Posted on 02/09/2006 1:34:01 PM PST by mainepatsfan
Michaels jumps to NBC Broadcaster to join Madden on Sunday nights Posted: Thursday February 9, 2006 12:15PM; Updated: Thursday February 9, 2006 12:33PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Al Michaels is moving to NBC and will broadcast Sunday night NFL games with John Madden, his partner on ABC during the past four seasons.
In exchange for letting Michaels out of his contract with ABC and ESPN, which are owned by The Walt Disney Co., NBC Universal sold ESPN cable rights to Friday coverage of the next four Ryder Cups, granted ESPN increased usage of Olympic highlights and sold to The Walt Disney Co. the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character in silent cartoons made by Walt Disney from 1927-28.
Michaels had been with ABC since 1976 and was the play-by-play announcer on Monday Night Football since 1986. He said in July that he would stay with the network to become the announcer for ESPN's Monday night broadcasts, which start this year.
Michaels' mind changed during the past season, realizing he wanted to work with Madden, producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff, who also are moving from ABC to NBC.
"I began to realize more and more how much I was going to miss being with those people," Michaels said Thursday on a conference call. "That's my family, that's my broadcasting family."
Michaels had hoped to finish the current NBA season as ABC/ESPN's lead announcer. He is being replaced by Mike Breen.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
I bet Madden and Micheals are really gay lovers. (if this bus is rockin'....)
Did you see what NBC gave up to get Al Michaels?
More Olympics shots and the Ryder Cup.
NBC absolutely won that trade.
That guy is the biggest azz covering football.
You can't put a price on "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit"!! /s
I think that played a part in Michaels wanting to jump ship.
LOL
Like an ingrown toenail making one forget all about their hemorrhoids
LOL, yeah, that's the real news in this deal.
Disney seems to think so which just shows how screwed up that company is.
The new MNF will be unwatchable, IMO.
I was just wondering...when was the last time Disney actually produced anything using their stable of animated characters? There's a whole generation of kids out there who have no idea who Mickey Mouse is, me thinks.
When I read that ABC traded Michaels to NBC for the Ryders Cup and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, I had to check again to make sure this wasn't something from the Onion.
But Joe's comments are so self-centered bullshyt that I'll just havta make a drinking game of it.
I guess ESPN radio will be broadcasting Monday night games. The alternative will be turn down the TV and listen to the radio.
The first article ESPN had on Michaels' move, which oddly enough isn't up anymore, mentioned something about Al not liking "the direction" ESPN wanted to go in. Sounds to me like that would be the Theesman direction.
I want to know who even brought that to the table?
The guy is a football dunce, boring as 'heck' and his voice makes my skin crawl. In fact I'd wager HE'S the reason MNF's ratings went South. People got sick of hearing his idiotic ramblings.
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