HBO Sports Hires Buck To Host Show In Wake Of Costas Exit

Buck To Host Sports Talk Show On HBO

HBO Sports Thursday announced the hiring of Fox' Joe Buck in the wake of Bob Costas' departure to MLB Network. Buck will host a sports talk show starting this May that will air on a quarterly basis and likely will utilize a town-hall format. HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg: "We will build a show around Joe that will showcase his personality and his talent and … there will be some comedic elements as well.” Buck added the show "will be different," but admitted some of the details were still undetermined. Buck: "We don't even have a name for it. I suggested to Ross that we keep 'Costas Now.'" Buck also said he "would like to bring in other elements" outside of just sports. Buck: "I don't think that keeping it straight sports all the time is something that really suits me best. ... This is going to be a unique look" (THE DAILY). In St. Louis, Dan Caesar notes one should look for Buck's show to be "something lighter than the strong issues-oriented approach Costas often took." Costas "can be irreverent and comical, but can adroitly cut to the chase when examining a topic," while Buck in the past has said that he "doesn't consider himself a journalist in some of his roles" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/6).

FOX APROVES: Buck will remain as Fox' top play-by-play announcer for both MLB and the NFL, and he said that Fox Sports Chair & CEO David Hill "was fine with an idea ... that will presumably raise Buck's visibility." Greenburg: "We want to hand Joe back to Fox as a bigger star." Hiestand notes Buck's show will be 90 minutes in length (USA TODAY, 2/6). Greenburg: "We want to be careful with Joe's schedule with Fox. He gets a little busy in those September-October months. We'll be mindful of all of that" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/6).

WHAT ABOUT BOB? Greenburg said HBO "moved quickly to sign Joe Buck ... when it was clear that Bob Costas was going to take the offer to join the MLB Network." He said of Costas' eight years at the net, "It was a wonderful run and it was a great product and we’re proud of everything that was put on the air. ... We're very proud of everything that Bob Costas did at HBO" (THE DAILY).