Editing Pardon the Interruption (section)

==Segments==
''PTI'' is divided into three segments. The first involves the hosts discussing and debating sports news '''Headlines''' (generally, three topics are covered, each receiving 2–4 minutes, in earlier days, more topics were covered with less time assigned to each). The second segment will either consist of a themed game segment that allows for discussion for further topics, or '''5 Good Minutes''', an interview with a guest. The third segment consists of '''Happy Time''', an acknowledgment of any "errors & omissions" from earlier segments, and finally '''the Big Finish''', a high-speed, back-and-forth rundown of more sports topics of note.

For much of its history, the show aired in four shorter segments, allowing for the inclusion of both a game and an interview, or occasionally, a second segment of "Headlines" replacing one of the two. A wider variety of games were played during the time Reali was present on the show, as he would frequently serve as in-studio host/moderator/judge.

In the show's earliest days, it was not unusual for the last point or topic in each section to be about a non-sports-related pop-culture event, but those have been eliminated.

On rare occasions, the show will stray from its basic format, such as on August 9, 2005, when [[Major League Baseball|baseball]] [[Commissioner of Baseball|commissioner]] [[Bud Selig]] was the guest at the very top of the show for an extended interview.

===Introduction/Headlines===
Kornheiser and Wilbon welcome viewers to the show with opening banter.<ref name=":9" /> Wilbon usually opens the show with the line, "Pardon the Interruption... but I'm [[Mike Wilbon]],"<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Great Book of Washington DC Sports Lists|last1=Pollin|first1=Andy|last2=Shapiro|first2=Leonard|publisher=Running Press|year=2008|isbn=9780786741700|location=Philadelphia}}</ref> and then put a question to Kornheiser concerning one of the day's sports or pop culture issues (which he answers sarcastically). The two will then continue a conversation while the opening [[Intertitle|title card]] is shown. The theme song (as well as the commercial [[Conclusion (music)|outro]] music) thematically references the song "[[Cut Your Hair]]" by [[Pavement (band)|Pavement]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Domino Recording Co.|title=Pavement - Cut Your Hair (1994)|date=2010-02-18|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTgpTeb0Z8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/QTTgpTeb0Z8| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-01-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On rare occasions when more serious news will lead the discussion, such as the death of [[Junior Seau]], the hosts will omit their typical intro banter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2406595|title=PTI Show - PodCenter - ESPN Radio|website=ESPN Radio|access-date=2018-01-07}}</ref>

Kornheiser then says "Welcome to 'PTI', boys and girls." Kornheiser then gives a brief introduction before moving on to the first topic. During the course of this segment, Wilbon and Kornheiser will alternate topic introductions up for debate. Each topic is listed in chronological order on the right side of the screen, and a countdown timer is shown indicating how much time is allotted to discuss a particular topic, the hosts can, and usually do, briefly go over the time limit in order to make a final point about any particular topic.

===Five Good Minutes===
Kornheiser and Wilbon interview a sports figure, writer, or analyst typically for a period of time from three to six minutes.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|url=http://uproxx.com/hitfix/tv-s-best-of-the-decade-no-14-pardon-the-interruption/|title=TV's Best of the Decade: No. 14 — 'Pardon the Interruption'|last=Fienberg|first=Daniel|date=2009-12-18|work=UPROXX|access-date=2017-07-24|language=en-US}}</ref> The interview itself is actually recorded prior to the rest of the show and then trimmed down for broadcast. According to ''PTI'''s [[Remote broadcast|remote]] producer, with some exceptions, guests are booked the day of the show as they try to obtain the most relevant news of the day.<ref name="Collegiate Times">Wright, B. [http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/4/ARTICLE/8119/2006-12-01.html An insider's look at PTI] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927104235/http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/4/ARTICLE/8119/2006-12-01.html |date=2007-09-27 }}. (2006, December 1). ''[[Collegiate Times]]''. Retrieved December 16, 2006.</ref> Other times, there are two "Five Good Minutes" segments with two different guests, there are also shows where two related guests appear during one segment, such as [[Joe Buck]] and [[Tim McCarver]] of ''[[Major League Baseball on Fox]]'' broadcasts (Another example of this was [[Al Michaels]] and [[Doc Rivers]], when they appeared together while covering the [[2004 NBA Finals]] for [[NBA on ABC|ABC Sports]]). There have also been occasions where Kornheiser or Wilbon, while on vacation or in another city to cover an event and not hosting the show, have been the subject of "Five Good Minutes" themselves.

