Recently resigned A-list sideline reporter Erin Andrews got a bigger role Monday when ESPN announced changes to one of its best studio shows, "College GameDay."Beginning Sept. 4, the popular and well-down show that usually originates from the site of the week's best or most interesting college football game, will expand from two to three hours every Saturday.
The first hour, beginning at 9 a.m., will air on ESPNU with Andrews hosting several segments. She will also serve as sideline reporter for the game from which "GameDay" originates -- as long as the game is on the ESPN family (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2).
ESPN also announced that it Andrews would provide "select reports" for "Good Morning America" on ABC throughout the year. That's a sensible extention of her duties beyond sports, and it's something that can happen easily within the ESPN/ABC family. It's also the kind of opportunity that probably made it appealing for Andrews to remain with ESPN, despite her overall visibility increase after participating in "Dancing with the Stars" and rumors that she might be exploring other TV options.
At 10 a.m. on Saturdays, the typical "GameDay" crew -- host Chris Fowler and analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard -- takes over with the show on ESPN as always. In an smart move, ESPN Radio will simulcast "GameDay" from 9 a.m. to noon and "College GameDay on ESPN Radio," which airs from noon to 7 p.m., will originate from the same site as the TV show.
In the past the two shows (TV, radio) had separate travel schedules -- which allowed the network to have a presence at different locations but provided some challenges. With both shows at the same site, some duplication of effort can be eliminated -- although the radio folks (host Ryen Russillo and analysts Trevor Matich and Brad Edwards) might not get as many of their own original interviews or access to team personnel as a result.
Among the other personnel moves for college football, Fowler and John Saunders will pick up a few more studio shifts for "College Football Live," which should be interesting with Fowler's already busy schedule.
Unfortunately, he was replaced on Thursday night play-by-play duties. If he wanted the change to limit travel, OK. If not, it's a shame to lose an engaging and smart person on TV. Whatever the reason, it's a loss for viewers.