ESPN announces 'Around the Horn' will end nearly 23-year run on May 23

Audio By Carbonatix

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — ESPN's “Around the Horn” will air its final episode on Friday, May 23, ending a nearly 23-year run.

The weekday sports discussion and debate show has been a mainstay at 5 p.m. EST since its debut episode on Nov. 4, 2002. Tony Reali has been the show's main host since 2004. He replaced Max Kellerman, who was the host for the first two years.

The show, which has had more than 4,900 episodes, features four panelists — mostly sports columnists — who tried to earn points and avoid being muted by Reali as they gave their opinions on the biggest sports stories of the day.

“Around the Horn has had a remarkable run of more than two decades. That kind of longevity in media is incredibly rare, and we look forward to celebrating the show’s many accomplishments before the final sign-off in May,” David Roberts, ESPN's executive vice president and executive editor for sports news end Entertainment, said in a statement. “Beyond Tony and the ensemble of on-air contributors, we are particularly grateful to the production team led by Erik Rydholm and Aaron Solomon, who have been instrumental in ATH’s consistent success since the very beginning.”

Woody Paige, who holds the show record for most appearances and wins, said on social media after the announcement, “My records will never be broken. But my heart is broken.”

ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes added: "The show that gave me the confidence to even believe someone like me could do TV. Will be forever grateful to the producers, and also Tony Reali, who models kindness and intelligence in a way that’s all too rare these days.

ESPN announced that a 30-minute edition of “SportsCenter” will air in the 5 p.m. EST weekday spot during the summer.

“Pardon The Interruption,” featuring Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, has aired at 5:30 p.m. EST since Oct. 22, 2001, but there have been no announcements on its future.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports