]
Liggett initially wrote for Cycling magazine, and moved on to do freelance work for The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and The Observer. In 1997, he was appointed Cycle Sport magazine's international editor. He has also written books on cycle racing.[5]
Liggett has reported on 15 Olympic Games and 44 Tours de France, generally alongside fellow veteran cycling commentators and former Tour de France cyclists Paul Sherwen (UK) and Bob Roll (US). Liggett has covered other sports including triathlons and ski jumping. Because of his varied assignments, Liggett has worked for all of the American Big Three networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC.[6]
Liggett has also been associated with the Australian network SBS covering Australian events such as the Tour Down Under in addition to the Tour de France. In 2010, he covered Johannesburg's 94.7 Cycle Challenge for South Africa's SuperSport.[6] Liggett also commentated for London 2012 with Australian broadcaster Foxtel, commentating all cycling type events.
Liggett is known for colourful expressions about riders or racing conditions with often literary overtones. A collection of these "Liggettisms" was published in 2005.[7]
Cycling[edit]
Between 1972 and 1993, Liggett was technical director of the Milk Race. His involvement with organising cycle racing events led to his becoming vice-president of the Association Internationale Organisateurs des Courses Cycliste. In 1973, age 30, Liggett became the youngest ever UCI international commissaire.[citation needed]
Liggett has been president of the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC), Britain's national cyclists' organisation.[8]
In 2009, he was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame.[9]
Defence of Lance Armstrong[edit]
Liggett was a long-time supporter of Lance Armstrong and was a regular speaker at "Livestrong" functions along with his Tour De France co-presenter Paul Sherwen. He repeatedly defended Armstrong, challenging the investigations which he called "a waste of money".[10] When Floyd Landis tested positive at the 2006 Tour de France Liggett denigrated the verdict saying "The fact that the lab knew whose sample it was testing is just one of the anomalies",[11] but when Landis admitted to doping in 2010 and implicated Armstrong, Liggett dismissed it as "sour grapes" and called the accusations "ridiculous". He also stated that UCI President Pat McQuaid was "vehemently anti doping".[citation needed][12]
In 2012 after USADA had stripped Armstrong of his Tour de France titles, Liggett claimed on South African Radio to have proof that unnamed politicians motivated by jealousy had fabricated the evidence against Armstrong by bribing witnesses.[13] This provoked an angry response from USADA, who dismissed his claims,[14] and a comprehensive, point by point, rebuttal by Michael Ashenden PhD, a leading doping expert.[15] In October 2012 Liggett maintained his defence of Armstrong, calling the investigation a "witch hunt" without evidence.[16] Later that month, in a documentary by ABC's Four Corners entitled "The World According to Lance", he stated that he now found it difficult to believe that Armstrong had never doped and that he was disappointed that Armstrong had lied to him in 2003 when asked about doping.[17][18]
Personal life[edit]
Liggett's home town is Bebington, Wirral, though he now lives in Bayford, Hertfordshire. He spends most of his leisure time in South Africa where he has a house in the Western Cape and a game farm near the Kruger National Park.
In 2005, Liggett was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to cycling.[19][20]
Books[edit]
Tour De France for Dummies by Phil Liggett, James Raia, Sammarye Lewis and Lance Armstrong (May 27, 2005)
Tour de France 1988 by Phil Liggett (May 1988)
Fastest Man on Wheels. In Pursuit of Chris Boardman by Phil Liggett (May 1994)
Dancing on the Pedals: The Found Poetry of Phil Liggett, the Voice of Cycling by Phil Liggett and Doug Donaldson (Editor)
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Experts and Opinions: Phil Liggett". ninemsn Pty Ltd. 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
Jump up ^ "It's a new era for SBS and the Tour de France". sbs.com.au. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
Jump up ^ "SBS makes changes to Tour de France coverage". news.com.au. news.com.au. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
Jump up ^ "WIRED TO WIN: Surviving the Tour de France — The Official Website". Wiredtowinthemovie.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
Jump up ^ "Phil Liggett: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle". Amazon.com. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b "Outdoors Inc". Outdoors Inc. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
Jump up ^ Dancing on the Pedals: The Found Poetry of Phil Liggett, the Voice of Cycling. Breakaway Books. 1 July 2005. ISBN 1891369555.
