Melissa Stark’s Football Journey Brings Her From ‘Monday Night’ to ‘Sunday Night’
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMelissa Stark clearly knows the value of staying in touch.The veteran sportscaster served as the sideline reporter for “Monday Night Football” between 2000 and 2002, when she was just 26 and the game — then one of TV’s biggest weekly events — was still broadcast on ABC.
She worked with everyone from the legendary TV executive Don Ohlmeyer to “MNF” announcers like John Madden and Dennis Miller — and with Fred Gaudelli, the producer who would move on to work for NBC Sports and oversee “Sunday Night Football,” then all of NBC’s NFL coverage.
With four young children at home, and having logged stints at ABC, NBC News’ “Today” and MSNBC, Stark in 2008 eventually chose to cut back on TV duties and focus on family.
In 2011, she had the chance to take up new duties at NFL Network, and asked Gaudelli for his counsel on the move. “He has always been a mentor and a sounding board,” Stark tells Variety in an interview.
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