Just a half-year after helping to launch the Sports on Earth site, Joe Posnanski has left the joint venture between MLB and USA Today Sports to join the NBC Sports Group and become its national columnist. Previously, Posnanski has worked for Sports Illustrated, the Kansas City Star and the Cincinnati Post.
He’ll have a weekly Friday column which starts today. Posnanski will contribute to other NBC Sports platforms such as Golf Channel, NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network, the Comcast SportsNet regional networks and NBC Sports Radio.
I can’t help thinking that this is similar to the deal for another former Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly who joined ESPN and became an extremely little fish in a really huge ocean.
But in this case, I think NBC Sports might be a good fit for Posnanski as the network doesn’t have as large a stable as ESPN. In addition, he’ll get better exposure on the NBCSports.com site whereas ESPN.com is all over the place.
Here’s the announcement from NBC.
JOE POSNANSKI JOINS NBC SPORTS GROUP
Acclaimed Journalist to Serve As National Columnist for NBCSports.com
Will Also Contribute Across NBC Sports Group’s Digital, Television, Radio and Regional PlatformsNEW YORK – February 22, 2013 – Acclaimed sports journalist Joe Posnanski has joined the NBC Sports Group as its national columnist for NBCSports.com. The author of four sports books, including “Paterno,” which reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, will also contribute content across NBC Sports Group’s vast array of digital, television, radio and regional assets.
Posnanski, named the 2012 National Sportswriter of the Year by the Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame, will cover the biggest topics in sports by writing three long-form stories per week on NBCSports.com. His weekly Friday column, to be called “The Big Read,” debuts today with a column about New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Click here to access the story: http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50877666
He will also contribute to GolfChannel.com, NBCOlympics.com, NBCSports.com’s SportTalk blogs, including HardballTalk, as well as to the websites of the NBC Sports Regional Networks.
“Joe is one of the most talented and respected writers in sports, and we are thrilled that he is joining our team,” said Rick Cordella, SVP & General Manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports Group. “Although Joe excels with the written word, an exciting element of this agreement is that it affords him the ability to communicate with sports fans through all the assets in the diverse NBC Sports Group portfolio, which include national and regional digital, television and radio platforms.”
Twice named the best sports columnist in America by The Associated Press Sports Editors, Posnanski will also regularly appear on NBC Sports Group television programming — NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, and the NBC Sports Regional Networks – as well as on NBC Sports Radio programs.
There you go.
