The following is some of the sportscasting news that has been making headlines recently. We hope to bring you these updates on a regular basis.
If you have any current sportscasting news, updates, corrections or comments, please email us at LSchwa8918@aol.com.
~ Lou Schwartz, President
Kenny Albert is the definition of versatile broadcaster. The longtime ASA member is the only national network play-by-play announcer doing NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB games. He recently spoke at his alma mater, Syracuse University, and shared his insights and experiences with the students in Professor Dennis Deninger's class of the Newhouse School. Kenny's dad, the great Marv Albert, also attended Syracuse and the Albert tradition continues with Kenny's daughter, Amanda, who is now a student there.
Don Cherry, longtime "Hockey Night in Canada" announcer, was fired by the Canadian broadcasting network Rogers Sportsnet after making controversial comments on his "Coach's Corner" show regarding immigrants and their lack of support for veterans on Canada's Remembrance Day.
Suzy Kolber, one of the original ESPN 2 anchors when it launched in 1993 and the current host of ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown," was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on November 7.
The St. Louis Cardinals have inked a multi-year extension with flagship station KMOX Radio which will keep the team’s games on the station through the 2024 season.
Stephen A. Smith has agreed to a new five-year deal with ESPN, making him the highest paid talent in Bristol at a reported salary of around $8 million per year.
ABC & ESPN have set their XFL TV teams. Steve Levy, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini will call the XFL Kickoff, West Final, Championship and Saturday Games on ABC. Tom Hart, Joey Galloway and Pat McAfee will call Sunday Games on ESPN and ABC. Kickoff is Feb. 8, 2020.
Cris Carter is out at Fox Sports. The Pro Football Hall of Famer and co-host of FS1's "First Things First" has not appeared on the morning show since October 30. There is a report that Carter was suspended pending an investigation and another that said Carter had it out with his FS1 bosses for not being included on Fox's "Thursday Night Football" coverage.
Mike Francesa, sports talk radio pioneer, announced he has agreed to a new deal with radio.com and will be leaving his afternoon show on New York City’s WFAN Radio in December. Francesa, a staple on the afternoon drive since 1989, said he will still be involved with WFAN, just not in his familiar post.
Disappointing news that longtime ASA members Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, two stalwarts of the CBS golf broadcast team, will not return in 2020. Both faced expiring contracts that will not be renewed.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball is discontinuing radio broadcasts in favor of streaming. The change will save the department the five-figure fee it pays for radio. Lifetime ASA member Wayne Larrivee will remain as the play-by-play voice.
Cayleigh Griffin is the new Houston Rockets host/reporter on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
According to sources, ESPN is considering breaking up its “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast team. Sources say Alex Rodriguez is safe, but there is a chance that Matt Vasgersian and Jessica Mendoza will be moving on.
Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco underwent successful surgery recently to remove a large non-cancerous mass from his abdomen and is looking forward to returning to work as soon as possible.
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