Jump up ^ Pestes, Richard. "Phil Liggett: The Pez-Clusive Interview". PezCyclingNews.com. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
Jump up ^ "Report: 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner & Annual Awards". British Cycling. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
Jump up ^ Daniel Benson. "Liggett on Armstrong: The whole investigation was a waste of money". Cyclingnews.com.
Jump up ^ "Phil Liggett skeptical about Floyd Landis case". bikingbis.com.
Jump up ^ Video on YouTube
Jump up ^ Ballz Visual Radio. "Sport – Ballz speak to Phil Liggett about Lance Armstrong being stripped of ti". ballz.co.za. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
Jump up ^ Cycling News. "USADA responds to Liggett's claims of bribery in Armstrong case". Cyclingnews.com.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
Jump up ^ Daniel Benson. "Despite USADA's evidence Liggett remains Armstrong's supporter". Cyclingnews.com.
Jump up ^ Shane Stokes (15 October 2012). "Liggett admits he now finds it very difficult not to believe Armstrong took drugs". Velo Nation. Velo Nation LLC. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
Jump up ^ "Phil Liggett interview". ABC News. ABC. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
Jump up ^ "No. 57665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2005. p. B18.
Jump up ^ "MBE announcement from CTC website". Retrieved 1 July 2012.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Phil Liggett
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phil Liggett.
Phil Liggett on Twitter
Phil gets a birthday cake while on a cycle August 2009
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text:
Times Square Ball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop
The ball resting atop One Times Square in 2011
Genre
New Year's Eve event
Date(s)
December 31st
Begins
6:00 PM EST
Ends
12:15 AM EST
Frequency
Annually
Location(s)
Times Square, New York City
Inaugurated
1907
Founder
Adolph Ochs
Organized by
Times Square Alliance
Countdown Entertainment
Website
timessquareball.net
The Times Square Ball is a time ball located in New York City's Times Square. Located on the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the ball drop, where the ball descends 141 feet (43 m) in 60 seconds down a specially designed flagpole, beginning at 11:59:00 p.m. ET, and resting at midnight to signal the start of the new year. In recent years, the festivities have been preceded by live entertainment, including performances by musicians.
The event was first organized by Adolph Ochs, owner of The New York Times newspaper, as a successor to a series of New Year's Eve fireworks displays he held at the building to promote its status as the new headquarters of the Times, while the ball itself was designed by Artkraft Strauss. First held on December 31, 1907, to welcome 1908, the ball drop has been held annually since, except in 1942 and 1943 in observance of wartime blackouts.
The ball's design has been updated over the years to reflect improvements in lighting technology; the ball was initially constructed from wood and iron, and lit with 100 incandescent light bulbs. The current incarnation, designed by Harlem-based architectural lighting firm Focus Lighting,[1] features a computerized LED lighting system and an outer surface consisting of triangular crystal panels. These panels are produced by Waterford Crystal, and contain inscriptions representing a yearly theme. Since 2009, the current ball has been displayed atop One Times Square year-round, while the original, smaller version of the current ball that was used in 2008 has been on display inside the Times Square visitor's center.
The event is organized by the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment, a company led by Jeff Strauss,[2] and is among the most notable New Year's celebrations internationally: it is attended by at least 1 million spectators yearly, and is nationally televised as part of New Year's Eve specials broadcast by a number of networks and cable channels.[3] The prevalence of the Times Square ball drop has inspired similar "drops" at other local New Year's Eve events across the country; while some use balls, some instead drop objects that represent local culture or history.
Contents
[hide]
1 Events
1.1 Event organization
1.2 Festivities
1.3 Cleanup
2 History
2.1 Beginnings (1907–1908)
2.2 The second and third balls (1920–98)
2.3 Into the new millennium (1999–2007)
2.4 Present day (2008–present)
2.5 Weather at midnight
3 Broadcasting
3.1 Past broadcasts
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Events[edit]
Event organization[edit]
Spectators celebrate the arrival of 2013.
Oswaldo San Andres and Lillianne Perez join Michael Bloomberg in activating the drop for 2007.
