LinkedIn coffee break: Get yer program! Can’t tell the NFL talking heads from the fans without a program!
Julian Rogers
Marketing communications digital strategy director | healthcare, medical, SaaS, manufacturing, nonprofit industries | writer / editor / brand strategy / reputation management / web content
It’s musical chairs on the NFL’s Sunday morning (and virtually everywhere else) shows. Here’s who’s in and out.
Monday Night Football (ESPN)
ESPN’s Monday night football, now in its 47th year (counting the ABC years), will see its first broadcast booth revamp since color commentator Ron Jaworski’s departure after the 2011 season. Longtime play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico left for a new contract with NBC Sports and is expected to be the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s Thursday Night Football broadcast package.
In Tirico’s place steps Sean McDonough as the new play-by-play voice for the venerable Monday Night Football franchise. He will work alongside holdover analyst Jon Gruden and reporter Lisa Salters when the 2016 NFL season kicks off this fall. The new MNF team will be the first to broadcast the 2016 season with the Hall of Fame game (Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts) Sunday, August 7 in Canton, Ohio.
Thursday Night Football (NFL Network, CBS, NBC)
TNF, which debuted on November 23, 2006, has undergone a number of changes since inception. In its current guise, CBS and NBC will split the televised broadcasts of 10 Thursday night NFL games. CBS will broadcast five early games and NBC will broadcast five later games. Both networks will simulcast with the NFL Network. The NFL Network will subsequently solely broadcast the remaining eight games on the NFL Thursday night slate.
Apparently, both CBS and NBC were allowed to cherry pick which TNF games they wanted, as CBS’ early slate does not start until week two and skips a game in week four, before resuming in week five.
As noted above, Tirico is expected to handle the play-by-play duties for the NBC portion of the broadcasts, with Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth expected to do double-duty as the analyst on the five Thursday night games shown by NBC. NBC will also broadcast the NFL’s opening season game Thursday, Sept. 8 between the Carolina Panthers at the Denver Broncos.
CBS has announced no changes to its No. 1 broadcast team that also gets the TNF games: Play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and color analyst Phil Simms. Tracy Wolfson will continue as sideline reporter.
Read the full article in The Hit Job.
? Julian Rogers | Juju Eye Communications | @thejujueye