Many shows and podcasts go away, but it’s always somewhat unfortunate when they don’t get a proper farewell. The latest case in point there is the long-running Around The NFL podcast from NFL Network parent NFL Media and NFL.com: it last posted an episode on May 23, and many, including Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, had wondered what was up. Gregg Rosenthal, who had been a host there since its start, posted about that Sunday, saying that the May 23 show will indeed be the last one:
As per Sportico’s Jacob Feldman, Rosenthal is staying with NFL Media. He’ll host a new podcast branded as N FL Daily , which will launch Tuesday. But former co-hosts Marc Sessler and Dan Hanzus are out, with that coming as part of a larger wave of NFL Media changes and cuts this year. Here’s more on that from Feldman’s piece :
What was formerly known as Around the NFL will relaunch as NFL Daily beginning on Tuesday, with shows coming out five days a week. Gregg Rosenthal will anchor the program, joined by other NFL Media talent and experts from outside the company. His former Around the NFL co-hosts—Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler—are no longer working for the league in the latest changes to the NFL’s lineup.
“We are excited about the new direction of ‘NFL Daily’ and our entire podcast lineup, and look forward to what Gregg and all our unique and talented voices will bring fans this season and beyond,” the league said in a statement given to Sportico.
…NFL Network’s Patrick Claybon and The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue will appear on the first episode of NFL Daily. ESPN’s Mina Kimes will join for an episode later this week. Other voices expected to contribute to the project include NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche and Nick Shook.
Around the NFL found a particularly passionate audience overseas, ranking as a top-five football show in Ireland and New Zealand, among other countries. More than 25,000 members have joined an unofficial Reddit community dedicated to the show, with several of them committing to listening to the show’s 1,700-episode back catalog.
Rosenthal posted a tribute to his former co-hosts (also including Chris Wesseling, who passed away from cancer in February 2021) and the show on X/Twitter:
Rosenthal’s note here received many salutes to Around The NFL from colleagues, industry peers, and fans:
As noted in some of those above tweets, and in Feldman’s piece, there have been a lot of NFL Media changes this year. They conducted significant layoffs this spring, which included getting rid of NFL Network “ show of record ” NFL Total Access and parting ways with many notable people, including Andrew Siciliano, James Palmer, Melissa Stark, Will Selva, and Michael Irvin.
NFL Media is also moving Good Morning Football to the West Coast, which will see Jason McCourty leaving and only Kyle Brandt and Jamie Erdahl confirmed to return so far. And there’s massive uncertainty on NFL Media’s future, especially around talk of an equity deal with ESPN where that company would manage NFLN . Around the non-renewal of Irvin’s contract, though, an NFL spokesperson told Awful Announcing these changes came as part of regular annual reviews:
“Like any successful organization, the NFL regularly evaluates its workforce to ensure the proper support of strategic priorities including international expansion, the growth of flag football, and the evolution of digital and media platforms. We have made the difficult decision to part ways with some employees to allow us to further invest in these growth areas and ensure the continued strength of our game and the business.”
But it certainly can be questioned if cutting Around The NFL was worth it, given that podcast’s following both in the U.S. and around the globe (a significant area of emphasis for the league lately, as seen in their growing international games ). And it’s unfortunate to see this particular change done in a way that left many, including Florio, wondering about the status here for months. And it’s particularly unfortunate that this didn’t let the podcast receive a proper sendoff.
[ Sportico ; image from NFL.com]
The post Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler out at NFL Media as ‘Around The NFL’ comes to unexpected end appeared first on Awful Announcing .
Most Popular
Comments / 0