To facilitate the arrival of attendees, Times Square is closed to traffic beginning in the late afternoon on New Year's Eve. The square is then divided into different viewing sections referred to as "pens", into which attendees are directed sequentially upon arrival.[4][5] Security is strictly enforced by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), even more so since the 2001–02 edition in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Attendees are required to pass through security checkpoints before they are assigned a pen, and are prohibited from bringing backpacks or alcohol to the event.[5]
Security was increased further for 2017–18 edition due to recent incidents such as the truck attack in New York on October 31, and the Route 91 Harvest festival shootings in Las Vegas; these included additional patrols of Times Square hotels, rooftop patrol squads and counter-snipers, and the installation of reflective markers on buildings to help officers identify the location of elevated shooters.[6]
Festivities[edit]
Festivities formally begin in the early evening with the raising of the ball at around 6:00 p.m. ET.[4] Party favors are distributed to attendees, which have historically included large balloons, hats, and other items branded with the event's corporate sponsors.[7][8] The hours before the drop are preceded by hourly countdowns for the arrival of the new year in other countries, along with live music performances by popular musicians. Some of these performances are organized by, and aired on New Year's Eve television specials which are broadcast from Times Square.[8][9]
The drop itself occurs at 11:59 p.m.—the last minute of the year,[4] and is ceremonially "activated" by a dignitary or celebrity joined on-stage by the current Mayor of New York City.[10][11] The conclusion of the drop is followed by fireworks shot from the roof of One Times Square, along with the playing of "Auld Lang Syne" by Guy Lombardo, "Theme from New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra, "America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and "Over the Rainbow" by IZ.[12]
Since the 1996 New Year's Eve celebration, the current Mayor of New York City has been joined by a special guest, selected yearly to recognize their community involvement or significance, in ceremonially "activating" the ball drop by pressing a button, resembling a smaller version of the ball itself, at exactly one minute to midnight.[10] The button itself does not actually trigger the drop; that is done from a control room, synchronized using a government time signal.[11] Special guests who have activated the ball drop have included:
1996–1997: Oseola McCarty[10]
1997–1998: A group of five winners from a school essay contest honoring New York City's centennial[13]
1998–1999: Chinese gymnast Sang Lan (who was injured during the 1998 Goodwill Games and was being rehabilitated in New York City)[14]
1999–2000: Dr. Mary Ann Hopkins from Doctors Without Borders[15]
2000–2001: Muhammad Ali[16]
2001–2002: Rudy Giuliani and Judith Nathan; this was Giuliani's final act as mayor. Michael Bloomberg officially became the new Mayor of New York City upon the beginning of 2002, and took his oath of office shortly after midnight.[17]
2002–2003: Christopher and Dana Reeve[18]
2003–2004: Cyndi Lauper, along with Shoshana Johnson—the first female American prisoner of war belonging to an ethnic minority[19]
2004–2005: Secretary of State Colin Powell[20]
2005–2006: Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis[21]
2006–2007: A group of eight United States Armed Forces members[22]
2007–2008: Karolina Wierzchowska, an Iraq War veteran and New York City Police Academy valedictorian[23]
2008–2009: Bill and Hillary Clinton[24]
2009–2010: Twelve students from New York City high schools on the U.S. News & World Report "America's Best High Schools Top 100 'Gold Medal' List"[25]
2010–2011: Former Staff sergeant Salvatore Giunta[26]
2011–2012: Musician Lady Gaga[27]
2012–2013: The Rockettes[28]
2013–2014: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.[note 1][30][31]
2014–2015: Cuban-American musician Jencarlos Canela, joined by a group of refugees who emigrated to New York City, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee[32][33]
2015–2016: Hugh Evans[34]
2016–2017: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; this was Ban Ki-moon's final act as UN Secretary-General, as António Guterres took office on January 1, 2017.[35][36]
2017–2018: Tarana Burke[37]
Since the 2005–06 edition of the event, the drop has been directly preceded by the playing of John Lennon's song "Imagine". Until 2009–2010, the original recording was used; since 2010–2011, the song has been performed by the headlining act;[38][39]
2010–2011: Taio Cruz[40]
2011–2012: Cee-Lo Green[note 2][39]
2012–2013: Train[41]
2013–2014: Melissa Etheridge[9]
2014–2015: O.A.R.[42]
2015–2016: Jessie J[43]
2016–2017: Rachel Platten[44]
2017–2018: Andy Grammer[45]
From 2001-02 until 2004-05, the song played immediately before the drop was Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A.. It was sung originally in remembrance of 9/11, but the practice was retained for another three years.
