Well, that was fast.
After departing from CBS’ “The Early Show” just a few months ago Hannah Storm is returning to TV. ESPN just announced that the former sideline reporter will be anchoring the network’s popular “SportsCenter” show beginning in August.
Storm will reportedly co-anchor the middle three hours of ESPN’s new 9-hour daytime news block.
And lest you think the 45-year-old news woman will be out of her element at the all sports network keep in mind that she worked at NBC Sports for 10 years before joining CBS News in 2002, and had sports jobs at CNN and in local markets prior to that.
According to network execs, Storm will co-anchor “SportsCenter” each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon and help kick off ESPN’s new format.
“SportsCenter” currently airs live at 2 a.m. Eastern each day and as regular viewers know all to well that one-hour show is repeated six times between 6 a.m. and noon with only occasional updates for breaking news. Which means ESPN essentially doesn’t begin live programming until mid afternoon, and that says network bigwigs, is not a recipe for success.
“You look at Fox News and CNN, it’s inconceivable that they would be on tape for that amount of time,” ESPN execs told reporters during a press conference announcing the changes. “The sports world is evolving in that direction. Things are happening all the time.”
Enter the new and improved line-up. The new nine hours of “SportsCenter” will be divided into three parts. The first, from 6 to 9 a.m., will focus on highlights from the sporting events held the night before. Then, Storm’s shift will start and cover dayside news. Finally, the third shift, between noon and 3 p.m., will be devoted to that day’s news or previewing upcoming events, according to show producers.
ESPN execs say so far Storm is the only new hire from outside the network.
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