Throughout 2023, Colin Cowherd’s new media company – The Volume – has been making news as the home of instant reactions from both Cowherd and Draymond Green. However, it was a decision he made almost 10 years ago that set all of this in motion.
As recently reported in Sports News Info, back in 2015, sports media executive Jamie Horowitz hired Colin Cowherd to host a three-hour sports talk show on FOX Sports. The show, “The Herd,” appeared on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports Radio and now, almost a decade later, the show is still delivering record ratings.
Aside from “The Herd,” Cowherd was also the original co-host for “Speak for Yourself” an afternoon talk show that made Cowherd the face of two different daily shows for FS1. Horowitz, the then-president of FOX Sports, recruited Cowherd with the idea of reimagining FOX Sports’ daytime programming around him.
Cowherd joined FOX Sports after an extensive and award-winning career with ESPN. He said that he decided to leave ESPN because he wanted to “take a risk” and pursue a new challenge. Moving to FOX Sports also gave him the opportunity to reunite with Horowitz after they had worked together closely at ESPN.
Colin Cowherd’s Sports Media Career
On “The Herd,” Cowherd unpacks the top sports stories by comparing these stories to real-world experiences. He mixes in analogies and comparisons that have made him standout in a crowded sports landscape. He is considered an original thinker, with a unique point of view on sports. He is also a rising sports executive, having launched his own massively successful podcast network, “The Volume.”
Before Horowitz recruited Cowherd to move to FOX Sports, Cowherd’s fascinating, multi-stop sports media career saw him:
- Host ESPN Radio’s “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.” This program aired nationally on weekdays and simultaneously aired on ESPNU.
- Host “Colin’s New Football Show” on ESPN2.
- Co-Host and help launch ESPN2’s “SportsNation.”
- Become a key name on weeknight sports and Sports Sunday for KGW Northwest News Channel 8.
- Become the weekend sports anchor at Tampa’s WTVT-TV. During his time there, he received a local Sports Emmy for “Buc Sunday.”
- Become the sports director at KVBC-TV in Las Vegas. In this role, he won five Nevada Sportscaster of the Year awards.
- Become the play-by-play voice for the Pacific Coast League’s Las Vegas Stars baseball team. This role kickstarted his career in sports media.
- Release two popular books. His first, “You HERD Me!: I’ll Say It If Nobody Else Will,” became a “New York Times” bestseller, with the hard copy spending five weeks on the list. He followed this book with “Raw: My 100% Grade-A, Unfiltered, Inside Look at Sports.”
Colin Cowherd’s Move to FOX Sports
When Cowherd joined FOX Sports as a radio host and television personality, FOX Sports reimagined “The Herd” – it became as much a tv show as a radio show. Cowherd signed a four-year contract to host the show, which became the key part of the FOX Sports daily lineup. Nine years later, the show still airs on weekdays at 12 p.m. ET.
Cowherd also deserves credit for the staggering rise of FS1 daily ratings. He was the first commentator that Horowitz hired as part of the reimagination of FOX Sports 1 – Horowitz described the hire as fitting given that Cowherd was also his first hire at his first daily studio show when he was an executive at ESPN – and Cowherd’s arrival made it possible for many other famous talkers – Nick Wright, Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, among others – to confidently join the FS1 team.
Since moving to FOX Sports, Cowherd has actually become more popular than ever before as he has continued to share his unique perspectives on sports on various different platforms. At least in part due to the masssive success of The Volume, he remains one of the most popular voices in sports media.
About Jamie Horowitz
Horowitz is now the Executive Vice President of Development and Digital at WWE. In this role, he helps manage WWE’s digital initiatives and the original programming slate. He also plays a central role in strategizing WWE’s social medica content and off-platform content distribution.
Over his extensive career, he has produced notable content at a variety of media companies:
- Advisor for Peyton Manning. He has worked closely with Peyton Manning to help launch Omaha Productions and produce The ManningCast.
- EVP of Global Content at DAZN in North America. He oversaw DAZN’s US content strategy, including the production and presentation of the NFL, MLB, EPL, and Boxing. He also managed the creative development and production of studio shows like MLB’s “ChangeUp” and the licensing of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
- President at FOX Sports Networks. He oversaw FOX Sports 1 and 2’s programming, marketing, and scheduling as well as the reimagination of the daily talk shows.
- An executive producer at Film 45. He worked closely with film director Peter Berg on HBO’s pioneering sports programming.
- A senior executive and executive producer at ESPN. He created and produced shows like “SportsNation” and “First Take.”
An Olympic researcher for NBC Sports during the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. This role launched his career in sports television.