Cleanup[edit]
After the conclusion of the festivities and the dispersal of attendees, cleanup is performed overnight to remove confetti and other debris from Times Square before it is re-opened to the public the following morning. Few traces of the previous night's celebration remain after the cleanup process is completed: following the 2013–14 drop, the New York City Department of Sanitation estimated that by 8:00 a.m., it had cleared over 50 tons of refuse from Times Square, using 190 workers from their own crews and the Times Square Alliance.[46]
History[edit]
Beginnings (1907–1908)[edit]
The first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square was held on December 31, 1904; The New York Times' owner, Adolph Ochs, decided to celebrate the opening of the newspaper's new headquarters, One Times Square, with a New Year's fireworks show on the roof of the building to welcome 1905. Close to 200,000 people attended the event, displacing traditional celebrations that had normally been held at Trinity Church.[47] However, following several years of fireworks shows, Ochs wanted a bigger spectacle at the building to draw more attention to the area. The newspaper's chief electrician, Walter F. Palmer, suggested using a time ball, after seeing one used on the nearby Western Union Building.[47]
Ochs hired sign designer Artkraft Strauss to construct a ball for the celebration; it was built from iron and wood, electrically lit with one hundred incandescent light bulbs, weighed 700 pounds (320 kg), and measured 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter. The ball was hoisted on the building's flagpole with rope by a team of six men. Once it hit the roof of the building, the ball was designed to complete an electric circuit to light a 5-foot tall sign indicating the new year, and trigger a fireworks show.[48] The first ever "ball drop" was held on December 31, 1907, welcoming the year 1908.[47]
In 1913, only eight years after it moved to One Times Square, the Times moved its corporate headquarters to 229 West 43rd Street. The Times still maintained ownership of the tower, however, and Strauss continued to organize future editions of the drop.[49]
The second and third balls (1920–98)[edit]
The original ball was retired in 1920 in favor of a new design; the second ball remained 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter, but was now constructed from iron, weighing 400 pounds (180 kg).[50] The ball drop was placed on hiatus for New Year's Eve 1942 and 1943 due to wartime lighting restrictions during World War II.[50] Instead, a moment of silence was observed at midnight in Times Square, accompanied by the sound of church bells[50] and chimes played from sound trucks.
The second ball was retired in favor of a third design in 1955; again, it maintained the same diameter of its predecessors, but was now constructed from aluminium, and weighed 150 pounds (68 kg).[50] In 1981, the third ball was revamped in honor of the I Love New York campaign, with red lightbulbs and a green stem to give it the appearance of an apple.[47] For 1988, organizers acknowledged the addition of a leap second earlier that day (leap seconds are appended at midnight UTC, which is five hours before midnight in New York) by extending the drop to 61 seconds, and by including a special one-second light show during the extra second.[51] The original white lightbulbs returned to the ball for 1989, but were replaced by red, white, and blue bulbs in 1991 to salute the troops of Operation Desert Shield.[47]
The third ball was revamped again in 1995 for 1996, adding a computerized lighting system with 180 halogen bulbs and 144 strobe lights, and over 12,000 rhinestones.[50][52] Lighting designer Barry Arnold stated that the changes were "something [that] had to be done to make this event more spectacular as we approach the millennium."[52]
The drop itself became computerized through the use of an electric winch synced with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's time signal; the new system was not without issues, however, as a glitch caused the ball to pause for a short moment halfway through its descent.[53] After its 44th use in 1999, the third ball was retired and placed on display at the Atlanta headquarters of Jamestown Group, owners of One Times Square.[47]
Most recent incarnations
The fourth ball (on display at Waterford Crystal's headquarters in Ireland)
The 2008 ball (on display at Times Square Visitors Center)
The current ball, as seen in 2009
Into the new millennium (1999–2007)[edit]
On December 28, 1998, during a press conference attended by New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, organizers announced that the third ball would be retired for the arrival of the new millennium, and replaced by a new design constructed by Waterford Crystal. The year 2000 celebrations introduced more prominent sponsorship to the drop; companies such as Discover Card, Korbel Champagne, and Panasonic were announced as official sponsors of the festivities in Times Square. The city also announced that Ron Silver would lead a committee known as "NYC 2000", which was in charge of organizing events across the city for year 2000 celebrations.[54]
