Behind the Mic: Jamie Little In, Brian Urlacher Out at Fox Sports; ESPN Adds Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams to College Game Day

FOX Sports will add veteran motor sports reporter Jamie Little to its NASCAR on FOX coverage beginning in January 2015. Little serves as a pit reporter for NASCAR on FOX’s 15th season of NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES coverage and its first year televising the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES.  Her assignments also include select additional races and special events throughout the year. The move to FOX comes after multiple years with ABC and ESPN, in which she covered the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series for ESPN since 2007, and the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2004, in addition to extensive work with the Summer and Winter X Games.. Previously, she covered a variety of motor sports events for FOX Sports’ SPEED in 2002 and 2003. She was the first female pit reporter for the television broadcast of the prestigious Indianapolis 500, the first female to cover a televised Supercross and Motorcross event, and was one of the first female reporters in X Games history. Little, who has worked for ABC, ESPN, SPEED, NBC and TNN, has hosted non-racing sporting events ranging from Paintball Championships to the Great Outdoor Games…

…Meanwhile, former eight-time Pro Bowler and All-Decade (2000s) NFL linebacker Brian Urlacher has decided to resign as a football analyst with FOX Sports to spend more time with his family, effective immediately. Urlacher, who retired from football after the 2012 season following a Hall of Fame-caliber 13-year playing career with the Chicago Bears, signed on as one of the lead football analysts for FOX Sports 1 in July 2013. This season, Urlacher offered his analysis and insights on FOX Sports 1’s AMERICA’S PREGAME and Sunday morning’s FOX NFL KICKOFF…

…ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will have some new faces for the upcoming men’s college basketball season as analysts Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams join the retuning duo of host Rece Davis and analyst Jay Bilas on the eight-week Saturday morning and evening program that originates from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast. The first hour begins at 10 a.m. ET on ESPNU, continuing at 11 a.m. on ESPN with a one-hour evening edition leading into the game-of-the-week. Greenberg and Williams will remain in their weekday studio roles, and continue to call select games throughout the season…

…This month NESN hired Nikki Reyes as a feature reporter/anchor and Guerin Austin as a reporter/anchor/host.

Reyes will initially appear on NESN Sports Today and NESN Live and will be part of the weekend anchor team on the NESN Sports Today news program. The Toronto native has been based out of Las Vegas since 2010 working as a reporter and senior producer for Top Rank Boxing and previously worked as a correspondent for The Fight Network covering MMA events and served as a field producer for EXTRA and NBC Universal. Before moving to Las Vegas, Reyes worked as on-air host and associate producer for NBA XL on NBA-TV Canada and as an anchor/reporter for Score In The Morning, a five-hour live show airing nationally in Canada. Reyes fills the NESN Sports Today feature reporter/anchor role previously held by Gary Striewski, who is now NESN’s primary Red Sox sideline reporter. A search is currently underway to replace NESN Sports Today anchor/reporter Leah Hextall, who left NESN last month to become a primary NHL studio host with Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.

Austin will begin her tenure at NESN serving as the network’s Bruins rink-side reporter and doing features on NESN Sports Today and NESN Live. Austin’s portfolio of experience includes five years in Washington, D.C., where she served as host of Caps Red Line, a weekly behind-the-scenes look at the Capitals airing on the NHL Network, and as a morning host/reporter at the FOX affiliate in Richmond, VA. She also served as the in-arena host for Capitals home games at the Verizon Center. The 2004 Miss Nebraska USA got her start in television as an on-air host and associate producer at the ABC affiliate in Denver, and at the CW station in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally from the Seattle area, Austin grew up in skating rinks, from competing as a figure skater to watching her dad and brother play hockey. She lived in Connecticut for two years training at the International Skating Center in Simsbury…

…Last week, Rowlett, Texas native Jane Slater debuted on Longhorn Network as a studio host and reporter. Along with reporting for LHN games and Texas GameDay, Slater will also host Longhorn Extra, and work on feature stories for various LHN programming. The University of Texas graduate most recently worked for CBS in Dallas covering the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars and college programs SMU, TCU and North Texas. While there she anchored a one-hour daily sports show, as well as the pre and post-game shows for the city’s professional teams. Slater’s television experience began in news, working seven years as an anchor and reporter…

…Olympic gold medallist and world champion Tessa Bonhomme has joined Canada’s Sports Leader on a full-time basis after officially retiring from Canada’s national women’s team. In her new full-time role at TSN, Bonhomme will appear as a host and reporter for SPORTSCENTRE as well as a contributor to TSN’s coverage of Hockey Canada events. Bonhomme appeared on TSN earlier this year as a panelist for hockey broadcasts during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and then as a host on the network’s French Open coverage and occasional SPORTSCENTRE anchor. Her broadcasting resume also includes time with Leafs TV as a hockey insider and GolTV Canada covering Toronto FC. A defenceman for Canada’s national women’s team beginning in 2004, Bonhomme helped Canada win a third straight gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She also won gold at the IIHF World Women’s Championship in both 2007 and 2012 and silver in 2009, 2011, and 2013…

…LPGA star Natalie Gulbis and top instructor Debbie Doniger have teamed up to host a new monthly show on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (XM channel 93, Sirius channel 208). The Golfer Girls with Natalie Gulbis and Debbie Doniger, which debuted on Sept. 24. will focus on, but not be limited to, the world of women’s golf. Natalie Gulbis is one of the highest profile personalities in the world of women’s golf, having recorded top 10 finishes seven times in major championships, won the 2007 Evian Masters in France, and has competed for the U.S. on three victorious Solheim Cup teams (2005, ’07, ‘09). Off the course, she has posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and FHM magazine.  She starred in her own reality show on Golf Channel and was featured on the second season of the reality game show Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump. Debbie Doniger is recognized as one of the top instructors in America with several high-profile pupils. Presently, Debbie is Director of Instruction at GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford, New York and a Lead Master Instructor at The Jim McLean Golf School.  She has been ranked among the top 10 teachers in New York, was named to Golf Digest’s Top 50 women teachers in America list, has been on Golf Digest’s Top 20 Teachers under 40 for three years, and was also nominated for the elite category of Top 100 Golf Instructors by Golf magazine.

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