Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Behind the Mic: ESPN Signs Dianna Russini to Multi-Year Extension; Turner Sports Completes On-Air Team for Inaugural NHL Season

17/09/2021

Behind the Mic: ESPN Signs Dianna Russini to Multi-Year Extension; Turner Sports Completes On-Air Team for Inaugural NHL Season By SVG Staff

Friday, September 17, 2021 - 7:05 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, ESPN re-signs Dianna Russini, Turner Sports wraps up the names for its first-ever NHL season, and more.

ESPN Signs Top NFL Reporter and Host Dianna Russini to Multi-Year Extension

ESPN has signed top NFL reporter and host Dianna Russini to a multi-year extension in advance of her fifth football season with the company. Widely respected throughout the League and among fellow media professionals and NFL fans, Russini will continue to break news and share live reports from stadiums around the League while contributing to ESPN's most prominent platforms year-round. Currently on maternity leave, Russini will return to Sunday NFL Countdown, Fantasy Football Now, SportsCenter, Get Up, and ESPN Radio later this season.

Since joining ESPN's NFL team in 2017, Russini has deftly handled a multi-faceted role breaking news, obtaining key interviews, hosting shows, and providing live reports, analysis and features. Some of her recent, most memorable contributions include reporting from the sidelines in Oakland during the Week 1 Monday Night Football game in 2019, interviewing Titans' head coach Mike Vrabel and All-Pro running back Derrick Henry in advance of last year's AFC Championship, and reporting on how the reigning Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady became a Buccaneer. Additionally, Russini was first to report on two major signings earlier this year: Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans and Trent Williams re-signing with the San Francisco 49ers - which made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in League history.

Dianna is so passionate about covering the NFL, and it shows in every assignment she works on, says Seth Markman, ESPN vice president, production. From an All-State athlete in four sports to an All-Star teammate here at ESPN, she is a terrific example of how hard work pays off.

Since joining ESPN in 2015, Russini has hosted and appeared on a number of high-profile studio shows and worked NFL and XFL games for ESPN Radio and ABC, respectively. She also contributed to Monday Night Football's digital pregame show, Monday Tailgate, in 2020.

It's such a special time to be covering the NFL, and there's no better place to be doing it than at ESPN, adds Russini. I'm thrilled to be part of such a talented team-and I'm excited about the years to come.

Earlier in her career, Russini covered news and sports in Seattle, New York City, Westchester, N.Y., Connecticut and Washington, D.C., where she was the lead sports anchor for NBC's WRC-TV.

A New York native raised in Nowood, N.J., Russini was an ABC News intern for Diane Sawyer and WABC, and she played Division 1 soccer at George Mason University. (ESPN)

Turner Sports Bolsters NHL Game and Studio Commentator Team Turner Sports has assembled a deep roster of esteemed analysts, commentators, and reporters in the run up to its inaugural NHL season, which is set to begin Wednesday, Oct. 13, on TNT with a doubleheader featuring the New York Rangers at the Washington Capitals at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks at the Colorado Avalanche at 10 p.m.

The previously announced commentary duo of Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk will be joined by Brendan Burke, who will provide play-by-play throughout the season alongside analyst Darren Pang. Keith Jones will provide ice-level analysis for NHL games on TNT, with Jennifer Botterill, Jackie Redmond, and Tarik El-Bashir contributing to telecasts.

Turner Sports' NHL studio coverage will be hosted by Liam McHugh, alongside a collection of analysts including The Great One Wayne Gretzky, 10-year NHL veteran Anson Carter, three-time Stanley Cup Champion Rick Tocchet, and hockey personality and former AHL & NHL veteran Paul Bissonnette.

This veteran group of announcers, analysts and reporters bring a wealth of on-ice experience and achievements to Turner Sports' NHL coverage including eight Stanley Cups, four Olympic medals, 11 World Championship medals, more than 5,200 pro hockey regular season games played, and more than 5,400 regular season career points.

Additionally, Bleacher Report has tapped Andrew Nasher' Telfer, one of the preeminent hockey content creators in the world, to be a key component of the brand's NHL content strategy. Nasher, as he is more commonly known through his popular hockey-based Twitch and YouTube channels, will star in a series of interactive mid and long-form content offerings for B/R's new NHL-specific content vertical launching later this month, Open Ice', leveraging B/R's access to NHL rights for creative across B/R and House of Highlights social channels and live streams within the B/R App. (Turner Sports)

Milwaukee Bucks Name Lisa Byington as Television Play-By-Play Announcer The Milwaukee Bucks have named Lisa Byington as the team's television play-by-play announcer for games on Bally Sports Wisconsin. In joining the Bucks, Byington becomes the first female full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a major men's professional sports team.

