Here is the news from Deistch. Its sucks that Musberger is gone from the Primetime games.
Last week ESPN president John Skipper
announced a series of management moves that will have significant impact on how you view ESPN, as well as who you view on the network. For ESPN-ologists, media reporters, and those who work in Bristol, Skipper's memo was the apotheosis of corporate inside baseball. For the rest of you, what matters most is how this group will impact your sports viewing. That's where the name just below Skipper's comes in: John Wildhack, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and production.
Wildhack has added oversight for programming acquisitions, rights holder management and overall scheduling to his previous job, which means both the programming and production departments fall under his umbrella. He is the top decision-maker not named Skipper, who will be deciding ESPN's college football plans next season, and his company is currently contemplating some game-changing talent moves. The catalyst for change: Longtime announcer Brent Musburger turns 75 in May and his current broadcast contract ends three months later.
After speaking with more than a half-dozen television executives and on-air college football staffers on the topic (from inside and outside ESPN) over the last couple of weeks, here is what I have surmised.
• As
first reported by James Andrew Miller, Musburger has been offered the job of lead college football announcer for the upcoming SEC Network, which debuts at the end of August. It is unclear whether Musburger will take that offer, as some sources I spoke with noted he is unhappy with how the process is shaking out. What seems clear is that Musburger is being pulled from the lead announcer spot for ABC's Saturday Night Football, which is ESPN's top game each week. (Musburger, via ESPN PR, turned down an interview request from SI.com. "He isn't doing any interviews on the subject," said an ESPN spokesperson.)
As I've written previously, I think Musburger's performance during Florida State's win over Auburn in the BCS title game, as well as his performance over the last couple of years has earned him at least one of those playoff games. That, alas, is unlikely to happen.
• College GameDay host Chris Fowler is the leading candidate to call ABC's Saturday Night Football game as well as next year's national championship game with Kirk Herbstreit. (The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre
reported on the possibility of Fowler getting the top job last month). He and Herbstreit would also call one of the semifinal games under this scenario. Fowler's contract expires after the World Cup in July -- a key leverage point for Fowler -- and it was not hard to read between the lines what he wanted when I spoke to him a couple of months ago on his ESPN future. "I don't think it is anything secret internally what I want the next for me to be at ESPN," Fowler said. "I don't think that is a mystery given the landscape. It's why GameDay is a unique standalone thing for me. It doesn't act or feel like a studio show. But the live events are the most inspiring, unexplored thing for me. I really have a passion to document live events as they happen. Hosting is wonderful and remains really satisfying but the joy for me is calling big matches"
Here is the stuff Deitsch
Last week ESPN president John Skipper
announced a series of management moves that will have significant impact on how you view ESPN, as well as who you view on the network. For ESPN-ologists, media reporters, and those who work in Bristol, Skipper's memo was the apotheosis of corporate inside baseball. For the rest of you, what matters most is how this group will impact your sports viewing. That's where the name just below Skipper's comes in: John Wildhack, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and production.
Wildhack has added oversight for programming acquisitions, rights holder management and overall scheduling to his previous job, which means both the programming and production departments fall under his umbrella. He is the top decision-maker not named Skipper, who will be deciding ESPN's college football plans next season, and his company is currently contemplating some game-changing talent moves. The catalyst for change: Longtime announcer Brent Musburger turns 75 in May and his current broadcast contract ends three months later.
After speaking with more than a half-dozen television executives and on-air college football staffers on the topic (from inside and outside ESPN) over the last couple of weeks, here is what I have surmised.
• As
first reported by James Andrew Miller, Musburger has been offered the job of lead college football announcer for the upcoming SEC Network, which debuts at the end of August. It is unclear whether Musburger will take that offer, as some sources I spoke with noted he is unhappy with how the process is shaking out. What seems clear is that Musburger is being pulled from the lead announcer spot for ABC's Saturday Night Football, which is ESPN's top game each week. (Musburger, via ESPN PR, turned down an interview request from SI.com. "He isn't doing any interviews on the subject," said an ESPN spokesperson.)
As I've written previously, I think Musburger's performance during Florida State's win over Auburn in the BCS title game, as well as his performance over the last couple of years has earned him at least one of those playoff games. That, alas, is unlikely to happen.
• College GameDay host Chris Fowler is the leading candidate to call ABC's Saturday Night Football game as well as next year's national championship game with Kirk Herbstreit. (The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre
reported on the possibility of Fowler getting the top job last month). He and Herbstreit would also call one of the semifinal games under this scenario. Fowler's contract expires after the World Cup in July -- a key leverage point for Fowler -- and it was not hard to read between the lines what he wanted when I spoke to him a couple of months ago on his ESPN future. "I don't think it is anything secret internally what I want the next for me to be at ESPN," Fowler said. "I don't think that is a mystery given the landscape. It's why GameDay is a unique standalone thing for me. It doesn't act or feel like a studio show. But the live events are the most inspiring, unexplored thing for me. I really have a passion to document live events as they happen. Hosting is wonderful and remains really satisfying but the joy for me is calling big matches"
There are a couple of catches: Some in ESPN management do not want Fowler to host both GameDay
and call a college football game the same night. Herbstreit performs the double as an analyst, but Fowler's responsibility on GameDay are much more demanding than Herbstreit's.
Also, there is the business element. College GameDay is a profitable and marketing behemoth -- one of the most successful things ESPN has ever done -- and there are some who believe changing the talent setup poses significant risks.
• Rece Davis, who currently calls ESPN's Thursday Night Football, is also a candidate for the Musburger spot. His contract is coming up as well, so he has leverage with the network given that he has been an A-plus level performer (and considered a loyal company guy) for many years. If Fowler leaves College GameDay for the ABC announcing role only, Davis is a lock to take over College GameDay. If Fowler does both GameDay and the lead game with Herbstreit, I'd expect Davis to stay with Thursday Night Football. Worth noting is there is also a faction who believe Davis or Joe Tessitore is the better pure college football gamecaller than Fowler. The good news for ESPN is all candidates are excellent and Herbstreit will help ease any transition given his professionalism and preparation.
Read More:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mo...er-davis-musburger-nfl-network/#ixzz2qyVkf8Po
