College Football This Week on ESPN

Here is the schedule of college football games, along with announcer assignments, this week on the networks of ESPN:

SPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPNEWS and ESPN Radio Schedule

Thu, Sep 19	7:30 p.m.	No. 3 Clemson at NC State TV: Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Ponder Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN & ESPN Radio
		Texas Southern at Jackson State Mark Neely & Jay Walker	ESPNU
Fri, Sep 20	9 p.m.	Boise State at Fresno State Carter Blackburn, Danny Kanell & Allison Williams	ESPN
Sat, Sep 21	Noon	North Carolina at Georgia Tech Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Tom Luginbill	ESPN
		San Jose State at Minnesota Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN2
		Marshall at Virginia Tech Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
		Vanderbilt at Massachusetts Dave Lamont & Ray Bentley	ESPNEWS
		Toledo at Central Michigan Michael Reghi & Doug Graber	ESPN3 & RSN *
		Florida International at No. 7 Louisville	ESPN3 & RSN *
	12:21 p.m.	North Texas at No. 9 Georgia Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC TV *
	12:30 p.m.	Pitt at Duke	ESPN3 & ACC Network *
		Tulane at Syracuse	ESPN3 & RSN *
	1 p.m.	Ball State at Eastern Michigan Dan Gutowsky & Forrest Conoly	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Austin Peay at Ohio Keith Morehouse & Rocky Boiman	ESPN3
		Jacksonville State at Georgia State Roy Philpott & Peter Vaas	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Purdue at No. 24 Wisconsin Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC & ESPN2 **
		Utah State at USC TV: Dave Flemming, David Diaz-Infante & Shelley Smith Radio: Rich Cellini, Tom Ramsey & Dave Shore	ABC & ESPN2 ** & ESPN Radio
		Arkansas at Rutgers Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore & Quint Kessenich	ESPN
		West Virginia vs. Maryland (from Baltimore) Anish Shroff & Kelly Stouffer	ESPNU
		Virginia Military Institute at Virginia Shawn Kenney, Stan Lewter & Angela Mallen	ESPN3
		Murray State at Bowling Green Dave Weekley & John Gregory	ESPN3
		Delaware State at North Dakota State	ESPN3 *
		Tennessee at No. 19 Florida Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN Radio
	4 p.m.	Cincinnati at Miami (Ohio) Jim Barbar, Pete Najarian & Rontina McCann	ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Arkansas State at Memphis Joel Meyers & Kevin O’Connell	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Bethune-Cookman at No. 8 Florida State John Sadak, Al Groh & Tiffany Greene	ESPN3
		Louisiana-Lafayette at Akron Frank Giardina & Jerod Cherry	ESPN3
		Lafayette at Penn	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Colorado State at No. 1 Alabama Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor	ESPN2
		SMU at No. 10 Texas A&M Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Dawn Davenport	ESPNU
		Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois Mike Couzens & Bob Chmeil	ESPN3
		Savannah State at No. 16 Miami (Fla.) Drew Fellios, Cory Chavous & Steffi Sorensen	ESPN3
		Morgan State at Western Kentucky Trey Bender & Brian Kinchen	ESPN3
		Montana State at Stephen F. Austin	ESPN3 *
	7:30 p.m.	Troy at Mississippi State	ESPN3 & RSN *
		Midwestern State at West Georgia	ESPN3 *
	7:45 p.m.	Auburn at No. 6 LSU Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ESPN
	8 p.m.	Kansas State at Texas Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox	ABC & ESPN3
		No. 15 Michigan at Connecticut Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Shannon Spake	ABC & ESPN3
		Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech	ESPN3
	10:15 p.m.	Utah at BYU Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Lewis Johnson	ESPN2
		Wyoming at Air Force Joe Davis & Dan Hawkins	ESPNU

Sports Media Digest- September 6, 2013

ESPN Radio Preps for New Late Afternoon Line-Up

ESPN Radio announced today its is revamping its late weekday line-up.

Parts of the new schedule will launch on Monday when Sedano & Stink, hosted by Jorge Sedano and Mark Schlereth, debuts at 7:00 p.m. ET.  Also debuting September 9th will be The Freddie Coleman Show at 10 p.m.

The other part of the new schedule debuts September 30th at 4:00p.m. ET when The Dan LeBatard Show makes its national debut from Miami.  LeBetard will continue to host his local radio show for one hour at 3:00p.m. ET and continue to host Highly Questionable on ESPN2 weekdays at 4 p.m.

