NBC's "FNIA" To Feature More Analysis; Dungy, Harrison In Studio

NBC Sports & Olympics Chair Dick Ebersol yesterday indicated the net’s “Football Night in America” studio show will change its directional tone, cutting back on the amount of highlights from that day’s games to allow for more league analysis and previews of that night’s primetime broadcast. Ebersol: “We have failed to clear out enough time to discuss football, and we’ve been too locked in on highlights for every game.” While clips from each game will still be shown, Ebersol noted there will be “much more emphasis on the whys of what happened at that game than we’ve had in the past.” Ebersol: “I feel that we’ve been neglect in that area.” The news came during a conference call formally introducing Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison as the newest members of the “FNIA” set. The pair will replace Cris Collinsworth, who is moving to the “Sunday Night Football” broadcast booth, and Jerome Bettis. Harrison, who retired yesterday morning after 15 years in the NFL, said, “Just like I played the game, I’m going to be honest, I’m going to be forthright, and I’m going to do it with passion” (Sarah Gay Barnett, THE DAILY). Ebersol said that he "realized not having an ex-coach on the show was a 'glaring weakness.'" Meanwhile, USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand notes the net's Tiki Barber this season will "report from game sites" for "FNIA" (USA TODAY, 6/4).

ATYPICAL ANALYST: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir asks if Dungy's "soft-spoken demeanor" -- which is different from several other coaches-turned analysts -- can "be rewarded in a TV studio?" Dungy: "You can be informative, I hope, and be entertaining, without necessarily being overbearing. People said the same thing when I went into coaching" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/4). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "He's going to be very thoughtful. He's going to have great gravity when someone asks him a question and he will add dignity to the show. But when there's a hot and heavy debate, he's not going to jump in. He's going to wait to be politely asked his opinion. Let's say he's not going to be like Keith Olbermann on that show" ("PTI," ESPN, 6/3). Meanwhile, Dungy said of taking the position, "Basically, this job is just Saturday and Sunday, so I talked to my wife and we thought we could make it work family-wise" (TAMPABAY.com, 6/3).

DIFFERENT APPROACH: In Boston, Mike Reiss notes if a "big part of television is creating a buzz, Harrison delivered an early hit," as at one point during yesterday's conference call he "sparked a debate with Dungy, redirecting the topic being discussed" into a debate over Colts QB Peyton Manning and Patriots QB Tom Brady. Harrison also declared that Titans QB Vince Young is "staring at a two-year window to prove he could make it as a starter in the NFL," and that if Young does not make it by then, he would be "nothing more than a career backup" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/4). In Providence, Shalise Manza Young writes Harrison "will not be the former player who is afraid to be critical of friends or guys he used to play with, which he certainly showed" yesterday (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 6/4).

Writer Suggests "FNIA" Changes Could Lead To Reduced Role For Olbermann (l), Patrick

IS THERE A NEED FOR A HIGHLIGHT SHOW? PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote the change in the direction of "FNIA" in the short term “suggests a potentially reduced role for Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, who have reprised their ‘Big Show’ partnership for the NBC highlight package.” However, a longer implication could be that NBC “might be inclined to yield exclusivity of the prime time highlights package as part of a potential extension of the Sunday night deal with the NFL, paving the way for other networks to acquire the ability to air highlights in the gap between the end of the daytime action and kickoff of the evening game.” The “simple reality” is that with NFL.com “making highlights available on an on-demand basis, a Sunday night highlights show no longer can be considered appointment viewing” (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/3). But in Albany, Pete Dougherty wrote the move to cut down on highlights on "FNIA" is a "major mistake." NFL fans "already are disappointed that ESPN lost its Sunday night highlights show, which is now reduced to six minutes of highlights during 'SportsCenter.'" Dougherty: "There was no better way to catch up on the day's games than the one-hour ESPN show" (TIMESUNION.com, 6/3).

REMEMBER THE TIMES: ESPN's Kornheiser appeared on the "On The DL with Dan Levy" podcast, where he discussed leaving "MNF." Kornheiser said he was "absolutely gratified and buoyed by the street reaction that I have gotten where people say to me, ‘We really liked your work, we’re really going to miss you.’" Kornheiser: "Total strangers, people I don’t know, seem to have responded very well to what I did on 'Monday Night Football.' That thrills me. I didn’t expect that." He added, "I thought that critically I was crushed, and internally, maybe, at ESPN there were a lot of people who didn’t like me. I mean, I don’t know that, but I sensed that every once in a while. I think there are just people who don’t like me. But the average guy on the street ... is so kind in what they’ve said and I’m very grateful for that” (ONTHEDLPODCAST.com, 6/3).