New hosts for Tennis Channel’s Court Report
February 11, 2013
LOS ANGELES — Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle, is ushering in 2013 by introducing three fresh faces for Court Report, its nightly news segment highlighting up-to-the-minute tennis content both on and off the court.
Court Report will be anchored in turns by the newest members of the network’s on-air team: Jo Ankier, Jonathan Novack and Jessica Vilchis, all of whom are former competitive athletes.
“We’re excited to welcome Jo, Jonathan and Jessica to our Tennis Channel family, and look forward to their work as we head into the new tennis year,” said Laura Hockridge, vice president, original programming, Tennis Channel. “Their athletic backgrounds and on-air skills are a great fit for the Court Report brand.”
Once a prominent track and field athlete for her native Britain, Ankier’s broadcast career includes reporting for ESPN International, where she hosts and covers a wide range of sports, and does work for global editions of SportsCenter. Novack, who played junior tennis competitively, has more than 10 years of on-air experience, is an accomplished TV host and news reporter who has worked across multiple media channels throughout the country. A former gymnast and springboard diver, Vilchis’ broadcast career includes work for E! News Now, the NBC4 Los Angeles affiliate, and on-air duties for NBC Universal Sports during the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Ankier, Novack and Vilchis first made their Tennis Channel debut in December 2012.
The one-minute reports, which appear at the top of the hour just before 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, were first introduced during the 2009 French Open. As with the network’s Grand Slam events, the news segments are produced in the network’s Los Angeles-area studio and bring viewers a brief update on the latest happenings in the sport.
Court Report segments appear on Tennis Channel’s web site, tennischannel.com, on the video page.