BROADCAST TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR
LANDMARK 20TH NFL ON FOX SEASON
Buck, Aikman and Oliver Return for 12th Season as Lead Broadcast Team;
Trio Calls Super Bowl XLVIII from New York/New Jersey
Newcomers Burkhardt, Barber, Budden & McGrath Join Game Roster
Los Angeles - FOX Sports today unveiled the broadcast teams for its landmark 20th NFL on FOX season, welcoming new and familiar faces to its talent-ladened roster. The announcement was made by FOX Sports Co-President and COO Eric Shanks and Executive Producer John Entz from the network's annual preseason football broadcast seminar. Regular-season action kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 8, with doubleheader coverage featuring six games beginning at 1:00 PM ET. Game action is preceded by FOX NFL SUNDAY, America's No. 1 pregame show. The season concludes on Sunday, Feb. 2, as FOX broadcasts Super Bowl XLVIII from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. - the biggest, boldest and likely the coldest Super Bowl in television history.
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver return for their 12th season on NFL on FOX, making them the NFL's longest-running broadcast team. This year marks Buck's 20th with FOX Sports and Aikman's 13th, while Oliver is in her 19th campaign. The trio calls its first regular season game of the year from San Francisco Week 1, as the defending NFC Champion 49ers host the 2012 NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers at 4:25 PM ET.
NFL on FOX's second-longest running broadcast team features play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert with analyst Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa, the NFL's only on-field analyst, who begin their seventh season together in New Orleans as Drew Brees and the Saints welcome Matt Ryan and the NFC runner-up Atlanta Falcons.
Play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman, analyst Brian Billick and sideline reporter Laura Okmin return to NFL on FOX in 2013 and open their broadcast schedule in Detroit as the Lions host the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings at 1:00 PM ET. Chris Myers and Tim Ryan are joined by Jennifer Hale on the sidelines this year and call their first regular-season game as Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks take on Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers at 1:00 PM ET in a battle of top young quarterbacks.
Fifth-year analyst John Lynch is partnered with FOX Sports newcomer Kevin Burkhardt and sideline reporter Erin Andrews. Burkhardt joins FOX Sports from SNY, where he covered the New York Mets, and Compass Media national radio, where he served as the play-by-play voice of the Dallas Cowboys. Andrews, the host of FOX COLLEGE SATURDAY, FOX Sports 1's Saturday college football pregame show, begins her first season as a full-time NFL on FOX sideline reporter after having worked limited games last year. The team makes its regular season debut Week 1 as the New York Jets host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1:00 PM ET.
NFL veteran Ronde Barber is new to the broadcast booth this year, joining play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton and sideline reporter Kris Budden. The crew opens the season Week 1 in St. Louis as the Rams host the Cardinals at 4:25 PM ET. Sam Rosen, Heath Evans and Molly McGrath round out this year's broadcast teams with their first assignment coming in Week 2 as the Lions travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals at 4:05 PM ET.
The 2013 NFL on FOX announcer pairings are listed below.
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver
Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin
Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch & Erin Andrews
Chris Myers, Tim Ryan & Jennifer Hale
Dick Stockton, Ronde Barber & Kris Budden
Sam Rosen, Heath Evans & Molly McGrath
"We look forward to giving football fans the most entertaining and informative NFL coverage around, whether it is through thoughtful and engaging analysis on FOX NFL SUNDAY or through innovative game production," Shanks said. "We are excited to add several new faces for our NFL on FOX game coverage, and are equally pleased to welcome back many others who together give us as deep and talented a team as we've ever had."
Former NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira returns as FOX Sports' rules analyst to educate and inform viewers on the intricacies the NFL rule book. Pereira monitors the day's action from a control room at the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles, form where he explains controversial calls and interprets rules with the studio or game personnel. Pereira also interacts extensively with fans throughout the day via Twitter (@MikePereira).
Each NFL on FOX Sunday, the day begins with FOX NFL SUNDAY, America's most-watched NFL pregame show, at 12:00 PM ET. The one-hour program has received 21 Emmy Awards and stars co-hosts Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee, analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan and top NFL insider Jay Glazer. Actor and comedian Rob Riggle is back for his second season as the show's comedic prognosticator. Bradshaw and Long have been with the show since its 1994 debut, and Johnson appears on the show for the 14th year. Glazer joined the program in 2004, Menefee in 2006, and Strahan in 2008 following his Super Bowl win with the New York Giants.
Bradshaw, Buck, Long, Stockton and Albert are original NFL on FOX broadcasters, having worked with the network since 1994. Oliver is in her 19th year of service, followed by Rosen (18), Aikman and Johnston (13), Ryan (12), Brennaman (11), Glazer and Siragusa (10), Myers (9), Billick (6) and Lynch (5).
The 2012-13 NFL on FOX season was the network's third most-watched ever (11.8/23), averaging 19.7 million viewers. The last four seasons of NFL on FOX have been FOX's most-watched since the network first began broadcasting the sport in 1994. AMERICA'S GAME OF THE WEEK, the NFL on FOX national broadcasts on doubleheader Sundays, averaged a 14.8/26, averaging 24.8 million viewers and ranked as the highest-rated and most-watched program on television.
Eric Shanks and Randy Freer are FOX Sports' Co-Presidents and Co-COOs. Shanks and Executive Vice President, Production, John Entz serve as Executive Producers. Bill Richards is the Coordinating Producer of FOX NFL SUNDAY and Stephanie Medina directs.
-- FOX SPORTS --
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century FOX's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; Fox's 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FUEL TV; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com, Scout.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are FOX's interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network.
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