Bob Costas in talks to leave NBC

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by AKA, Aug 29, 2018.

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  1. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter

    Longtime broadcaster Bob Costas is in talks to leave NBC

    Longtime broadcaster Bob Costas is in talks to leave NBC

    By Erik Brady and A.J. Perez, USA TODAY

    Bob Costas is in talks to leave NBC. Only the peacock has served NBC Sports longer.

    Costas, his representatives and NBC have held discussions that could result in the longtime face of NBC Sports being let out of a contract that currently runs through 2021, a person with knowledge of the conversations told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

    NBC declined to comment on Costas’ potential departure. Costas declined to comment on the specifics but offered some general comments in a pair of brief phone calls with USA TODAY Sports.

    “There was a very long period of time when NBC’s programming suited my interests and abilities very well, from (late-night talk show) Later, to the news magazines, to baseball, the NBA and the Olympics,” Costas said. “And after deciding on my own to leave the Olympics after having done a dozen of them, you just look around and say, ‘What was once a perfect fit no longer fits that description.’ ”

    Costas, 66, has worked at NBC since 1979 in starring roles as lead announcer on the Olympics, World Series and Super Bowls. More recently, he took on a sort of emeritus role at NBC Sports — of the sort that Tom Brokaw fills for NBC News — where he is on air mainly for major news events, such as the death of Muhammad Ali.

    “It would be as if NBC suddenly lost the rights to hockey,” Costas said. “They wouldn’t think any less of Mike Emrick, and he wouldn’t think any less of them, but he’d have to go find a place to do what he does best.”

    By that, Costas doesn’t mean baseball. He already broadcasts games for the MLB Network. The New York Post, which first reported the talks between Costas and NBC, reported that Costas wants to pursue a journalism show that includes news-making interviews and commentaries, some of which might extend beyond sports. That’s the sort of show that might appeal to pay networks such as HBO and Showtime, or streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon.

    Costas declined comment on those possibilities, but he is known for outspoken commentary. He spoke at the University of Maryland in 2017 and said of football: “The reality is that this game destroys people’s brains.” The NFL is a business partner with NBC on Sunday Night Football, which has been the top-rated program in prime time for the last seven seasons.

    Costas was at home Tuesday fighting a head cold. He cited “a great deal of mutual appreciation for everything that I was a part of at NBC for nearly 40 years.”
     
    supermd and snowman872 like this.
  2. unclefred

    unclefred Coastie with the Moastie

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    He could be the figurehead for all that's gone wrong with Sports Broadcasting the last several years. Good riddance.
     
    DRJOEL65, The MEZ, Jack Lord and 15 others like this.
  3. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    Not much of a fan of Costas and his commentary. I'm sure we will see him on another network soon........but I won't be watching.
     
  4. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    I don't dislike him a lot but he's not as good as he thinks he is...
     
    fr in sc, samurai, Quakerism and 4 others like this.
  5. guy incognito

    guy incognito Senior Member

    Location:
    Mee-chigan
    I thought Costas was great back in the '80s, before he started taking himself far too seriously. I loved when he called baseball with Tony Kubek and hosted Later after Letterman every night, but that was a very long time ago.
     
    nm_west, hifisoup, DaleClark and 6 others like this.
  6. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Hopefully he'll find a network that wants to do is serious late night talk show with a single guest on the model of Later. I watch no sports, and I just know him as the best interviewer that was ever on television.
     
    Rooster_Ties, chodad, MRamble and 6 others like this.
  7. ky658

    ky658 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ft Myers, Florida
    I agree, at 66, if he still thinks he's all that, he should look at himself in the mirror...
     
  8. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    I agree that his old show "Later" was pretty good. I can take or leave his sports commentary. I like Bryant Gumbel better for that. I think that Costas wanted to be the successor to Howard Cosell, but he was too vanilla to fill those shoes.
     
    Duke Fame likes this.
  9. albert_m

    albert_m Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atl., Ga, USA
    Oh Jesus.

    :rolleyes:
     
  10. daca

    daca Currently on Double Secret Probation

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Bob, you are no Doc Emrick. Doc is awesome.

