A number of sources have reported the NFL Network will soon announce that former “Today” host Bryant Gumbel and NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth will be paired together for the Thursday night primetime game package in the fall.
Sources confirm both Gumbel and Collinsworth were given permission to talk to the NFL Network. Collinsworth would still do the NBC studio show.
Gumbel would handle play-by-play while Collinsworth would be the lead analyst for eight regular season games on either Thursday or Saturday nights. The first game — the Denver Broncos at the Kansas City Chiefs — will be telecast Thanksgiving night.
“It’s possible that the NFL Network will have deals in place and the announcement of their new duo could come at the network’s first-ever showcase presentation to advertisers,” Wednesday in New York, according to industry sources.
Playoff hockey reappears
The Stanley Cup playoffs returned after a year on the shelf and hockey fans were the big winner.
Outdoor Life Network came out of the box with doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The best move was to add to their own game coverage with the CBC telecasts of selected games, giving fans a chance to see the award winning “Hockey Night in Canada.”
The CBC rolls out the big guns and covers the quest for the Stanley Cup like we in the states cover Monday Night Football. For OLN to combine their coverage with the CBC was a true stroke of genius.
Also, NBC showcased its return to hockey and it was successful. The marquee matchup between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils did not disappoint. NBC had every great angle of New Jersey’s rout of the Rangers, 6-1.
Plenty of playoff hockey all this week on OLN and the weekend’s action will be on NBC 4.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
