Taking a pregame show on site can pay big rewards. ESPN’s College GameDay‘s current famed status in particular is widely credited to the move to go on the road weekly (the show started in 1987, but first went on the road in 1993, did so for half their schedule in 1994, and has been largely full-road since 1995), but other pregame shows across sports have found great success with being on location.
The latest example here comes from CBS’ The NFL Today. They successfully took that road approach earlier this month for the Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills game on Nov. 17, and produced plenty of highlights there, including jumping through tables. (Remember when certain companies were preventing talent from doing that?) And now, they’ll go on the road again, announcing Thursday that they’ll do so for the Bills’ clash with the Detroit Lions on Dec. 15:
THE NFL TODAY IS GOING TO DETROIT FOR BILLS-LIONS! š„ pic.twitter.com/FcSw3pxi40
ā NFL on CBS š (@NFLonCBS) November 28, 2024
During that Nov. 17 broadcast, play-by-play voice Jim Nantz spoke on air about how he wanted to see the studio crew on the road more:
Jim Nantz joins “The NFL Today” on-site in Orchard Park, NY
“You gotta do this more often. This is the best.” pic.twitter.com/PAgQSbVIMV
ā Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2024
And Nantz is now getting his wish. Of course,Ā The NFL Today has done on-site broadcasts before: its 1961 debut (asĀ Pro Football Kickoff) actually originated from various NFL stadiums (although the show was only 15 minutes at that time), and it wasn’t broadcast from CBS’ New York City studios until 1973. It kept reports from stadiums around the country after that, and it’s gone on location for some playoff games and Super Bowls since then. But it’s notable to see them now doing this more in the regular season; there are significant costs and logistical hurdles to a road pregame show, and it’s interesting that CBS is leaning into that.
This isn’t necessarily going to lead toĀ The NFL Today being on site every week. That’s far less common in the NFL than it is in college football, with only ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown and Prime Video’sĀ TNF Tonight on site weekly (and unlikeĀ The NFL Today, which sets up CBS’ entire regional coverage and also the whole week in the NFL, both are focused on a single game). AndĀ The NFL Today has a fancy and newly-revitalized “Sean McManus Studio 43” in New York, and that studio space gives them lots of benefits. But it is notable to seeĀ The NFL Today embracing the road for some big regular season games.
[NFL on CBS on X]