    Mike Lange and Doc are two main reasons I love watching hockey.
     
    pscreed, Quakerism and Duke Fame like this.
  11. dprokopy

    dprokopy Senior Member

    Location:
    Near Seattle, WA
    I remember really enjoying Later, as it was one of the few shows that actually went in-depth with its interview subjects, and Costas (or his research staff, anyway) actually asked pointed and informed questions. His McCartney interview was pretty great (if I recall - it's been decades).

    I never watch sports, so I have absolutely no opinion of him as a sports broadcaster.
     
  12. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Unlike most of the interviewers on television, he actually seemed interested in the answers. What passes for interviews on late night television these days is just somebody asking about their latest movie/ album/TV show.

    Sadly, "favorite sports broadcaster of non-sports watchers" is not exactly a huge selling point.
     
  13. nosticker

    nosticker Forum Guy

    Location:
    Ringwood, NJ
    I remember him interviewing Ozzy, particularly about "Suicide Solution". He just couldn't grasp the idea of "solution" meaning "concoction" rather than literally an answer to a problem. Never took him seriously after that, and some of his commentary after that....not a fan.


    Dan
     
    fr in sc and Duke Fame like this.
  14. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    How can you be in "talks" to leave a job? Just quit!
     
  15. He lost me during the Atlanta? I think Olympics. Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey won the 100 meters. The winner is traditionally called the fastest man on earth. Mr. Sportscaster claimed, with a straight face, that the (American) sprinter that won the 200 meter race was really the fastest man alive - if you cut his 200 time in half. Either he wasn't bright enough to realize that the second hundred meters starts with the runner already at full speed or he was twisting himself into logical knots just to find a way to say the American is better.
     
  16. Hymie the Robot

    Hymie the Robot Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Reading is fundamental! Hint, it is in the first paragraph of the OP that is more than one sentence long.
     
  17. ElevatorSkyMovie

    ElevatorSkyMovie Senior Member

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    He is under contract, he can't just quit. He'll have to negotiate out or do what it says.
     
  18. Hymie the Robot

    Hymie the Robot Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    How so? Do you not agree with his opinions or do you think EVERY broadcaster should not be opinionated? You mention the LAST several years, how in the world would the networks fill hundreds of sports channels without opinions? Without an example of anything it is just a hate post.
     
    Dan C, Dark Mavis and snowman872 like this.
  19. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    God forbid he should have an opinion, because as we all know sports happen in a vacuum. As I recall Bryant Gumbel was and is quite opinionated.
    The whole pink eye situation was the start of the end for me. Prior to that I thought his Olympics hosting was professional and informative. His game-calling was utilitarian and kind of boring.
     
    fr in sc likes this.
  20. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter

    I’ve always enjoyed Bob — his analysis, his interviews and his commentaries. Different strokes, I guess.
     
  21. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I used to like Bob in the 80's.

    I think networks are trying to cut costs in the sports department.

    Most sports ratings have been declining.

    ESPN has done a lot of cost cutting.
     
    driverdrummer likes this.
  22. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    wow this is quite a retirement party for old bob! I liked him alright, his Olympic stuff for sure, gimme that card ill sign it!
     
  23. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    I loved Charlie Rose’s show and was incredibly disappointed that his behavior caused it’s demise. It was the only late show I watched, and now I watch none. I think Bob could porentially fill Charlie’s shoes. Good timing. He was great on Later imo.
     
  24. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Yeah I'm a bit surprised at all the hate here. Maybe I shouldn't be since that's just our culture now I guess.

    I really loved "Later" back in the day, it was one of the best interview shows around. His style of sports commentary is a dying art, replaced with the obnoxious d-bag know-it-all style oozing over from the bowls of AM radio and infecting pretty much everything.

    Hope he lands a good gig where he can thrive as an interviewer again.

    dan c
     
  25. Duke Fame

    Duke Fame Sold out the Enormodome

    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    I'm pretty much with the majority here. Don't care for him as a sportscaster but thoroughly enjoyed his 'Later' show.
     
    Rooster_Ties likes this.
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