NBC Sports Philadelphia’s studio shows will soon look a lot different

Why is NBC Sports Philadelphia airing old episodes of Philly Sports Talk?

That’s what many regular viewers were wondering Tuesday when the network broadcast a “best of” episode of the normally live afternoon sports talk show hosted by Marc Farzetta and Amy Fadool Kane, which follows a simulcast of Mike Missanelli’s 97.5 The Fanatic show.

With all the recent changes happening at the network, Kane took to Twitter to assure viewers that it’s just ongoing studio renovations that have temporarily taken the show off the air. According to Kane, Philly Sports Talk will return live next week.

Philly Sports Talk is the only show NBC Sports Philadelphia placed on hiatus this week, but renovations to the network’s main studios at the Wells Fargo Center have impacted other programs as well.

All the network’s studio shows — including Quick Slants, The Daily Line, Sixers Outsiders, and pre- and post-game shows for the Sixers and Flyers — will be broadcasting from the NBC Sports Philadelphia+ studios on Columbus Boulevard until renovations are completed. That’s expected to happen by the end of the March, just in time for the new Phillies season.

The studio renovations are the final step in a year-long overhaul that has involved the network’s content floor, business operations, and technical facilities.

Viewers can expect all the network’s shows to look dramatically different when they return to their new studio space at the Wells Fargo Center. According to the network, the shows will have a brighter, lighter feel with an emphasis on team colors and cityscape visuals. The revamped studio will sport a new main anchor area featuring a dynamic LED video monitor wall background, and a demo area featuring a state-of-the-art LED video floor. There will also be various stand-up locations with movable monitors.

With more than 100 million people expected to tune into this year’s Super Bowl on CBS, the network hopes at least part of that audience might be interested in the kickoff of a new professional football league happening less than a week later.

A CBS spokesman has confirmed a Sports Business Daily report that the network will air an ad during the Super Bowl promoting the kick-off of The Alliance of American Football (TheAAF). The league’s first match features the San Antonio Commanders hosting the San Diego Fleet on Feb. 9. at 8:30 p.m. Spero Dedes will handle play-by-play on CBS, with analysis coming from Trent Green and Tiki Barber. Jamie Erdahl (who just announced she is pregnant) will handle sideline reporting duties.

Going forward, CBS Sports Network will carry TheAAF’s best match-up each week on Sundays at 4 p.m. for 11 weeks. Ben Holden, former NFL safety Adam Archuleta, and sideline reporter John Schriffen will be CBSSN’s announcing team. TheAAF is also reportedly in talks with the NFL Network to air several of the league’s games, but so far no deal has been announced.

TheAAF will return to CBS for the championship game on April 27 from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. So far, the network hasn’t announced who will be in the booth for that game.

While none of TheAAF’s eight inaugural franchises are anywhere close to Philadelphia, a good number of former Eagles players and coaches will be part of the league. Most notably, former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will serve as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends, whose head coach is former Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress.

Here are the eight teams that will compete in the AAF’s inaugural season:

As annoying as it is that the Patriots are attempting to paint themselves as underdogs as they prepare for their eighth Super Bowl since 2002, it was humorous to see the team’s official Twitter account eviscerate FS1 talking head Rob Parker.

Parker, whose day job is the sports anchor for 7 Action News in Detroit, has long staked out a corner for himself as one of the few pundits willing to concede that Tom Brady is among the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league, often referring to him as the “LOAT,” or “luckiest of all time.”

Here’s how the Patriots responded.

On FOX Sports Radio Tuesday, Parker thanked the Patriots for trolling him, pointing out that it must get under the team’s skin that some people can’t fully embrace their success due to controversies such as “spygate” and “deflategate,” which led to fines, suspensions, and lost draft picks.

“If you have a quarterback that won five Super Bowls, why is there even a debate?” Parker responded. “It tells you about what they’ve done, how they’ve gone about their business, why a lot of people in NFL American can’t embrace what’s going on.”