Behind the Mic: Marv Albert Re-Ups With Turner; ESPN Lands Charles Woodson, Tracy McGrady
Marv Albert has inked a long-term extension with Turner, While ESPN has landed Charles Woodson and Tracy McGrady as NFL and NBC analysts, respectively. In other news, Verne Lundquist and Jay Bilas are honored with Lifetime Achievement Emmy and Curt Gowdy Media Award
Story Highlights
Earlier this month, Turner Sports reached a long-term contract extension with legendary play-by-play broadcaster Marv Albert, who will continue to lend his iconic voice to the NBA on TNT. Albert will continue announce the network’s signature NBA events including regular season games, NBA All-Star coverage and the NBA Playoffs.
Marv Albert at the 2015 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Ceremony
A Hall of Fame broadcaster, Albert has been associated with the NBA for nearly 50 years and this week’s NBA All-Star Game in Toronto will mark his 21st year providing commentary for the event. Albert is currently in his 18th season as a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on TNT. Albert has won five national Sports Emmy Awards and three locally in New York. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015; the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2014; and was the recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 1997…
… Super Bowl champion, The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner nine-time Pro Bowl defensive back Charles Woodson is joining ESPN as a NFL analyst. The 18-year veteran who played his final NFL season in 2015, will be part of Sunday NFL Countdown and MondayNight Countdown, while making occasional appearances on other ESPN studio shows and platforms. He is expected to make his debut in July.
Woodson played cornerback and safety for the Oakland Raiders (1998-2005 and 2013-15) and Green Bay Packers (2006-12) during his legendary career. He is one of the few players in NFL history to play in a Pro Bowl in three different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s). He was named 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the NFL All-Decade Team (2000s), as well as played in two Super Bowls, XXXVII with the Raiders and Super Bowl XLV as a member of the NFL Champion Packers. The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner and a National Champion at the University of Michigan, Woodson was selected fourth overall by the Raiders in the 1998 NFL Draft. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year…
…ESPN has signed seven-time NBA All-StarTracy McGrady as an NBA analyst. In his new role, McGrady will make regular appearances on The Jump – Rachel Nichols’ new, daily NBA show – beginning Thursday, Feb. 18 – the show’s debut. McGrady’s will generally appear live on the set of The Jump fromESPN Los Angeles Production Center. The Jump will air daily onESPN, Monday through Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET. In addition,McGrady will contribute analysis to news and information programming, including SportsCenter.
McGrady is a two-time NBA scoring champion and was twice named to the All-NBA First Team, in addition to his seven All-Star nods. He was selected 9th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, where he played until 2000. He also had notable stints with the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets. McGrady last played in the NBA during the 2011-12 season for the Atlanta Hawks..
…The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced that Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports’ lead play-by-play announcer for college football and iconic broadcaster of more than twenty different sports, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports at the 37th annual Sports Emmy Awards ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 10…
…Veteran ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas has been named a recipient of the 2016 Curt Gowdy Media Award for his significant contribution to the game of basketball as a member of the electronic media. The award will be given during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement events September 8-10 in Springfield, Mass. Bilas is joined by David Aldridge (print media), a longtime NBA reporter.
…Emmy Award-winning Spanish-language broadcaster Fernando Fiore is crossing over to English-language, joining FOX Sports as a co-host and general contributor for the network’s expanding portfolio of elite, world-class soccer events. The announcement was made today by David Neal, Executive Producer, FIFA World Cup on FOX. Fiore most recently contributed to FOX Sports’ coverage of the CONCACAF Cup in October. Under the multi-year deal, Fiore serves as co-host and general contributor for a multitude of soccer events including the historic 2016 Copa America Centenario, Mexican National Team home matches, the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Fiore’s new role begins Wednesday, Feb. 10, when Mexico, under new coach Juan Carlos Osorio, faces Senegal in primetime on FS1 (8:30 PM ET).
Fiore counts with two Emmys and countless hours covering the largest soccer events in the World. Fiore most recently worked with Univision, handling a wide array of assignments including as a studio host and reporter. During his time with the network, Fiore covered FIFA World Cups, Olympic Games, Copa Libertadores finals, International Championships and multiple high-profile championship boxing bouts. He hosted some of the most recognized programs in Spanish-language television including REPUBLICA DEPORTIVA, Univision’s flagship weekly sports program, TITULARES DEPORTIVOS, EN CALIENTE CON LOS MIAMI HEAT and CAMINO AL MUNDIAL…
… Bob Costas will serve as NBC’s primetime Olympic host for a U.S. television record 11th time when the world’s top athletes gather for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, August 5-21, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Costas has served as primetime host for every Olympics on NBC since 1992, including the 2012 London Games, which is the most-watched television event in U.S. history, reaching 217 million viewers. The Rio assignment is Costas’ seventh as primetime host of a Summer Games – also the most in U.S. television history. This will be Costas’ 12th Olympics for NBC, as he served as NBC’s late night host at the 1988 Seoul Olympics…
…espnW has re-signed versatile writer and commentator Kate Fagan to a new multiyear agreement, which will keep yet another of the brand’s core voices in its ranks. Fagan will continue in her role as a featured reporter and columnist for espnW on multiple ESPN platforms including espnW.com, ESPN TV – including Around the Horn, First Take, His & Hers and others — and she adds two new national ESPN Radio shows to her resume. Fagan will host the new ESPN Radio show, Will & Kate, with ESPN contributor Will Cain, which will launch Sunday, February 15. The program, airing Sundays from 7 – 10 a.m. ET, will take an intellectual look at topical societal issues in sports by hosts who often find their opinions to be at opposite sides of the spectrum. She is also the co-host of espnW’s The Trifecta with Spain, Jane and Kate on ESPN Radio, which debuted January 9 (airing noon – 3 p.m.), alongside fellow espnW writers Jane McManus and Sarah Spain. The show capitalizes on the trio’s chemistry as they discuss the key stories in sports and across society with a distinct perspective that only espnW can provide…
…Michael McCarthy is joining Sporting News as a reporter and producer covering sports, business, media and marketing. McCarthy’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC.com and more. (Adweek)
