Sportscenter is Shrinking From Three Hours to Two During the Day, and Here’s the New Lineup That ESPN Will Announce Next Month
Sportscenter is getting its first big overhaul since 2008 – when the network announced the Josh Elliott-Hannah Storm morning pairing – and an announcement is expected next month.
Multiple sources have leaked some of the details to us, and even though ESPN won’t confirm any of them, we’re confident the following will be announced at some point in March. Ty Duffy already broke some Sportscenter news back in November when he reported that Lindsay Czarniak had taken over the 6 pm Sportscenter. She’s considered ESPN’s biggest rising star by those at the network.
* Daytime Sportscenter is shrinking from 3 hour blocks to 2 hour blocks.
* The new daytime “teams” are as follows
9 am – 11 am – Hannah Storm and Kevin Negandhi
11 am – 1 pm – Chris McKendry and Jay Crawford
1 pm – 3 pm – Sage Steele and David Lloyd
The new Sportscenter weekend morning team: Sara Walsh and Bram Weinstein
Sources say the moves were made to improve chemistry in some blocks, but more importantly with an eye on the Fall, as Fox Sports begins phase one of its quest to compete with ESPN. So Fox, what’s your move – are you going to go wall-to-wall with news, or try to come up with original programming? A word to the wise – the debate format is played out.
Related: Would Jay Williams Leave ESPN? His Contract is Up at the End of March, Sources Say
Related: Bob Knight’s ESPN Contract is Up at Season’s End, and Almost Everyone Thinks He’s Done at ESPN
- The Wayne Fontes Safari on Jalen Rose Leaving Numbers Never Lie, Jemele Hill in as New Co-Host
- Shining Base Path on Jalen Rose Leaving Numbers Never Lie, Jemele Hill in as New Co-Host
- A.P. on Peyton Manning Loves Football So Much He'll Even Play Pass Rusher
- Flaccid Indigestion on Jalen Rose Leaving Numbers Never Lie, Jemele Hill in as New Co-Host
- Shining Base Path on Peyton Manning Loves Football So Much He'll Even Play Pass Rusher
90 Responses to “Sportscenter is Shrinking From Three Hours to Two During the Day, and Here’s the New Lineup That ESPN Will Announce Next Month”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
![ESPN Tried Very Hard to Lure Seth Meyers to Host a Late-Night Sports TV Show. Who Will ESPN Make a Run at Next? [Media]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13686667190-thumb0.jpg)
ESPN Tried Very Hard to Lure Seth Meyers to Host a Late-Night Sports TV Show. Who Will ESPN Make a Run at Next? [Media]![Keenan Allen, 3rd Round Draft Pick of San Diego, Wore a Raiders Hat in Public. Chargers Fans Are Pissed [NFL]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13690850061-thumb1.png)
Keenan Allen, 3rd Round Draft Pick of San Diego, Wore a Raiders Hat in Public. Chargers Fans Are Pissed [NFL]![NBC Sports is Already Blowing Up The Crossover, and Michelle Beadle is Going to Host the Show Alone [Media]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13688089802-thumb2.png)
NBC Sports is Already Blowing Up The Crossover, and Michelle Beadle is Going to Host the Show Alone [Media]![Bashing Sam Presti? Did Everyone Forget Russell Westbrook WAS INJURED? [NBA]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13687202723-thumb3.jpg)
Bashing Sam Presti? Did Everyone Forget Russell Westbrook WAS INJURED? [NBA]![Clayton Kershaw Threw 130 Pitches in His Last Start, Should Dodgers Fans be Concerned? [MLB]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13690825314-thumb4.jpg)
Clayton Kershaw Threw 130 Pitches in His Last Start, Should Dodgers Fans be Concerned? [MLB]![Bob Uecker Took a Picture with WWE’s Bella Twins at a Cardinals Game [MLB]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13690876935-thumb5.jpg)
Bob Uecker Took a Picture with WWE’s Bella Twins at a Cardinals Game [MLB]![Lionel Messi Scored 60 Goals in 2012/13, Here’s Video of All of Them [Video]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13687255916-thumb6.jpg)
Lionel Messi Scored 60 Goals in 2012/13, Here’s Video of All of Them [Video]![Game of Thrones Recap [TV]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13690877397-thumb7.png)
Game of Thrones Recap [TV]![Steelers Fan Gets Terrible Tattoo [Photo]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13690520248-thumb8.png)
Steelers Fan Gets Terrible Tattoo [Photo]![Yankees Will Wear Pixelated Camouflage Hats on Memorial Day [MLB]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13690824489-thumb9.jpg)
Yankees Will Wear Pixelated Camouflage Hats on Memorial Day [MLB]
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:43 AM
speak of the devil
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:44 AM
Wonder if they’ll extend it to two actual live hours instead of a live hour and the rest of the time spent running the taped segments from the first hour.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Unless they want to air Hannah Storm and Sage Steele doing the dirty I’m not watching. The only SC worth a damn is the 11:00 pm one at night. The morning SC is always just terrible. Or at least it was a few years back when I would watch it.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:53 AM
