Regis Philbin to be sports talkshow host?
Regis Philbin left the airwaves a year ago, but he’s making a comeback to… sports broadcasting? Yes you read it correctly, though Regis made his claim to fame from the Today Show, he is going back to his roots by making a return to sports television.
Regis is set to host the new network, Fox Sports 1, this summer and is ecstatic to get back to where he began his career many years ago. While he is better known for his work on talk shows, it is interesting to note it all began with sports broadcasting.
“I never anticipated going back to sports,” Philbin told Fox News. “The very first job I did was in San Diego, California, doing a little sports for the news.”
Fox’s 24 hour channel is set to debut in August, giving Regis plenty of time to brush up on spots broadcasting as he prepares to talk about sports fulltime rather than the infrequent sojourns he took on the Today Show despite his co hosts’ distaste for sports talk.
The network hopes to pose a challenge to the sports giant ESPN, which is quite the endeavor. While ESPN may be the more traditional source for sports news, Fox Sports 1 hopes to serve as an alternative from ESPN, a network that focuses on sports but also entertains the super fan and casual fan alike.
“Fans are ready for an alternative to the establishment, and our goal for FS1 is to provide the best in-game experience possible, complemented by informative news, entertaining studio shows and provocative original programming.” The network announced.
The decision to cast Regis in the host’s seat certainly is an unorthodox one, but if there is one man who can charge this new network with some energy and life then Regis certainly seems to be the man for the job. Welcome back to sports Mr. Philbin.