A full day of festivities was held at Times Square to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000, which included concerts and hourly cultural presentations with parades of puppets designed by Michael Curry, representing countries entering the new year at that hour. Organizers expected a total attendance exceeding 2 million spectators.[55]
The fourth ball, measuring 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter and weighing 1,070 pounds (490 kg), incorporated a total of over 600 halogen bulbs, 504 triangle-shaped crystal panels provided by Waterford, 96 strobe lights, and spinning, pyramid-shaped mirrors. The ball was constructed at Waterford's factory in Ireland, and was then shipped to New York City, where the lighting system and motorized mirrors were installed.[48]
Many of the triangles were inscribed with "Hope"-themed designs changing yearly, such as "Hope for Fellowship", "Hope for Wisdom", "Hope for Unity", "Hope for Courage", and "Hope for Abundance".[4][56] For 2002, as part of the theme "Hope for Healing", 195 of the ball's panels were engraved with the names of nations and organizations who were affected by or were involved in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.[4][56] In December 2011, the "Hope for Healing" panels were accepted into the collection of the National September 11 Museum.[57]
Present day (2008–present)[edit]
In honor of the ball drop's centennial anniversary, a brand new fifth design debuted for New Year's Eve 2008. Once again manufactured by Waterford Crystal with a diameter of 6 feet (1.8 m), but weighing 1,212 pounds (550 kg), it used LED lamps provided by Philips (which can produce 16,777,216 or 224 colors), with computerized lighting patterns developed by the New York City-based lighting firm Focus Lighting. The ball featured 9,576 energy-efficient bulbs that consumed the same amount of electricity as only 10 toasters.[3] The 2008 ball was only used once, and was placed on display at the Times Square Visitors Center following the event.[47][53][58]
For 2009, a larger version of the fifth ball was introduced—an icosahedral geodesic sphere lit by 32,256 LED lamps. Its diameter is twice as wide as the 2008 ball, at 12 feet (3.7 m), and contains 2,688 Waterford Crystal panels, with a weight of 11,875 pounds (5,386 kg). It was designed to be weatherproof, as the ball would now be displayed atop One Times Square nearly year-round following the celebrations.[47][53][58]
Yearly themes for the ball's crystal panels continued; from 2008 to 2013, the ball contained crystal patterns that were part of a Waterford series known as "World of Celebration", including themes such as "Let There Be Light" and "Let There Be Peace". For 2014, all the ball's panels were replaced, marking a new theme series known as "Greatest Gifts", beginning with "Gift of Imagination".[33][43][58][59]
The numerical sign indicating the year (which remains atop the tower along with the ball itself) uses Philips LED lamps. For 2014, the final two digits of the sign used bulbs from the company's "Hue" line of multi-color LED lamps, allowing them to have computerized lighting cues.[60]
Weather at midnight[edit]
According to the National Weather Service, from 1907 to 2016, the average temperature at midnight in Central Park was 34 °F (1 °C).[61] The coldest event was in 1917 when the temperature was 1 °F (−17 °C) and the wind chill was −18 °F (−28 °C). The warmest temperature was 58 °F (14 °C), in 1965 and 1972. It has snowed during the ball drop just seven times out of 111 events (one being light snow)—1926, 1934, 1948, 1952, 1961, 1967, and 2009—and it has rained multiple times.[31] Festivities in 2018 were the second-coldest on record due to an arctic air mass, forecast at 11 °F (−12 °C) before wind chill.[62]
Broadcasting[edit]
ABC News' presence at Times Square for ABC 2000 Today
As a public event, the festivities and ball drop are often broadcast on television. As of 2016-17, a host feed of 21 cameras across Times Square is provided to broadcasters to incorporate into their coverage.[63]
The event is covered as part of New Year's Eve television specials on several major U.S. television networks. By far the most notable of these is Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve; created, produced, and originally hosted by the entertainer Dick Clark until his death in 2012, and currently hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy, the program first aired on NBC in 1972 before moving to ABC, where it has been broadcast ever since.[64][65] New Year's Rockin' Eve has consistently been the most-watched New Year's Eve special in the U.S. annually, peaking at 25.6 million viewers for its 2018 edition.[66][64][67] Following the death of Dick Clark in April 2012, a crystal engraved with his name was added to the 2013 ball in tribute.[65]
Across the remaining networks, NBC broadcasts New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, hosted from Times Square by Carson Daly of The Voice and Last Call while Fox has aired New Year's specials covering Times Square with rotating hosts and themes, which were broadcast primarily under the title New Year's Eve Live until 2014. From 2015 to 2017, Fox broadcast Pitbull's New Year's Revolution from Miami instead, but returned to New York-oriented coverage hosted by Steve Harvey for 2018. Spanish-language network Univision broadcasts ¡Feliz!, hosted by Raúl de Molina of El Gordo y La Flaca, while Telemundo has the Bienvedido series with Daniel Sarcos from Un Nuevo Dia for 2017 and Jorge Bernal from ¡Suelta La Sopa! for 2018.[68][69][70][71]