Guests almost always appear from a separate location, usually the site of an upcoming game or their home city, appearing with the hosts via split screen. On a few occasions, the guest has appeared in studio with Kornheiser and Wilbon. This may be the case if the guest is an athlete or coach in Washington to play a game that night, such as when [[2008–09 Denver Nuggets season|Denver Nuggets]] guard [[Chauncey Billups]] appeared on February 6, 2009, prior to a game against the [[2008–09 Washington Wizards season|Washington Wizards]]. When this happens, the guest will sit on Wilbon's side of the table, sitting diagonally from Kornheiser.

On Thursdays during the football season, ESPN analyst [[Ron Jaworski]], a former [[Philadelphia Eagles]] quarterback (a.k.a. "Jaws" and "the Polish Rifle" - the latter usually rendered in a [[Howard Cosell]]-like voice), frequently guested, until his departure from ESPN. Before that, Jaworski would come on the show on Mondays to offer analysis of the previous day's games and a prediction for the ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' game that night.

On rare occasions, "Five Good Minutes" runs especially long, such as on June 8, 2005, when [[National Football League|NFL]] agent [[Drew Rosenhaus]]'s interview ran 11 minutes, forcing the cancellation of the following segment (Role Play), on March 23, 2007, when [[2006–07 USC Trojans men's basketball team|USC]] basketball coach [[Tim Floyd]]'s interview ran 9 minutes as he talked about [[O. J. Mayo]], and on October 22, 2009, as reporter [[Jackie MacMullan]] discussed the [[Magic Johnson]]/[[Isiah Thomas]] controversy, forcing the cancellation of the segment Report Card.

On very rare occasions during the show's four-segment format, two separate games were played in lieu of an interview segment.

==="Game" segments===
''PTI'' uses a variety of different game-themed segments to talk about other sports news and make predictions. Many games have been played over the years, but as of 2021, four remain in the regular rotation:

*'''Mail Time''': the hosts read and respond to viewer [[e-mail]] that they take out of a talking mailbox. Early in ''PTI<nowiki>'</nowiki>''s run, an intern named Josh read the mail to the hosts. When the show changed over to the talking mailbox, Wilbon would express disgust at the mail voice, demanding it be omitted. The mail read on air is no longer written by viewers, but rather staff of the show itself.
*'''Toss Up''': the two hosts choose between two sides of a topic announced by the producer, Erik Rydholm, over the loudspeaker, and Kornheiser always claims to be the winner.
*'''What's The Word?''' Introduced in 2009. Reali (later Rydholm) read a partial sentence and the hosts each offer an adjective to fill the blank(s) in the sentence. The game often involves made up or hyphenated words, and usually ends with Kornheiser using an adjective to aggrandize himself or berate Wilbon, such as saying he won with a "Korn-ucopia" of words, or that Wilbon "got Wil-bombed."
*'''Psychic Hotline''' sees the hosts answer questions read by staffers, presented as emanating from an on-set crystal ball. Kornheiser dons a stereotypical fortune-teller costume.

In addition, on the last show before [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]], the game segment is usually reserved for the hosts to reveal their choices for '''Turkeys of the Year''', usually people during the last year that have usually done notably stupid acts un-befitting of sport (funny or unfunny). As noted by Wilbon at the beginning of the segment, there are no criteria for the selection process, meaning anyone they see fit is eligible. Over the years, the list has vastly expanded from five to numerous candidates being named during the segment.

