This just in from Westwood One Radio, we have the announcing teams for Thursday, Sunday and Monday Night Football plus the Sunday afternoon doubleheaders. Not too many changes. We have Kevin Harlan back on Monday nights teamed with either Boomer Esiason or Dan Fouts. Dave Sims and James Lofton are the Sunday Night Football team and Ian Eagle will be joined by Trent Green on Thursdays. Howard David and Kevin Kugler will call the Sunday afternoon games.
Westwood One has been the main rightsholder dating back to when CBS Radio reobtained the NFL radio rights in 1987. We have your press release detailing the men who will call the action.
WESTWOOD ONE ANNOUNCES ALL-PRO BROADCAST LINEUP FOR THE 2011-2012 NFL SEASON
— Kevin Harlan & Boomer Esiason Return as Lead Monday Night Football Team –
— Hall of Fame NFL Quarterback Dan Fouts joins the NFL on Westwood One with James Lofton, Trent Green, Tony Boselli, Mark Malone, Dave Sims, Ian Eagle, Kevin Kugler and Howard David rounding out the lineup —New York, NY – August 8, 2011 – Westwood One announced today its lineup of all-star broadcasters for the 2011-2012 NFL season. Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason will return as the lead announcers for Monday Night Football and Super Bowl XLVI. In addition, Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts joins Westwood One and will provide play-by-play and analysis for select Monday Night games and the Playoffs. Dave Sims and James Lofton return as the Sunday Night broadcast team. Ian Eagle and Trent Green will once again pair up for Westwood One’s Thursday Night broadcasts.
“The NFL season is on and Westwood One has assembled some of the best broadcasters in the business to bring America’s favorite sport to fans nationwide,” said Rod Sherwood, President of Westwood One. “The popularity of NFL football is at an all-time high and we look forward to helping our advertisers and station affiliates seize the moment and connect with more fans than ever before.”
Full broadcast teams for the NFL on Westwood One are as follows:
Sunday Night Football
Play-by-Play: Dave Sims
Color Analyst: James LoftonMonday Night Football
Play-by-Play: Kevin Harlan
Color Analyst: Boomer Esiason (or Dan Fouts)Thursday Night Football
Play-by-Play: Ian Eagle
Color Analyst: Trent GreenSunday Afternoon Doubleheaders
Play-by-Play: Howard David
Color Analyst: Tony BoselliPlay-by-Play: Kevin Kugler
Color Analyst: Mark MaloneWestwood One is the exclusive network radio partner of the NFL primetime package, broadcasting the most games and the best match-ups throughout the entire NFL season. Westwood One has been an NFL network radio partner for more than four decades and the exclusive network radio partner since 1987. The Westwood One 2011-2012 NFL broadcast schedule features 57 national games, including:
Opening Kickoff game, 17 Monday Night games, including one doubleheader, 17 Sunday Night games (including Christmas Night), 7 Thursday Night games (including Thanksgiving Night), one Saturday Night game, a Thanksgiving Day doubleheader, 12 Postseason games, including the NFL Playoffs, the AFC and NFC Championship Games, the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Westwood One also delivers specialty programs, including: The NFL Today, NFL Preview, NFL Insider, NFL Sunday, and NFL Fantasy Football Forecast.
In addition to the 57 game primetime package, Westwood One will also present a weekly doubleheader starting on Sunday, September 11, 2011 and continuing each Sunday through January 1, 2011. These games will be chosen as the season progresses to ensure the best possible matchups. All stations airing Westwood One’s NFL Football coverage can be found using the Station Finder located at www.westwoodone.com beginning Wednesday, September 9, 2011.
WESTWOOD ONE 2011-2012 NFL BROADCASTERS
Kevin Harlan makes his return to Westwood One as the play-by-play voice for Monday Night Football games. Harlan was the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football games throughout the 2009 and 2010 NFL seasons as well as for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four on Westwood One from 2003-2007. Harlan also currently calls play-by-play for CBS Sports’ coverage of the NFL and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, as well as NBA Basketball on TNT. Harlan joined CBS Sports in 1998 as an NFL play-by-play announcer, after having served in the same capacity for Fox Sports since 1994. A veteran football and basketball broadcaster, this will be his 27th consecutive season broadcasting the NFL and this year’s NBA season marks his 24th broadcasting the NBA. Harlan spent nine seasons (1985-93) as the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs and was the voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves for nine seasons as well.
