BJ Penn reports on tsunami watch
Date: 2010-03-01 00:00:00
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-25794-Newark-MMA-Examine...
Submitted By: MMAFightsDump
BJ Penn went from UFC lightweight champion to international reporter on Saturday. Penn's popular website, BJPenn.com, streamed video throughout the day, much of it with tsunami sirens blaring in the background behind the fighter's commentary. At times, KHON television carried the feed Penn was streaming via his site. CNN significantly used KHON's feed, and Fox News utilized Penn's video, which originated out of Hilo. Penn also was interviewed on CNN. Fortunately, it appears Hilo and the rest of Hawaii went relatively unscathed from tsunami damage. The tsunami warning that put nearly the entire Pacific Ocean rim under alert was triggered by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake that rocked Chile in the early hours of Saturday morning. Although this was unique, it is not the first time television viewers have relied on the world of sports in coverage of natural disasters. Most notably, play-by-play man Al Michaels voiced over the stunning early pictures and video of San Francisco's Bay Area in 1989. Michaels was at Candelstick Park when the Loma Prieta earthquake devastated Northern California and interrupted the World Series between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Penn wil defend his belt April 10 in Abu Dhabi against Toms River product Frankie Edgar at UFC 112. Also on the card of local note, the legendary Renzo Gracie, a longtime resident of Holmdel meets former welterweight champion Matt Hughes.
