If you happened on the CBS Evening News last week, you saw a familiar face substituting for main anchor Scott Pelley. It was none other than NFL Today and new Thursday Night Football host James Brown.

While Pelley was on vacation, J.B. filled in for the entire week. As a special correspondent for CBS News, Brown has not only filled in on the CBS Evening News, he has also done stories on 60 Minutes and conducted interviews for other network news programming.

J.B. told TVNewser that there’s no difference when he’s hosting the NFL Today on Sundays or filling in during the CBS Evening News, “There is absolutely no difference. The bottom line is you better be sharp, you better be well prepared, because it’s a very discerning, very erudite audience you’re talking to.”

So instead of playing traffic cop in the NFL Today studio and discussing the main stories for a football Sunday, Brown dealt with stories such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, unsettled weather across the U.S. and various political stories. J.B. said, “It’s been exciting, it keeps my juices flowing.”

If you missed J.B. on the CBS Evening News last week and want to see how he did, you can go here to see a complete newscast.

[TV Newser]

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

Comments are closed.