I love when TBL has media scoops and/or media coverage, but this doesn’t count. The fact that this is “news” is indicative of SC’s problem. Just show me some highlights and cover actual sports, please.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:54 AM
But now we have to go to one of 19 different NFL analysts to tell me what just happened.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:55 AM
It’s not about the chemistry between anchors. Nobody wants to be yelled at by their interminable loop of talking heads. ESPN seems oblivious to this.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:56 AM
Sportscenter is fifteen percent music videos, forty percent dunks, twenty five percent Disney tie-ins, and twenty percent Tebow. It is absolutely horrendous, and I hate the fact that I can’t control the TV channels at the gym in the morning.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:57 AM
Exactly. The anchors on SC used to read the highlights with (very) occasional commentary. Now they want to make the anchors the moderators of a never-ending debate format. It used to be one anchor and one analyst breaking down chunks of highlights. Now it’s one anchor moderating two analysts yelling at each other. It’s terrible.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:59 AM
i don’t really care about their mix of what they show, it’s their playing to the LCD of sports fans that bugs me most. the bias toward stars and glamour teams, the lazy spoonfeeding and the apologists, the meatball attitudes and opinions of the ex-athlete analysts. it’s awesome hate-watching, and i would not be surprised if that is their strategy
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:59 AM
My old boss would watch ESPN all day at work. Literally…ALL FUCKING DAY. It was terrible. I made it through one SC show before the headphones came on.
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:59 AM
This photo is ESPN defining today’s ESPN.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:00 PM
and the cocksucking top ten plays…half are dunks, and some are a series of plays rather than one
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:01 PM
A quest that will be in vain, no doubt.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:01 PM
Team iPod at the gym. Podkicker is the best app in the history of smartphones.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:02 PM
How many times have they tried and failed to compete with them?
It will just end in more marathons of “Best Damn Sports Show” reruns and blooper shows.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Oh I don’t listen to it, I listen to podcasts or music, but the TV’s are everywhere and impossible to avoid looking at.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 PM
JMac, I suggest you cold-call Hannah Storm and ask her about all this.
Wait, what’s that? She’s already been grilled? OK, then.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 PM
I saw that on Twitter when it happened and cracked up. So ridiculous. The producer of that bit should have been beaten on camera.
Yup. ESPN is ingrained in us too much at this point. It’s part of Americana. I don’t see how Fox will be able to do anything other than maybe stay afloat. The TV deals is where they’ll have to double down. They’ll need to bid for MNF or something that causes viewers to have to go to them, not choose to go to them.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 PM
Unless they want to air Hannah Storm and Sage Steele doing the dirty I’m not watching.
You may want to hold off on that until Hannah’s eyebrows grow back all the way.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 PM
That’s good, but this is my preference
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:07 PM
I stopped going to my gym because all the TVs seemed to be locked on Faox News.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Best stuff to work out to. Get so pissed you go balls out at the gym (no coop).
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Even you guys have the sense to keep people like Shamburgler off your preview roundtables.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:08 PM
There’s a giant screen in the middle of the skyway downtown Minneapolis that plays Fox News all day. It seriously creeps me out.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:09 PM
The best was how that segment was introduced. You never saw the whole panel when it began, so the intros of each individual just went on and on and on until they finally showed the whole group. Felt like a spoof.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:09 PM
Yup. ESPN has baseball, nba, MNF, and all the good college football games.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:09 PM
It is absolutely horrendous, and I hate the fact that I can’t control the TV channels at the gym in the morning.
you think you got it bad….of the 10 big screens by the cardio area at my gym, two are on cartoon shows in the mornings and infomercial channels the rest of the day, and and and sometimes they forget to put on a cubs, wsox, bhawks or bulls game!
plus, i have to do my own exercising. wtf?
