CBS Sports to Make TV History with All-Female Sports Talk Show This Fall
By Jason McIntyre
CBS Sports will make television history in September when it debuts the first all-female sports talk show, the network confirmed exclusively to The Big Lead.
The weekly show, which will air on CBS Sports Network, will not only feature an all-female cast, but will also be produced and directed by women.
“We’re really excited and proud to be launching the first ever all female sports talk show,” David Berson, the President of CBS Sports told The Big Lead. “We have been discussing and developing the show for well over a year. Internally and externally, there’s been universal enthusiasm and across-the-board support.”
Berson would not confirm any names connected to the show – it’s still unclear if the as-yet titled show will have one central host – but people familiar with the show’s plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were supposed to remain confidential revealed to The Big Lead six names who are expected to be regulars: CBS Sports veteran Lesley Visser, Dana Jacobson (who previously worked at ESPN), CBS NFL analyst Amy Trask, and sideline reporters Allie LaForce, Tracy Wolfson and Jenny Dell.
CBS would not reveal the show’s format, but sources say it will be something akin to The View meets Pardon the Interruption. It’s difficult to find a comparison for something this groundbreaking, but Berson did say it was going to be “a sports talk show featuring women; it’s not intended to be a women’s sports issue show.”
Unlike other networks, which are skittish to bring competitors onto their shows, Berson noted that the show would include “personalities from other media companies” as well as current and former athletes and team executives.
“It’s long overdue,” Berson said. “We feel we’re the right network and place for it with a tremendously respected roster of female sports journalists.”
Related: CBS Sports Network is Doing a 4-Hour NFL Pregame Show