On cable, CNN carries coverage of the festivities, known as New Year's Eve Live, which was historically hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin from Times Square. Griffin was removed from her role in 2017 after she published a controversial political photo; she was replaced by Andy Cohen for 2018.[72] Fox News carries All-American New Year, which was most recently hosted by Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Bill Hemmer from Times Square.[73]
Since 2009, an official webcast of the ball drop and its associated festivities has been produced, streamed via Livestream.com.[63][74][75]
Past broadcasts[edit]
Beginning in the 1940s, NBC broadcast coverage from Times Square anchored by Ben Grauer on both radio and television. Its coverage was later incorporated into special episodes of The Tonight Show, continuing through Johnny Carson and Jay Leno's tenures on the program. NBC would introduce a dedicated special, New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, beginning in 2003.[76]
From 1956 to 1976, CBS was well known for its television coverage of the festivities hosted by bandleader Guy Lombardo from the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, featuring his band's famous rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight. After Lombardo's death in 1977, CBS and the Royal Canadians, now led by Victor Lombardo, attempted to continue the special. However, Guy's absence and the growing popularity of ABC's New Year’s Rockin’ Eve prompted CBS to eventually drop the band entirely. The Royal Canadians were replaced by a new special, Happy New Year, America, which ran in various formats with different hosts (such as Paul Anka, Donny Osmond, Andy Williams, Paul Shaffer, and Montel Williams) until it was discontinued after 1996. CBS, barring a special America's Millennium broadcast for 2000,[77] has no longer broadcast any national New Year's programming since.[78][79][80][81]
For 2000, in lieu of New Year's Rockin' Eve, ABC News covered the festivities as part of its day-long telecast, ABC 2000 Today. Hosted by Peter Jennings, the broadcast featured coverage of millennium festivities from around the world, including those in New York City. Jennings was joined by Dick Clark as a special correspondent for coverage from Times Square.[82]
MTV had broadcast coverage originating from the network's Times Square studios at One Astor Plaza. For 2011, MTV also held its own ball drop in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, the setting of its popular reality series Jersey Shore, featuring cast member Snooki lowered inside a giant "hamster ball". Originally, MTV planned to hold the drop within its studio in Times Square, but the network was asked by city officials to conduct the drop elsewhere.[83]
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Michael Bloomberg, whose mayoral term ended at midnight, did not attend, and celebrated privately with his family instead. Unlike Bloomberg's inauguration in 2002, which was held shortly after midnight, Bill de Blasio was inaugurated in a ceremony the following morning at Gracie Mansion.[29]
Jump up ^ Cee-Lo's performance was criticized by fans for his change of a lyric relating to religion.[39]
References[edit]
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^ Jump up to: a b "NYC ball drop goes 'green' on 100th anniversary". CNN. December 31, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Countdown to Times Square party; 1 million expected". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "New Year's Eve security main focus for NYPD". CNN. December 30, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
Jump up ^ Mueller, Benjamin (2017-12-28). "In Wake of Attacks, Tighter Security for Times Square on New Year's Eve". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
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^ Jump up to: a b "A Very Confetti New Year's". Time. January 2, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Mansfield, Brian (December 26, 2013). "Etheridge added to Times Square New Year's Eve lineup". USA Today. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c "MAYOR GIULIANI ANNOUNCES NEW TRADITION FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE: COMMUNITY HERO TO LEAD TIMES SQUARE CELEBRATION". City of New York. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Balkin, Adam (December 30, 2003). "Technology Helps Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop Run Smoothly". NY1. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Across America, traditions of ham hocks, Watch Nights and the Times Square ball". NBCNews.com. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
Jump up ^ "CITY KEEPS THE BALL ROLLING IT'S ANOTHER ROUND IN TIMES SQ. FOR SEASONED PARTYERS". New York Daily News. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
