
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
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
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
North America Stories
26/08/2026
K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities.
At IBC...
26/08/2026
New products continue to enable any signal, anywhere for creators...
26/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a new integrated newsroom experience with Agence France-Presse (A...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
PTZ Camera Manufacturer and FPGA Design Specialist Join Alliance to Advance IPMX and Open AV-over-IP Standards
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today...
26/08/2026
BATON offers ZOO Digital advanced audio and video quality analysis, and scalable architecture
Interra Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end quality assuran...
26/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union. Now entering its third ...
26/08/2026
Zixi brings Broadcaster V19 and showcases interoperable platform on Stand 5.A76
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, will be exhib...
26/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Jeffery Kelly, the H. Lutcher Brown Professor of Chemistry at Scrip...
26/08/2026
Indie Developer Launches Orty, aWindows App That Helps Freelance VideoEditors Fi...
26/08/2026
BTS on Sinners and Is God Is Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
Brie Clayton August 25, 2026
0 Comments
Award winning filmmaker Travis Henry elevat...
25/08/2026
Open, Sustainable, Predictable: What Utah Scientific Is Bringing to IBC 2026 As broadcast leaders prepare to gather at the RAI Amsterdam for IBC 2026, the main ...
25/08/2026
NC State's Matthew Byrd breaks down how an IP-based infrastructure is delivering greater flexibility and scalability for Wolfpack productions...
25/08/2026
Deal expands the DTC reach in-market of Capitals, Wizards, Mystics games and oth...
25/08/2026
The two-year renovation period will create a stadium of the future for the NFL f...
25/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
25/08/2026
Shell Energy Stadium in Houston has installed a new L-Acoustics A Series loudspeaker system, designed and installed by LD Systems, a Clair Global brand. The 20,...
25/08/2026
FloCollege is expanding its distribution and product offerings for the 2026-27 season, covering more than 20 NCAA partner conferences across Division I, II, and...
25/08/2026
TNA Wrestling and REVOLT have announced a content partnership bringing exclusive TNA Xplosion matches and content from TNA's library to REVOLT.
Our indust...
25/08/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its Q3 2026 Data Hub analysis showing that FAST sports programming is growing at more than ...
25/08/2026
Amagi has appointed Thomas d'H rouville as Head of Sales for France, Benelux, and Nordics. Based in Paris, he will lead Amagi's growth strategy across t...
25/08/2026
IPC has appointed CCATech as its channel partner in Brazil, expanding the company's presence in Latin America. CCATech was founded in 2023 by Carlos Abrah o...
25/08/2026
FanConnect has announced the FC4, a multi-output media player designed to drive mid-sized video walls, multi-screen concession stands, and multi-display digital...
25/08/2026
JWX has launched JWX Content Hub, a platform for publisher video that combines content transformation, social distribution, audience engagement, and monetizatio...
25/08/2026
Techex has appointed Stuart Almond as Chief Revenue Officer. Almond brings more than 25 years of experience across technology, media, and telecommunications, ha...
25/08/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate infrastructure connecting SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, MXL, and software-based processing at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September...
25/08/2026
Franchises are taking greater ownership of production, distribution, and the fan...
25/08/2026
The first-year circuit for former professional athletes leans on LiveU, Starlink...
25/08/2026
Announcing the 2026 Sundance Institute Breakthrough | Focus Features Fellows
L...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Lingopal, the AI-powered live translation and localization specialist, is unveiling new platform capabilities at IBC2026 (11 14 September, RAI Amsterdam), helpi...
25/08/2026
Bminty is supporting TV5MONDE in the evolution of its editorial processes through a new AI-assisted press information generation solution. Combining the Louise ...
25/08/2026
Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection. Meet Annie Dickinson and Zhengxi Zhang-the couple who turned their creative partnership into music car...
25/08/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced that Law&Crime has migrated its Court TV channel, s...
25/08/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, is showcasing the breadth of its ca...
25/08/2026
Thatcham, UK 25 August 2026: Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced that leading broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Le...
25/08/2026
Appear's X20 Platform enables visually lossless video contribution with sub-frame latency and full path redundancy for TVTEL's centralised VAR operation...
25/08/2026
World-first demonstration combines 5G Broadcast and Media over QUIC for seamless, ultra-low-latency hybrid media delivery
Big Blue Marble will showcase new dev...
25/08/2026
MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, will showcase its complete sof...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...