Boomer Esiason provides color commentary for Westwood One’s critically acclaimed Monday Night Football broadcast team and this marks his twelfth year broadcasting for the network. Esiason co-host’s The NFL Today for CBS Sports and also served as the Monday Night Football analyst for ABC Sports for two seasons before joining Westwood One. Boomer also spends mornings co-hosting a daily radio show on WFAN in New York, and co-hosts NFL Preview each week on Westwood One as well. Prior to embarking on a broadcasting career, Esiason was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history. He spent 14 years in the NFL and quarterbacked the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII. In 1988, Esiason was named NFL MVP by the Pro Football Writers of America and the Associated Press and was named the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1995.
Dan Fouts will serve as analyst for select Monday Night games this season in addition to his duties as an analyst for THE NFL ON CBS. He has been an analyst for THE NFL ON CBS for the past 3 seasons, as well as from 1988-93. Fouts worked for ABC Sports from 1997-2008, most notably alongside Al Michaels and Dennis Miller for two seasons as an analyst on “Monday Night Football”. Additionally, he served as play-by-play announcer for ABC’s coverage of Pac-10 college football. An NFL Hall of Famer, Fouts retired after 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, where he was a six-time Pro Bowl selection. Upon his retirement, he held 42 team records and eight NFL records, including most 300-yard passing games, and his 43,040 total passing yards made him the second-most-prolific passer in NFL history. Fouts earned NFL and AFC Player of the Year honors in 1982, and was named AFC Most Valuable Player in 1979 and league co-MVP in 1982.
Dave Sims returns for his sixth season as Westwood One’s play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football. Before switching to primetime, Sims called Westwood One Sunday afternoon games as well as the NFL Playoffs for nearly a decade. The two-time Emmy Award winner has also called play-by-play for NCAA Basketball regular season games and tournament coverage for the past eight years and in 2003, also hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four. In addition to his Westwood One duties, Sims called the Big East Football TV Game of the Week for many years, has written for the New York Daily News and is currently the TV play by play voice of the Seattle Mariners.
James Lofton returns for his third season as an analyst for Sunday Night Football on Westwood One. Lofton served as analyst and sideline reporter for the NFL on Westwood One from 1999 – 2001 and rejoined the Network after a seven-year coaching stint with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders. He was the No. 1 draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1978, beginning a long career as an NFL wide receiver. In 16 season playing for Green Bay, the Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles, Lofton caught 764 passes for 14,004 yards, which was the most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. In 13 playoff games, Lofton caught 41 passes for 759 yards and eight touchdowns, including a seven-reception game in Super Bowl XXVI. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Ian Eagle enters his fourth year as play-by-play announcer for Westwood One’s NFL Thursday night coverage. For the past four years, Eagle also called the action for Westwood One’s coverage of the SEC Basketball Championship and the Regional Semi-Finals and Finals of the NCAA Tournament. Eagle is primarily known for his work with CBS Sports, calling NFL games and NCAA Basketball games since 1998. He also has served as the play-by-play announcer for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets television broadcasts since 1995, after having called play-by-play for radio broadcasts the previous year. He was the play-by-play radio voice for the New York Jets in 1997 and hosted Jets pre- and post-game shows on WFAN from 1993 to 1996. Eagle joined WFAN Radio in New York in 1990 as a producer and debuted as host of his own show in 1992. Eagle was awarded the Bob Costas Award for Outstanding Sportscasting while attending Syracuse University.
Trent Green returns to Westwood One for his second season as the Thursday Night game analyst after serving in a similar capacity for one year on Sunday’s with FOX Television. In addition, Green also serves as a studio analyst for the NFL Network and as an analyst for preseason games on television for the Kansas City Chiefs. Green spent 15 seasons in the NFL, playing quarterback for five different franchises. He was a member of the Super Bowl XXXIV Champion Rams, but enjoyed his best seasons with Kansas City from 2001-2006. While wearing a Chiefs uniform, he became only the 4th quarterback in NFL history to have three consecutive seasons of 4,000 yards or more passing. He finished his career with 162 touchdowns and over 28,000 yards passing.
