Stephen A. Smith to Play Prominent Role in Revamped ESPN First Take

http://sportsmediajournal.com/page/2/ ESPN has announced that its morning show on ESPN2, First Take, will be undergoing some changes effective June 4th. Along with a new logo, graphics, and set design, analyst Stephen A. Smith will become a full time contributor. Smith, who has been a frequent part of First Take, will now join Skip Bayless as a featured commentator at the debate desk, with the first hour of the program focusing on their one-on-one discussion of the day’s sports headlines. Jay Crawford will remain as host. Smith has been with ESPN on and off since 2003. He hosts a daily afternoon radio program from 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. ET on ESPN Radio’s New York affiliate. “We tweaked the show format last year to focus more on debate and specifically on presenting and challenging Skip’s opinions and we saw our viewers respond to that change,” said Jamie Horowitz, ESPN’s vice president of original programming and production in a press release. “Given the response we’ve seen on social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, we dug a bit deeper into the ratings data and know that the riveting combination of Stephen A. and Skip debating their views resonates with our viewers. Our plan with this relaunch is to give them even more of the show elements they like best.” First Take has seen a spike in ratings so far this year, with numbers year-to-date up 34% over 2011. First Take is up 58% over Q2 2011 and is up even more among the coveted male 18-34 demographic with a 63% quarter-over-quarter increase.