As Lindsay Schanzer Makes Kentucky Derby History at Front Bench, NBC Sports Welcomes Back Full-Capacity Crowds at Churchill Downs Schanzer is the first woman ever to produce the Derby By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, May 6, 2022 - 1:33 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After serving nearly a decade on NBC Sports' Kentucky Derby production crew, Lindsay Schanzer takes the Kentucky Derby reins for the first time this weekend. Although the new senior producer of NBC's Triple Crown coverage has served as lead producer of the broadcaster's Preakness Stakes, Breeders' Cup, and Royal Ascot productions since 2020 and produced last year's Belmont Stakes, tomorrow's race at Churchill Downs marks her first time leading production of horse racing's most iconic event.
What's it going to feel like? I think, hopefully, given the experience that I've had, it won't feel too different, she says. I think part of the beauty of this job and the way it has been set up for me is that I will be surrounded by people I've been working with in some capacity for 10 years.
Indeed, although this is Schanzer's first year overseeing the Derby - the first woman ever to do so - the bulk of NBC's established production team under previous producer Rob Hyland remains in place. To her left in the truck will be longtime NBC Associate Producer, Horse Racing, Amy Zimmerman, and to her right will be Director Drew Esocoff, who has called the shots for every Derby since 2011. Producer Billy Matthews and Director Kaare Numme also return to handle USA Network's coverage leading up to the main event on NBC.
NBC's new Triple Crown Senior Producer Lindsay Schanzer will produce this weekend's Kentucky Derby.
I think it will feel like a comfortable position with a lot of responsibility, says the five-time Sports Emmy winner. I'm sure there will be nerves - as I think my predecessors would say they had as well - but I think I'll feel excited and grateful and that sense of comfort and peace that comes with the people around you being the people that you call family and are really lucky to work with.
NBC Onsite at Churchill Downs: 50+ Cameras, 16 Announcers, Capacity Crowds NBC Sports kicks off more than 12 hours of Kentucky Derby Week action today with live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks on USA Network; Saturday's live coverage begins at noon ET on USA Network. Over the two days, NBC Sports will televise 15 races as part of its 12 hours of live coverage from Churchill Downs, including a live five-hour Kentucky Derby Day on Saturday on NBC and Peacock.
We're thrilled to bring this event to viewers across the country and the globe, says Schanzer. With over 50 cameras, including drone coverage to cover the full scope of the event and cameras on the helmets of jockeys in the race, we think we're in a position to give all of our viewers the best seat in the house.
In addition to the cameras, NBC has trotted out 16 announcers at Churchill Downs led by host Mike Tirico, anchoring Derby coverage for the sixth time. Longtime analysts Jerry Bailey, Randy Moss, and Eddie Olczyk are also back and will be joined by reporters Ahmed Fareed, Britney Eurton, Donna Brothers, Kenny Rice, and Nick Luck, along with race caller Larry Collmus. For the second consecutive year, NBC News' Steve Kornacki is back to provide deeper odds analysis, NBC Sports' Tim Layden will deliver an essay, and NBC News' Dylan Dreyer and E!'s Zanna Roberts Rassi will serve as fashion correspondents. Special lifestyle correspondents Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rutledge Wood will also bring some fun to the proceedings with a Derby Day scavenger hunt, taking viewers behind the scenes to rarely seen locations at Churchill Downs.
We've got 16 announcers who will cover every nook and cranny of this unique and special venue, says Schanzer.
In addition to an army of on-air talent covering the Derby, NBC Sports' Premier League studio show will be live from Churchill Downs on Saturday morning. Rebecca Lowe will host the Premier League Mornings and Premier League Live shows alongside analysts Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, and Tim Howard from the paddock. Lowe, who was part of NBC Sports' 2019 Kentucky Derby team, will then join NBC's Derby coverage as a feature host during Saturday's Run for the Roses.
Rebecca Lowe will do the Football/Derby double, says Schanzer. When she's done with her coverage on Premier League, she'll flip over and join our show. We're really excited about having her back.
Although the cavalcade of cameras and on-air talent is sure to bring plenty of excitement to NBC's broadcast, nothing can match the energy provided by full-capacity crowds at a Kentucky Derby. After holding the Derby in September in 2020 and with only a limited audience last May, Churchill Downs will welcome back a capacity crowd for the first time since 2019.
To me, there is no day like the Kentucky Derby, says Schanzer. It is a singular event in all of American sports and beyond. After a crazy stretch of dramatic and controversial finishes, plus a September Derby in the middle of a pandemic and an empty Churchill Downs, we are looking forward to a full-capacity venue and, hopefully, a great race with a true celebration in the winner's circle.
USA Network kicks off coverage from the Derby with the Kentucky Oaks today at 1 p.m. ET. NBC and Peacock's coverage of the 148th Kentucky Derby begins at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
As Lindsay Schanzer Makes Kentucky Derby History at Front Bench, NBC Sports Welcomes Back Full-Capacity Crowds at Churchill Downs Schanzer is the first woman ever to produce the Derby By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
