Katie Nolan: The True Star of FS1
With Garbage Time going into hiatus and a possible reformat, it seems like FOX Sports will continue squandering Katie Nolan’s talent.
As FS1 continues to right the ship, having decided to end Fox Sports Live, a new question emerges. What do they do with Garbage Time? There’s speculation that the show will either be reformatted or ended all together. While the show has had issues generating consistent ratings, the show (and more importantly host Katie Nolan) was a breath of fresh air in a stale, sports shout landscape.
Since FS1 relaunched from it’s FOX Sports Network days, they have been trying to catch up and imitate ESPN. Snagging and paying a huge amount of money to get talent like Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd, those moves have only recently resulted in ratings wins against ESPN. In the case of Nolan, she’s gradually built up a strong brand.
From my perspective, Katie Nolan is the superstar FS1 needs to build their network with. Her on air persona and strengths as a journalist will help redeem their programming. She’s gone from notable viral sports journalist to a budding superstar.
Garbage Time became a destination for sports fans who wanted some off beat commentary mixed with interviews and straight talk perspective. Oh yeah and the show also won an Emmy Award. No episode helped proved Nolan’s versatility than her open on the Greg Hardy situation in Dallas. A highlight of fresh thinking and brutal honesty.
Outside of Garbage Time, competing with FS1’s live game broadcasts which damaged the show’s ability to maintain a consistent time slot, Nolan has been poorly utilized by FOX. Case in point — Nolan appearing for a brief moment during the network’s Super Bowl halftime report, reading Tweets.
Nolan has so much more to offer than a baseless fluff role, as “halftime Tweet reader”. Given her penchant for the NFL, it would be worthwhile to see FOX give her an FS1 NFL pregame program, to counter ESPN’s programming on Sunday mornings. Fill it in with NFL analysts (not the network ones), produce some humorous, light features, along with breakdown and insight and it could easily rival that of their own FOX pregame show to that of ESPN’s.
Nolan needs a larger role with the network. Overpaying for sportswriters or sports radio commentators with “hot takes” is a staled, disingenuous act. Nolan has proved that she’s dedicated and sincere on her takes. That’s an attitude that needs to be encouraged on the middling sports network. Especially given the rough press FOX has taken with their female talent.
Even Nolan’s gender could easily be utilized to help promote the network. As ugly and sexist this will read, Nolan is young and attractive. Her looks should play no part in how much air time she earns, but sadly, in sports broadcasting, it often does. Even the vain and baseless appeal of a cute girl in a colorful blouse will draw viewers. In the case of FS1, they need more of them.
FS1 needs to tap into the marketing of Katie Nolan. Their brand needs a boost and what better way than appealing to sports fans who want a more honest approach to sports coverage than what’s being seen at this moment. Garbage Time may be gone, but Katie Nolan needs to stay and keep doing what she’s doing.
