After exiting ESPN last month after twelve years with the company, Colin Cowherd has made his long-expected move to Fox official.
Cowherd will have a presence on Fox Sports television programming beginning with a Utah/Michigan college football broadcast on September 3. He will also be part of the new “Fox NFL Kickoff” that will air from 11am to 12pm eastern on Sunday mornings. His most prominent position will be moving his daily syndicated radio show to Premiere Radio Networks’ “Fox Sports Radio” from 12-3pm daily with a simulcast on Fox Sports 1 starting on Tuesday, September 8. The show will be heard on iHeartMedia’s “AM 570” KLAC Los Angeles, which currently carries “LA Today with Bill Reiter and Leeann Tweeden” in that 9am-12pm time slot.
Cowherd will take the timeslot on Fox Sports Radio currently held by Rich Eisen. Eisen’s program is produced by DirecTV’s Audience Network along with Dan Patrick who airs in the 9am-12pm timeslot on FSR. No word on Eisen’s status was included in the announcement. The television simulcast will have repercussions on another sports talk personality as Cowherd will fill the slot currently held on FS1 by WFAN New York’s Mike Francesa. Francesa’s show will be bumped to the lesser carried Fox Sports 2.
Update: We reached out to Premiere Radio Networks regarding the status of Rich Eisen’s show on Fox Sports Radio and were told that it will remain part of the FSR lineup in its current timeslot as well. “The Rich Eisen Show will continue as part of FOX Sports Radio’s lineup, and Premiere will continue providing exclusive ad sales representation for the program. On background, it’s not uncommon to have more than one program in a timeslot so stations can choose the best programming to fit the needs of their audience.”
Colin Cowherd, one of the most thought-provoking sports hosts in the country, joins FOX Sports and Premiere Networks in September as a television, radio and digital personality. The announcement was made today by Jamie Horowitz, President, FOX Sports National Networks and Julie Talbott, President, Premiere Networks.
Cowherd is set to host a three-hour sports talk program titled THE HERD beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 airing simultaneously on FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports Radio Network, including AM 570 LA Sports/KLAC, weekdays from 12:00 to 3:00 PM ET. FOX Sports Radio is produced and distributed under a long-term agreement between FOX Sports and Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, the leading media company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any radio or television outlet. FSRN programming is also available on www.FOXSportsRadio.com, FOXSports.com, as well as iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform.
In addition to the FOX Sports 1/FSRN simulcast, Cowherd also becomes a key member of the FOX NFL KICKOFF cast, a show which moves from FOX Sports 1 to FOX, airing Sundays at 11:00 AM ET preceding FOX NFL SUNDAY. The show’s full roster is expected to be unveiled in the days ahead. Cowherd is also part of the team contributing to FOX Sports 1’s coverage of Jim Harbaugh’s debut as Michigan head coach when Utah hosts the Wolverines in both teams’ season-opener on Thursday, Sept. 3.
“It’s hard to put into words how much fun it is for me, as a broadcaster, to build something with really smart, talented people,” said Cowherd. “I can’t wait for this next chapter in my career to start. FOX Sports is the perfect spot for me at this time in my life.”
“Colin is the first person I hired for my first daily studio show at ESPN, so it’s fitting that he’s the first one I’m hiring at FS1,” said Horowitz, who chose Cowherd as the original co-host of SportsNation in July 2009. “Colin is a unique voice in sports media with a loyal following of fans, and we’re looking forward to building our daytime programming around him.”
“Colin is one of the most powerful and talented personalities in sports media today, and his addition to Premiere’s lineup demonstrates our continued commitment to reaching diverse audiences with the best talent the industry has to offer,” shared Talbott. “We’re excited to join with FOX Sports in bringing Colin’s passionate and engaging brand of sports entertainment to millions of people across multiple platforms. By leveraging our combined reach, we’ll have the opportunity to connect with more sports fans than ever before, while delivering unmatched results for our partners.”
Cowherd was host of ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd, airing nationally on weekdays and simulcast on ESPNU. He also hosted Colin’s New Football Show on ESPN2 in 2013 and 2014, in addition to a variety of programs on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic. He was the original co-host of SportsNation on ESPN2. Cowherd joined ESPN Radio in 2004 when his program launched as an hour-long broadcast just on the West Coast.
Prior to ESPN Radio, Cowherd hosted a popular three-hour morning drive program, The Herd at KFXX 910-AM in Portland, Ore. He also anchored weeknight sports and Sports Sunday for KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8.
Cowherd’s rise in the industry also includes serving as sports anchor at Tampa’s WTVT-TV, where he received a local Sports Emmy for Buc Sunday, and as sports director at KVBC-TV in Las Vegas, where he earned multiple Nevada Sportscaster of the Year awards. He began his career as the play-by-play voice for the Pacific Coast League’s Las Vegas Stars baseball team.
In 2013, Cowherd’s first book, You HERD Me! was a New York Times bestseller, spending five weeks on the list in hardcover.
“Fox NFL Kickoff” is not a new show — it aired on FS1 last fall and will move to the over-the-air Fox network next month.