Howard David will once again serve as play-by-play announcer for Sunday Afternoon games. David returned to the network in 2009 after an eight-year hiatus. He previously spent 23 years with CBS Radio/Westwood One broadcasting College Football, College Basketball, Masters Golf, US Open Tennis, the Olympics and NFL Football including six seasons as the voice of Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl. David’s broadcast background also includes calling play-by-play for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, as well as NBA Basketball with the New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. He has also hosted talk shows at WQAM in Miami, Sporting News Radio and currently co-hosts a show for Sirius NFL Radio. David was chosen as New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year four times, the NY “Air Award” for broadcast excellence and is also a recipient of a New York Emmy Award.
Tony Boselli returns for his second season as full-time color analyst for Westwood One’s broadcasts of Sunday Afternoon NFL games. Boselli began his national broadcasting career in 2007, working as a game analyst for the NFL on FOX. In 2009, he joined Westwood One where he worked as a part-time analyst for both NFL and College Football. In addition, Boselli has also co-hosted a local daily morning radio show in Jacksonville. The first player ever drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Boselli was chosen #2 overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. After six seasons with the Jaguars, which included five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams and two trips to AFC Championship Game, injuries forced him to retire in 2006. Selected as a member of the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team, Boselli was the first inductee into the Jaguars ring of honor, and received the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award in 2000. Boselli is a 1994 graduate of the USC where he was a 3-time All-American and winner of the 1994 Morris Trophy, given annually to the top offensive lineman in the Pac 10.
Kevin Kugler returns for his third season as play-by-play announcer for Sunday Afternoon NFL games. He also serves as the lead announcer for Westwood One’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and Final Four. Kugler has served the voice of the College World Series for the past seven years, and has done play-by-play for Westwood One’s coverage of the Masters, College Football, and the 2008 and 2010 Olympic Games. Kugler also co-hosts a daily sports talk show in Omaha, and recently won the Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year Awards for the 7th time in eight years.
Mark Malone returns for his fourth season as both a booth analyst and sideline reporter for the NFL on Westwood One, and his third season as the host of NFL Insider. Prior to joining Westwood One, he served as Sports Director for WBBM-TV in Chicago, where he garnered four Emmys for his work. Malone also spent a decade with ESPN where he hosted many NFL shows including Edge NFL Match-up, NFL Tonight, and Monday Night Countdown. Malone, an All-American quarterback at Arizona State and first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, played for 10 years in the NFL, quarterbacking the Steelers to the 1984 AFC Championship Game.
Jim Gray joined Westwood One in 2001 as host of the network’s Monday Night Football pre-game and halftime shows and this marks his eleventh season fulfilling the same role for the network. Gray also serves as courtside reporter for Westwood One’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and as on-course reporter for the Masters. A prominent network television reporter for over two decades, Gray currently covers boxing for Showtime, has been a contributor to the Golf Channel, and also has served as a courtside reporter for the NBA on CBS, NBC, ABC and most recently ESPN. Gray’s numerous credits include: seven Olympic Games, 22 Masters, thirteen Super Bowls, seven World Series and 15 NBA Finals. Gray has won eight Emmy Awards and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Scott Graham returns for his third season as pregame, halftime and postgame host for the network’s Sunday NFL coverage. Graham has spent over twenty years as a radio and television sportscaster including play-by-play for both the NFL and NFL Europe on FOX. He has also spent the last 15 seasons as The Comcast Network’s primary play-by-play voice of college basketball, and continues to call college hoops for ESPN. On the radio side, Graham served as the play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Phillies for eight seasons from 1999-2006. For nearly a decade prior to that, he hosted the pregame and postgame shows for the Phillies on CBS Radio in Philadelphia. Since 2003, Graham has narrated a variety of programs, commercials, and features produced by NFL Films. His voice has most often been heard on NFL Game of the Week, in weekly game previews on NFL.com, and in various season highlight films for NFL teams.
And that does it.
