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Scouting on-air talent that could be the face of networks for years to come

Joe Davis may have the best timing of any broadcaster in sports media.

Only 28 years old, Davis is in line to become the Los Angeles Dodgers’ newest main media voice in nearly 70 years. With legendary broadcaster Vin Scully retiring at the end of the season, Davis is expected to take over the mike for the storied franchise.

Network executives say they search all media platforms to discover on-air talent that could fill the broadcast chair.
Photo by: ESPN
Generations of broadcasters have had similar thoughts over the past 67 years — sliding in behind Scully in the hopes of eventually replacing him. But it’s Davis, who started his career doing play-by-play for Tampa Bay Rays farm team the Montgomery (Ala.) Biscuits, who timed it right.

The Dodgers have not announced a decision officially yet but when the team hired Davis as the 88-year-old Scully’s backup for this season, it was clear the team wanted the young announcer to take over for Scully.

“I wouldn’t have advised someone to stand in line behind Vin Scully when he was 50,” said Davis’ agent, Steve Herz of IF Management. “But certainly when he was 80, it was a better bet. If you’re good, and the guy in front of you isn’t going to leave, chances are that you’ll have other opportunities, as well.”

That is the conundrum many young talent face: top play-by-play jobs rarely turn over. At the age of 71, for example, Al Michaels’ voice still resonates with viewers. When fans hear Michaels’ call, they feel like they are watching a big game. The same holds true for announcers like 75-year-old Verne Lundquist, who is stepping down as CBS’s main SEC football voice after this season; and 77-year-old Brent Musburger, who is still calling games for ESPN and SEC Network.

“We have the hardest time finding and identifying young play-by-play talent that we can track and move eventually into the system here,” said Princell Hair, senior vice president of news and talent for NBC Sports Group. “That’s the toughest position to find and fill.”

As a result, TV network executives increasingly are pushing younger broadcasters to look outside television to develop the skills needed to do the games on television. Hair pointed to Twitter as an example. As the social media company expands further into sports — like its upcoming NFL “Thursday Night Football” package — it will need to find its own announcers and analysts.

“Opportunities are fewer in the traditional media, like radio and television,” Hair said. “But there are more opportunities developing on these other platforms.”

Sometimes that’s a difficult message to deliver to announcers who have only thought of working on television. But network executives insist that they will find top-tier talent wherever they happen to be.

“A lot of young folks say that they want a show on ESPN or ESPN2 midday,” said Rob Savinelli, ESPN’s vice president of talent strategy, negotiation and recruitment. “We try to direct them to be creative on digital, on mobile, on social. We have more flexibility on the digital side.”

Turnkey Sports Poll

The following are results of the Turnkey Sports Poll taken in June. The survey covered more than 2,000 senior-level sports industry executives spanning professional and college sports.

Which network has the best on-air talent for live sports programming?

ABC/ESPN 30%
NBC 22%
Fox 15%
CBS 12%
Turner 8%
Not sure / No response 13%

Which sport (across networks) has the best on-air talent for live sports programming?

Football 40%
Basketball 18%
Hockey 11%
Baseball 10%
Golf 7%
Motorsports 5%
Soccer 3%
Tennis 0%
Not sure / No response 6%

Does the on-air talent influence your decision whether to tune in to a live sporting event?

Yes, regularly 8%
Yes, sometimes 26%
No, not really 44%
No, never 22%

If you were an NBA sports commentator or studio analyst, which of the following would you most want to be your on-air partner?

Charles Barkley 31%
Mike Tirico 16%
Jeff Van Gundy 8%
Shaquille O'Neal 7%
Ernie Johnson 6%
Mike Breen 5%

(Note: Top responses shown.)
Source: Turnkey Sports & Entertainment in conjunction with SportsBusiness Journal. Turnkey Intelligence specializes in research, measurement and lead generation for brands and properties. Visit www.turnkeyse.com.


Take the podcast “Just Not Sports,” for example, which has brought a lot of exposure to the show’s four hosts: Weber Shandwick marketer Brad Burke, television producer Gareth Hughes, former Packers PR executive Adam Woullard and Weber Shandwick video producer Joe Reed.

Started in November, the podcast already has been honored by the Clio awards and was featured at the Cannes Lions festival.

“It shows you the power of if you have an interesting concept, media will find it,” Burke said. “They don’t care where it is coming from.”

“Just Not Sports” is not making money, at least not yet. The acclaim has caused some traditional and new media companies to sniff around thinking about investing in the show, but the founders of “Just Not Sports” say conversations have so far not been serious.

But the idea that a small podcast would receive such public recognition supports television executives’ claims that they find talent in the most unusual places.

ESPN’s Savinelli referenced radio host Peter Rosenberg, whom he first heard while driving through New York listening to a hip-hop station. Rosenberg impressed Savinelli with his strong comments on the sports and social scene. He’s now a regular on “The Michael Kay Show,” and ESPN uses him to fill in on other radio shows.

“You talk about finding people in strange places,” Savinelli said. “He was on a hip-hop station.”

Savinelli also referenced Will Cain, who was in news; Kaylee Hartung, who was in digital news; and Kelvin Washington, who was doing entertainment.

“You notice good talent. It doesn’t matter what they’re reporting on, whether it’s news, sports, entertainment,” he said. “You key on who has that something special.”

Fox Sports’ Aimee Leone agreed. On-air talent that most interests Leone are the ones who strike a chord with viewers.

“I want people that have a personality,” she said. “There are a lot of people who know sports and are really good at reporting on sports. But if somebody has a personality and it’s so clear that they are passionate about what they are doing — that gets my attention.”

On the pages that follow, we highlight 14 of the most accomplished young personalities in sports broadcasting, asking them how they got their start and how they hope to grow their on-air careers.

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