NOTE TO MEDIA:

This year marks the CBS Television Network’s 58^th year broadcasting the NFL, as well as the fourth season of partnership between CBS and NFL Network in televising Thursday Night Football.  Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson lead the Network’s coverage that includes five new broadcast teams, and Beth Mowins is added to the 2017 lineup as she becomes the first woman ever to call play-by-play for THE NFL ON CBS. 

The following are storylines to consider regarding the Network’s coverage of THE NFL ON CBS during the 2017 NFL season.  Please reach out to Jerry Caraccioli (gwcaraccioli@cbs.com) or Robin Brendle (rlbrendle@cbs.com) if you need more information or would like to speak with any members of our team.

In addition, to facilitate your coverage of the 2017-18 NFL season, attached is the link to this year’s NFL ON CBS and THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Press Information Guide.  Click here:  http://bit.ly/2vj6q1M

THE NFL TODAY 50

• THE NFL TODAY marks its 50^th year with a new team that includes the additions of Phil Simms, who moves to the studio after 19 years as a game analyst, and Nate Burleson, as they join host James Brown, and fellow analysts Boomer Esiason and Bill Cowher. 

THE NFL TODAY debuted on Sept. 13, 1964 as a 15-minute show hosted by Frank Gifford.  In 1975, with the team of Brent Musburger, Irv Cross and former Miss America, Phyllis George, then a year later with the addition of Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, the show became the template for all network pregame shows that followed.

TONY ROMO BECOMES ONLY FIFTH LEAD GAME ANALYST IN “NFL ON CBS” HISTORY

• Tony Romo joins THE NFL ON CBS as the lead game analyst after retiring as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys last year – from the field to the broadcast booth.  He becomes only the fifth NFL ON CBS lead game analyst in the Network’s history.

• Since the early-1960s there have only been four other NFL ON CBS lead game analysts:

Phil Simms (1998-2016)

John Madden (1982-93)

Tom Brookshier (1975-81)

Pat Summerall (1962-74)

20 YEARS SINCE RE-ACQUIRING NFL BROADCAST RIGHTS, CBS NOW HAS TWO NFL BROADCAST PACKAGES

• In 1998 CBS re-acquired NFL broadcast rights.  This year marks the 20^th year since CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus led the way in negotiating the rights to the deal that would change the direction of CBS Sports into the 21^st century.  And with the addition of securing the rights to broadcast THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL in 2014, CBS now continues to have two NFL broadcast packages and produces and distributes more NFL games than any other network this season.

• Six announcers of this season’s NFL ON CBS broadcast team have been a part of this current 20-year run.  

Jim Nantz, Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan and Steve Tasker were at CBS Sports in 1998.  This group exemplifies the tradition and strength of our NFL coverage throughout the years, particularly in the past 20 years, and is shown by talking to those who were there when we re-acquired the NFL.

THE WOMEN OF CBS SPORTS CONTINUING TO BLAZE TRAILS

• On September 24, Beth Mowins will become the first woman to ever call play-by-play for the Network’s NFL ON CBS games when she calls Cleveland vs. Indianapolis. 

Thirty years ago on December 30, 1987, CBS Sports’ Cathy Barreto became the first woman to direct an NFL game at the network television level when she directed the Minnesota vs. Detroit game.

Suzanne Smith, who has worked for CBS Sports since 1983, is currently the only woman who directs NFL games on network television.

• Amy Trask, another pioneer in the sports industry, continues to serve as an analyst on CBS Sports Network’s pre-game show, THAT OTHER PREGAME SHOW (TOPS).

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