The Ringer announced four splashy new hires this week, amid the busiest portion of the sports calendar.
NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, sports and culture reporter Joel Anderson, NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry and veteran sports host David Jacoby will all join The Ringer. The Spotify-owned digital content company will bring on the four ESPN veterans to bolster its audio, video and written offerings.
“We are thrilled to welcome Todd, Joel, and Kirk to our team and to deepen our collaboration with David,” said Ringer managing director Geoff Chow in a press release. “We have long admired their caliber of work and look forward to bringing their expertise and enthusiasm to The Ringer.”
According to the company, McShay will launch an audio and video podcast, The McShay Show, on Oct. 22. Football fans will get McShay’s typical mix of scouting, mock drafts, player rankings and more across the NFL and college football.
Jacoby will expand his role at The Ringer, where he has hosted the podcast Food News for years, to become the new cohost of NBA podcast The Mismatch, replacing Kevin O’Connor.
Goldsberry, who like Jacoby worked with Ringer founder Bill Simmons at Grantland, will bring his deep-dive analytical coverage. Anderson will contribute reporting across sports and culture verticals. Goldsberry and Anderson’s exact roles were not specified.
The Ringer’s moves come after several high-profile departures in recent months, including O’Connor as well as fighting reporter Ariel Helwani and NFL analysts Kevin Clark and Ben Solak.
At the same time, reported negotiations between Simmons and Spotify on a new contract loom. Spotify’s strategy regarding podcasts has evolved since it bought The Ringer in early 2020, as it let Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper walk from exclusive deals this year. With less exclusive content and more investment in video and audiobooks as well as social-style content in its app, Spotify has remade its non-music business.
Still, these hires are a cut above other recent Ringer additions. As veterans of digital and television for some of the biggest media brands, this new talent figures to bring more quality content to the company.
