With the sudden departure of Jamie Horowitz last week, the "pressure is on FS1 studio talent to talk more about sports that actually air on their network rather than debate" common subjects like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the Cowboys "ad nauseam," according to sources cited by Michael McCarthy of SPORTING NEWS. Horowitz was the "aggressive young exec who recruited" Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock and other notable talents to FS1. One source said, "These debate shows are still going on and on about the NBA -- which ended a month ago -- and there's not enough about MLB which is in the middle of a season. Jamie would protect those guys if they still wanted to talk NBA. But Jamie is gone." Another source said, "Look, (FS1) airs MLB, UFC and soccer -- and all these studio shows ever seem to talk about is the NFL and NBA. They have to reflect what’s actually on FS1 -- and what drives ratings." Sources said that some rights holders have "already beefed to Fox about their lack of visibility on FS1 studio shows." But some changes are "already noticeable." Yesterday's "Undisputed" led with Yankees RF Aaron Judge "winning the Home Run Derby" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 7/11).
NEXT MAN UP: In N.Y., Pat Leonard noted NFL analyst Mark Schlereth yesterday made his FS1 debut alongside Bayless on "Undisputed." Schlereth has contributed on ESPN since '01, "becoming one of the more entertaining and listenable personalities on its airwaves despite not entering with the typical universal recognizable persona of a quarterback or receiver." Schlereth "joins a list of ex-ESPN talents that Horowitz had recruited" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 7/11). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio noted Schlereth's role "isn’t clear, but he will presumably be a contributor to the various FS1 studio shows" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 7/11). SPORTING NEWS' McCarthy noted Schlereth is "close" to Horowitz "from their time together at ESPN." Sources said that his move to FS1 had "been in the works for months" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 7/11). In N.Y., Hannah Withiam notes Schlereth's move "appears to mark Horowitz’s last effort to poach on-air talent from ESPN" (N.Y. POST, 7/12).