Jump up ^ "On the ball: Sang Lan was in the spotlight on New Year's..." Chicago Tribune. January 5, 1999. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS TO JOIN TIMES SQUARE BALL DROP DURING NEW YEARS EVE FESTIVITIES". City of New York. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ali To Drop Ball On New Year's". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Inaugural Address Of Mayor Michael Bloomberg". Gotham Gazette. January 1, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Huge Times Square Crowd Watches Ball Drop". Fox News. Associated Press. January 1, 2003. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Bloomberg Announces Special Guest For New Year's 2004 Celebration In New York". Life. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Regis, Colin Powell ring in New Year's with'energy, enthusiasm'". USA Today. January 1, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Neither rain nor snow slows Times Sq. party". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Military Service Members Honored at Time Square Celebration". Navy.mil. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Times Square New Year's gala turns 100". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Revelers ring in 2009 in Times Square". Associated Press. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ "America's Best High Schools Heads to Times Square". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Sgt. Salvatore Giunta in NYC for New Year's Eve". Associated Press. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Lady Gaga to perform on New Year's Eve in Times Square". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ Seifman, David (December 28, 2012). "Rockettes to join Mayor Bloomberg on New Year's Eve". New York Post. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Nearly 800 Hard At Work On Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration". CBS New York. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
Jump up ^ Costa, Robert (December 30, 2013). "Sotomayor to officiate at Times Square New Year's Eve". Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Brrr-Braving the Ball Drop". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
Jump up ^ "New Year's In Times Square: Jencarlos Canela Will Be The First Latino To Push Ball Drop Countdown Button". Latin Times. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b "Crystal Ball Nearly Ready For New Year's Eve In Times Square". CBSNewYork.com. CBS Radio. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Activist to Help Drop Crystal Ball In Times Square". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
Jump up ^ "António Guterres appointed next UN Secretary-General by acclamation". United Nations. United Nations News Service. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
Jump up ^ "U.N. secretary-general to kick off Times Square New Year's Eve countdown". NBC News. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
Jump up ^ "Founder of "Me Too" Movement, Tarana Burke, to be Special Guest of Times Square New Year's Eve" (PDF). timessquarenyc.org. Times Square Alliance. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
Jump up ^ Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (January 1, 2012). "Fans angry that Cee Lo changed 'Imagine' lyrics". msnbc.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c Golgowski, Nina (January 1, 2012). "Cee Lo Green changes lyrics to Lennon's Imagine to include pro-religion message enraging fans". The Daily Mail. London. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Cruz To Perform 'Imagine' During New Year's Celebration". CBSNewYork.com. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Live Times Square New Year's Eve Webcast: Watch Train, Cassadee Pope". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ "New Year's Eve Organizers Release Star-Studded Roster Of Musical Talent Set To Perform Live In Times Square". TimesSquareNYC.org. Times Square Alliance. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b "Workers To Install 288 New Waterford Crystals On New Year's Eve Ball". CBS New York. CBS Radio. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
Jump up ^ "Times Square Alliance : Gavin DeGraw and Rachel Platten to Headline Musical Lineup for Times Square New Year's Eve Live, Commercial-Free Webcast and TV Pool Feed". TimesSquareNYC.org. Times Square Alliance. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Multi-Platinum Pop Singer and Songwriter Andy Grammer to Headline Musical Lineup for Times Square New Year's Eve Live, Commercial-Free Webcast and TV Pool Feed" (PDF). timessquarenyc.org. Times Square Alliance. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
Jump up ^ "Crews Clean Up Times Square After New Year's Celebration". CBSNewYork.com. CBS Radio. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Feuer, Alan (December 27, 2009). "Deconstructed – Times Square Ball – Lots of Sparkle for a Swift Fall". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Kushner, David (December 30, 1999). "This New Year's Eve, Technology Will Drop the Ball". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
Jump up ^ "History of Times Square". London: The Telegraph. July 27, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Crump, William D. (2014). Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide. McFarland. p. 242. ISBN 9781476607481.
