Scott Van Pelt a top candidate for ESPN’s 5 p.m. weekday show slot – The Athletic

ESPN looks at the weekday 5 p.m. ET time slot, formerly home to “Around The Horn,” as beachfront property. In doing so, it is trying to think big to maximize the audience between “NFL Live” and “Pardon The Interruption.”

That is why one of ESPN’s stars, Scott Van Pelt, has emerged as a strong possibility for that 5 p.m. spot. Van Pelt, who currently pilots his personality-driven late-night “SportsCenter” and “Monday Night Countdown,” could potentially move up in the day, according to sources briefed on ESPN’s discussions.

In an interview with The Athletic, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus confirmed that Van Pelt is a candidate.

In fact, Van Pelt already could have been named to headline that 5 p.m. spot, if ESPN had been successful in luring podcaster extraordinaire and former ESPNer Ryen Russillo back to the network to re-unite with Van Pelt. The duo previously joined forces on ESPN Radio and drew a strong following, including one very important listener.

“That was a bit of a selfish concept by me, because I was such a huge fan of those two when they were together years ago,” Magnus said. “It just so happened that Ryen was exploring his future on a similar timeline. He ended up doing something different.”

Russillo moved his podcast from Bill Simmons’ Ringer Network to a new venture backed by Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy.

Van Pelt is still standing tall as a candidate for 5 p.m. Others surging on the network’s list include Peter Schrager and Brian Windhorst. Schrager, who joined ESPN in May, has made his name covering the NFL but has a wide variety of sports interests. Windhorst’s ESPN career has been NBA focused.

The 5 p.m. slot is situated between “NFL Live” and “PTI,” and Magnus is cognizant of the flow of the day. ESPN could also create a new program at 2 p.m., so Schrager and Windhorst will continue to be names to watch for future specific shows, even if they don’t end up at 5 p.m.

Outside of Van Pelt’s current scheduling conflicts, he checks the boxes as a big name who has proven success in the talk space and on “SportsCenter.” On top of that, the opportunity may be hitting at the perfect time for the 58-year-old Van Pelt.

“I don’t want to speak for him, but I think there is a limit for how long people can have their lives upside-down from working late nights,” Magnus said. “This could provide some relief in that regard.”

If Van Pelt were to move from his daily 11 p.m. spot, he would probably still hold on to some late-night “SportsCenter” hosting roles after marquee events and maybe “Monday Night Countdown.” Van Pelt is at his best after big games. While “Inside The NBA” — now on ESPN this season – has filled the big post-game spot following major NBA matchups, Van Pelt could still be featured on “SportsCenter” after “Monday Night Football” and other big events. He could potentially continue on “Monday Night Countdown,” though that on-site show has not been a perfect match for him. It is set-up more for a facilitator, and SVP plays the point with a little more flair and does look for his own shot.

While “ATH” left the air in May and its fate was known for much longer, ESPN is in no rush for what is next. Magnus said “SportsCenter” – currently running in the 5-5:30 p.m. slot — is out-rating “Around The Horn’s” old numbers.

“We are pleasantly surprised by how (“SportsCenter”) has a bigger audience than what “Around The Horn” was doing,” Magnus said. “We are looking at taking all the time we need to get it right.”

In the official Nielsen numbers, “SportsCenter” is out-rating “ATH” year-to-year by a 16 percent margin (448K viewers compared to 386K). Since Nielsen has changed how it rates programming this year, resulting in higher audience numbers for sports, the era-adjusted numbers are tighter than that, but still favor “SportsCenter,” to Magnus’ point.

A new 5 p.m. show won’t arrive on ESPN’s air until next year. Van Pelt is not a sure thing, but he appears to be the favorite.