Fox Sports 1 continues to staff up ahead of its Aug. 17
launch, naming former tennis champion Andy Roddick as cohost of its flagship
news program Fox Sports Live.
Roddick joins the previously-announced hires for Fox
Sports Live: TSN's Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole, who will serve as the
primary highlight team for the three-hour nightly program. Roddick is expected
to be joined by ESPN's SportsNation cohost Charissa Thompson in the
coming weeks.
The format of Fox Sports Live -- which will be Fox
Sports 1's challenge to ESPN's SportsCenter -- will have Roddick and
Thompson on one side of the studio as part of a panel discussing the top
stories of the day and interviewing newsmakers, while Onrait and O'Toole will
be on the other side reading highlights. The panel is expected to include more
former athletes, which Fox will announce in the coming weeks and months. The
three-hour Fox Sports Live is expected to air weeknights at 11
p.m. FS1 will launch a morning version in early 2014 during Fox's coverage of
Super Bowl XLVIII.
"It is very rare that you find an exceptional athlete
who can step off the field or in this case the court, who has the potential to
be as equally talented in an on-air role," said Scott Ackerson, executive
VP of studio production, who is overseeing Fox Sports' news coverage.
"Andy is not only an expert tennis analyst, but his knowledge, candor and
opinions on all sports are equally as impressive, and that makes him a unique
fit for what we have in mind for Fox Sports Live."
During last week's upfront presentation, ESPN
president John Skipper, while not addressing Fox specifically, said that he
welcomed the increased competition. It was during the presentation where ESPN unveiled
its plans for a brand-new 10,000 square-foot studio for SportsCenter.