Don Shula Next Profile of NFLN’s A Football Life

The NFL Network (NFLN) is producing a new series of A Football Life documentaries this fall, beginning with a look back at the career of Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula.

Don Shula: A Football Life debuts next Tuesday, September 10th at 9:00p.m. ET.

Following each new episode this season will be A Football Life: Backstory, hosted by Jenn Brown, which will provide a deeper look into the lives and stories surrounding each subject, features interviews with relevant individuals, and includes material that did not make the final edition of each A Football Life episode.  Tuesday’s premier of A Football Life: Backstory airs at 10:00p.m. ET.

22 episodes of A Football Life will be produced this season.  Additional subjects profiled this season on A Football Life include:

• NFL Films president Steve Sabol
• Legendary broadcaster Pat Summerall
• Hall of Fame defensive tackle and current NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp
• Super Bowl-champion defensive end Michael Strahan
• Hall of Fame wide receivers Jerry Rice & Cris Carter
• Former Pro Bowl quarterback Randall Cunningham
• The 1993 Houston Oilers

Social Inclusion and Acceptance through Sports part of ESPN/Disney Special Olympics Partnership

The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Special Olympics today announced a two-year multi-million dollar financial and in-kind investment to promote an environment of social inclusion and acceptance, by uniting people with and without intellectual disabilities through the Special Olympics Unified Sports program.

A portion of the new funds will be directed to Special Olympics Programs around the world to help grow Unified Sports initiatives, as well as to enhance Special Olympics Unified Sports branding and marketing initiatives to increase awareness of the program.

“We’re proud to play a leading role in this global initiative to encourage social inclusion through sports.” said John Skipper, ESPN President, Co-Chairman of Disney Media Networks, “We’re inspired by the tremendous work done all over the world by Special Olympics through Unified Sports. Inclusion and acceptance are values that our company stands for and I know our employees will passionately support this wonderful effort.”

“We are thrilled that Disney and ESPN recognize the power of Special Olympics Unified Sports and want to support the growth of our program that creates a level playing field in schools and communities throughout the world.” said Tim Shriver, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Special Olympics. “Our movement is a social revolution using sports to achieve our goals and Unified Sports is our path to creating communities that are accepting and inclusive.”

ESPN Adds Heart of Dallas Bowl to College Bowl Inventory

ESPN announced today that ESPN Regional Television has acquired the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

The network will work with the Heart of Dallas charitable organization in its continuing efforts in the local Dallas community. As the only bowl that is named for a charity, the game will still be the Heart of Dallas Bowl presented by PlainsCapital Bank and will continue to commit resources to support local charities. The 2014 game will kickoff at noon ET on Wednesday, Jan. 1, with schools from Conference USA and the Big Ten Conference.

“This is a great day for the City of Dallas and the Heart of Dallas organization,” said Britton Banowsky, Heart of Dallas founder (and commissioner of Conference USA). “Working with ERT and partner conferences, we will be able to continue this bowl game in Dallas for many years to come. It also ensures that our mission to give back to the community will be funded well into the future. We are proud of the work we put into last year’s game and are confident that ERT will be able take it to the next level.”

“A bowl game in the historic Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day that benefits worthy charities in Dallas is a unique opportunity that we could not pass up,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ERT. “We look forward to hosting great bowl matchups that will generate revenue for the Heart of Dallas and their beneficiaries.”

Sports Media Digest- September 4, 2013

Dial Global Returns to WestwoodOne Moniker

Dial Global radio announced today that it is changing its name to WestwoodOne, a name once synonymous with network radio until it merged with Dial Global in 2011.

Programming on the network will not change, with 225 million listeners still gaining access to he NFL, Olympic Games, Barclays Premier League, and the Grammy Awards.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished as Dial Global.  Through our belief in the power of sound we are dedicated to continuously reinventing the industry and creating the most dynamic audio programming that connects people to their passions,” said Paul Caine, CEO of Dial Global. “With the audio industry’s ever-changing landscape we know we’ve just scratched the surface of what’s possible for audio’s broad consumption. By reclaiming and reviving an iconic audio brand name, we are not changing who we are, but accelerating the great work we are doing to contribute to the growth of audio.”

