Behind the Mic: ESPN Snaps up Adrian Wojnarowski From Yahoo Sports, Re-Ups Karl Ravech for MLB Duties

Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, Yahoo Sports loses Adrian Wojnarowski to ESPN, Bobby Marks is also joining ESPN’s NBA coverage, ESPN re-up Karl RavechAto Boldon joins NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR on NBC broadcast team, beIN Sports locks in soccer analyst Carlos “El Pescadito” Ruiz, and veteran NFL reporter Tom Pelissero joins NFL Media. 

…NBA journalist Adrian Wojnarowski is joining ESPN as an NBA Insider after departing Yahoo Sports. Wojnarowski will break news, report stories/features and provide insights from across the NBA and around the basketball world for ESPN’s multiple media, including digital, television, audio and print. He will begin at ESPN on July 1, making his debut on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt at Midnight and will then also join the NBA Free Agency Special hosted by Rachel Nichols (ESPN2, Midnight – 2 a.m. E.T.).Wojnarowski will be central in ESPN’s multimedia coverage of the NBA throughout the year. This includes covering the league, its teams, players, free agency, the NBA Draft, the NBA Summer League and more.  His reporting, insights and analysis will appear on ESPN.com and in the ESPN app (including global editions), and he will be seen on SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, The Jump, E:60, Outside the Lines and other programs to provide both news and feature reporting. He will also appear regularly on ESPN Radio programs and periodically contribute features to ESPN The Magazine. Additionally, Wojnarowski will continue to host a regular NBA-focused podcast on the DGital Media podcast network.He joins ESPN from Yahoo Sports where he spent nearly 10 years, including the past two as the editor of The Vertical. (ESPN)…

…Along with Wojnarowski, Bobby Marks is also joining ESPN as part of their multimedia coverage of the NBA.  Marks will be ESPN’s NBA Front Office Insider, providing insights and analysis on the inner workings of how NBA teams operate, make personnel/business decisions, manage the salary cap, navigate free agency and more. Marks will write columns for ESPN.com and the ESPN App, and contribute across ESPN’s NBA studio programming on television, including NBA Countdown, The Jump, SportsCenter and more. He will also be a regular guest on ESPN Radio and various ESPN podcasts (ESPN)….

…ESPN has also reached an extension with veteran commentator Karl Ravech to continue his expanded, multi-sport role at the company. As a significant part of this role, Ravech has been named the voice of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on ESPN and will provide play-by-play for the telecast, replacing longtime host Chris Berman. Ravech will continue to host Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown tied to the Sunday Night Baseball franchise and Baseball Tonight episodes on-site at the most significant events in the sport, includingMLB All-Star and the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, the World Series, Opening Day and more. Ravech will continue to lead ESPN’s Little League World Series and College World Series coverage, and he has recently added a regular slate of Monday Night Baseball and other MLB play-by-play responsibilities. Additionally, Ravech will increase his Men’s College Basketball play-by-play and studio duties. Ravech joined ESPN in 1993 and became the full-time host of Baseball Tonight in 1995. In addition to the aforementioned responsibilities, Ravech has also served as a SportsCenter anchor and has contributed to ESPN’s golf coverage.

…Four-time Olympic medalist and 10-year NBC Sports track and field analyst Ato Boldon joins NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR on NBC broadcast team as a features contributor for the 2017 NASCAR season. Boldon will make his NASCAR on NBC debut, on Saturday, July 1, during NBC’s coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Fla. At Daytona, Boldon will be embedded with the die-hard NASCAR racing community, and will report on what makes NASCAR fans so loyal to their drivers. In addition to his role at Daytona, Boldon will contribute to NASCAR on NBC’s coverage of four additional races during the 2017 season, including Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Reporting assignments will include serving as a NASCAR hauler driver, joining Joe Gibbs Racing’s pit crew, and becoming a driver himself, when he takes the wheel of NBC Sports’ on-track car to experience piloting a 750+ horsepower stock car on 20 degree banked turns (NBC Sports Group)…

…beIN Sports locked in Carlos “El Pescadito” Ruiz as a soccer analyst for the network where he will appear as a studio analyst on both beIN Sports English and Spanish-language networks. He will primarily serve as a pundit on The Locker Room, and The XTRA. He will also serve as a studio analyst for the network’s coverage of NASL and other international soccer competitions (Cynopsis Sports)…

…Veteran NFL reporter Tom Pelissero has joined NFL Media, it was announced today. Pelissero will begin with NFL Media starting July 1 and will contribute to NFL Network and NFL.com. Pelissero joins NFL Media from USA Today where he covered the NFL nationally since 2013. During his time at USA Today, his team earned an Associated Press Sports Editors Top 10 award. He began his career in 2003, reporting on the Minnesota Vikings for KFAN.com. After a stop with the Eau Claire (Wis.) Leader Telegram, Pelissero covered the Green Bay Packers for the Green Bay Press Gazette and the Vikings for 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Pelissero’s work also includes hosting radio shows on SiriusXM NFL Radio and 1500 ESPN Twin Cities which he will continue to do in his role with NFL Media. (NFL Media)

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