Behind the Mic: Kenny Albert Gets Nod as Lead Broadcaster for NHL on TNT; Sports Legend Chris Berman Signs Multi-year Deal With ESPN By SVG Staff Friday, May 14, 2021 - 8:45 am
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Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, iconic commentator Chris Berman signs multi-year ESPN extension, NHL on TNT taps Kenny Albert as lead broadcaster, and more.
Iconic Commentator Chris Berman Signs Multi-Year ESPN Extension Legendary sports commentator and industry innovator Chris Berman has reached a new multi-year agreement with ESPN. Berman, who joined ESPN a month after its September 7, 1979 launch, will continue to bring his uniquely energetic and passionate style to various high-profile assignments.
Among the continuing roles for Berman will be hosting NFL PrimeTime on ESPN+, a signature weekly series that showcases his exceptional ability to anchor comprehensive game highlights in a one-of-a-kind format. Additionally, he will host NFL PrimeTime on ESPN after the Super Bowl and NFL Conference Championship games. He will also continue to contribute commentary, features, interviews and perspective across ESPN shows and platforms, including SportsCenter and beyond.
Berman arrived at ESPN in October 1979 as a 24-year-old sportscaster and became one of the industry's most popular voices during his more than 41-year career at the company. A six-time National Sportscaster of the Year, Berman has been recognized with numerous honors for his long and growing list of accomplishments. He was the first sportscaster to receive the Newseum Institute's Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media in Washington, D.C., and he was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in Salisbury, N.C. In 2015, Berman was just the fifth on-air personality to be inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame.
An original SportsCenter anchor, Berman hosted countless editions of ESPN's signature program over the years. His NFL studio contributions have been particularly significant. From 1987-2005, he and longtime partner Tom Jackson teamed together for NFL PrimeTime, the first show of its kind and cable television's all-time highest-rated sports studio show. The show returned in 2019 to its current ESPN+ home. He was the face of ESPN's NFL Countdown for 31 years (through the 2016 season), an industry record for a weekly pro football studio show host.
His Fastest Three Minutes in Television halftime highlights has also been a staple during ESPN's weekly NFL primetime game through the years, and his Swami segment on SportsCenter, dubbed The Two Minute Drill, has been a fixture throughout his ESPN tenure. The 2010 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football, Berman has covered 39 Super Bowls, hosted the NFL Draft for 30 years (through 2016), and has served as Master of Ceremony for the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction since 1999.
Berman's impact on the sports world goes well beyond football. He has called Major League Baseball games on TV and radio and hosted Baseball Tonight studio shows for many years. Most notably, Berman called ESPN's Emmy Award-winning telecast of Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, and he became a fan favorite nationally for the nicknames he created in his sports highlights. In all, he has covered 31 MLB All Star games, including calling Home Run Derbys in each of those years, and 30 World Series. Berman also covered the U.S. Open golf tournament from 1986-2014, and he co-hosted ESPN and ABC's Stanley Cup Playoff telecasts in 2003 and 2004.
Berman graduated from Brown University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. His first broadcasting position came while he was a student at Brown as sports director for WBRU Radio and commentator for basketball, football, ice hockey and baseball games. He also assisted with NBC Sports telecasts in New England - including the memorable Game 6 of the 1975 World Series - and served as a correspondent for WEAN, a Providence, R.I. news radio station.
Berman began his career as a disc jockey at WERI in Westerly, RI, hosting a news-oriented talk show and covering high school football and basketball games. One year later, he joined WNVR Radio in Waterbury, Conn., broadcasting high school football games, co-hosting a sports talk show and doing traffic reports. His first television exposure came in 1979 when he joined WVIT-TV, an NBC affiliate in Hartford, Conn., as a weekend sports anchor. (ESPN)
NHL on TNT Taps Kenny Albert as Lead Broadcaster Kenny Albert will be the voice of the NHL on TNT.
With the move, Albert will man the mic as the voice of the Stanley Cup for four of the next eight finals. With Doc Emrick retired, Albert is expected to call the finals in NBC's last season with hockey. He will then shift to TNT. (New York Post)
Chris Webber Out at TNT on Eve of NBA Playoffs Chris Webber and TNT have agreed to part ways Thursday on the eve of the NBA playoffs. Webber had been with TNT since 2008. (New York Post)
Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick To Be Joined By Jimmie Johnson for NBC's Studio Coverage of 105th Running of Indianapolis 500 INDYCAR Rookie and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will join Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick for its studio coverage of the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 30. Tirico and Patrick return to Indianapolis 500 coverage for the third consecutive year, with Johnson making his on-air debut as a Peacock Pit Box
