Fox Sports has made three hires for its newsgathering operation. When Fox Sports 1 was officially introduced to the media earlier this year, there was mention that the network was going to be serious about its newsgathering. On Monday, Fox Sports announced the hiring of Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole from TSN to be its main anchor team for Fox Sports Live. Now, we have the names of three people who will be part of the new network when it launches on August 17.
Don Bell will be an anchor for Fox Sports Live and he comes from ESPNews.
Molly McGrath will be an update anchor as well as a roving correspondent. She’s been an in-game host and sideline reporter at Boston Celtics games at TD Bank Garden in Boston.
And Fox Sports taps Canada once again by hiring Julie Stewart-Binks from CTV. She’ll also double as an update anchor and breaking news correspondent.
Here’s the official announcement from Fox.
On-Air Personalities Don Bell, Molly McGrath and Julie Stewart-Binks Join New 24/7 Sports Network
New York – FOX Sports Media Group today announced the key additions of Don Bell, Molly McGrath and Julie Stewart-Binks to the FOX Sports 1 broadcaster roster.
Bell’s primary role includes anchor duties for FOX SPORTS LIVE, FOX Sports 1’s flagship news, opinion and highlights program. McGrath and Stewart-Binks serve as update desk and breaking news correspondents for the new 24/7 sports network set to debut on Saturday, Aug. 17. The announcement was made today by Executive Vice President, Studio Production, Scott Ackerson in conjunction with a series of others marking the 100-day countdown to the launch of FOX Sports 1.
Bell joins FOX Sports 1 after spending three years as an anchor for ESPNEWS. Prior to ESPN, Bell flourished as a weekend sports anchor at KYW-TV, the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, where he earned a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Outstanding Sportscast. Bell began his broadcasting career as a weekend sports anchor at WWSB-TV, in Sarasota, FL in 2002 before moving to KPLR-TV St. Louis in 2004. Bell has covered a number of events including the World Series, the NCAA men’s college basketball Final Four and thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.
A native of Hillside, N.J., Bell graduated from Boston University in 2000 with a double major – a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism. In 2002, Bell received a Master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.
McGrath joins the FOX Sports family from the Boston Celtics where served as a sideline reporter and in-arena host during the 2012-2013 season and was responsible for live segments during Celtics home games including halftime updates and player interviews at TD Garden. She also worked as host of Celtics Now!, a monthly recap program on Comcast SportsNet New England highlighting the best moments on and off the court for the Celtics. Additionally, McGrath hosted packages for Comcast’s Celtics On Demand as well as hosted, produced and edited daily updates, exclusive interviews and other packages for the Celtics’ team website. Originally from San Francisco, McGrath is a 2011 graduate of Boston College, where she studied broadcast journalism.
Stewart-Binks joined CTV, Canada’s largest television broadcaster as an on-air personality in 2011. Prior to CTV, she was a reporter with FOX Soccer for the FOX Soccer Report in Winnipeg. An avid hockey player and fan, Stewart-Binks worked at CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada as a program assistant, with the NHL’s Leafs TV as a freelance reporter, and eventually as host and reporter with TV Cogeco’s The OHL Tonight, covering the Ontario Hockey League.
Stewart-Binks attended Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada where she completed a double degree in Physical and Health Education and Drama. She moved to England and completed her Master’s in International Broadcast Journalism at City University London.
There you have it.