Among games no longer regularly played:

'''[[Sports betting|Odds Makers]]''', which is featured weekly and involves the hosts giving their prediction in the form of a percentage about the likeliness of a future event occurring. Reali gives the topics and keeps track of responses on a [[chalkboard]], to which he refers at the end of the segment in order to declare a winner. A selection at either extreme of 100% or 0% is well-respected, with the latter being coined by Reali as "squadoosh." Kornheiser often gets his odds to add up to a certain number or form a pattern. "Odds Makers" is also noted for its feud between Reali and guest host [[Dan LeBatard]], who is often accused of ruining the game.<ref>Rodesiler, "A PTI-Inspired Pedagogy," pp. 39–40.</ref>

'''Role Play''', featured fairly often but less so than earlier in ''PTI<nowiki>'</nowiki>''s run, is referred to as "Heads on Sticks" because the hosts alternate speaking as a sports figure with the person's picture on a stick in front of their faces. After a picture is used, it is usually stuck somewhere in the background of the set until it is replaced. The crude connotation of this title has been highlighted as a suggestive musical cue leads the segment.

"'''[[Over-under|Over/Under]]'''", is a segment that alternated weeks with Odds Makers when they were first introduced, but is now featured only occasionally. The hosts argue over whether a certain sports figure or team will go over or under a certain number (e.g. 40 [[home run]]s, 60 wins). Reali also announces the topics for this segment, holding cards up with the statistic, as well. In order to help prevent a "push" (a Wilbon trademark), a decimal figure is sometimes used (e.g. 2.5 touchdowns).

"'''Report Card'''", saw the hosts assign [[letter grade]]s to various events suggested by "Professor" Reali. Usually, Kornheiser's name is spelled "Tiny" instead of "Tony" on the Report Card board.

In '''Good Cop, Bad Cop''', both hosts dress in police hats and sometimes sunglasses. This segment is featured rarely, and unlike Toss Up, the hosts must take an opposite stand on each topic, saying it is either good or bad. This segment is occasionally renamed ''"Good Elf, Bad Elf"'' for the holiday.<ref>Rodesiler, "A PTI-Inspired Pedagogy," pp. 38–39.</ref>

[[File:ATHwhitehouse2.jpg|thumb|Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon and Tony Reali meeting President Barack Obama.]]

"'''Food Chain'''," where the hosts rank a top five list of teams, returned in December 2008 after a long absence. Kornheiser and Wilbon usually have variations in their lists, with Wilbon posting his as each team is introduced. Wilbon refers to his as "A real man's board!," but when Kornheiser switches to his, he claims, "That's it! That's the list!" Another early segment was called '''"Love Em or Leave Em"''' where a female voice cooing "Ooo La-La!" was played before the hosts discussed an individual (whose head was on a stick) they were either "leaving" or "loving" and keeping on their side. A third rare segment is "'''Fair or Foul'''," it was introduced on February 28, 2007, after the hosts began repeating the words "fair or foul" for a few episodes because of a viewer email including them earlier in the week. The hosts discuss a variety of topics and decide if each is fair or foul (acceptable or not).<ref>Rodesiler, "A PTI-Inspired Pedagogy," p. 37.</ref> If a host believes a topic is "foul," he could threw a yellow football penalty flag and/or blow a whistle.

Additionally, during the early run of ''PTI'', a "'''Doctors'''" segment was featured occasionally, in which the hosts had to choose which head to cut off and throw in the trash out of two that were stuck together. The hosts dressed up as doctors for this segment, using coats and assorted accessories.

In "'''Too Soon?'''," Reali asks the hosts if it's too soon for a certain sports situation to possibly occur. In November 2010, a new game entitled '''"Something or Nothing?"''' was created. In this game, Reali asked Tony and Mike if a recent sports event was significant (Something) or insignificant (Nothing). After both hosts gave their answers, Reali, through uncertain logic, determined who was correct. "Too Soon" and "Something or Nothing" were played rarely. (In lieu of "Something or Nothing," the hosts will occasionally base a headline debate on whether a story is "a big deal, little deal, or no deal at all").

Finally, a "time-machine" game was played once in 2005 and never returned.

===Happy Time===
The hosts send out a "Happy Birthday," a "Happy (or in some cases, Not-So-Happy) Anniversary," and a "Happy Trails" (acknowledging a firing, injury, retirement, or such). If the "Happy Trails" segment covers a death, which the hosts often refer to as a "Melancholy Trails," the [[background music]] goes silent as the hosts pay tribute to the person who died.

