Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 6 February 2018
NBC's Mike Tirico set to

fill Costas' shoes in Korea

By DAVID BAUDER Tirico's not interested in ESPN was a decade on
AP Media Writer changing the job, or pre- "Monday Night Football."
NEW YORK (AP) — The big- tending that he duplicates At a time the issue of sexual
gest change for Ameri- Costas' skills and interests. misconduct is frequently in
cans watching the Winter "I'll just try to take my sen- the news, Tirico has a his-
Olympics on television this sibilities and curiosities and tory there, too. Two books
month will likely be the mix them in along the way," about ESPN's history de-
first face they see on the he said. scribe his lewd and un-
screen. While at ESPN a decade wanted advances on up
In this Oct. 22, 2017 file photo, NFL sportscaster Mike Tirico sits Mike Tirico is replacing Bob ago, he requested an as- to six women, including al-
on the sideline set before an NFL football game between the Costas as host of NBC's signment to the World Cup legedly following one co-
New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons in Foxborough, prime-time Olympics cov- soccer tournament, know- worker in his car. He was
Mass. ing the event was a cultural suspended by the network
Associated Press erage, which starts Thurs- phenomenon as much as for three months in the ear-
day from Pyeongchang,
South Korea. Costas hosted a competition, and antici- ly 1990s.
11 Olympics starting in 1992 pating ESPN may win a bid NBC said it was aware of
until he stepped down last to broadcast the Olympics the incidents when Tirico
year. He became as identi- someday. NBC's Olympics was hired, he assured them
fied with the event as Jim portfolio was a key factor the behavior was long in
McKay was for an earlier in his jump to the network the past "and we have no
generation. in 2016, he said. evidence of anything to
"I'm taking the approach News networks are on the the contrary." Tirico, now
of I'm following him, not TV in his home office in Ann married with two children,
replacing him," Tirico said. Arbor, Michigan, as much declined comment, and
"You don't replace some- as sports, he said. the incidents have attract-
one like Bob." "You know there are going ed little attention in the
NBC has groomed Tirico, to be times when people run-up to the Olympics.
51, and he's studied up on say, 'just stick to sports,'" he "That happened well over
Alpine skiing and the luge. said. "But that is impossible two decades ago and
Whether he's well-suited in an Olympics forum." Mike has been nothing
for the role and accepted He said if an issue comes but the consummate pro-
by the audience won't be- up that calls for commen- fessional" since, Wildhack
come clear until he does it. tary, "I'll make it, and I'll said.
The job requires someone make it knowing I might be Tirico said that nobody,
conversant in sports, of criticized. I know it comes except maybe his family,
course. But he'll also have with that chair." will be tuning in to NBC's
to deal with unanticipated Tirico's World Cup work prime-time Olympics tele-
news events, history and was one of the things that cast to watch him.
pop culture. He'll be ex- brought him to NBC's atten- "If you watch the games
pected to talk about the tion as a possible successor for all of the Olympics, and
tense relations between to Costas, said Jim Bell, ex- I've helped viewers un-
North and South Korea and ecutive producer of NBC derstand in some way the
the absence of the Russian Olympics. Tirico worked as who, what, where and why
Olympic team because of a host of NBC's late-night about it, if I helped them
a doping scandal. A sense Summer Olympics cover- enjoy the viewing experi-
of humor helps, too. age in Brazil in 2016.Tirico ence and connected a
Costas adeptly bridged won't be intimidated by few of the disparate worlds
these worlds, said Andrew the assignment because that come together at the
Billings, a University of Ala- he's spent a lifetime pre- Olympic games, then I've
bama professor and au- paring for a role like this, done my job," Tirico said.q
thor of "Olympic Television: said John Wildhack, a for-
Broadcasting the Biggest mer executive at ESPN who
Show on Earth." The former worked closely with Tirico
host knew sports and also and is now athletics direc-
hosted a general-interest tor at their alma mater,
talk show for many years, Syracuse University.
and spoke out on issues like "Mike is one of the most ver-
the dangers of football. satile on-air talents in the
While most sports fans industry and of our genera-
know Tirico from his years tion," Wildhack said.
at ESPN, he's less visible Raised in Queens, New
among the casual viewers York, Tirico worked in lo-
who determine whether cal television in Syracuse
or not the Olympics are a after his graduation and
success. before joining ESPN. The
"Whoever goes in there is first guest on his ESPN radio
going to have to prove show — recorded at S.U.'s
themselves, or reinvent student-run WAER studio —
what the job of Olympic was Costas, another alum.
host is," Billings said. Tirico's most visible job at