DanPatrick-related stories
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 1:03PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
What does it say about the state of television broadcasting when the voice of television football is a guy who's voice is indiscernible? Is there really nobody that's filled the void since
John Madden stopped acting out in the booth with the booms and the pows and the turducken and horse trailer references? Afraid so. According to
Sporting News' list of the Top 25 Football Broadcasters in America, CBS football broadcaster
Gary Danielson is number one.
Sporting News used a measuring system based on fan reaction and the input of its reporters and editors (including
SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily), and despite the fact that Danielson's voice is pretty much just like
Bob Griese's (I always confuse the two), he's considered the best because "he explains it before most of us have seen it." That's on target. He is pretty smart, just unmemorable.
Continue reading Who's the top football broadcaster on TV today?
Posted Aug 5th 2009 10:30AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
If you like sports talk in the afternoon and get bored with the countless reruns of breaking news on ESPN's myriad channels, here's some good news. Dan Patrick is back on the air. In daytime, that is, and not on the worldwide leader in sports.
Dan Patrick's radio show began simulcasting on DirecTV this week, bringing the entire DP team and their studio into view.
Broadcasting a radio show on TV is not new, of course. Don Imus did it for years on MSNBC until he put his foot so far in his mouth that he was kicked off the network. And Mike Francesca has a daily radio talk show airing on the Yes network. The idea of watching someone with a microphone in his face and earphones on is not radical.
Continue reading Dan Patrick brings radio to TV
Posted Jul 7th 2009 11:00AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Sports, News, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show
Dan Patrick is taking his radio talk show to TV. Unlike his former ESPN comrade Keith Olbermann, Patrick will thankfully be sticking to sports.
Beginning Monday, August 3rd,
The Dan Patrick Show will air weekday mornings from 9 AM to noon ET/PT on DIRECTV's 101 Network.
According to the network, the show will boast "an unpredictable, anything-can-happen format that will use Patrick's trademark humor and interaction with his production staff to create a unique blend of situational comedy and sports radio commentary."
In other words, he's just going to stick a camera in front of his
radio show. And, considering that show is nationally syndicated across the U.S. and Canada -- including Sirius and XM satellite radio -- you can't blame him for staying with what works.
Continue reading Dan Patrick taking his radio show to DIRECTV
Posted Jun 3rd 2009 12:04PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, Casting, Reality-Free
NBC continues to play musical chairs on
Football Night in America, the network's Sunday night blanket coverage of the NFL including a prime time game. (I'm surprised NBC hasn't added
Jay Leno to the broadcast!) The latest change is an interesting one: Super Bowl winning coach
Tony Dungy is joining the panel and former running back Jerome Bettis is out. What's interesting is that they are two completely different types.
Bettis, whose nickname is "The Bus," is well-known as the smiling winner from the 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl team. He's loud, boisterous and a larger-than-life personality. Dungy, on the other hand, was the architect and head man for the 2007 Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl championship. He is cerebral and thoughtful and the author of a bestselling memoir,
Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life. You could say that the two men are the anti-thesis of each other, which is likely why NBC has made the switch.
Continue reading Dungy in, Bettis Out at NBC's Football Night in America
Posted Sep 3rd 2008 12:24PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, Programming, Casting, Reality-Free
For nearly 20 years, NFL football fans could feast on Sunday games and then flip on ESPN for a complete wrap up on
NFL Prime Time hosted primarily by Chris "Boomer" Berman and Tom Jackson. It was a staple. Then in 2005, ESPN dropped the show.
Now, it's coming back (sort of) and in addition to Boomer and Jackson, John Saunders will be rejoining them, re-creating the original troika from 1987. The essence of
NFL Prime Time will be found in the 7 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter each Sunday during football season. Essentially, they'll be doing what they did on
NFL Prime Time, and in doing so, they'll be taking aim at
NBC's Football Night in America, that network's lead in show for the
Sunday Night Football game.
This should be really interesting because the NBC pre-game show is like Thanksgiving dinner -- loaded with stuffing. They have stars galore, including the recently
added, former ESPN stalwart, Dan Patrick.
Continue reading ESPN takes on NBC Sunday Night Football
Posted Aug 4th 2008 6:23PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: News, Interviews, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free
When I spoke to Keith Olbermann at the press tour a few weeks back, I mainly wanted to get his thoughts about the
comments that Fox News' Chris Wallace made earlier in the tour. Essentially, Wallace said that MSNBC isn't objective in its election coverage because they have commentators like Olbermann -- who are perceived to be "in the tank" for Barack Obama -- serve as anchors.
Olbermann's remarks in response were pointed, to say the least.
But while I had Keith poised in front of my voice recorder, I wanted to ask him some questions about the origin of his Special Comments, how he thinks people determine their perception of each of the news networks, and what it will be like to sit down and do highlights with his old
SportsCenter partner Dan Patrick on NBC's
Football Night in America. The remainder of the interview is after the jump; we pick up with Olbermann talking about Wallace's "In the tank" line.
Continue reading More from Keith Olbermann: Special comments, and reuniting with Dan Patrick
Posted Jul 7th 2008 8:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, Casting, Reality-Free
NBC's
Football Night in America is something like too much of a good thing. The network seems intent on stuffing the Sunday night broadcast with everything but the kitchen sink.
When Tiki Barber retired from the New York Giants, he joined their broadcast. Same thing with Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then
Keith Olbermann, a sports guy before becoming the host of MSNBC's
Countdown, was inserted into the show. And that was on top of the three mainstays Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth and Peter King.
Now, you can add one more star to the constellation.
Dan Patrick is joining Football Night in America. Patrick, formerly the main man at ESPN -- and Keith's longtime partner on
Sports Center as well as Dan's radio show -- will be paired up with Olbermann again and will be slotted in as pre-game show's co-host.
There's no question that Patrick will be an asset. His 18 years at ESPN proved that, and I admired his maverick spirit when he bolted the comforts of Bristol, Connecticut and set up a new deal with his radio show.
Continue reading Dan Patrick reteams with Olbermann on NBC's Football Night in America
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