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NFL Network Sets Saturday Game Crews

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NFL Network

Four NFL games will be played during weeks 15 and 16. All of them will be broadcast on the NFL Network. Yesterday the network unveiled what talent will be working those games.

The early games will feature Curt Menefee on play-by-play along with Nate Burleson and Steve Mariucci serving as analysts. Melissa Stark will be the sideline reporter for that crew. In Week 15 they will call the the Houston Texans’ visit to New York to take on the Jets. Week 16 will have the crew in Nashville for the Titans and Redskins.

Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play for the late games. Kurt Warner will be the analyst and Peter Schrager will be on the sidelines. Their Week 15 game features the Browns and the Broncos. In Week 16 it is the Ravens and the Chargers.

These lineups feature a lot of people that usually have studio roles moving into the broadcast booth. Mike Tirico serves as host of Football Night in America on NBC, while Menefee hosts Fox NFL Sunday. Both men have extensive play-by-play experience. Burleson is part of Good Morning Football on the NFL Network and The NFL Today on CBS. Mariucci and Warner are part of the network’s NFL Gameday Morning.

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Tegna, Indiana Fever Partner for Local TV Package

“This is an exhilarating moment for women’s sports. The WNBA and Fever are leading the charge with this groundbreaking local broadcast rights agreement.”

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Logos for Tegna and the Indiana Fever and a picture of Caitlin Clark
Photo Courtesy: ESPN

The Indiana Fever and superstar Caitlin Clark will be seen on television a lot, both nationally and now locally as well. The Fever and Tegna announced a partnership earlier today to air 17 games between local NBC affiliate WTHR and MeTV affiliate WALV.

“So many new fans are tuning in to watch the world’s best basketball players compete in the WNBA, and the Fever have built a roster of incredible young talent that has caught the attention of basketball fans all over the globe,” Rick Fuson, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said in a release. “Tegna and WTHR have been amazing local partners for years, and we are excited that more fans than ever before will get the chance to watch these amazing athletes play.”

The release also noted Tegna was working on expanded access outside of Indianapolis.

“This is an exhilarating moment for women’s sports. The WNBA and Fever are leading the charge with this groundbreaking local broadcast rights agreement,” Dave Lougee, President and CEO of Tegna, said in a release. “The remarkable journey of Caitlin Clark and her teammates has captured the hearts and minds of millions. We’re thrilled to deliver all the Fever action to every household in the Indianapolis region.”

The national TV package for WNBA games, which is aired on ABC, ESPN, Prime Video, CBS Sports Network, NBA TV and Ion will carry 36 of the Fever’s 40 games. The four games not being carried will be covered by the local package with Tegna. Several games will air on both a national and a local station.

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Ian Rapoport Staying at NFL Network

“We’re excited for Ian to continue to be a part of the NFL Network news-breaking team, providing fans the most trusted source of NFL news across the industry.”

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Photo of Ian Rapoport
Courtesy: NFL Network

Despite layoffs and uncertainty surrounding the future of NFL Network, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports Ian Rapoport, the top insider for the network, will be staying put.

The 44-year-old Rapoport has covered the league since 2009 and has been with NFL Network for 12 years. He previously served as the Patriots beat reporter for the Boston Herald for three seasons. He also covered college football for the Birmingham News and Jackson Clarion-Ledger prior to that.

“We’re excited for Ian to continue to be a part of the NFL Network news-breaking team, providing fans the most trusted source of NFL news across the industry,” NFL Vice President of Communications, Alex Riethmiller told Marchand.

Earlier this month, NFL Network laid off Melissa Stark, Andrew Siciliano, James Palmer, and Will Selva. There has been speculation the NFL is working to sell part of the network to ESPN or another outlet to take over operations, but for now it is business as usual.

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Howie Schwab, Longtime ESPN Researcher and Feature of ‘Stump the Schwab’, Dies

Many former ESPN colleagues, and those in the sports media at large, paid homage to Schwab’s memory after the announcement of his passing.

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A photo of Howie Schwab
(Photo: ESPN)

Longtime ESPN researcher and feature of the mid-2000s ESPN game show Stump the Schwab Howie Schwab has died.

Schwab joined ESPN in 1987 after serving as the editor-in-chief of College & Pro Football News Weekly. He then worked as a producer for ESPN.com before joining ESPN’s studio production team, working on shows like Outside the Lines and SportsCenter.

In 2004, ESPN launched a sports trivia game show — Stump the Schwab — hosted by Stuart Scott, which pitted contestants against Schwab in a test of sports knowledge. The program ran for four seasons, featuring 80 episodes in total, before ending in 2006.

Howie Schwab was part of widespread layoffs at ESPN in 2013. He then worked on Sports Jeopardy! alongside Dan Patrick as a writer beginning in 2014, and also briefly spent time at FOX Sports after his departure from ESPN.

Many former ESPN colleagues, and those in the sports media at large, paid homage to Schwab’s memory after the announcement of his passing.

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