This past March, Byington became the first female play-by-play voice to work the NCAA men's basketball tournament as she called First Round games for CBS and Turner Sports. More recently, Byington worked the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo for NBC Sports as a men's and women's soccer play-by-play announcer and also did play-by-play for the Women's World Cup on FOX in 2019. From 2017-19, Byington worked
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/09/17/behind-the-mic-espn-signs-diann...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

08/07/2025

Carr Applauds Restoration of FCC Auction Authority

WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is applauding the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and provision...

08/07/2025

Channel 7 Sydney Chooses RTS and Magna Systems for ST-2110 Upgrade

SYDNEY RTS has announced that Channel 7 Sydney has deployed a new comms system from RTS as part of a larger ST-2110 upgrade....

08/07/2025

Gray Media and Scripps Agree to Swap TV Stations

ATLANTA & CINCINNATI Gray Media, Inc. and The E.W. Scripps Company have entered into agreements to swap television stations across five mid-sized and small mark...

07/07/2025

Staying Ahead of the Threat - Everywhere, Any Time

Advanced vision solutions deliver more than reliable night vision for tactical-edge warfighters. Today's technological advances can provide the capability f...

07/07/2025

Sinclair Names Narinder Sahai EVP and Chief Financial Officer

BALTIMORE Sinclair has named Narinder Sahai its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately....

07/07/2025

Riedel Communications Launches RefSuite Ecosystem for Spo...

Riedel Communications today announced the launch of RefSuite, a powerful new Managed Technology solution tailored to professional sports workflows. RefSuite com...

07/07/2025

Skandha Media Services expands MENA presence with new off...

Regional base will foster client engagement, partner collaboration, and executive touchpoints Skandha Media Services, a leading provider of cloud-native media ...

07/07/2025

ASG-Produced Video Wins Gold Telly Award

Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced its Against All Odds - ASG Builds Cutti...

07/07/2025

Skandha Media Services announces collaboration with Warne...

Agreement secured on the strength of Skandha's proven track record in delivering reliable managed services across the full content life cycle for existing h...

07/07/2025

1-2 Punch: The Cloud, Generative AI, and the Future of Sports-Content Distribution

1-2 Punch: The Cloud, Generative AI, and the Future of Sports-Content Distributi...

07/07/2025

Formula E: Host Broadcaster Aurora on Launching New AR Graphics at the Jakarta E-Prix

Tests and decisions: Formula E host broadcaster Aurora on launching new AR graph...

07/07/2025

Formula E: Using New AR Graphics for Storytelling at the Formula E Penultimate, Final E-Prix of the Season

Building tension: Using new AR graphics for storytelling at the Formula E penult...

07/07/2025

SVG Rewind: Four NFL Clubs Bring Us on Set of Respective Media Day Shoots

SVG Rewind: Four NFL Clubs Bring Us on Set of Respective Media Day Shoots An in-depth conversation with 49ers Laura Johnson, Ravens Jay O'Brien, Las Vegas R...

07/07/2025

Cosm To Build Fifth Shared Reality Venue in Cleveland as Part of Bedrock's Rock Block' Development

Cosm To Build Fifth Shared Reality Venue in Cleveland as Part of Bedrock's ...

07/07/2025

'She Walks in Darkness', Agustn Daz Yanes' New Film, Premieres on Netflix on October 17

Back to All News She Walks in Darkness, Agust n D az Yanes New Film, Premieres ...

05/07/2025

'Superestar,' the Story of a Star Who Never Changed. Premiering July 18

Back to All News Superestar, the Story of a Star Who Never Changed. Premiering July 18 Entertainment 05 July 2025 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard Dis...

04/07/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Tadashi Nakamura, the Filmmaker Behind Third Act

By Lucy Spicer Editor's note: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robe...

04/07/2025

Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices

Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices Brie Clayton July 4, 2025 0 Comments A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...

04/07/2025

Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K

Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K Brie Clayton July 4, 2025 0 Comments Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...

04/07/2025

Create Any Planet in After Effects

Create Any Planet in After Effects Graham Quince July 4, 2025 0 Comments The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...

04/07/2025

Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion

Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025 0 Comments Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...

04/07/2025

NESN Gives Red Sox-Reds Matchup a Retro Makeover

Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters how much information is too much?...

04/07/2025

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July Open Meeting

WASHINGTON As Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr works to achieve his goal of a very busy, productive summer at the FCC, the agency has rele...

04/07/2025

Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SSD

Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...

04/07/2025

CANAL+ Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive

CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive Brie Clayton July 3, 2025 0 Comments Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...

03/07/2025

Advanced Communication Systems Unleash a Tactical Advantage in Modern Combat Operations

To achieve a true level of decisive overmatch, communication systems must be as ...

