The Olympics will always have a special place in the heart ofLindsay Czarniak. It was after working the 2008Summer Gamesin Beijing when she first connected with her now husband,TodayhostCraig Melvin. Fast forward almost 20 years later and Czarniak is in the middle of covering her sixth assignment with the2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. She is part ofUSA Network'sdaily coverage as the action continues.
"It's exciting," the veteran sports broadcaster said. "For me, it's a role where you're covering what you're seeing in real time. You're also talking to analysts that all bring something to the table. A lot of these sports you don't necessarily see all the time like curling or the biathlon. We're live, so it's fun to bring people along and give them the flavor of what these games are. Italy is the perfect backdrop, so it's amazing."
We caught up with Czarniak to talk about what it's like covering the historic event. She also gets candid about how her and Craig (who she calls "Melvin") have found a work-life balance for the family.
How would you say covering the Olympics has changed over the time you've covered them up until now?
Lindsay Czarniak:It has changed in so many ways, but I think the core of it is the same in terms of what makes it special from my perspective. To be part of this, it's one opportunity that I'm so grateful for. No matter what, you feel the magic, the excitement, and it's so much fun covering the Olympics. It's so fascinating in the role I'm in because when you're doing the day part, and you're live for several hours and covering a bunch of different sports. It's interesting that you end up working with a bunch of different people that come from a bunch of different areas, networks, backgrounds, and join together for this event.
You have to learn how to work together quickly. On top of that, you're covering these things, you're covering people's dreams. There is something so special about the stakes that make the Olympics what the Olympics are. I love it. It means the world to me because you know you're going to go through every emotion. It's an honor to cover something these athletes have been working towards for years. This is their dream of a lifetime. In terms of broadcasting and live television, it's so fun. You never know what is going to happen. That's another thing about the Olympics. Anything can happen. You know there will be these amazing stories told. There is nothing like it. We already had one hockey game that was postponed that was supposed to be live for us because a team came down with a sickness. Anything can happen.
Even reporting from a studio setting, what kind of prep and work goes into these broadcasts?
There is a lot of prep going into this. When you have an event like this, there are so many different types of shows that are responsible for getting the Olympics on the air. There are so many people involved. It's such a well-oiled machine that NBC Sports has created the way to do this. It's really specific to every individual group doing a show. For ours, you will have a preshow meeting, the planning begins well in advance of that. The curveballs will be thrown, but you're doing all the normal things to put on a show.
I lean on my writers, researchers, and our producer puts it all together. I learned last time when working overnight that sleep is at a premium. You really have to make sure you are taking advantage of being able to rest for the hours you have when you can do that. This is key because you have to keep it going. That and coffee and making sure you are taking care of yourself, too. It is absolutely a marathon, not a sprint. It's not like you would want to stop because you don't want to miss the action. There is nothing like it. Sometimes it can feel like Groundhog Day, but it's so fun to do it with people you're doing it with.
There are eight new events this year. One of them is Mountaineering. What do you think of this addition?
I think it's really cool when new sports join. I think it's an opportunity for the world to look at something people are into and intriguing. I think why not? I'm excited to see it. I've experienced it in the Summer Games where there have been new sports added and think it's cool to evolve also. I think that's a big part of it too. I like seeing new sports being added just like when we talk about how the industry has changed. Our industry is so rapidly changing, so I think it's interesting to see how the Olympics reflect that each time it comes around. Last Olympics was the first time we experienced the "Gold Zone," the Olympic version of the "Red Zone." They are meeting people with where their appetite is and how they are consuming things. I think what NBC Sports does well is understanding what people are going to want to watch and tailoring them to it. I look at sports being added as that same kind of content. It's something you think people would want to see.
What are some of the stories you're excited to see play out during the Olympics?
Advertisement
Women's hockey was something I've really gotten into. I'm such a fan of it. I'm interested in seeing what the United States is going to do and seeing if we are getting a rematch with the United States and Canada. We'll see if the U.S. can pull it off and win a gold. That is something. I also love ice skating. [Madison] Chock and [Evan] Bates are an amazing ice dancing couple and are married. I think their story is awesome. What they do is so beautiful and you don't get to see it all the time, so I'm interested in watching that for sure. One of my favorite things about the job of covering the Olympics is you really do learn from the experts you have time to sit with and get their perspective. It's like covering anNFLgame and sitting there with a former player walking you through it before coming back on air after halftime. Some of that happened where I learned about biathlon and the other sports like curling. You look at it and learn it and your eyes are opened to how cool some of these sports are.
