Rich Eisen is one of the faces of NFL broadcasting thanks to his work at NFL Network, and now he’s adding another very visible (or more accurately audible) role: hosting Westwood One’s Monday night pregame and halftime shows.
His tenure will actually kick off on a Thursday night, with Westwood One’s coverage of the NFL’s opening game between Tampa Bay and Dallas. Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner will continue in the Westwood One booth as play-by-play broadcaster and lead analyst, respectively.
From a company release:
CUMULUS MEDIA, the largest audio network in the U.S., will further expand Emmy-nominated broadcaster Rich Eisen’s role within the network to include pregame and halftime hosting duties for Monday Night Football on Westwood One.
Eisen currently hosts two podcasts for the CUMULUS Podcast Network: The Rich Eisen Show, which offers an engaging mix of sports, humor and pop culture with some of the most recognizable names in sports and entertainment, and Just Getting Started, which focuses on how famous athletes found their road to success.
Westwood One also assists in the distribution of the Rich Eisen radio show.
“Monday Night Football on Westwood One is one of the greatest hosting gigs in broadcasting and I’m honored to have the seat,” said Eisen. “The fact that I can expand my partnership with Westwood One beyond my daily show and podcast platform by talking even more football thrills me no end.”
“Westwood One and the NFL’s Monday Night Football share a history filled with amazing football and some of the greatest voices to ever cover the game,” said Bruce Gilbert, Senior Vice President, Sports Programming. “We are pleased that Rich Eisen has agreed to carry on that storied tradition by adding his preeminent NFL Network voice to our pre-game and half-time programming.”
Obviously Eisen didn’t have any way to do television work on Monday Night Football, but it’s still a major primetime spot for the league. Eisen really is capable of elevating a property, too; going back to SportsCenter in the 90s, Eisen is a brand name, and between that and his actual talent he conveys the sense of a real event.
The Westwood Monday night broadcasts have always been great (Kevin Harlan’s involvement usually insures that), and adding Eisen is another boost.
