The following is some of the sportscasting news that has been making headlines recently. We welcome your news, updates, comments, etc, for a future edition. Please email to LSchwa8918@aol.com.
Lou Schwartz, President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Happy Birthday to Steve Holman, ASA Lifetime Member and longtime radio voice of the Atlanta Hawks, who turns 66 today.
It looks like there might be a major shakeup in the “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth. According to reports, ESPN “will attempt to acquire” legendary voice of NBC’s "Sunday Night Football," Al Michaels. The dream scenario would be to pair the longtime ASA member with former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who is also on ESPN’s wish list now that Tony Romo has agreed to a whopping 10-year, $180 million contract to stay at CBS. ESPN was eager to sign the former Cowboys quarterback for its MNF telecasts but CBS didn’t give them a chance by offering the popular analyst this monumental deal, making him the highest paid analyst in television history.
In honor of International Women’s Day, an all-female crew will broadcast and produce the Blues-Blackhawks game to be aired on NBCSN on March 8. Kate Scott will serve as the play-by-play announcer, with former U.S. defenseman A.J. Mleczko serving as the color analyst. Current Team USA hockey star Kendall Coyne-Schofield will serve as the “Inside the Glass” announcer. Kathryn Tappen will anchor studio coverage with three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jen Botterill. Game production will be led by producer Rene Hatlelid and director Lisa Seltzer.
ESPN extended its contract with Hannah Storm in a multi-year deal. The ASA member and SportsCenter anchor is now in her 12th year with the network.
ASA Member John Leahy has a new podcast, "Airing It Out, Files From Leahy’s Locker Room," available on iTunes , Spotify, and multiple other outlets. It is devoted to everything broadcasting- from his play-by-play experiences, to broadcast fundamentals, to travel, his background, and more.
James Hinchcliffe, part-time INDYCAR driver for Andretti Autosport, is joining NBC Sports as a motor sports analyst for a majority of the network’s 2020 INDYCAR race coverage. He will make his debut at the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 15.
Kimberley A. Martin, former NFL writer for Yahoo Sports, will join ESPN on March 9 as an NFL reporter. Martin will cover the league year-round and contribute to ESPN’s NFL shows, SportsCenter, ESPN.com and more.
Doug Mientkiewicz, Javier Lopez, Gaby Sanchez and Adam Greenberg have been hired by the ACC Network for game and studio analysis of the conference’s season-long baseball action.
Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer, has joined ESPN as a
game analyst. Jones who served as a guest analyst several times last
year, will work primarily on weekday and holiday games.
Melanie Newman, former Salem Red Sox play-by-play announcer, has been named by the Baltimore Orioles to their TV broadcast team.
Marshall Kramsky, ASA Member, is joining MyNBC5 in Burlington, VT, as a sports anchor/reporter.
* * *