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:09 PM
Tried and failed?
Tried and died.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:09 PM
Awesome. I didn’t know that. That’s straight out of SNL.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:12 PM
Oh, ok. What podcasts? Doug Loves Movies might be my favorite. Just saw a recording of it last week. Hilarious stuff.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:12 PM
You’re thinking of in The Naked Gun when they pan and introduce the entire broadcast booth and Dr Joyce Brothers is in there.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Depends what the cartoons are.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:15 PM
I listen to Doug Loves Movies sometimes but it gets irritating how stoned and meandering he is on occasion, then there are people like Tig Notaro whose entire schtick is they dont understand the rules of the Leonard Maltin Game, bitch come the fuck on. Unless it’s a TJ Miller or PFT episode I usually pass, though the car episodes with Graham Elwood are fantastic. I primarily listen to Never Not Funny and its derivatives.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:15 PM
Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote was always a go-to for me. I also loved the one where Bugs and Yosemite Sam duel from castles.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:16 PM
And Phish. Lots and lots of Phish.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:16 PM
Stuff you Should Know and Freakanomics are the ones I listen to the most, in addition to the BS Report
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:17 PM
Depends what the cartoons are.
kids
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:18 PM
Chris Myers made a brilliant career move during the other “phase 1″ of Fox Sports. Sportscenter is like Kleenex, they’re names are synonymous with the product they produce. 10 years from now, you’ll still have bloggers raging against the machine, and commenters tripping over themselves to come up with creative ways to show their disdain.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:18 PM
Yeah, there are certain guests where I will definitely skip the episode. Jason Mantzoukas is always a must listen when he’s on there though.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:19 PM
I always go for comedic podcasts.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Hanna Storm, post burn, can still get it.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:20 PM
They’re original programming is terrible though. It’s tailor made for people who don’t read sports news online (like my dad). If you read online work, by the time the first segment is over on any one of their shows you know it’s bullshit and contrived.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:21 PM
Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote was always a go-to for me. I also loved the one where Bugs and Yosemite Sam duel from castles.
oh, i love cartoons, but these are bad ones for the smallest kids, with magic pinies and shit, and occasionally i’ve seen propaganda like veggie tales
it would be ok if there were ever any children in that area but 12 is the minimum age. get me some adventure time, some regular show, something with some snark. must be contractual
anyway, i got music in, so unless there’s cc, it’s only an annoying issue more than truly disturbing
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:21 PM
pinies are hill folk i guess
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:22 PM
I want more Wendi Nix, dammit!!
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:22 PM
It’s awful but there really is not another option. As crappy as their packaging for highlights and sports news is, it still can’t be beat. Fox and CBS are even worse. CNN does a Bleacher Report thing during its horrific Soledad Obrien morning show that – get this – sucks ass too.
They have zero incentive to change anything for any other reason then if they find ratings and ad revenue are suffering. Nobody will ever topple them.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:22 PM
oh fuck
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:23 PM
they’re, their…….duh!
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Most new cartoons these days are all flash animated and look horrible. They just look like shitty web series.
Spongebob is still the shit, though.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Fuck that. LIttle kids grew up on that and are fine. The coddled ones who weren’t allowed to watch them grow up to be Adam Lanza. Fact.*
*possibly not a fact
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:25 PM
My main gripe with ESPN is not showing the hottest talent they have (Sam Ponder) during games she works. No one cares about her voice
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:26 PM
I used to be firmly on team Wendi Nix, but last year was not kind to her. She seemed to get a little chubby. Too bad.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Peerless, your taste in women, woof.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Fuck that. LIttle kids grew up on that and are fine. The coddled ones who weren’t allowed to watch them grow up to be Adam Lanza. Fact.*
*possibly not a fact
not sure what you’re saying here, but my main point is, there are bad/stupid cartoons on two screens with only adults in the viewing area. i demand an answer!
