The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2013 and will induct seven industry leaders on Dec. 17 during its annual Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Ceremony, to be held at the New York Hilton Hotel.
This year's class comprises former ESPN VP and COO Scotty Connal; Managing Director for CTV Outside Broadcasts Barry Johnstone; NFL SVP of Broadcasting and Media Operations Howard Katz; NBC Sports broadcaster Al Michaels; ESPN EVP of Technology and CTO Chuck Pagano; YES Network Technical Manager Joe Schiavo; and the Father of Sports Aerial Broadcasting, Mickey Wittman.
Ken Aagaard, chairman, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, announced this year's class of distinguished inductees at the SVG/Variety Sports Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles. Year after year, the Hall of Fame class surprises us in terms of the quality of the inductees and their importance to the entire sports-broadcasting community. This year's is no exception, and December 17 promises to be a wonderful evening of celebration and remembrance.
The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame honors excellence and lifetime achievement in these industry categories: management, production, technical operations, leagues/teams, manufacturers/vendors, engineering, and on-air talent.
Scotty Connal
Allan B. (Scotty) Connal's career in sports production spanned nearly five decades until his death in 1996 at 68. He began his career as an NBC page in 1947 and was VP of NBC Sports when he left in 1979 to join a fledgling network in Bristol, CT, called ESPN. As EVP and COO there, he played a vital role alongside Chet Simmons in giving the network much-needed executive experience and credibility and also created a vision that permeates the network to this day.
Barry Johnstone
Barry Johnstone, currently CEO and managing director for CTV Outside Broadcasts in the UK, has played a key role in driving technology innovation in Europe for 30 years. Appointed CEO of CTV in 1983, he began changing the industry in 1996 when the company signed a five-year agreement with European Tour Productions. The exclusive contract called for travel to 20 countries and the construction of nine OB and support units that are all branded for the Tour. Other highlights of his career include the launch of Europe's first mobile edit suite in 1980 and the first UK live HD sports broadcast in 2006 for Sky Sports.
Howard Katz
As NFL SVP of broadcasting and media operations, Howard Katz is one of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's most trusted advisors. His long career in sports TV began at ABC Sports in 1971 and includes a move to TWI, where he was VP of TV production and program development from 1974 to '83; a decade at Ohlmeyer Communications; and a stint at ESPN, beginning as SVP, production, in 1993. While there, he played a key role in the launch of ESPN2 and ESPNEWS and the expansion of the SportsCenter franchise. He later was promoted to EVP, overseeing all remote and studio productions for ESPN's activities. One of the industry's consummate dealmakers, he was named president of ABC Sports in 1999 and subsequently inked deals with the NBA and kept properties like the Indy 500, Bowl Championship Series, and British Open on the network. He also signed John Madden to join ABC's Monday Night Football.
Al Michaels
Al Michaels has covered more major sports events than any other sportscaster and has appeared on live primetime broadcast-network television more than any person in history. He is the only play-by-play commentator/host to cover the four major sports championships: the Super Bowl (six times), World Series (eight), NBA Finals (two), and the Stanley Cup Final (three). Michaels garnered his first Sportscaster of the Year award in 1980, the year he made his memorable call of the U.S. men's hockey team's dramatic upset victory over the USSR at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Today, he can be heard Sunday evenings on NBC during the NFL season, working alongside Cris Collinsworth.
Chuck Pagano
ESPN's growth into a multiplatform global powerhouse has relied heavily on embracing new technologies, and at the center of many of those efforts is Chuck Pagano, currently EVP of technology and CTO. He joined ESPN as a technical director prior to its debut in 1979 and eventually served as SVP, technology, engineering, and operations, from 1999 to 2005, leading his department and overseeing engineering, operations, facilities, and new technology. His efforts behind the scenes improved digital workflows and transmission systems and today allow sports fans to get their content more quickly and on more platforms than were believed possible in 1979.
Joe Schiavo
At the center of every great sports broadcast sits a great technical director and technical leader, and Joe Schiavo, currently senior technical manager for the YES Network, has exemplified that during his 40-year career. For 22 years, he was technical director on ABC's Monday Night Football, the Olympics, and five Super Bowls. He also worked all three Triple Crown events for 16 consecutive years before joining the YES Network as technical director in 2002. Promoted to senior technical manager in 2005, he is responsible for on-site technical operations for such events as Yankee baseball and Brooklyn Nets basketball.
Mickey Wittman
Affectionately known as the father of sports aerial broadcasting, Mickey Wittman spent 42 years in sports broadcasting and spanned an era beginning with Frank Chirkinian and Harry Coyle and ending with the 2009 World Series on Fox with Bill Webb. Although Chirkinian was the first director to put a camera in a blimp, Wittman took that idea and refined it to where it is now a staple of nearly every major sportscast. He covered 30 World Series, 24 Super Bowls, five Olympics, 17 Orange Bowls, every major golf tournament e
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
08/05/2024
zweiB updates to latest version of R&S CLIPSTER Specialist in deliverables for cinema, events and trade shows
Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in broadcast...
07/05/2024
NAB Show 2024
Utah Scientific rocked the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas, unveiling two new game-changers in video signal management.
Our primary focus this yea...
07/05/2024
7th May 2024 The nations favourite comedy channel Gold has teamed up with the ma...