===Errors and omissions===
Any factual errors or omissions are swiftly rectified before the show plunges into its final 60–90 seconds.

===Big Finish===
From the start of the series until July 2005 and then again since August 2009, the show ends with the Big Finish, in which the hosts alternate quick takes on a list of roughly half a dozen final topics, usually ending with Wilbon answering which telecast of a pair posed by Kornheiser he will watch that evening, or predicting the outcome of a game to be played.

The hosts then give their standard signoffs:

Kornheiser: ''We're out of time, we'll try to do better next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.''

Wilbon: '' And I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow (or 'Have a great weekend'), knuckleheads.''

The half-hour broadcast concludes with Kornheiser waving a small Canadian flag while Wilbon mentions their podcast and pitches the show over to the ''SportsCenter'' studio.

According to Kornheiser, he first waved the flag and said "Goodnight, Canada" after an associate director told him that the additional ''PTI'' segment on ''SportsCenter'' did not air in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2012/06/tony-kornheiser-offers-insight-into-ptis-goodnight-canada/|title=Tony Kornheiser offers insight into PTI's "Goodnight, Canada"|last=Hoffheiner|first=Bill|year=2012|work=Behind the Scenes|publisher=ESPN|access-date=11 December 2014}}</ref> Kornheiser made the routine into a trademark sign-off and continued even after TSN added the extra segment to its early-evening edition of ''SportsCentre''.

If a scant few seconds remain Kornheiser will often offer up a “[[shout-out]]” during the show's final seconds, typically to friendly golf partners, a gift received from a viewer, or a plug for a restaurant or company he had recently received good service from.

===''SportsCenter'' segment===
From July 25, 2005, through sometime in 2011, the format of the show was altered to merge the final part of the show with the beginning of the 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET ''[[SportsCenter]]''.

Segment 4 would consist of Happy Time, followed by Errors, then the hosts giving shout-outs, as well as their recommendations for television viewing for the night as the last discussion segment of the show before ''SportsCenter''. Wilbon usually chooses a sporting event, while Kornheiser will often opt for pop-culture based programming.

After the opening segment of ''SportsCenter'' (normally 10–14 minutes), ''PTI'' returned to debate an additional sports-related topic, then end with '''The Big Finish''' and the typical goodbyes.<ref>[http://search.espn.go.com/bs-report-1112/]{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

For the re-air on ESPN2, the show would move straight to the post-''SportsCenter'' topic after the third commercial break, skipping segment 4. According to [[Nielsen ratings]], ''PTI'' paired with ''[[Around the Horn]]'' combined to average more viewers than ''SportsCenter''.<ref>[http://media.espn.com/ESPNToday/2007/Jan_07/2006BestYear.htm 2006: Best Year For All ESPN Networks]. (January 4, 2007). ESPN Press Release.</ref>

During football season, Monday editions of ''PTI'' used to air in the former (30-minute) format, with no shoutouts or ''SportsCenter'' segment. Until midway through the [[2008 NFL season|2008 season]] the show also took place at the ''Monday Night Football'' host stadium as Kornheiser was a part of the Monday broadcast team, after that Kornheiser hosted from an undisclosed location in the host city while Wilbon hosted from the ''PTI'' studios in Washington. After Kornheiser's departure from ''Monday Night Football'' after the 2008 season<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/critiquing-kornheiser-the-experiment-is-over/|title=Critiquing Kornheiser: The Experiment Is Over|last=Monkovic|first=Toni|date=18 May 2009|website=The Fifth Down|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> ''PTI'' reverted to its normal format for the [[2009 NFL season|2009 football season]] after the first week of ''Monday Night Football'', with Wilbon tossing to the ''NFL Countdown'' crew rather than to ''SportsCenter.''

The show has since reverted to its original format where The Big Finish closes the show, though Kornheiser usually still offers shoutouts at the very end of the show. Wilbon and Kornheiser still have their additional debate as a part of ''SC'', but it is no longer treated as a formal part of ''PTI''.