/but never ask
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:29 PM
I have to agree with you, seems like she’s lost a little, something looks not quite right. But I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and she bounces back strong in 2013. Still love those glasses though.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Sam Ponder? No way.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Vez: Totally misread your original comment. My bad, yo. Modern cartoons look atrocious. I’m dreading the day my child cares about them.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Adventure Time is great as well.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:31 PM
I think part of it is because she started parting her hair in the middle. Here’s to things being better in 2013.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:32 PM
Bring forth the evidence, lawya.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:33 PM
Who is the hottest woman at ESPN right now? Haven’t seen Nix in a while, but as stated above, those glasses are amazing. The girl who replaced Beadle is hot. I can’t seem to remember who is there now, though.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:34 PM
Doris Burke in a walk.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:34 PM
That Ponder chick is hot, by the way. She has an adorable hotness that almost makes up for her probably being a crazy gay basher.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:34 PM
shannon spake for my tastes. charissa is nice. czarniak is a hoodrat tho
their poker girl is fantastic but you never see her on sc
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:34 PM
This is great question. Unfortunately I don’t watch enough of that channel to thoroughly answer this. But I know one thing, the answer is not Sam Ponder.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:36 PM
The always Eroitc Holly Rowe?
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:37 PM
Whatever, you guys, I’d give up many a things for her.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:37 PM
*Erotic
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:38 PM
That Ponder chick is hot, by the way. She has an adorable hotness that almost makes up for her probably being a crazy gay basher.
agreed. she is like a blond erin burnett with that dimple
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:38 PM
PeerLess wants to be Eiffel Tower bros with Christian Ponder.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:40 PM
Agree. She’s almost girl-next-door hot. Would she be my ideal woman? Never, but she’s pretty.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Modern cartoons look atrocious. I’m dreading the day my child cares about them.
it’s not so much how they look as just how cloying and cutesy the ones for the smaller kids are.
do yourself a favor and push the classics on your kid(s). looney tunes is a winner, tom and jerry, flintstones. old popeyes. they love pink panther. little rascals and stooges too. my kids know all them and it doubles as time together bc you like them too
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:41 PM
This is why ESPN sux. If your ‘biggest star’ looks like the illegitimate offspring of the Predator and the chick from Avatar you need to aim higher.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Completely surprised people here would choose Nix and Burke over her
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:42 PM
boner alert
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:42 PM
The girl that does the Nascar show is pretty hot. And sports nation girl is charissa thompson. Do not google her at work as there is a pornstar by the same name.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:44 PM
The former I get (different tastes and all that) the latter I believe was said in jest.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:45 PM
So was what I said. I’m just highly attracted to her for the adorable qualities you mentioned
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Correct answer: Doris Burke
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Doris Burke is actually quite pretty and is their best NBA analyst, Sam Ponder is a retarded bible thumper who peaks as a quality restaurant hostess.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:50 PM
i’m pretty sure we don;t care what they talk about mole
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:51 PM
Are you shitting me cleet? I hate that show. My little daughter, she’s 10, loves it, she’s even got a couple of shirt with them on it. I don’t even understand it
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:52 PM
Correct answer: Doris Burke
Google Images shows instances of her being a two face, but by and large I agree that she cleans up well for television.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:52 PM
You are internet dead to me
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:54 PM
I push Scooby Doo and old school, non-diverse Tom &Jerry. Love the one where they turn the house into a solid sheet of ice and also the 4th of July with the fireworks.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:58 PM
You know who Doris Burke looks like dontcha?
The chick that Mitch Kramer hooks up with in Dazed and Confused
February 22nd, 2013 at 1:00 PM
The chick that Mitch Kramer hooks up with in Dazed and Confused
Holy shit, she really does. Minus the eyeshadow.
February 22nd, 2013 at 1:02 PM
It’s hilarious, a lot of adult humor sprinkled in there. I also imagine if you are high it is the best thing ever.
February 22nd, 2013 at 1:27 PM
ill tell you who the worst ones are tho
colleen dominguez
shelley smith
heather horseface
February 22nd, 2013 at 4:37 PM
Even though ESPN SC is almost not watchable – The BTN is not watchable. Speaking about ‘growling’ in the mic, Dave Revsine is the worst. If not for the subscription $ paid to the BTN – what income would they have? Most of the ads are promoting themselves.