The Players Era is reportedly in discussions regarding media rights; NBC announces Olympics hosts on Versant networks; and Keith McPherson is no longer hosting full time on WFAN. Plus news on the NWSL, Mark Lazarus, Pat Callahan and Geoff Arnold.
Players Era Festival reportedly in media rights discussions
The Players Era Festival is reportedly in discussions with ESPN, Fox, Netflix and incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery about a new media rights ahead of the expiration of its current two-year deal with TNT Sports, according to Ben Portnoy of Sports Business Journal. Portnoy reported that the organization is seeking a “lengthier deal than its initial agreement with TNT.”
News of the media rights negotiations occurs as the Big 12 Conference announced that it is taking an equity stake in the festival. Per Portnoy, the agreement is a five-year deal in which the conference will receive a 15% stake in addition to “a minimum guarantee from annual revenues.” Players Era CEO Seth Berger said in a statement that the festival would “commit no less than $50 million to Big 12 basketball programs in rights fees.”
Under the deal, the top eight teams in the Big 12 Conference will receive “automatic bids” to the Players Era Men’s Championship in 2027. This year’s iteration of the tournament is set to include 18 schools competing after the inaugural competition featured an eight-team slate.
The Players Era Festival launched last fall and pledged to pay the eight participating schools $1 million each in NIL money. After a successful first year in which Oregon narrowly defeated Alabama in the championship game, all of the participating schools have returned and some have signed long-term extensions through the remainder of the decade.
NBC announces Olympics hosts on USA Network, CNBC
NBC Sports on Monday announced that Andrew Siciliano, Lindsay Czarniak, Carolyn Manno, George Savaricas and Trenni Casey will serve as studio hosts for coverage of next year’s Winter Olympics on CNBC and USA Network, which despite no longer being part of the NBCUniversal family will continue to air the Games.
Siciliano will host coverage on USA Network as well the “Gold Zone” whiparound program. The former NFL RedZone host returns to the Gold Zone show for the fourth time, having previously done so in 2014, 2016 and last year.
Czarniak, host of the “Things No One Tells You” podcast and a former anchor for ESPN, will be working her sixth NBC Olympics assignment, having worked as a cable host for the last two Games. Manno will work her eighth Olympics assignment for NBC Olympics, reprising her role as a host on USA Network. Golf Channel commentator Savaricas is making his third Olympic appearance, but his first outside of golf. Casey, of NBC Sports Boston, will anchor coverage on CNBC in her sixth Olympics assignment.
USA and CNBC have carried NBC Olympics coverage for more than two decades, but are among the NBCU cable networks that will soon be officially spun off into the new venture Versant.
McPherson steps away from full-time hosting at WFAN
Keith McPherson announced on social media Monday that he has decided to end his time with WFAN as the full-time night host. McPherson, who was hired to fill the timeslot previously occupied by Steve Somers until his retirement in 2021, revealed that he was not fired, nor is he quitting. On the contrary, he is shifting and “making a personal change that was necessary” for himself and his family.
“I may be back to do some nights,” McPherson said. “I may be back to do some part-time fill-in spots, but I’m breaking the news. You’ll hear it right from the horse’s mouth, the host’s mouth before anyone can hijack the story and say I was fired or my contract was up.”
Prior to joining WFAN, McPherson was a social media manager and podcast host for Jomboy Media. McPherson displayed his affinity for the New York Yankees as a representative in the “MLB Fan Cave” in 2014, and he also worked with the league as a host of “Off Base” on MLB Network.
McPherson worked his last nighttime broadcast on Friday, and it remains unknown who is going to replace him on the airwaves. Chris McMonigle and Ricky Ricardo are scheduled to host the timeslot starting at 7 PM ET on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The move is the first significant change to the weekday lineup at WFAN since the station paired Tiki Barber with Evan Roberts in afternoon drive and moved Brandon Tierney to middays with Sal Licata in 2023.
Plus: NWSL, Mark Lazarus, Pat Callahan, Geoff Arnold
- The “For the Win: NWSL” behind-the-scenes docuseries is moving from Prime Video to ESPN for the 2026 season, according to a report from Alex Silverman of Sports Business Journal. Earlier in the year, ESPN announced that it was expanding its coverage of the NWSL for the next two seasons, nearly doubling the amount of matches on Disney networks each year and launching a “Match of the Week” series.
- Versant Media CEO and longtime NBCUniversal executive Mark Lazarus is being honored with the Golden Mic Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America, it was announced Monday. Lazarus, who is responsible for leading Versant properties such as USA Network, CNBC and Fandango, will receive the accolade at a black-tie gala in March.
- JAKIB Media host and radio personality Pat Callahan passed away Sunday after a short battle with cancer. Throughout his career, Callahan, 67, worked as an executive for The DePaul Group and also hosted “This Week in Pro Football” Saturdays on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.
- Baltimore Orioles radio play-by-play announcer Geoff Arnold will not return to the broadcasts for the 2026 season after MASN decided not to renew his contract, according to Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic. Arnold has called games for the team since 2020, before which he spent five years with the organization’s Class-A affiliate.
