Behind the Mic: Colin Cowherd Officially Joins Fox Sports; NBC Names Ryan Seacrest as Rio Olympics Late Night Host

Colin Cowherd has officially joined FOX Sports and Premiere Networks in September as a television, radio and digital personality. Cowherd is set to host a three-hour sports talk program titled THE HERD beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 airing simultaneously on FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports Radio Network, including AM 570 LA Sports/KLAC, weekdays from 12:00 to 3:00 PM ET. In addition to the FOX Sports 1/FSRN simulcast, Cowherd also becomes a key member of the FOX NFL KICKOFF cast, a show which moves from FOX Sports 1 to FOX, airing Sundays at 11:00 AM ET preceding FOX NFL SUNDAY. The show's full roster is expected to be unveiled in the days ahead. Cowherd is also part of the team contributing to FOX Sports 1's coverage of Jim Harbaugh's debut as Michigan head coach when Utah hosts the Wolverines in both teams' season-opener on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Colin Cowherd

Cowherd was host of ESPN Radio's The Herd with Colin Cowherd, airing nationally on weekdays and simulcast on ESPNU. He also hosted Colin's New Football Show on ESPN2 in 2013 and 2014, in addition to a variety of programs on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic. He was the original co-host of SportsNation on ESPN2. Cowherd joined ESPN Radio in 2004 when his program launched as an hour-long broadcast just on the West Coast. Prior to ESPN Radio, Cowherd The Herd at KFXX 910-AM in Portland and anchored weeknight sports and Sports Sunday for KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8. Cowherd's rise in the industry also includes serving as sports anchor at Tampa's WTVT-TV and as sports director at KVBC-TV in Las Vegas

With just under a year to go until the Opening Ceremony, NBC Olympics announced that Ryan Seacrest will serve as host for NBC's late night coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Seacrest served as a correspondent for NBC's coverage of the 2012 London Games, intervieweing U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps co-hosting the Closing Ceremony.

Seacrest is host of the primetime talent showcase American Idol on Fox, as well as host and executive producer of ABC's annual New Year's Eve program, Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. He also has an agreement with NBCUniversal that includes on-air broadcasting and producing duties across the NBC and E! Networks, including serving as host and producer of the E! Live from the Red Carpet awards programs. On radio, Seacrest is host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, his market-topping #1 nationally syndicated LA morning drive-time show for iHeartMedia's 102.7 KIIS-FM, as well as the nationally-syndicated On Air with Ryan Seacrest, American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, and the weekday vignette Direct from Hollywood

Ryen Russillo, who has spent the last 10 years with ESPN Radio, has signed a multiyear extension and will continue with ESPN Radio as host of Russillo & Kanell, co-hosted by ESPN college football analyst Danny Kanell and broadcast daily from 1 - 4 p.m. ET. The new three-hour show will debut Monday, Aug. 31, and will be televised on ESPNEWS starting at 1 p.m. Russillo will also have an expanded TV presence across multiple studio shows, with a focus on NBA programming.

Russillo was named co-host of ESPN Radio's Scott Van Pelt Show in May 2009. Since June 2015, he has hosted The Russillo Show with a group of alternating co-hosts, including Kanell.

Previously, Russillo hosted ESPN Radio's College GameDay (noon-7 p.m. Saturdays throughout the football season). Russillo joined ESPN Radio in February 2006, and hosted NBA Sunday, The Baseball Show and the NFL Draft. Prior to joining ESPN, Russillo was a sports voice in Boston, Mass. where he was a CSN studio host and NBA analyst, and a Sporting News Radio host.

Kanell, who recently signed a multi-year agreement with ESPN, will continue to host college football studio programming on ESPN Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Kanell joined ESPN in 2010 as a college football game and studio analyst. Prior to joining ESPN, Kanell was an NFL and college football analyst for WQAM Miami and CBS4 Miami. After playing quarterback at Florida State for four years, Kanell was drafted by the New York Giants in 1996 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos until 2004

The NFL on FOX has announced its game broadcast teams for the upcoming 2015 season. New this year will be FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman reuniting in the booth with analyst Charles Davis. Davis receives his first full slate of NFL games after serving as the network's lead college football analyst from 2007 to 2014. The tandem previously teamed up to call more than 30 college football contests for FOX and Big Ten Network from 2007 to 2010, including all three BCS National Championship Games between 2007 and 2009. They are joined by on-field analyst Tony Siragusa, in his 12th season with FOX Sports, serving as the NFL's only on-field analyst.

Fox's broadcast teams will be led by play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and lead analyst Troy Aikman in their 14 season along with Erin Andrews in her second season as the team's sideline reporter. Second in line will be play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt in his third season alongside analyst John Lynch (his seventh season in the booth for FOX Sports) and veteran sideline reporter Pam Oliver (her 21st FOX NFL season). FOX Sports veteran announcer Kenny Albert and analyst Daryl Johnston enter their ninth season together in the booth, joined for the first time by sideline reporter Laura Okmin. The team of announcer Chris Myers, analyst Ronde Barber and sideline reporter Jennifer Hale returns for a second campaign this fall. Additionally, veteran play-by-play voice Dick Stockton pairs with analyst David Diehl and sideline reporter Kristina Pink. Rounding out FOX NFL's broadcast assignments in 2015 is a crew led by play-by-play announcer

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