FOX Network's College Football 2014 schedule

July 30, 2014

By Josh Albarran

FOX Sports will feature 18 games on the FOX Broadcast Network on Saturdays this fall beginning on Saturday, August 30th at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT, including premier Big 12 and Pac-12 as well as the Pac-12 and Big 12 conference championship games.

Play-by-play Gus Johnson, color commentator Charles Davis and sideline reporter Molly McGrath will do most games on the FOX Broadcast Network this season while studio host Rob Stone, analysts Joel Klatt and Dave Wannstedt will provide pre, halftime and post-game reports and updates from the FOX Network College Football studios in Los Angeles.

Below is a guide to FOX's college football games tis, including information for where to watch.

**All times ET or check your local FOX station for the time in your area.

WEEK 1

Saturday, Aug. 30

Fresno State at USC (7:30 p.m., FOX/FOX Deportes)

WEEK 2

Saturday, Sept. 6

Michigan State at Oregon (6:30 p.m., FOX/FOX Deportes)

WEEK 3

Saturday, Sept. 13

Illinois at Washington (4 p.m., FOX)

UCLA vs. Texas (8 p.m., FOX/FOX Deportes)

WEEK 4

Saturday, Sept. 20

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 5

Saturday, Sept. 27

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 6

Saturday, Oct. 4

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 7

Saturday, Oct. 11

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 8

Saturday, Oct. 18

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 9

Saturday, Oct. 25

TBA at TBA (3:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 10

Saturday, Nov. 1

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 11

Saturday, Nov. 8

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 12

Saturday, Nov. 15

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 13

Saturday, Nov. 22

TBA at TBA (7:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 14

Friday, Nov. 28  

Arizona State at Arizona (3:30 p.m., FOX)

Saturday, Nov. 29

TBA at TBA (3:30 p.m., FOX)

WEEK 15

Friday, Dec. 5

Pac-12 Championship Game (9 p.m., FOX)

Saturday, Dec. 6

Big Ten Championship Game (8 p.m., FOX)

 

TNA, Spike TV Part Ways Following Impact's Cancellation

By Josh Albarran - July 28, 2014

Former TNA star Hulk Hogan promoting TNA's Impact Wrestling program on Spike TV in 2009.
(TNA Entertainment, LLC.)

As reported earlier this week, Spike TV's parent company Viacom and Nashville-based professional wrestling company Total Nonstop Action (TNA) had been parting ways after the New York-based media company announced that Spike had cancelled TNA's flagship show. This come months after World Wrestling Entertainment reached an mulit-year deal with NBCUniversal, which will continue to air programming such as Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, A.M. Raw and other content such as rebroadcasts and originals on their networks.

Spike will stop airing wrestling after 15 years, dated back when they (back then know as TNN) began airing the still-struggling Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1999 before the network cancelled ECW in favor for WWE from its original broadcaster USA Network in the fall of 2000 and continue that relationship until 2005 when WWE moved back to USA and brought in TNA around that time after began airing Impact Wrestling from Fox's regional sports networks.

Today, I react to Twitter like a shoot to TNA Wrestling on why Viacom deciding to drop professional wrestling from its family of networks:

"Viacom want to get wrestling out of their networks, just like Turner did when they cancelled WCW shows in 2001 before selling it to WWE."

"TNA is losing money and cannot seek an major TV deal with media companies like Viacom to provide good wrestling to their audiences."

"If TNA puts its shows airing on syndicated TV stations as w/ the big 3 companies did in 90s, it would (be) hard to find them in a city market."

Stay with TVSportsNews for this and other sports media news.

ESPN's Linda Cohn Has A Injured Arm

By Josh Albarran

Linda Cohn at the ESPN Radio studios, September 9, 2013.
(ESPN Images)

ESPN's SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn on Friday suffered an injury to repair 25 stitches on her right arm while working on the ice for the New York Rangers-affiliate team Hartford Wolf Pack. She was scheduled to face shots from Wolf Pack hockey players during the morning and also attending the team's night game the following night.

