In Pittsburgh, Jason Mackey cited sources as saying that the Pirates plan to "use several former players to fill the role left" by longtime analyst Steve Blass on TV and radio for the '20 season. The sources said that color analyst Bob Walk will "continue in his current role" for AT&T SportsNet and KDKA-FM. Sources added that fellow analyst John Wehner -- who had "mostly done road games since Blass stopped traveling" in '05 -- will keep a fairly similar role. Other names fans could hear on Pirates calls include Michael McKenry, Kevin Young and Matt Capps, in addition to "others on a less-frequent basis" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/14).
STRIKING A DEAL: In Albany, Pete Dougherty noted the PBA Tour will begin with "seven consecutive Sundays of live telecasts," after Fox took over the contract last year. FS1 will air five of those seven tournaments, "starting with the Hall of Fame Classic" in Arlington on Sunday. In all, there are 23 "live telecasts, which is more like the heyday of the tour." The World Series of Bowling was a "good and, more importantly, necessary idea when it was created" (Albany TIMES UNION, 1/14).
THE GREAT OUTDOORS: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Gerry Smith noted Fox News' streaming service is "testing additional genres -- from outdoor activities to music -- with the goal of attracting more subscribers to the service, called Fox Nation." Fox News Exec VP/Development John Finley said the service will have the "same sort of Fox values appealing to Middle America." Smith noted this spring, for the "first time, Fox Nation will feature a month of shows dedicated to outdoor sports, with Fox talent and other celebrities going hunting and fishing" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/14).
