KATV Withdraws Inman; UA Names Barrett The ‘Voice’

KATV-TV, Channel 7, on June 26 withdrew news anchor Scott Inman as a candidate for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks play-by-play announcer role, just as a statement from the UA announced Chuck Barrett for the post.
The two news releases — one from the Little Rock ABC affiliate and another from the UA Men’s Athletic Media Relations department — came within minutes of each other.
In its statement, KATV said “a recently conducted viewer study” showed Inman “is the ‘most-watched’ and ‘best-liked’ news anchor in Arkansas,” but that KATV leadership had decided to “focus [its] energies on our primary mission of delivering the most accurate, up-to-date local news possible.”
In the UA statement, Barrett, the UA men’s baseball team play-by-play announcer and former host of KFAY-AM, 1030’s “Sports Rap,” was named the next football announcer for the Arkansas Razorbacks. The decision was announced mutually by the Arkansas Razorbacks Sports Network, which KATV owns, and the UA.
The announcements come after news reports earlier in June that said the UA and KATV had reached an agreement “in principal” to name Barrett to the position as the “Voice of the Razorbacks.”
As part of the job, Barrett will host “The Houston Nutt Show” and a new program called “Razorback Football TV Classics.” He’ll also help coordinate and host video and audio content on the newly redesigned Hogwired.com and handle voice-over work and hosting for departmental commercials, video board features, practice reports and other special content. Barrett will also handle some speaking engagements on behalf of the Athletic Department, the UA said.
Barrett will fill a post left vacant by the death of Paul Eells, the long-time KATV sports director who had been “Voice of the Razorbacks” since 1978. Northwest Arkansas broadcaster Mike Nail had filled the post on an interim basis this past season.