Country Star Gretchen Wilson to be Part of ESPN’s NASCAR Chase Coverage

ESPN announced today that Grammy Award-winning Country artist Gretchen Wilson will be featured in ESPN’s telecasts of the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Wilson will narrate and appear in the opening teases of the telecasts of the 10 races, with each tease tailored to the racetrack hosting that week’s event. Her music will also be featured through the entire Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on ESPN.

“Just as NASCAR appeals to a great cross-section of American people, the same can be said for Gretchen Wilson’s blend of song and attitude that has made her an icon of the music industry for the past decade,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “We look forward to showcasing her music and personality during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.”

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be associated with NASCAR and ESPN as we begin the Chase,” said Wilson. “Many of the fans who show up at our concerts on Saturday nights are watching the races on Sundays. I’m honored to be a part of this great American tradition and look forward to seeing the fans at some races this fall.”

Battle 4 Atlantis Hoops Tourney To Air on ESPN

ESPN announced today that it has reached a new multiyear agreement for media rights to the Battle 4 Atlantis men’s college basketball tournament starting in 2014.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to offer exclusive telecasts of six Battle 4 Atlantis matchups annually, including two quarterfinals, the semifinals, the third place game and championship. Battle 4 Atlantis features eight teams playing in a 12-game tournament format in a temporary stadium with state-of-the-art regulation facilities.

“Battle 4 Atlantis has quickly become one of the premier early-season tournaments in college basketball,” said Nick Dawson, senior director, ESPN programming and acquisitions. “We’re thrilled to bring it to the ESPN networks and know it will be a must watch for fans.”

George Markantonis, president & managing director, Atlantis, Paradise Island, added, “We are excited about our new relationship with ESPN to televise the 2014-2016 Battle 4 Atlantis tournaments, allowing us to share this sports experience with millions of fans.”

This Week’s Covers of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated will have two covers available regionally this week:

College Football This Week on ESPN

Here is the college football line-up this week on the networks of ESPN:

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPNEWS, Longhorn Network and ESPN Radio Schedule

Fri, Sep 6	8 p.m.	Wake Forest at Boston College Carter Blackburn, Danny Kanell & Allison Williams	ESPN2
Sat, Sep 7	Noon	No. 12 Florida at Miami (Fla.) Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Tom Luginbill	ESPN
		Cincinnati at Illinois Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore & Quint Kessenich	ESPN2
		South Florida at Michigan State Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
		Eastern Kentucky at No. 8 Louisville Dave Weekley, John Gregory & Rotina McCann	ESPN3
		Bowling Green at Kent State Michael Reghi & Doug Graber	ESPN3 *
		Miami (Ohio) at Kentucky	ESPN3 & RSN *
		Houston at Temple Eamon McAnaney, Anthony Becht & Brooke Weisbrod	ESPN3 & RSN *
		Clark Atlanta at West Alabama	ESPN3
	12:21 p.m.	Western Kentucky at Tennessee Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC TV *
	12:30 p.m.	Middle Tennessee at North Carolina	ESPN3 & ACC Network *
		South Carolina State at No. 4 Clemson	ESPN3 & RSN *
	1 p.m.	Army at Ball State Trey Bender & Mark Herrmann	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	Western Carolina at Virginia Tech John Sadak, John Bunting & Cat Whitehill	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Maine at Massachusetts Bob Picozzi & Brian Kinchen	ESPN3
		Tennessee-Chattanooga at Georgia State Dave Popkin & Stan Lewter	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Tennessee-Martin at Boise State Jim Barbar & Kevin O’Connell	ESPN3
		New Hampshire at Central Michigan Wayne Randazzo & Dustin Fox	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	San Diego State at No. 3 Ohio State Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Shannon Spake	ABC & ESPN2 **
		No. 2 Oregon at Virginia Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC & ESPN2 **
		Toledo at Missouri Anish Shroff & Kelly Stouffer	ESPNU
		Alcorn State at Mississippi State Mike Morgan, Cole Cubelic & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN3 *
	4 p.m.	Old Dominion at Maryland Beth Mowins & Joey Galloway	ESPNEWS
	4:30 p.m.	No. 6 South Carolina at No. 11 Georgia Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ESPN
		Duke at Memphis Joel Meyers & Al Groh	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Ferris State at North Dakota State	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Richmond at NC State Shawn Kenney, KC Keeler & Sarah Stankavidge	ESPN3
		James Madison at Akron Frank Giardina & Jerrod Cherry	ESPN3
		Furman at Coastal Carolina	ESPN3
		Wofford at Citadel	ESPN3
		Alabama State at Jackson State Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPN3 ^
	7 p.m.	No. 15 Texas at BYU Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor	ESPN2 & Longhorn Network
		UAB at No. 9 LSU Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Dawn Davenport	ESPNU
		North Texas at Ohio Keith Morehouse & Peter Vaas	ESPN3
		Nicholls State at Western Michigan Dan Gutowsky & Forrest Connoly	ESPN3
		Prairie View A&M at Texas State Brock Bowling & Jay Taylor	ESPN3
		Savannah State at Troy Drew Fellios & Roland Williams	ESPN3
		Grambling State at Louisiana-Monroe Roy Philpott & Barrett Brooks	ESPN3
		Southeast Missouri State at Ole Miss	ESPN3
		Samford at Arkansas	ESPN3
		Sam Houston State at No. 7 Texas A&M	ESPN3
		South Dakota at Kansas	ESPN3
		Monmouth at Liberty	ESPN3
	7:30 p.m.	Arkansas State at Auburn	ESPN3 & RSN *
		Austin Peay at Vanderbilt Matt Stewart, Chris Doering & Angela Mallen	ESPN3 & RSN *
	8 p.m.	No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 17 Michigan Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox	ESPN
		Montana State at SMU Tyler Denning & Pete Najarian	ESPN3
	10 p.m.	Cal Poly at Fresno State Peter Young & Corey Chavous	ESPN3
	10:30 p.m.	Washington State at No. 25 USC Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN Radio

