Upon his retirement, Kubek became a color commentator on NBC's Saturday "Game of the Week" telecasts, teaming with play-by-play announcer Jim Simpson on the network's backup games from 1966–68 and then joining Curt Gowdy to form the lead crew in 1969. He spent 24 years at NBC, teaming with such announcers as Simpson, Gowdy (whom Kubek later called his favorite partner), Joe Garagiola, and Bob Costas. Kubek could be considered baseball's first network baseball analyst as contrasted with a color commentator, similar to Tim McCarver and Jim Kaat later.