FS1's Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole "have been impacted by FS1’s philosophical and management changes as much as any front-facing talents at the network," as their strength as sports broadcasters is "fundamentally different than the direction" that Fox Sports National Networks President Jamie Horowitz is currently piloting, according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. Onrait and O’Toole in '13 left roles on TSN in Canada to work on "Fox Sports Live," with their partnership "(in theory) being the centerpiece on what FS1 was pitching" as a true "SportsCenter" competitor. Nearly three years later, Onrait and O’Toole are "hosting a low-rated, late-night interview/comedy show that fits their irreverent sensibilities and is very funny." But with "little marketing for the show," FS1 continues "to struggle with viewership for non-event programming." Onrait and O'Toole "do nuance and irony; they don’t do shock and roar." But Fox Sports President Eric Shanks "wants the Canadians to succeed." Shanks: "I am personally invested having recruited them from a cushy job that they never had to leave. We are going to work really, really hard to find what is right for them knowing the reason that they are so special is because of how they delivered the news of the day and the highlights of the day. We have to figure out -- and we will work really hard at it -- to make sure that we use their personalities to find a successful way to deliver what they are" (SI.com, 6/5).