Sports Media Digest- September 3, 2013

NBCSN to Debut New Weekly NFL Studio Show

The abundance of NFL studio shows continues to grow as NBC announced today that a new show will soon launch on the NBC Sports Network.

FNIA Coach’s Clicker will debut Wednesday, September 11th at 6:30p.m. ET with Liam McHugh hosting and Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison providing an in-depth preview of the upcoming week’s biggest games, including the Sunday Night Football contest.

“Every week, FNIA Coach’s Clicker will provide the deepest dive on the biggest games of the week,” said Sam Flood, executive producer, NBC Sports & NBCSN. “Tony, Rodney and Liam will take NFL fans inside the film room to break down the most critical Xs-and-Os elements of the upcoming week. While NFL Turning Point looks back at the most critical moments of the previous week’s biggest games, FNIA Coach’s Clicker will look ahead.”

Colin’s New Football Show Debuts September 8th

ESPN announced today that the new football show featuring ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd will debut this Sunday at 9:00a.m. ET on ESPN2.

Colin’s New Football Show is a 60-minute program where Cowherd discusses the college and NFL stories of the week.

“Colin’s New Football Show will be entirely from Colin’s perspective,” said Jamie Horowitz, vice president, original programming and production.  “It’s a cool and alternative pregame show with Colin, a football outsider on the inside, letting fans know the key stories of the day in his own style.”

Cowherd added, “This won’t be your typical pregame show because I’m hosting it and I’ve never played in the league and I don’t even know that many people who did play in the league. We know what we are, and what we’re not. And we’re not going to take ourselves too seriously.  The show is me and smart, funny guys hopefully coming on the show and making it better. I’m really excited for it.”

NBA TV has Exclusive Coverage of Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

NBA TV will have exclusive coverage of this weekend’s Basketball Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony from Springfield, MA.

The telecast will begin at 2:00p.m. ET with the induction of NBA stars Gary Payton and Bernard King; ABA legend Roger Brown; 30-year NBA executive and former President of USA Basketball Russ Granik; six-time NBA All-Star and 1968 NBA Coach of the Year Richard Guerin;  basketball pioneer Dr. E.B. Henderson; University of Houston five-time NCAA Final Four head coach Guy Lewis; college coaching legend and three-time National Coach of the Year Sylvia Hatchell; two-time NCAA champion and seven-time NCAA Final Four head coach Rick Pitino; one of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players Oscar Schmidt; five-time WNBA All-Star Dawn Staley; and UNLV coaching legend and 1990 NCAA Champion Jerry Tarkanian.

Latest Edition of Fox Sports’ Being to Spotlight NYPD Football Team

The next installment of Fox Sports’ Being: series will take a look at the New York City Police Department football team.