It's certainly a busy time for you and Craig. It has been a little more than a year since Craig was officially promoted toTodayco-anchor. How do you look back on this time?
I think it has been so awesome to watch him in that role. Honestly, I've been around the show enough and been there physically in person where you realize what a well-oiled machine it is. Meaning it is so buttoned up in terms of the people who work there and their roles with how it makes it easy for people to do what they do. I think seeing that and understanding that and seeing how Melvin has taken on this new opportunity has been really eye-opening. It makes me proud. That's the thing. When I think about that and how it has been since he had the job. It's shocking to me and shocking to him. I think that it has already been a full year. It just makes me proud because I know the type of person he is and know him at his core and character. I know why this job is so important to him truly because he really cares about people. He treats people the same as you would expect because of who is on television. He is that way behind the scenes. I think from my experience doing TV also and being around a bunch of networks and show teams, it's really all about the people. The way he treats people is really authentic. I think it makes a big difference when you have that job because the job is exhausting.
What I observed as a wife from the sidelines this past year, it's not necessarily the workload in terms of the show going on and the shoots and things, it's not like that has increased so much. Although it has to an extent. But the thing that does increase is you're elevated when you're in that chair. When you are in an elevated role you're more of a leadership role and a leader. Frankly, within any job that has that relatable elevation, there is more expected of you. I think that people don't think about that necessarily. It's not just I've got to do this job because I have to do x,y, and z. There is more weight to it. Because of that, it has been a little bit of an adjustment in terms of sleep. The need for rest.
Has it been an adjustment in terms of managing work and family?
What he has become very good at is sectioning his time and protecting his time, his peace. There are times I will want him to come and do something with me, but I have to be okay that he doesn't want to…We've definitely made some progress in evolving in terms of the way he gets his sleep, how we navigate that as a family. Family time is very important to us. We really try to do dinner together as much as possible, and it's something we feel is very important. Of course, we cannot do that all the time, and that's fine I think maximizing when you're together is key.
My dad is a journalist, and he once gave Melvin and I some advice. We first moved to Connecticut, and I was doing overnights forESPN, and Melvin was working as correspondent and ended up traveling for a few weeks on assignment somewhere. It was like, "What are we going to do?" We didn't know anyone besides each other, and it was crazy. He said, "You have to maximize your time together. Things won't always be crazy. There will be ups and downs in terms of travel and payoff and whatever it is. You have to make sure to maximize your time together." That has always stood out in the back of my mind. I still think about that now. How do you make the most of your time? Whether you are with your family, getting time alone with him, whatever it is.
You also had Craig on your"Things No One Tells You"podcast. How is it having this platform for these sort of deep-rooted conversations?
I love doing this podcast. The reason I wanted to do this is to be able to focus on the themes and actual things that come up in life that nobody tells you. I started in my work and came across a lot of different types of people, a lot of them athletes. When you're talking off camera or somewhere, you'd have these conversations that are very relatable and inevitably someone says. "There's one thing nobody tells you." I love to explore. What it is here is the real truth about the stuff. I feel when we talk about things that may be a little bit hard to talk about or taboo or think about that question, I think it brings us together. I think there are a lot of interesting conversations.
With Melvin, one of the things he shared is when you get to the point you made it and the dream spot you've always wanted. This plays into the Olympics, but you get there, and then it's then one. It's human nature, you look around, and it's not a bad thing. You realize what you do with that feeling and emotion. You made it, now what do you do? Do you climb another mountain? I like the idea of building episodes around concepts rather than we have to have this guest on. Sometimes it's guest driven and we're looking to talk to someone who is really having a moment or I'm intrigued with what they do. A lot of times I want to talk to someone about the thing nobody tells you about, being a rookie in the NFL or overcoming addiction. So, it has become a vehicle I've really enjoyed for that reason.
2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics coverage is streaming across NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and Peacock through February 22.
Read the latest entertainment news onTV Insider.
The Olympics will always have a special place in the heart ofLindsay Czarniak. It was after working the 2008Summer Games...
