Fred Gaudelli, the ESPN producer who introduced the first-down line graphic to NFL telecasts, is heading to "Monday Night Football." Replacing Don Ohlmeyer as the show's producer, Gaudelli already has
some ideas about how he'd like to jazz up ABC's weekly NFL show, including more on-field sounds and locker-room access. ABC said in January that the show's cast won't change next season, with comedian
Dennis Miller, analyst Dan Fouts and play-by-play announcer Al Michaels in the booth, and Eric Dickerson and Melissa Stark on the sidelines. Gaudelli said it's too early to unveil specific changes,
but he knows he has to do something about the show's ratings, which have declined for six straight seasons to a record low in 2000. The rating among men 18-34, though, did increase by about 7%, the
show's first jump in that demographic in six years. ESPN hasn't announced a replacement for Gaudelli, who joined the network in 1982 and became an associate producer the next year.
- Adam
Bernard