Being: The Finest will debut Tuesday, September 10th at 9:00p.m. ET.  The program follows the New York City Police Department’s semi-professional football team from the beginning of its season in April through its regular-season finale against The Bravest, the New York City Fire Department’s squad, in the Fun City Bowl at Hofstra University on June 2. The documentary is narrated by Tony Hernandez, the club’s general manager and an active NYPD narcotics detective.

“The bonds that grow between cops are strong,” Hernandez said. “Our team uses football to make them even stronger. We work together. We play together. We sacrifice together. You never know when life is going to throw you something nasty, something unfair. I like to think our team, our brotherhood, makes it a little easier to deal with at all.”

The Dino Costa Show Changing Time and Channel on SiriusXM Radio

SiriusXM Radio announced today that The Dino Costa Show  is moving to a new time and channel on the SiriusXM platform.

Starting this Thursday the program will be heard on SiriusXM Sports Zone (Sirius channel 92, XM channel 208) from 7:00a.m. to 11:00a.m. ET. Previously The Dino Costa Show was on nightly as part of the line-up on  SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel.

“When I joined SiriusXM nearly five years ago, my objective was to deliver listeners across North America a brand of sports commentary and opinion that they had never heard before, something that was a radical departure from the status quo,” said Costa.  “I feel I have accomplished that and gained a more than appreciable audience over that time.  Creating and delivering the kind of a show I do would not have been possible anyplace other than SiriusXM and it is an honor and a privilege to be with what I consider to be the mightiest radio broadcaster on planet earth.  I enjoyed my time with Mad Dog Sports Radio and now I look forward to new challenges and conquests and feel more enthused than ever at the prospects of making SiriusXM Sports Zone a destination channel for our valued subscribers. This is the start of something very big!”

Russo Re-Signs with SiriusXM, Adds MLB Network Radio Duties

SiriusXM Radio announced today it has re-signed popular sports talk show host Chris “Mad Dog’ Russo for a three year deal that will keep him exclusively on SiriusXM on the Mad Dog Sports Radio channel. He will continue to host his daily show, Mad Dog Unleashed, weekday afternoons on Mad Dog Sports Radio, SiriusXM channel 86.  Starting in September, with the beginning of NFL season, the show will air daily from 3:00-6:00pm ET/12:00-3:00pm PT.

In addition, Russo will also appear regularly on the MLB Network Radio Channel on the SiriusXM network.  Russo will host a new weekday baseball show launching in the spring of 2014, in addition to appearing across its studio programming. The show will be produced by MLB Network and simulcast on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning studio show “MLB Tonight” is currently simulcast on MLB Network Radio on weekdays at 6:00 p.m. ET.

“I’ve always loved the on-air freedom that comes with being on SiriusXM,” said Russo.  “I can do the kind of show here that I wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else and I’m fortunate to be able to continue to give my listeners my kind of sports talk radio each and every day on Mad Dog Unleashed.  I’ll also get to emphasize my passion for baseball with my new role on MLB Network Radio and MLB Network, where I’ll be talking to dyed-in-the-wool baseball fans like me throughout the year.  This is a terrific opportunity that allows me to do what I do best, while also reaching new audiences.”

“Chris is a one-of-a-kind sports radio talent, one of the best in the history of the medium, and we’re very pleased to keep him on SiriusXM for years to come,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer.  “Our listeners will continue to get his unique style of sports talk – the biting commentary, the high profile interviews, the great rants – on a daily basis.  And by expanding his role to the MLB Network Radio channel, we can better showcase his passion for baseball and his extraordinary knowledge of the sport.  This will enhance our overall sports programming and increase his reach, and will be a benefit to both Chris and our listeners.”

“Chris Russo is one of the top sports voices in the country and he will be a terrific addition to our unparalleled roster of on-air talent,” said Tony Petitti, President and CEO of MLB Network. “Expanding MLB Network’s live programming has been a continued goal since our launch in 2009, and we look forward to bringing his refreshing take on baseball to MLB Network’s weekday lineup in 2014.”

Sports Media Digest- August 20, 2013

CBS Sports Network Acquires Rights to Athletic American Conference Football and Basketball

With its split this year from the Big East, the new American Athletic Conference has a new TV right home with the CBS Sports Network through a sub-licensing deal with ESPN.

The deal, which begins with the 2013-14 college basketball season and continues through 2019-20, calls for 30 men’s basketball games per year, except for the first year, which calls for 25 games. CBS Sports Network also will telecast a minimum of 13, and maximum of 15 football games beginning with the 2014 season.