Jump up ^ McFadden, Robert D. (December 31, 1987). "'88 Countdown: 3, 2, 1, Leap Second, 0". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b Sutton, Larry. "Bigger Ball to Peg Square". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c Barron, James (December 31, 2009). "When Party Is Over, the Ball Lands Here". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
Jump up ^ Goodnough, Abby (December 29, 1998). "Here Comes 2000, With Sponsors, Too; Official Products in the Right Place: Millennial Partying in Times Sq". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
Jump up ^ Kelley, Tina (December 30, 1999). "There's Another Countdown Before the Famed '10, 9, 8 . . .'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "New Year Theme Right On The Ball". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
Jump up ^ "NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL MUSEUM TO ACCEPT SPECIAL COLLECTION OF WATERFORD CRYSTAL TRIANGLES FROM 2001/2002 TIMES SQUARE BALL" (PDF). nat. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b c "New Year's Eve Preparations Under Way In Times Square". CBSNewYork.com. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Waterford and Times Square New Year's Eve Reveal "Gift of Imagination" Crystal Design as Part of New 10-Year "Greatest Gifts" Series". Waterford Crystal press release. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Philips hue to Mark Colorful Start to 2014 at Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration" (Press release). Philips. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
Jump up ^ "New Year's Eve/Ball Drop Weather at Central Park" (PDF). National Weather Service Forecast Office New York, New York. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
Jump up ^ Press, Associated (2017-12-31). "Times Square braces for one of coldest New Year's Eve parties on record". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
^ Jump up to: a b "Meet the Team Behind Times Square New Year's Eve". TV Technology. NewBay Media. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b Stelter, Brian (December 31, 2011). "4 Decades Later, He Still Counts". New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Barmash, Jerry. "Marking New Year's Eve at Times Square Without Dick Clark". FishbowlNY. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 1, 2018). "Ratings: Ryan Seacrest's Rockin' Eve Hits All-Time Highs, Fox's Steve Harvey a Big Improvement Over Pitbull". TVLine. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
Jump up ^ Levin, Gary (January 4, 2012). "Nielsens: Clark's 'Rockin' Eve,' football start year well". USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Countdown to 2012: What to watch on New Year's Eve". The Daily Caller. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ring in the new year with Ryan, Carson or Anderson". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Pitbull to Host New Year's Eve Live Show for Fox". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Fox Swaps Pitbull for Steve Harvey on New Year's Eve". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
Jump up ^ Steinberg, Brian (2017-10-11). "CNN Will Replace Kathy Griffin With Andy Cohen for New Year's Eve". Variety. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
Jump up ^ "TV highlights: Networks compete for most entertaining New Year's show". Washington Post. December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
Jump up ^ Taub, Erica A. (December 24, 2009). "New Year's Eve in Times Square Is Now a Webcast". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
Jump up ^ Shriver, Jerry (December 27, 2007). "Extra-bright ball to drop at Times Square". USA Today. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
Jump up ^ Oldenberg, Ann (December 29, 2005). "Battle of Times Square". USA Today. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ "More Americans Preferred Celebrating New Year's Without Television". CNSNews.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
Jump up ^ Lynch, Stephen (December 31, 1999). "New Year's song remains ingrained in public mind". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on April 26, 2005.
Jump up ^ Collins, Scott (December 25, 2006). "Past, Present, and...Future?". Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
Jump up ^ Moore, Frazier (December 26, 2001). "Next week to be 25th New Year's Eve without Guy Lombardo". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
Jump up ^ Terry, Carol Burton. "New Guy Lombardo? Dick Clark sees New Year's tradition". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
Jump up ^ Bobbin, Jay (December 28, 2000). "Dick Clark offers longer New Year's Eve special". Ellensburg Daily Record. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Snooki 'dropped' from Times Square New Year's Eve celebration". Staten Island Advance. December 30, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Year celebrations in Times Square.
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