Charissa Thompson May Return To ESPN As Host Of ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’
Fox Sports 1 anchor Charissa Thompson is reportedly under consideration to take over for the retiring Chris Berman as host of Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN.
Incumbent ESPN personalities Trey Wingo and Suzy Kolber are also said to be in the running for the same high-profile role.
Charissa Thompson, 34, currently hosts Fox NFL Kickoff (where she secured the first interview with fired Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher — see clip embedded below) as well as co-hosting the popular syndicated entertainment show Extra. Earlier in her career, she co-hosted The Best Damn Sports Show Period and was a sideline reporter on the Fox Sports Network.
During her previous tenure at ESPN (2011-2013), Thompson was perhaps best known for assuming the SportsNation co-hosting job in the summer of 2012 from Michelle Beadle, who jumped to a subsequently cancelled show on the NBC Sports Network. Beadle returned to ESPN in March, 2014, to resume her SportsNation hosting gig. Thompson exited ESPN in June, 2013, to return to Fox Sports; FS1 launched in August 2013.
The Sporting News first reported the possibility of a Charissa Thompson return to the Bristol, Connecticut-based sports network, according to sources.
“ESPN is looking at Fox Sports 1 host Charissa Thompson to possibly succeed Chris Berman on Sunday NFL Countdown, sources tell Sporting News…Stealing a young, rising star like Thompson away from FS1 would also be a shot across the bows of FS1 chief Jamie Horowitz. The ex-ESPN wunderkind has recruited ESPNers Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock to headline FS1’s new Undisputed and Speak for Yourself studio shows. Bringing Thompson back would show ESPN is willing to fight and win talent wars with Horowitz and FS1… Prying Thompson, a West Coast native, out of Los Angeles may be easier said than done. ESPN boss John Skipper, though, wants to place more women and minorities in prominent on-air roles, and Thompson fits the bill.”
ESPN is eyeing FS1's Charissa Thompson to help succeed Chris Berman, sources tell SN. https://t.co/aMcw30R30G pic.twitter.com/6HHSfgHWso
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 13, 2017
As the Inquisitr recently reported, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, the principals of ESPN’s long-running Mike & Mike flagship radio show that is also simulcast on ESPN2, are reportedly parting ways, with Greenberg going solo with his own New York City-based show that may be folded into SportsCenter. Trey Wingo may become Golic’s new radio partner, which would presumably take him out of the running for the Berman seat.
According to the New York Post, Chris Berman prefers an in-house successor; whether that has any influence on the network execs remains to be seen. If Thompson does gets the ESPN hosting job on Sunday, Suzy Kolber could be in line for the NFL Live and Monday Night Countdown assignments, while Mike & Mike possibly transitions to Mike & Trey.
“Everything is up for grabs right now…They’re looking at everything and questioning everyone and everything,” a source told Sporting News.
ESPN has been bleeding viewership, reportedly losing 621,000 subscribers in the month of November alone, and approximately 7 million subscribers in the past two years, according to Outkick the Coverage, which may explain some of the recent programming changes, which includes shifting First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless’ replacement, Max Kellerman, from ESPN2 to ESPN. Also, His & Hers co-hosts Michael Smith and Jemele Hill are moving from noon to the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter in February.
For various reasons, the NFL itself has seen its ratings plummet this season across its various media platforms. In October, Bloomberg reported that NFL prime-time viewership was down 14 percent among the advertiser-desired 18-49 demographic. Monday, Thursday, and Sunday night ratings have also plummeted. About the NFL ratings “fumble,” the Wall Street Journal detailed that ratings were down 10 percent overall, which is massive for a sports league that traditionally printed money, as it were. Ratings should spike now that the playoffs are underway, however.
“Perhaps hosting Sunday NFL Countdown is a job someone in her profession doesn’t turn down. But maybe that’s also a huge life change that Thompson wouldn’t want to make at this point of her career and life,” the AwfulAnnouncing website observed about the Charissa Thompson’s potential 3,000 mile move to the East Coast to rejoin ESPN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHv1m_yS5ZU
[Featured Image by Al Powers/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images]
