Former CBS11 sports anchor Babe Laufenberg feels a draft, joins his former station as "guest contributor" during NFL's annual beef-on-the-hoof extravaganza

Babe Laufenberg (right) with radio teammates Brad Sham, Kristi Scales, plus moderator Mike Doocy (over center) at the September 7th “Cowboys Kickoff” event sponsored by the Press Club of Dallas. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Former CBS11 sports anchor Babe Laufenberg will return to the station for a four-night stand tied to the annual NFL draft, which begins Thursday night.

Director of communications Lori Conrad confirmed Monday that Laufenberg has agreed to be an in-studio “guest contributor” -- joining regular sports anchors Bill Jones and Keith Russell -- during CBS11’s 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts on both Thursday and Friday. He’ll also drop in on Saturday’s 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts and for a late night wrap-up on Sunday from 10:35 to 11 p.m.

But wait, there’s more. Sister station TXA21 will deploy Laufenberg as part of 9:45 to 10 p.m. and 10:45 to 11 p.m. updates on Thursday and Friday.

Laufenberg, an ex-backup quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, remains as the team’s radio analyst in tandem with play-by-play voice Brad Sham and on-field reporter Kristi Scales. He also had been CBS11’s principal sports anchor for 17 years before leaving over a contract impasse in mid-January of 2015.

Russell was hired as Laufenberg’s replacement. But in July of last year the station promoted Jones to the featured 6 and 10 p.m. weekday sports anchor slot and sent Russell to weekends and other duties.

This likely won’t be the end of Laufenberg’s reemergence at CBS11, although probably as a continued guest contributor. For now, though, he’s only been drafted for the draft.

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