Sporting News’ Mike McCarthy spoke recently with Fox Sports National Networks President Jamie Horowitz about upcoming programming changes at Fox Sports 1 and 2. Here are some of the initiatives that Horowitz says the network have planned.
— Colin Cowherd To Add a Second TV Show: FS1 airs “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” weekdays from 12p-3p ET, but a second program with Cowherd is in the works. The show is expected to air later in the day. “We’re going to follow the model that Colin and I found successful at ESPN, where he did his radio show in the morning, and ‘SportsNation’ in the afternoon,”.
— Jason Whitlock To Host His Own Show: Whitlock appears as a frequent guest on “The Herd,” but is in “active development” for his own program according to Horowitz. No further details are available at this time.
— Season 3 for Katie Nolan: FS1 has big plans for Nolan, and plans to premiere Season 3 of her late night show, “Garbage Time with Katie Nolan,” on May 3. Her weekly show will air Wednesdays at midnight ET. Horowitz calls Nolan the network’s homegrown superstar.
— Fox Sports Live Gets a Makeover: FS1 created ‘Fox Sports Live,” to counter “SportsCenter”, and brought in Canadian imports Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole to tackle the challenge. However, the show never caught on. Horowitz says FS1 still believes in Jay and Dan, but the program is being adjusted to take advantage of the duo’s free-wheeling style which they often display during their podcasts.
— No Plans To Create Documentaries: Horowitz points out that it took ESPN three decades to launch its highly-acclaimed “30 for 30” documentary series. It has since blossomed. Rather than investing the time and resources into the documentary business, Horowitz feels FS1 has bigger things to focus on before shifting their attention towards additional high-brow programming.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