03/07/2025

Paramount's Ray Hopkins Joins Broadcasters Foundation Board

The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. distribution at Paramount Global, to its board of directors....

03/07/2025

FCC Chair Carr Lays Out Infrastructure Policy Agenda

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. In his first major policy speech, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr outlined his Build America Agenda for the agency'...

03/07/2025

TV Tech's Top NextGen TV Stories of 2025

As the industry is making a major push to transition to NextGen TV and develop new businesses that will fund the next generation of broadcasting, TV Tech's ...

03/07/2025

Netflix Rolls Out AV1 Film Grain Synthesis Streams for Film Content

Despite enabling its subscribers to watch films and TV shows in the highest possible resolution, Netflix has revealed it is taking things old school with the in...

03/07/2025

FCC's Gomez, Sen. Markey, Critics Blast Paramount-Trump Settlement

WASHINGTON In response to news that Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, Democrats and other administra...

03/07/2025

Riedel Communications Unveils RefSuite Sports Ecosystem

WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications today launched RefSuite for professional sports workflows....

03/07/2025

LYNX Technik Appoints New Executive Leadership Team

WEITERSTADT, Germany LYNX Technik, a provider of modular signal processing solutions, has announced that founder and longtime CEO Winfried Deckelmann is steppin...

03/07/2025

CTA, NCTA, LPTVBA Meet With FCC to Oppose NAB's ATSC 3.0 Petition

WASHINGTON Representatives from six trade groups representing tech, pay TV, broadband, LPTV and other sectors recently met with Federal Communications Commissio...

03/07/2025

Dan Whealy Acquires Heartland Video Systems

PLYMOUTH, Wis. Dan Whealy has acquired Heartland Video Systems and will be its new owner and president, the systems integrator said....

03/07/2025

Filmmaker Jay Holben Releases The Directors Guide to Ever...

Acclaimed filmmaker, educator, and industry veteran Jay Holben has released his most ambitious work to date: The Director's Guide to Everything a sweeping...

03/07/2025

Capturing the Moment - Pruski Photographs Dyke Day LA wit...

For Los Angeles-based photographer Scout Pruski, documenting the annual Dyke Day LA is a way to honor and give back to the city's legacy queer community and...

03/07/2025

New Reinvented Chimera V-Flat Panel Frame Kit

Modular, Travel-Ready Solution Matthews Studio Equipment launches the new Chimera V-Flat Panel Frame Kit, the lightweight and modular, ultra-durable alternativ...

03/07/2025

Dalet Flex LTS Release Elevates Content Workflows with Ne...

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the release of Dalet Flex 2025.6 LTS (long-term support), introdu...

03/07/2025

Lightware launches LARA Wizard to help integrators simpli...

Lightware's LARA Wizard makes it quicker and easier than ever to set up audio-visual (AV) room automation and control configurations, ensuring anyone, from ...

03/07/2025

Alfalite obtains NCAGE and TAA certifications strengtheni...

Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, has obtained both the NCAGE Code (NATO Commercial and Government Entity) and TAA (Trade Agreements Act)...

03/07/2025

WIN streamlines complex live production with nxtedition

nxtedition is implementing a new solution for WIN Network, based in its headquarters in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The nxtedition integrated platfo...

03/07/2025

ORS Group and Insys Video Technologies unite under one br...

ORS Group and Insys Video Technologies today announce the launch of a new joint brand identity: Big Blue Marble. The move reflects the evolution of a long-stand...

03/07/2025

Evergent Proves Cross-Industry Power of AI for Japanese G...

Evergent, a global leader in customer lifecycle management and monetization solutions for subscription-based businesses, today announced the successful results ...

03/07/2025

LYNX Technik Appoints New Executive Leadership Team to Dr...

LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions today announces an executive leadership transition, effective July 1, 2025. Markus Motzko has been...

03/07/2025

Chaos Releases V-Ray for Blender

Chaos Releases V-Ray for Blender Brie Clayton July 2, 2025 0 Comments Production-Proven Renderer V-Ray Arrives Natively in Blender for the First Time;...

03/07/2025

Calvin University Adds Blackmagic Replay to Broadcasts and Streams

Calvin University Adds Blackmagic Replay to Broadcasts and Streams Brie Clayton July 2, 2025 0 Comments Replay workflow joins 14 Blackmagic Design cam...

03/07/2025

Berklee's Gospel Performance Program Welcomes Jonathan Nelson as the Herb Alpert Visiting Artist

Berklee's Gospel Performance Program Welcomes Jonathan Nelson as the Herb Al...

03/07/2025

Get Ready for Even More Action! Netflix Has Confirmed the Third Season of the Brazilian Original Series 'Criminal Code'

Back to All News Get Ready for Even More Action! Netflix Has Confirmed the Thir...