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ESPN Adds NFL Reporters

Jason Barrett

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Josina Anderson, one of the industry’s top reporters, has been named “National NFL Insider” – the first female to occupy this prestigious role for ESPN. Anderson joins a roster of experts that includes Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter, John Clayton, Ed Werder, Adam Caplan and Field Yates.

As an NFL Insider, Anderson will make regular in-studio appearances as a panelist on ESPN’s weekday NFL Insiders (2:30-3:30 p.m. ET) in addition to NFL Live, SportsCenter and other programs.

Anderson, who joined the company as a Chicago-based bureau reporter in 2011, will continue her enterprise feature reporting and serve as a game-day reporter for Sunday NFL Countdown.

“Josina excels at breaking NFL news and offering insight on why decisions are made around the league, so this move to National NFL Insider is a natural fit for her,” said Seth Markman, ESPN senior coordinating producer, NFL studio shows.

Former Eagles, Browns Exec Joe Banner to Debut Sept. 3

Longtime NFL team executive Joe Banner has joined ESPN as a Front Office Insider. He will appear primarily on weekday editions of NFL Insiders beginning Thursday, Sept. 3. He will also contribute to SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and other platforms.

Banner has spent more than two decades as an NFL front office executive, most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1994-2012. Under his leadership as team president (2001-12), the Eagles captured four straight NFC East titles (2001-04), made the playoffs 12 times, and appeared in five NFC Championship games and Super Bowl XXXIX. Banner served as chief executive officer of the Cleveland Browns (2012-14) and had most recently worked with the Atlanta Falcons.

“Joe brings another smart, experienced front office voice to the NFL Insiders that will help educate our viewers on the inner workings of the league,” said Markman. “He is also unafraid to share his opinions on personnel decisions, a tremendous asset to NFL Insiders andSportsCenter’s coverage.”

Banner is the newest addition to ESPN’s daily NFL news and information program featuring veteran journalists and front office experts including former NFL team executives like Hall of Famer Bill Polian, Louis Riddick, Mark Dominik and Phil Savage.

Sheil Kapadia Named ESPN NFL Nation’s Seattle Seahawks reporter

NFL writer Sheil Kapadia has officially joined ESPN as the Seattle Seahawks reporter for ESPN.com’s NFL Nation. Kapadia previously covered the Philadelphia Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7 website (2012-15). He also served as a writer/editor at Philly.com, the website for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, and he was a sports producer/writer at BaltimoreSun.com from 2006-08.

“Sheil is a dream come true for passionate fans, taking readers and viewers beyond the usual quotes and highlights, and into the playbook, the numbers, the strategy – often through the players themselves,” said Mary Byrne, ESPN Digital and Print senior deputy editor.

Kapadia has written for Sports On Earth and served as a correspondent for Fox Sports 1. He has relocated to the Seattle area and will begin coverage of the two-time NFC champion Seahawks this week, appearing on ESPN Radio, television and other platforms.

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Final ‘Good Morning Football’ Episode from New York Studio Airs Before Hiatus, Move to LA

After today, ‘Good Morning Football’ will take a brief hiatus, then move to LA. But outside of host Jamie Erdahl, who else will join the show on the West Coast?

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Good Morning Football

Today marks the last Good Morning Football episode to air from its New York studios on NFL Network. After today, the show will take a brief hiatus, then move across the country to Los Angeles. But which of the shows beloved cast members will move along with it?

We already know host Jamie Erdahl will be there once she gives birth to her child. The newest GMFB show member gave an emotional send-off to the show’s New York studios before announcing she was headed for maternity leave and would see everyone in LA.

Host Kyle Brandt delivered this message late last night, saying that viewers should tune in to he and his colleagues and that “he has a lot to say.”

Earlier this week, however, host Peter Schrager delivered his own goodbye message — one that may sound like a man who’s not ready to move his family across the country at a moment’s notice:

However, no hosts outside of Erdahl have given confirmation that they’re either staying or going.

The NFL’s move to take the show from New York to Los Angeles has been widely criticized by fans and media members alike. Bill Simmons wondered if the move wouldn’t spell just the end of GMFB but the NFL Network as a whole. It has some wondering if this is the end of football’s best show.

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ESPN Coverage of Men’s NIT Tournament Quarterfinals Up 33% vs. 2023

Viewership of the Men’s NIT Quarterfinals on ESPN were up 33 percent compared to last year and featured two games that averaged over one million viewers.

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Even the NIT is riding the recent hot streak of live sports viewership numbers. According to data provided by ESPN, the 2024 NIT Quarterfinals are up 33 percent compared to last year’s tournament. Perhaps more surprisingly, two NIT quarterfinal games topped one million viewers.

The network’s Georgia/Ohio State matchup averaged 1.03 million viewers, while the Cincinnati/Indiana State contest averaged 1.02 million viewers. These two games were the most-watched NIT games since 2017 — including title games. Both Georgia and Ohio State have rabid fanbases, while many thought Indiana State was unjustly left out of the March Madness tournament, which could be a reason why viewers tuned in.

Much of the focus this season has been on the women’s game, thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Dawn Staley. ESPN just had its most-watched women’s college basketball season since 2008-09 because of the increased interest in the women’s game. The men’s game, however, hasn’t been heralded as much this season for whatever reason, mostly because numbers seem to be holding steady compared to previous years. However, if the NIT is posting viewership wins, that should bode well for the NCAA Tournament’s incoming viewership totals.

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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