Another longtime SportsCenter anchor — John Anderson — is leaving ESPN. Plus: the remaining Pac-12 schools are said to be close to a deal with CW; recent retiree Jason Kelce is being pursued by multiple networks.
SportsCenter anchor Anderson leaving ESPN at end of June
Longtime ESPN SportsCenter anchor John Anderson said in a clip from “The Inside Wisconsin Show” published Wednesday that he is leaving the company when his contract expires at the end of June. Anderson has been with ESPN since 1999, spending the majority of his tenure as a regular anchor across multiple editions of SportsCenter. He has also served as a host on ESPN’s marathon and college track coverage and co-hosted the original version of the reality game show “Wipeout” for ESPN sibling ABC.
Anderson previously worked as a weekend sports anchor for KPHO in Phoenix. He is the latest long-time SportsCenter anchor to exit in recent years, joining Neil Everett and Kenny Mayne.
Oregon State, Washington State, close to deal with The CW
The two schools remaining in the “Pac-12” after this season — Oregon State and Washington State — are close to striking a media rights deal with Nexstar’s CW to carry football home games next season, according to reporter John Canzano. The 13-game package would be produced by the Pac-12 Network, which will continue to exist in some form. Ten of the current Pac-12 schools are departing after this season.
Since its purchase by Nexstar in late 2022, CW (the “The” has been dropped) has established a modest sports division that includes rights to ACC football and basketball, LIV Golf and — starting next season — NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
Networks interested in Eagles’ Kelce
ESPN, NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime are each pursuing recently-retired Philadelphia Eagles C Jason Kelce for on-air roles next season, The Athletic reported Wednesday. ESPN in particular is said to be “aggressive” in its pursuit of Kelce as part of a “shake-up” of its Monday Night Countdown pregame show, which was already overhauled last season. While Scott Van Pelt, Marcus Spears and the recently-resigned Ryan Clark are expected back next season, the network is reportedly weighing the status of Robert Griffin III and Larry Fitzgerald.
CBS, meanwhile, has only two members of its studio team re-signed for next season — host James Brown and part-time analyst JJ Watt.
