Regis Philbin brings storytelling _ not social media _ skills to host Fox Sports 1 talk show

NEW YORK — Regis Philbin's new colleagues were tapping away on their smartphones Monday, tweeting about his new sports talk show, and he blurted out: "All I've got is a bottle of water."

"Crowd Goes Wild" premieres next month with the launch of cable channel Fox Sports 1, and befitting a program debuting in 2013, it will weave back-and-forths with viewers into the broadcast. Producers even hired a social media correspondent.

And hosting all this is Philbin, who turns 82 six days after the premiere.

Executive producer Michael Davies, who worked with Philbin on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," insists the octogenarian fits in just fine with a company known for attracting younger audiences.

"Every single one of us has a parent or a grandparent who struggles with social media," Davies said. "We're going to frankly have a lot of fun with Regis' struggles with social media."

Sports may be the theme, but in some ways "Crowd Goes Wild" won't feel much different from Philbin's old morning talk shows.

He'll open up each edition of the Monday-through-Friday program with a commentary, and then later interview a guest — who could be an athlete or an actor. There will be debates on the hot sports topic of the moment, but Davies vows the conversations will be more nuanced than one person arguing the pro and another the con of the issue.

Even if the denizens on social media howl that no one cares about tennis, Davies is comfortable that the tone of the show will allow for a wider range of topics.

"We're not a sports news show; we're a sports entertainment show," he said. "The standard for us: We're not trying to set the agenda of what America are talking about on a daily basis. We're frankly trying to be funny a lot of the time."

The recent revelation that Jets coach Rex Ryan went running with the bulls would have been perfect fodder for the program, Davies said.

Philbin, also a big Notre Dame fan, would have loved to chat about sports in his opening commentaries when he hosted "Live!" with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Kelly Ripa before leaving in late 2011.

He just never really got a chance.

Joining Philbin when "Crowd Goes Wild" premieres Aug. 19 will be two-time Super Bowl champion defensive lineman Trevor Pryce; journeyman pro tennis player turned standup comedian Michael Kosta; Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay; and Georgie Thompson, an anchor for Britain's Sky Sports.

A typical interview might go something like this, according to Philbin: George Clooney comes on to promote a new movie, but he also chats about rooting for the Cincinnati Reds.

Davies predicts that Philbin will succeed because his skill as a storyteller transcends genres and generations.