Behind the Mic: ESPN Scoops Up Landon Donovan for World Cup; CBS Unveils Revamped NFL Talent Lineup

ESPN has landed Landon Donovan as a contributor to its FIFA World Cup coverage. Donovan will contribute analysis from ESPN/ABC studios in Los Angeles. He will preview and analyze the tournament with a particular focus on the U.S. team’s three opening round matches. He will contribute to pre-, halftime and post-match coverage, editions of SportsCenter, World Cup Tonight and other shows. Donovan, who was part of the final cut in May when the 23-man U.S. roster was set for Brazil, is the all-time leader in goals and assists with the U.S. National Team and has played in 12 World Cup games…

…CBS has officially announced its NFL announcer pairings, as Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson (new to the A team) will call the full slate of Thursday Night Football games on CBS and the NFL Network, along with selected Sunday games on CBS.  Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts have been named The NFL on CBS’s No. 2 announce team and will call the network’s top game on Sundays when Nantz and Simms do not call a game. Wolfson, who served as the Network’s lead college football reporter for the past 10 years, will join the lead announce team of Nantz and Simms as the NFL on CBS lead reporter.   In addition to Wolfson, CBS will utilize additional sideline reporters during the season including Jenny Dell and Evan Washburn. Ib addition, Greg Gumbel will team with newcomer Trent Green.  Other new pairings include Kevin Harlan with Rich Gannon, Spero Dedes with Solomon Wilcots, and Andrew Catalon forming a three-man booth with Steve Tasker and Steve Beuerlein.  James Brown once again will anchor the CBS pre-game studio show, THE NFL TODAY, along with analysts Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, and newcomers Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott. Jason La Canfora will continue to serve as the “NFL Insider.”…

…In other CBS Sports news, the network has added Adam Zucker and Allie LaForce to its college football broadcast team. Zucker has been named host of College Football Today studio show, while LaForce joins as lead college football reporter, teaming with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson on the “SEC Game of the Week.” Zucker has been lead anchor for CBS Sports Network hosting myriad studio shows and joined CBS Sports Network in 2003 (then CSTV), shortly after its launch. LaForce joined CBS Sports in 2012 and currently hosts the late night show Lead Off on CBS Sports Network and serves as a college basketball sideline reporter, including working the NCAA Tournament the last two years.  LaForce also was part of CBS Sports Network’s NFL pre-game studio show, That Other Pregame Show, last year…

…FOX Sports has added NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski to the FOX Sports 1 on-air lineup. Wojnarowski is already contributing to Fox Sports Fox Sports Live studio show, and also makes regular appearances on America’s Pregame. As the NBA columnist for Yahoo Sports since 2007, Wojnarowski has established himself as the landscape’s No. 1 NBA insider. His news breaks, insider information and award-winning columns will continue to appear on the Yahoo web platform…

…Fox has also added former NFL offensive lineman David Diehl as an NFL on FOX game analyst.  Diehl played his entire 11-year NFL career with the New York Giants where he started on two Super Bowl championship teams (2008 & 2012)…