Fox Sports Ushers In Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica’s First College Football, NFL Seasons at the Network With New Podcast Studio

The network will also launch a new sports betting podcast entitled Bear Bets

After joining Fox Sports in February 2023, the network is debuting a new studio and podcast for their top-tier sports betting analyst, Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica. Bear Bets: A Fox Sports Gambling Podcast, which will feature former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz and debut on Thursday, Aug. 31, will emanate from a studio in New York that was put together by Fox Sports’ production and technical operations teams.

A look at the new, fully-remote studio in New York City,

“We’re excited to provide ‘Bear’ the space to share gambling insights and real-life, actual bets with fans,” says Michael Bucklin, SVP, digital content, Fox Sports. “To us, that’s what makes ‘Bear’ so interesting: this isn’t picks for picks’ sake and this isn’t all chalk, but this is high value bets ‘The Bear’ and his real-life gambling group chat friends are actually making.”

The first episode is currently out now and can be enjoyed on the Fox Sports App, FOXSports.com, YouTube, Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Apple, Spotify and wherever else podcasts are downloaded. Starting next week, Fallica and Schwartz will record two shows from this new space: college football-focused episodes on Thursdays in partnership with Big Noon Kickoff and NFL-themed episodes on Fridays. Special episodes will also drop occasionally to discuss notable championship events.

NEP Group and Airtime Lighting worked with Fox Sports to put this space together.

Operationally, the new studio was a complete team effort that required coordination from multiple individuals, including Senior Manager, Production Operations, Thomas Meason and Art Designer Johnny Chou from Fox Sports, Airtime Lighting for lighting installation, and NEP Group for selecting the location. Shows will be produced remotely from Fox Sports’ headquarters in Los Angeles via Sony FR7 cameras, SRT for full PTZ control, and Haivision Makitos for encoding and decoding.

“This week, we officially launched our first 100% remote digital studio in NYC,” says Meason. “This was a big moment for our technical operations team after many months of planning, testing, and a few trips from LA to NYC.”

Sony FR7s will be the main cameras for each show.

A Fox Sports newcomer this year, Fallica is featured in a variety of roles across the network as an on-air personality, sports wagering expert and writer for FOXSports.com. Beginning this season, Fallica serves as a sports wagering expert on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, airing Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. ET. Prior to joining Fox Sports, Fallica spent nearly 30 years at ESPN, most notably as a research producer and on-air personality for College GameDay. Fallica recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. Additionally, he’s a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship, one of the most prestigious handicapping tournaments of the year for horseplayers.

Schwartz, a betting analyst for Fox Sports digital, joins Bear Bets as co-host and adds a former player’s vantage point from his eight seasons as an offensive lineman in the NFL spent with five different teams. In the college ranks, he started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year.

Each production will be produced from Los Angeles through SRT and Haivision Makitos.

“Fans know ‘The Bear’ is a brilliant sports gambling mind,” says Nick Rago, executive director, digital content, Fox Sports. “What they may not know is the process he goes through to make these bets, endlessly trading stats, insights and opinions with friends and experts like Geoff and Sam Panayotovich – who will both be key parts to this show – while debating bet value week to week. We hope to bring out the best of ‘The Bear’ as well as his network and process to fans.”