Dodgers Rumors: John Hartung Will Leave ABC For SportsNet LA
While the Los Angeles Dodgers have been rather quiet during the off-season adding players to their roster, they’ve put on a full-court press to sign talent for their new Time Warner Cable channel, SportsNet LA.
After the 2013 season, the contracts with both Fox Sports and KCAL 9 expired as the Dodgers will enter a reported 25-year, $8 billion partnership with Time Warner. While no formal announcement or launch date has been set, according to Patrick O’Neal of Fox Sports, they’re close to making a new hire:
A courthouse KABC reporter told me John Hartung will leave news desk and join Dodgers broadcast team. Pre/post. Would be great hire!
— Patrick O'Neal (@Patrick_ONeal) December 19, 2013
O’Neal was part of the Dodgers pre and postgame coverage with Fox, but it sounds like the organization is set to make another broadcast hire. Already this off-season former Dodgers Nomar Garciaparra, Orel Hershiser and Jerry Hairston, Jr. have all joined the team while Alanna Rizzo will reportedly leave MLB Network for a position at SportsNet LA.
Hartung is a co-anchor for Eyewitness News on ABC 7 on the weekends and is also a sports reporter and fill-in-sports anchor. The Dodgers haven’t confirmed any of the previous hires, but it sounds like they continue to add talent from all places.
Meanwhile, Time Warner Cable hasn’t entered negotiations with pay-TV companies like DirecTV or AT&T U-Verse as it’ll be interesting to see if an agreement can be made before the season starts.
It’s clear the Dodgers want to make their channel as strong as possible and adding Hartung to an already stellar team is another indication how serious they are.
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ICYMI: The Dodgers and J.P. Howell agreed to a two-year deal earlier this week
