PBR Announces 2018 TV Broadcast Team

PUEBLO, Colo. – The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast is officially underway with the next event scheduled for the Express Employment Professionals Invitational this weekend in Oklahoma City.

Fans can watch the event exclusively on CBS Sports Network on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network are in its seventh year as the exclusive TV partner of the PBR.

The PBR, CBS and CBS Sports Network will be airing a total of 52 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast events in 2018 with an experienced broadcast team at the helm.

Craig Hummer returns for his 13^th season as the play-by-play broadcaster. Hummer brings 20 years of experience, covering more than 50 different sports for network, cable and syndicated shows worldwide. Hummer was a member of the broadcast team for every Olympics from 2004-2012, and has done play-by-play coverage for sports as varied as fencing to figure skating. He also hosted pre-Olympic shows for Universal Sports for the 2012 London Games and 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. From 2004-2012, he either hosted or reported at the Tour de France for OLN, VERSUS, NBC Sports Network or CBS Sports.

Joining Hummer in the booth as the sport’s primary color commentator is two-time World Champion Justin McBride. McBride has worked as a color commentator for the past nine seasons. He won $5.1 million during his PBR career, which is the fourth-most in PBR history. McBride was inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor in 2008 and holds the PBR record for event wins in a season with eight in 2007.

Shorty Gorham also returns for one of the most unique roles in sports broadcasting. The Matador Beef Jerky Bullfighter has served as an on-air commentator for all PBR broadcasts since 2011, while also working as one of the three bullfighters at every 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast event. Gorham has worked every PBR World Finals since 2006. He also instructed contestants on the NBC television show “America’s Toughest Jobs” in 2008, and in 2009 and 2010 he hosted VERSUS’ “Best of the West.”

New to the full-time broadcast team in 2018 is Kate Harrison. A southern California native, Harrison will serve as the behind-the-chutes and sideline reporter this season after first making her PBR television debut in 2016. Harrison will also continue to host the Inside the PBR Majors and Inside the PBR World Finals pre-shows.

Harrison grew up on movie sets and in the rodeo arena. She started competing in rodeos at the age of 7 and was a three-time qualifier at the National High School Finals Rodeo. At the same time, she started riding horses for westerns like ‘Magnificent Seven,’ which led to a young career in the stunt business doing everything from fight scenes to car chases and high falls. Her passion for extreme sports and storytelling led the stunt girl to the University of Southern California where she studied broadcast journalism. Harrison has covered collegiate sports, country music and rodeo for Pac-12 Network, ESPN LA 710, RFD-TV, PBR and Radio Disney Country.

PBR co-founder and nine-time World Champion Ty Murray will join Hummer and McBride in the television booth as an additional color commentator for the enhanced broadcast team for the PBR Majors (Iron Cowboy, Last Cowboy Standing and Nashville, Tennessee), and the 25^th PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.

Murray has worked on PBR broadcasts since 2007 and brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. He was inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor in 2002 and three times was runner-up for the PBR World Championship. Murray, who was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2000, won seven PRCA World Champion all-around titles and two PRCA World Champion bull riding titles. He was a member of the PBR Board of Directors from 1992 to 2015.

Veteran sideline reporter Leah Garcia will serve as the behind-the-chutes and sideline reporter for the PBR Majors and World Finals broadcasts with Harrison hosting the pre-shows. Garcia has been a member of the PBR broadcast team since 2004 and has been a staple of the broadcast team for over 14 years.

Raised on a ranch in Northern California, Garcia competed on the rodeo circuit during her junior, high school, and collegiate years. Leah won several all-around and event titles and twice qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo. Garcia began working in television in 1998 and has covered extreme sports, rodeo, and bull riding.

The 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 35-time Emmy Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who also serves as Executive Producer. Beginning in 2011 when the PBR brought television production in house, Neal has put his indelible stamp on PBR broadcasts with an emphasis on bringing the stories of both the riders and the bulls to life. Neal has introduced numerous coverage improvements including enhanced pictures and sound, all leading to three consecutive years of double digit percentage increases in viewership for the PBR.

Neal created his company, David Neal Productions, in the summer of 2010, bringing his storied reputation as one of sports television’s leading producers and executives to Los Angeles with a focus on live events and non-fiction programming. One of the most prolific and accomplished sports producers of his generation, Neal also serves as Executive Producer of FIFA WORLD CUP and Vice President, Production for FOX Sports.

Neal spent more than 30 years at NBC Sports where he produced nine Olympics, four NBA Finals, two World Series and a Super Bowl pregame show. In addition to 33 Sports Emmys and two Primetime Emmys, Neal’s innovative and creative vision was recognized with a Peabody Award for NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Beijing.

Following his 30-year career with NBC Sports, Neal formed David Neal Productions in 2010, producing more than 250 hours of television for varied clients including Univision, NBC, CBS and Velocity.

Neal graduated from the University of Southern California in 1978 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. His father – the late Roy Neal — was a much-honored and respected NBC News correspondent, producer and executive from 1948-‘86. Neal was raised in Woodland Hills, Calif. and resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Jen.

Nine-time Emmy Award winner Carlos DeMolina returns for his eighth season as coordinating producer. A 29-year veteran of the television industry, DeMolina spent 16 years with NBC Sports, working seven Olympics. In addition to five Emmy Awards for his work on the Olympics, DeMolina won two Emmy Awards for NBA coverage and also for his work with NASCAR and the World Track and Field Championships. He has worked five Stanley Cup Finals, three Super Bowls, three World Series, and six NBA Finals. Most recently, DeMolina worked on the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2016 Copa America on FOX. Aside from his work with PBR, DeMolina currently serves as a Producer on Showtime’s “Inside The NFL,” College Hockey on CBS Sports Network, and MLS Soccer.