Behind The Mic: Katie Nolan Developing ESPN Podcast, Digital Show; Panthers TE Greg Olsen Enters Fox Booth on Bye Week

Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, Emmy winning Katie Nolan returns with a yet-to-be-named ESPN podcast, Fox Sports adds Carolina Panther tight end Greg Olsen as game analyst, Charlie Weis joins SiriusXM’s roster, famed U.S. Olympic medalist Bode Miller joins NBC’s Winter Olympics plans, and more.

…Emmy winning Katie Nolan will return to the airwaves with a yet-to-be-named ESPN podcast, launching Jan. 10th. Also in process with the ESPN team to develop her own digital show, Nolan will contribute to multiple digital platforms and regularly lend her perspective to additional studio show appearances. Last month, ESPN announced it had hired Nolan away from Fox Sports. Nolan will also continue to appear on various ESPN programs, as she has done already over the past month….

….On the heels of pairing the NFL’s famous twins, Tiki and Ronde Barber in the broadcast booth earlier this season, Fox Sports adds Carolina Panther tight end Greg Olsen Sunday, Nov. 19 as game analyst. Olsen joins Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver, as the Los Angeles Rams visit the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The addition of Olsen to the broadcast booth occurs for one game only, Week 11, during his team’s bye week. This marks the third time in the network’s history that an active NFL player steps into the booth as a full game analyst during the regular season, succeeding Matt Hasselbeck (2014) and Marcus Allen (1994). Olsen was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2007 NFL Draft as the 31st pick overall. After four strong seasons, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2011….

…Longtime NFL coach Charlie Weis will be joining SiriusXM’s roster of NFL analysts on the SiriusXM NFL Radio channel. Weis will debut on November 10 and can be heard every Friday on Airing It Out with co-host Bruce Murray (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET).  Weis won three Super Bowls as a highly respected offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), and a fourth title as an assistant coach with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells (XXV). He also served as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs…

…Bode Miller, the most decorated skier in U.S. Olympic history, will join NBC Olympics’ alpine skiing team for its Winter Games coverage in PyeongChang, South Korea. Miller makes his NBC Olympics debut as an analyst, alongside alpine skiing voice Dan Hicks, former World Cup skier and on-course reporter Steve Porino, and reporter Heather Cox. Miller worked with NBC Sports on its alpine skiing coverage for six events last season…

…ESPN has signed sports broadcaster, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author Mark Kriegel to a new multi-year deal. Kriegel, a widely respected, seasoned sports media talent, will make his ESPN television debut this Saturday November 11 on Top Rank on ESPN alongside Teddy Atlas, when Artur Beterbiev and Enrico Koelling battle for the vacant International Boxing Federation light heavyweight title. In addition to his on-air boxing analyst duties, Kriegel will do long-form story-telling, and video and print essays, on a wide array of subjects, including boxing and the NBA.  His contributions will appear on a variety of ESPN platforms including ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine and numerous television networks as a commentator. Kriegel is an Emmy Award winning television broadcaster and journalist…

….MSG Networks announced that UFC star and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman will join the network as a special guest contributor. The Baldwin, NY native and current Long Island resident is a lifelong New York Sports fan, and has previous on-air experience with Fox as an MMA correspondent. Weidman will make numerous appearances as a contributor and on-air talent on multiple platforms for MSG Networks including MSG, MSG+, MSGNetworks.com, and social media channels in the coming months. Weidman, a former Hofstra University All-American wrestler, shocked the world when he stepped into the UFC Octagon in 2013 and knocked out the legendary Anderson Silva, who was regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all-time, to claim the middleweight championship…

…Current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, former middleweight champion Chris Weidman and retired contender Kenny Florian served as Fox Sports desk analysts with host Karyn Bryant live from New York City for UFC 217: BISPING VS. GSP. UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier joined analyst Joe Rogan and blow-by-blow announcer Jon Anik live from Madison Square Garden. Reporter Megan Olivi interviewed fighters on-site. UFC bantamweight Erik “Goyito” Perez, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Victor Davila called the Spanish language telecast on Fox Deportes.  Hosts Florian and Cormier previewed UFC 217 and interviewed headliners Bisping and St-Pierre, as well as Garbrandt, Dillashaw and Jedrzejczyk. The UFC 217 WEIGH-IN SHOW took place on Friday, Nov. 3 (6:00 p.m. ET) on FS1 with host Bryant while analysts Woodley, Weidman and Florian were previewing the upcoming fights….