Cohn tweeted on Twitter with a picture of her arm at a local Connecticut hospital "This is what kept me from taking ice w @WolfpackAHL today. Some kids playing in arcade knocked over metal machine onto my arm. 25 stitches!" http://www.whosay.com/status/lindacohn/868577?wsref=tw&code=Tjk8519

Cohn is currently resting at her Southbury, Connecticut home with her arm expected to be heel quickly and will return to SportsCenter beginning mid-next week, she will tell the hole story from Friday's accident on her next Listen Closely podcast, also expected to be released via download next week.

UPDATE (4/02/2014): Linda Cohn returned to ESPN on Wednesday doing SportsCenter on her normal basis, but according to her Twitter page, Cohn won't be playing hockey for a month due to doctor's orders. As promise, her story from last week's incident on this week's Listen Closely podcast with guest former Ranger player and Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier.

To listen click on http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=10715094 or to download http://c.espnradio.com/audio/2142792/lindacohn_2014-04-02-120032.48b.mp3?ad_params=zones%3DPreroll%2CMidroll%2CPostroll%7Cstation_id%3D1767

UPDATE (8/22/2014): On Thursday, the New York Post reported that Cohn had filed a lawsuit against the Brewster Ice Arena in July over the use of its coin machine that fell on her arm, costing Cohn not to play hockey with the Wolfpack hockey team. A ESPN official said Linda was off-duty from the network at the time and ESPN is not involved in this lawsuit, that's good news for her to keep her television job. Cohn took the last two weekdays off and will return to the network on-air next week.

The President On Sports TV

By Joshua Albarran

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly (right) sat down with President Barack Obama during the Super Bowl XLVIII pregame show.
(Fox Sports)

It has been a month for the President of the United States as Barack Obama had been interview for by broadcast sports division for events such as the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game and the Winter Olympics. Three presidential interviews by the three networks for three respecting sporting events.

FOX

The Super Bowl XLVIII interview on the FOX broadcast network took place five days after the President's State of the Union address. Bill O'Reilly of FOX News Channel asked him tough questions on the Obamacare website, the IRS scandal and the Benghazi investigation , in my book this was the best sports interview of the year just because it airs on a NFL pregame show especially on Super Bowl Sunday, which Seattle defeated Denver at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey for their first Super Bowl title.

TNT

Two Sundays later, Turner Sports' Charles Barkley interview Obama on the NBA on TNT pregame show for the All-Star Game in New Orleans. The basketball talk went very well, but my disappointment's from that segment was that they didn't talk about the situation of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman's recent trips to Korea, despite that sister network CNN had been covering the imprisoned America held over there.

NBC

Five days after the Super Bowl, Bob Costas (wearing glasses to protect from a pink eye) talks with the President on NBC Sports during the opening night of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Obama answered  a number of topics conducted by Costas including the United States Olympic team, not entering the Olympics since becoming president and event host Russia's accomplishments like deals with Iran and Syria, same-sex and former NSA leaker Edward Snowman.

FOX's Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday Coverage Schedule

By Josh Albarran

The colder game in Super Bowl history will be broadcast on FOX on Feb. 2nd in New York/New Jersey.

On Super Bowl Sunday, the FOX Broadcasting Company will provide more than 10 hours of programming as the biggest stars from both two NFL teams battling out in Super Bowl XLVIII from MetLife Stadium in East Rufferford, NJ. FOX's all-day coverage begins with a special edition of FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace from the stadium as Chris chats with the FOX Sports pregame team on the State of the NFL as well as the impact of cold weather in the game (check your listings, 10am ET in the New York area). Followed by NFL Films: The Road to the Super Bowl (12pm ET/9am PT) and NFL Football America: Our Stories (1pm ET/10am PT).

