Bob Costas had two separate near-decade-long stints as an NFL pregame host for NBC, during which he worked with countless analysts and reporters from diverse backgrounds.
Everyone from O.J. Simpson to Larry King to Cris Collinsworth came through the studio when Costas was hosting, as the desk took on various forms. But looking back now at what worked best for him at NBC and what the ideal recipe is for NFL coverage, Costas has an answer to the eternal question plaguing viewers and network executives alike:
What is the correct number of people for a sports studio show?
Costas’ answer is… four. Though he admits the exact roles for each host and the structure of a show are different from when he left Football Night In America nearly a decade ago.
“I’m not necessarily the best authority on that now because it’s been so long since I was at the center of it, but my sense is four,” Costas said this week on The Press Box podcast. “And maybe one of the four isn’t really on the desk, but is just over here doing what he or she does.”
The long-running Fox show’s setup includes as many as six hosts at a given time each Sunday. On CBS, losing J.J. Watt brought The NFL Today down to Costas’ magic number, but reporter Jonathan Jones often makes it five. Costas might be aghast at what his old network has done, with multiple desks and so many analysts each Sunday night that it’s borderline impossible to count them.
Perhaps ESPN is closest, on the NFL side at least, to the sort of efficiency Costas believes is best. Monday Night Countdown primarily features three former players, including host Scott Van Pelt. The show might flash to a produced segment with a reporter or secondary analyst, but most of the time, there are just four people on-screen.
With so many mouths to feed on-air these days between insiders, analysts, feature reporters, and film junkies, producers have their work cut out for them. But if there is anything to learn from Costas’ take here, it is to be as pared-down as possible.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.