Epic proportions

Sportscaster extraordinaire Ed Picson can’t get any busier these days. His plate is so full that you wonder if there is time left to sleep – which by the way, he assures he has.

Picson recently assumed full responsibility to produce the PBA games on radio. He also does TV work for the PBA on the Solar network, appears as a blow-by-blow commentator on independent boxing telecasts, is the resident anchorman on Boy Cantada’s TV sports shows, operates his own production outfit called Epic Sports Promotions, writes a sports column for a broadsheet, hosts a morning radio program, runs a popular watering hole and restaurant known as “The Bar” in Veterans Village off Commonwealth Avenue, plays a lot of golf, makes time for karaoke get-togethers with his neighborhood “barkada,” never fails to go home to Tacloban to attend family affairs and shares quality time with wife Carina and their daughters Binggay and Bam-Bam.

That’s some agenda for one man who used to come out in a supporting role on TV’s “John En Marsha” and was the “voice” on Vilma Santos’ TV variety shows. 

Ed’s big thing now is working the PBA games on radio. The coverage is on the AM band, 918 khz Sports Radio, and aired world-wide live via audio streaming in the Internet. He’s currently negotiating to put the games on the airwaves of a major Northern Luzon network with eight stations and a Visayas-Mindanao group with over 10 stations.

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The potential of spreading the PBA gospel all over the country via radio is almost unimaginable and Ed’s mission is to get the job done.

At the moment, Ed is rotating only four commentators – Magoo Marjon, Benjie Santiago, coach Allan Gregorio and Dennis (The Prince) Principe.

“Our aim is to establish identity, that when listeners tune in and hear the voices of our commentators, they know immediately it’s the PBA coverage,” he says. “We want our coverage to be exciting. Our second panelist isn’t really an analyst like on TV. We assume our listeners are blind so we try to be descriptive and visualize what’s going on. When the fans are howling in the stadium, we’ve got to explain why. We make our listeners see what’s going on in their minds.”

An area which Ed says is an advantage for radio is the live coverage of provincial games which are usually shown on a delayed basis on TV.

Ed says doing radio for the PBA has entailed the recruitment of a staff which includes a technician, a statistician, a production assistant and utility backups. Even his wife Carina has been pulled in to help out as she cooks the food for the staff on duty.

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Then there’s the Monday morning (10:30-12 noon) radio show called “The Scene Around” where Ed tackles the burning sports issues of the day, interviewing on the air the likes of Manny Pacquiao, the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, Bob Arum (live from Las Vegas on the phone), SBP executive director Noli Eala and Red Bull team manager Andy Jao.

At “The Bar,” Ed is the perfect host. Live music is provided by pianist Mimi Salise and guitarist Lyncer Lagunsan who used to front bands in the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s a cozy place with seating for 25 indoors and 15 more outdoors. Steaks and chops are the specialty with the best-selling porterhouse going for less than P300. A hot item in the menu is “chichalong” which sprinkles “chicharon” over eggplant in a delicious vegetable dish.

“The Bar” is near Don Antonio Heights, opens 5 p.m. and closes in the wee hours (call Tel. 7039890 for details).

Ed started radio broadcasting as a 19-year-old disc jockey in Cebu in 1972. He broke into sports coverage as a substitute announcer for jai-alai games and eventually became a regular play-by-play commentator in Cebu. 

When Ed moved to Manila a few years later, he also announced jai-alai games and started his basketball “career” as a solo act covering the Filipino-Chinese league at the Dumlao Gym on Shaw Boulevard. In 1982, he did radio for the PBA and seven years later, switched to TV. 

As owner of Epic Sports Promotions, Ed has produced boxing and golf events. He has handled two Philippine Opens, the First Gentleman’s golf circuit and boxing cards for Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno in Cagayan de Oro. Ed is once more producing a boxing show for Gov. Moreno on Oct. 30, to be aired on the Solar network.

No doubt, Ed’s chief priority is the PBA. Even when he’s not on the air, Ed is at the games, supervising the radio coverage and making sure there isn’t a dull moment. Now on his 36th year in media, Ed is as visible, busy and popular as ever.