In Philadelphia, Rob Tornoe reports 76ers sideline reporter Molly Sullivan is out after six seasons, as NBC Sports Philadelphia is "moving in a 'new direction.'" Sullivan's departure is "surprising ... even placed in front of the backdrop of recent high profile ousters at the network" since she had been a "staple of the network's Sixers coverage for years." It is unknown whether NBC Sports Philly "will replace Sullivan, though it would be unusual to have an NBA broadcast without a sideline reporter." The net confirmed the broadcast team of Marc Zumoff and Alaa Abdelnaby will return (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/20).
PLEASE DON'T GO: In N.Y., Andrew Marchand cited sources as saying that YES Network President of Production & Programming John Filippelli is "trying to convince" Yankees analyst Ken Singleton to "un-retire." Singleton prior to the season "announced his retirement from broadcasting at the end of this year." Sources said that Filippelli is "trying to entice Singleton back with a lighter schedule that would cut his games from his current 50 to 25." It would be "potentially heavy on broadcasts in Baltimore and Tampa, where Singleton has homes." Singleton "would not say which way" he is leaning -- though he is "expected to inform Filippelli of his decision shortly" (NYPOST.com, 6/19).
TAKING THINGS IN-HOUSE: World TeamTennis will stream all its matches on its own site after airing on ESPN3 last year. WTT is developing the portal with a team of consultants and in partnership with JVC. With 43 matches over 22 days in six markets, the '18 WTT.tv schedule includes over 100 hours of digital broadcast programming this summer. Some matches will also be televised on cable. The streaming will be sponsored by Geico. WTT’s three-week season begins July 15 (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
THREE-PERSON WEAVE: Fox Sports announced its broadcast team for the BIG3, which begins play on Friday. Charissa Thompson, Mike Hill and Kristina Pink will rotate as studio hosts during the 10-week season. Brian Custer will be the new lead play-by-play announcer while Jim Jackson will return as the lead game analyst and Michael Rapaport will serve as the sideline reporter (Fox Sports).