“We are pleased and excited about this ESPN-CBS agreement, which provides our member institutions unprecedented national exposure on the industry leaders in college sports,” said American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco. “CBS Sports Network is another outstanding national platform for our schools, and we thank ESPN for its role in making this agreement possible. We look forward to giving our fans the best seat in the house as we compete on the biggest stage in college sports in this, our inaugural season as the American, and for many years to come.”

“This deal adds high quality college football and basketball games to CBS Sports Network’s already extensive line-up of live event programming,” said David Berson, President, CBS Sports. “We’re proud to extend our relationship with the American Athletic Conference and look forward to showcasing exciting action on CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network beginning this season.”

Waddle Joins ESPN Radio as NFL Analyst

ESPN Radio announced that it has hired Chicago-based talk radio host Tom Waddle to a multi-year agreement to provide analysis during the national Football Sunday on ESPN Radio program, beginning September 8 at 1 p.m.

The former Bears wide receiver will also appear on Sunday editions of SportsCenter and on ESPN2’s Cowherd on Football (9 a.m.), the new hour-long program focusing on both college and pro football discussion and commentary with host Colin Cowherd.

Waddle will continue his hosting duties on ESPN Radio Chicago.

CBS Sports Network Unveils Cast for NFL Pre-Game Show

CBS Sports today provided more details to its plan to produce a NFL pre-game show on the CBS Sports Network.

The program, entitled That Other Pregame Show, will debut at 9:00am ET on September 8th.

Adam Schein will host with analysis from former NFL player  Bart Scott, long-time Oakland Raiders executive Amy Trask, CBS Sports Radio’s Brandon Tierney, CBSSports.com fantasy analyst Nathan Zegura and Lead Off’s Allie LaForce reporting.

Contributions will also be made from the cast of CBS’ NFL Today; Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher, as well as host James Brown and Insider Jason La Canfora. CBS Sports’ NFL on CBS announcers will appear regularly from their game sites including Phil Simms, Dan Fouts, Dan Dierdorf, Rich Gannon, Solomon Wilcots, Steve Tasker and Steve Beuerlein.

The show will incorporate social media interaction with the last hour of the show centered on Fantasy Football picks as fans set their line-ups each week.

“In today’s television landscape, there is certainly room for another pregame show if that show offers a unique approach and perspective,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “That Other Pregame Show will accomplish that, as we combine all the assets of CBS Sports including CBS Sports Radio and CBSSports.com, creating a show focusing on the fans and how they consume football.”

ESPN.com Assigns Beat Writers to Each NFL Team

ESPN.com has announced that it now will have beat coverage for every team in the NFL as part of its expansion of its NFL Nation Network.

Each of the 32 NFL Nation reporters will contribute multiple daily reports – including news, commentary, analysis, audio and video. In addition to their work on ESPN.com, NFL Nation reporters will contribute to other ESPN platforms, includingNFL Live, NFL Insiders, SportsCenter and other television shows, ESPN Radio national and local affiliate programs, ESPN Audio podcasts, ESPN The Magazine and more.

Here is the list of reporters or each NFL team:

ESPN.com NFL Nation reporters (and previous affiliation):

Baltimore Ravens: Jamison Hensley (ESPN AFC North blogger)

Buffalo Bills: Mike Rodak (ESPN Boston)

Carolina Panthers: David Newton (ESPN NASCAR writer) *

Chicago Bears: Michael C. Wright (ESPN Chicago)

Cincinnati Bengals: Coley Harvey (Orlando Sentinel)

Dallas Cowboys: Todd Archer (ESPN Dallas)

Denver Broncos: Jeff Legwold (Denver Post)

Green Bay Packers: Rob Demovsky (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Houston Texans: Tania Ganguli (Houston Chronicle)

Indianapolis Colts: Mike Wells (Indianapolis Star)

Miami Dolphins: James Walker (ESPN AFC East blogger)

Minnesota Vikings: Ben Goessling (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

New England Patriots: Mike Reiss (ESPN Boston)

New York Giants: Dan Graziano (ESPN NFC East blogger)

New York Jets: Rich Cimini (ESPN New York)

Oakland Raiders: Paul Gutierrez (CSNBayArea.com)

Philadelphia Eagles: Phil Sheridan (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Pittsburgh Steelers: Scott Brown (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