When some of you are unable to be at the big game, FOX Sports has you coverage, the network coverage continues with the FOX Super Bowl Sunday pregame show (2:00pm ET/11:00am PT) as host Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw gets you ready for the night's NFL championship game as well as features such as the red carpet with Michael Strahan and Clarissa Thompson, the life and career of former New York Giant kicker & NFL on Fox play-by-play commentator Pat Summerall and President Obama goes one-on-one with FOX News Channel's Bill O'Reilly.

Then everyone's all set, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver and Erin Andrews will have the call of Super Bowl XLVIII from the shadow of New York City (6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT) as the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks led by rookie quarterback Russel Wilson face the AFC champion Denver Broncos led by future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning. In addition, Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chill Peppers will performed at the Pepsi Halftime Show. Bradshaw and Menefee will wrap-up the coverage with the trophy presentation as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will present the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the winning team before new episodes of Andy Samberg's Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl to follow on FOX.

FOX Super Bowl Sunday Lineup

9:00am ET: FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace
12:00pm ET: The Road to the Super Bowl
1:00pm ET: Football America: Our Stories
2:00pm ET: FOX Super Bowl Sunday Pregame Show
6:00pm ET: FOX Super Bowl Kickoff Show
6:30pm ET: Super Bowl XLVIII - Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks
10:00pm ET: FOX Super Bowl Sunday Postgame Show
10:30pm ET: New Girl (new episode)
11:00pm ET: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (new episode)

Cohn Takes Over Steele As New 1pm ET SportsCenter Anchor

By Josh Albarran

(ESPN)

On Wednesday, Sage Steele anchor her last SportsCenter broadcast as she moves on to her new role at ESPN's NBA Countdown show as part of her new contract extension. Shortly after Steele's final show, Linda Cohn had been named the new co-anchor of the 1-3pm ET SportsCenter alongside David Lloyd on weekday afternoons.

Cohn, the 21-year veteran of ESPN's flagship sports news program and the host of ESPN's twice-weekly podcast Listen Closely to Linda Cohn will now be doing the 1pm ET show every weekday beginning with the Nov. 7th broadcast. Meanwhile, Steele will continue to appear on SportsCenter doing NBA content including The Finals while hosting NBA Countdown on ESPN Fridays and on Sunday when coverage on the ABC Television Network begins on December 25.

As for SportsCenter's weekday line-up, here's the new menu:

9 am: Kevin Negandhi and Hannah Storm
11 am: Jay Crawford and Chris McKendry
1 pm: Linda Cohn and David Lloyd
6 pm: John Anderson and Lindsay Czarniak
11 pm: Steve Levy, Jay Harris, Scott Van Pelt and John Buccigross
1 am: Neil Everett, Stan Verrett and Kenny Mayne

(All Times Eastern)

FOX News Airs Texas Tech-Oklahoma

By Josh Albarran

Fox News aired Texas Tech-Oklahoma on Saturday in conflict of Fox airing Game 3 of the World Series.
(Fox Sports/Fox News Channel) 

On Saturday night, the Fox Broadcasting Company's presentation of the Texas Tech/Oklahoma football game was delayed from 3:30pm ET to 4:45pm ET due to bad weather, but the last-minute changes came effect prior to Fox's telecast of Game 3 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals beginning at 7:30pm ET.

The football game was moved to Fox News Channel at 7:30pm ET during the 4th quarter (which produced the Sunday morning talk program Fox News Sunday and other news content for the Fox network) as Fox left the football game at the same time for coverage of the World Series in Busch Stadium while affiliates in both team's markets continued to air till the game's conclusion that would joined the baseball game in progress. The reason FNC broadcast an overrun Texas Tech-Oklahoma was many of Fox Sports' cable channels including Fox Sports 1 aired regular scheduled college football games. FX, who lose its sports programming to Fox's new sports network back in August declined to carry that game. It was the first time in its 17th history that FNC aired an sporting event other than broadcast news.

The Fox Sports team of Gus Johnson and Charles Davis called Teaxs Tech-Oklahoma on Fox/FNC where Oklahoma defeat Texas Tech 38-20. The Fox broadcast network and Fox News Channel are owned by the same company as Fox Sports 1.