Sports Media
NBCSN’s impending shutdown shows that live sports alone can’t save a network
Last Friday, news broke that NBC was planning on shutting down NBCSN sometime in 2021. The decision came as a shock to many, given NBCSN’s live properties, the network’s age (it actually launched a full year and a half before FS1, which got all the mainstream hype),...
Reflecting On Gary Thorne’s Time With The Orioles
“Slow ground ball, Manny Machado barehanded. Don’t throw it away. DON’T THROW IT AT ALL. WHAT A GREAT PLAY TO HARDY. And Wieters will put the tag on him.” Just by reading this quote, I think you can picture the exact play I’m describing and can hear the voice of who...
The NFL Playoffs show off the depth of the NFL’s TV partners
Something ridiculous that I notice every year during the first two rounds of the NFL Playoffs is how strong the broadcast teams are. Spreading the games in each around across multiple networks, the league ensures that top-tier talent will be calling its premier games...
The Pandemic-inspired 2020 Sports Media Awards
2020 was a strange year for the sports media world, largely because of the still-raging pandemic that disrupted live sports calendars (and far more significant parts of our everyday lives) around the world. With that in mind, handing out sports media awards for the...
How much will each network be hurt by this fall’s college football postponements?
This coming weekend marks Week 1 of the 2020 college football season. Unfortunately for fans, and for TV networks, four FBS conferences postponed their seasons and will not play in the fall – the Big Ten, Pac-12, MAC, and Mountain West. Several FCS conferences also...
ESPN and Race
Around 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, ESPN Radio listeners got a wake-up call they may not have expected, but should have seen coming. For the next 30 minutes, Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams, two-thirds of “Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin,” the new morning show, proceeded to school...
Sports Emmy Awards and Eisen and Patrick
This year’s Sports Emmy Awards returned to the tried and true, as four of the top individual trophies went to repeat winners. Mike Emrick, arguably the best play-by-play announcer in the business, captured a record seventh straight Emmy for his work calling NHL...
ESPN Goes Safe And Unspectacular With Reported New Monday Night Football Booth
So much for all the chatter about recently retired quarterbacks, broadcasters from other networks, or anyone generally outside of the expected choices. Earlier this week, ESPN’s choice for the next Monday Night Football booth was reported as the trio of Steve Levy,...