St. Louis Rams: Nick Wagoner (StLouisRams.com)

San Francisco 49ers: Bill Williamson (ESPN AFC West blogger)

Seattle Seahawks: Terry Blount (ESPN NASCAR writer) *

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Pat Yasinskas (ESPN NFC South blogger)

Tennessee Titans: Paul Kuharsky (ESPN AFC South blogger)

Washington Redskins: John Keim (Washington Examiner and Washington Post)

 

New roles have also been created for two current NFL Nation bloggers:

Mike Sando (NFC West blogger): ESPN Insider NFL columnist

Kevin Seifert (NFC North blogger): NFL Nation national writer

 

MLB and SiriusXm Extend Rights Agreement

SiriusXM Radio and Major League Baseball have signed a six-year extension of their rights agreement.  The deal will now make MLB game broadcasts available on both Sirius and XM satellite radios, starting today.

SiriusXM has been a broadcast partner with Major League Baseball since 1995.  SiriusXM will continue to air live play-by-play of every regular and postseason MLB game, as well as select spring training and Spanish-language game broadcasts, through the 2021 season.  The service is available to subscribers with Sirius radios on either a Premier or All Access package.  All MLB games will continue to air on all XM radios.

“Baseball has been an essential part of our programming lineup and we’re very happy to extend our relationship with MLB to deliver the games to our subscribers for many years to come,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer.  “We’re especially pleased to now offer the games to SiriusXM subscribers whether they listen through Sirius radios, XM radios, the SiriusXM App or online.”

“SiriusXM has been a valuable partner providing our fans with the ability to listen to every MLB game on the growing platform of satellite radio,” said Tim Brosnan, MLB Executive Vice President, Business.  “We are proud that Major League Baseball content has been an important contributor to the growth of satellite radio and we look forward to continuing this relationship into the next decade.”

ESPN Radio’s Coverage of the NBA

ESPN Audio today released its schedule of NBA games it will telecast this season.

ESPN Audio will broadcast 27 regular season games, including the All-Star Game.  Here is the schedule:

2013-14 ESPN Audio NBA Schedule

Date	Game
Tues, Oct. 29	Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
Weds, Dec. 25	Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks
	Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers
Thurs, Jan. 9	Miami Heat at New York Knicks
Thurs, Jan. 16	Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets
Thurs, Jan. 23	Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat
Sun, Jan. 26	San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
	Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks
Thurs, Jan 30	Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
Thurs, Feb. 7	San Antonio Spurs at Brooklyn Nets
Sun, Feb. 9	New York Knicks at Oklahoma City Thunder
	Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers
Thurs, Feb. 13	Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
Fri, Feb. 14	BBVA Rising Stars Challenge
Sat, Feb. 15	Meet the All Stars
	All-Star Saturday Night
Sun, Feb. 16	63rd NBA All-Star Game
Sun, Feb. 23	Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder
	Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
Sun, March 2	New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls
Thurs, March 6	Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
Sun, March 9	Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls
	Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
Sun, March 16	Houston Rockets at Miami Heat
Tues, March 25	Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks
Tues, April 1	Houston Rockets at Brooklyn Nets
Sun, April 6	New York Knicks at Miami Heat
	Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers
Tues, April 8	Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers
Sun, April 13	Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks
Tues, April 15	Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers

ESPN Audio Announces College Football and NFL Fall Tour

ESPN Audi announced that its ESPN Radio personalities will take part in a tour of college football and NFL match-ups this fall.

Here is the schedule:

2013 ESPN Audio Fall Football Tour Schedule Date Show Broadcast Venue (Location) Game Previewed Fri, Sept 6 Mike & Mike MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets Mon, Sept 9 SVP & Russillo The Hamilton (Washington, D.C.) Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins Fri, Oct 4 Mike & Mike TBD (Evanston, Ill.) Ohio State at Northwestern Mon, Oct 7 The Herd TBD (Atlanta, Ga.) New York Jets at Atlanta Falcons Fri, Oct 11 The Herd TBD (Dallas, Texas) Texas vs Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl) Fri, Oct 18 Mike & Mike TBD (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers Mon, Oct 28 Mike & Mike TBD (St. Louis, Mo.) Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams Fri, Nov 15 The Herd TBD (Los Angeles, Calif.) Stanford at USC Fri, Nov 22 SVP & Russillo TBD (Baton Rouge, La.) Texas A&M at LSU