Does Fox Sports Live Demise Open The Door For Katie Nolan Late Night?
By Ty Duffy
Sports Business Daily is reporting that FS1 has canceled “Fox Sports Live” and Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, vestiges from the initial round of FS1 hires, will not be renewed. Also noted in that report, FS1 will not bring back “Garbage Time” with Katie Nolan “in its current format.”
"The network reportedly also will not renew Katie Nolan’s “Garbage Time” in its current format. In a statement emailed to THE DAILY, FS1 and FS2 Exec VP/Content Charlie Dixon said, “We’ve been committed to creating programming that resonates with sports fans. As part of that commitment, we are constantly assessing all of FS1’s studio offerings, and despite changes to the format of ‘Fox Sports Live’ and the popularity of Jay and Dan as individuals, we’ve made the difficult decision to move forward with other projects.”"
SBD reported the plan was to replace “Fox Sports Live” with “MLB Whiparound” when baseball season started. Could the intermediate or long term plan be a new nightly show starring Nolan?
Nolan has been angling for such a role. She caused some acrimony back in May when she expressed her desire for a nightly show at 11:00 pm or 11:30 pm. O’Toole tweeted her asking if she could feed his kids when she took their time slot.
FS1 probably wants to find a place for her. She was included in Fox’s Super Bowl Coverage. “Garbage Time” did not draw ratings (the “garbage” time slot didn’t help). But, it did receive a Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Social TV Experience.” One could see a panel format, like FS1 used with her during the live Super Bowl week shows, working. Though that place could just as easily be in the afternoon.
Nolan presents a bit of a conundrum. She’s funny. She’s well regarded within media circles. But, she has struggled to translate her Internet presence into TV ratings twice. She also fits the previous “we’re the less buttoned up ESPN” iteration of FS1 better than the bold, against the grain, “interesting business” opinion-crafting currently en vogue under Jamie Horowitz.
Full Disclosure: The Big Lead editor-in-chief Jason McIntyre is a personality on FS1 and Fox Sports Radio.