Ever since Michelle Beadle left ESPN for NBC back in May, there have been questions about the full extent of her sports role at the company.  Beadle's stated on several occasions that one of the reasons for her move from Bristol to New York was to work in both the entertainment and sports fields.  So far she's taken that new role on the entertainment side as an Access Hollywood host.  However, her work in sports for the peacock has been confined to a few guest spots and hosting a morning shift on NBC Sports Network throughout the Olympics.

The plans for Beadle have always included her own sports show on the NBC Sports Network, but it's been a long time in the making with few details revealed.  Last we heard this fall, Beadle's show was going to launch in January.  But recently on the Sports Media Journal Podcast with our friends Keith Thibault and Ken Fang, Beadle unveiled more specifics about her planned NBCSN show…

First, Beadle's new show will be called "The Crossover."  It will feature a yet to be named co-host, be 30 minutes in length, and run Monday-Friday in a late afternoon timeslot.  Also, the show will debut in New Orleans during Super Bowl week in front of a live audience.  Beadle said The Crossover would be light hearted, feature a mix of sports and pop culture, and be "basically what I did before."

The most interesting aspect of The Crossover is the late afternoon timeslot that could possibly put Beadle in direct competition with her old show, SportsNation.  Although the late afternoon timeslot may not have the allure of primetime or late night, it makes sense because that's where Beadle has shown she can draw an audience before.  Also, SportsNation will have a new combo in Marcellus Wiley and Charissa Thompson, so it'll be interesting to see just what kind of numbers NBC can draw.

It's not going to be realistic for Beadle's new show to reach the ratings of SportsNation, but it will be interesting to see how it compares with shows on NBCSN like Costas Tonight and others that haven't brought a consistent audience.  The Crossover could very well become NBCSN's highest rated studio show if they can duplicate the je ne sais quoi of SportsNation and the unique sports and culture mix that made Michelle Beadle a big-name acquisition in the first place.

The long-awaited launch of Michelle Beadle's new show will complete an interesting season of additions for the cable sports network approaching Year 2 under the NBC umbrella.  NBCSN has added respected and well-liked individuals like Dan Patrick and Michelle Beadle to their daily lineup as well as a new morning highlights show and sports like Formula One and the EPL.  It's certainly a long way from T. Ocho and The Daily Line, but the peacock has faced an even bigger struggle than anyone imagined in drawing eyeballs to NBCSN.  Getting those new shows is one thing, getting viewers to watch and building an audience is entirely another.

[Sports Media Journal]