07/05/2024
There's something special about summer. We're not sure whether it's the warmer weather, the longer days, or something else a bit more magical, but s...
07/05/2024
NITV appoints Michael Rennie as Presenter and Senior Producer for NITV News
Media releases
NITV has announced the appointment of Michael Rennie as Presenter...
07/05/2024
The ability for line-of-site tactical voice and data networks to seamlessly traverse over Satellite Communications is an emerging requirement to assure warfight...
07/05/2024
On April 5, 2024, the L3Harris Avionics Products Repair Station (NN2R037L) in Gr...
07/05/2024
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
07/05/2024
Share this article
width=32 height=32 loading=lazy data-lazy-src=https://apogeedigital.com/app/themes/juniper-theme/src/img/icons/facebook-purple.svg />
wid...
07/05/2024
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has finally delivered some from profits from its hefty streaming investments, with the second quarter of its fiscal year...
07/05/2024
Bonnie Hammer, vice chair of NBCUniversal, and Jen Psaki, MSNBC host, read from their new books at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan Wednesday, May 8. Hammer's...
07/05/2024
Paramount Plus has ordered the series Crutch, a comedy that is a spinoff of CBS comedy The Neighborhood. Tracy Morgan stars....
07/05/2024
Edward J. and Melody Thomas Scott and Lidia Bastianich will receive Lifetime Achievement honors at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards in June, the National Aca...
07/05/2024
The 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony happens in New York November 12, and the honorees are Al Roker, weather and featu...
07/05/2024
Dabl Network has added The Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show, Living Single and Everybody Hates Chris to its weekday and weekend lineups. Those shows join the l...
07/05/2024
After winning a proxy fight, The Walt Disney Co. said its entertainment business turned a profit and added subscribers in its fiscal second quarter....
07/05/2024
NBA Entertainment is closing out the second season of its series Pass the Rock with a look at Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the league's rooki...
07/05/2024
Syncbak, which provides stations with streaming capabilities, said it is rebranding as Zeam Media....
07/05/2024
Samsung has made a deal with Magnolia Pictures that will bring titles from Magnolia to the Samsung TV Plus free streaming platform....
07/05/2024
Amazon, which has added commercials to Amazon Prime Video, is rolling out new interactive ad formats that will enable advertisers to engage streamers and sell s...
07/05/2024
Syncbak, a 15 year-old provider of streaming tech for local broadcast stations has rebranded itself, adopting the name of its streaming service launched in Febr...
07/05/2024
POST Luxembourgs journey with TAG Video underscores how finding a vendor who und...
07/05/2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New findings from Hub Entertainment Research provides extensive data showing that the majority of consumers will opt for lower cost ad-supporte...
07/05/2024
NEW YORK The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) has announced th...
07/05/2024
CBS News has named Lindsey Reiser an anchor and correspondent for CBS News 24/7, the network's live, streaming news service. Reiser, who was most recently a...
07/05/2024
NEEDHAM, Mass. After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24),...
07/05/2024
ESPN is reporting that April was a record-setting month as the network delivered its best April prime time audience on record, dating back more than 30 years....
07/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Kirsten Donaldson has joined NAB as vice president of public policy. Donaldso...
07/05/2024
The Bulls are back home again this week from May 7-12! Don't miss out on any...
07/05/2024
SVG Sit-Down: AWS's Julie Souza on the Cloud and AI in Broadcast-Content Cre...
07/05/2024
Deloitte Analysts Peter Giorgio and Michael Vovk: Sports Properties Need To Reth...
07/05/2024
University of Texas' Jeff Hanel to Keynote 16th-Annual SVG College Summit Industry vet to discuss uniting live and creative in athletic department media arm...
07/05/2024
Premier League trials RefCam during Crystal Palace v Manchester United fixture By George Bevir
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - 09:34
Print This Story
In a Premier ...
07/05/2024
CBS Sports Previews PGA Championship Plans; 125+ Cameras Include FlyCams, Bunker...
07/05/2024
Rohde & Schwarz brings cutting-edge solutions to TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 2024 Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its innovative portfolio at TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 20...
07/05/2024
Back to All News
Five New Games Join Netflix in May
Netflix Staff
Entertainment
07 May 2024
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Five new games are launching ...
07/05/2024
Back to All News
Top 10 Week of Apr. 29: Baby Reindeer' Holds Strong; Hee...
07/05/2024
Home News & Press Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award
Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award May 07, 2024
Blancco's v...
07/05/2024
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today unveiled the all-new Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac 11, delivering breakthrough professional experiences for songw...
07/05/2024
Apple's new Privacy Manifest requirement mandates that apps explicitly disclose the privacy-related data they collect, the purposes for this collection, and...
07/05/2024
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour arrives to shake up EuropeHaving shaken four continents, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour finally brings the biggest pop culture icon o...
07/05/2024
Isiphetho: Destiny' beats Scandal!'E.tv's latest telenovela Isiphetho: Destiny' beat the channel's longest running soapie, Scandal!' ...
07/05/2024
Now there's HELP for ex-prisoners to find work in South AfricaNew initiative for ex-prisoners to find work in South Africa proves it's never too late fo...
07/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Cohen is pulled into keeping a secretDon't miss Tuesday, 7 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on DStv c...
07/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 6 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapie...
06/05/2024
By Ilyse McKimmie
Now, more than ever
That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...
The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2013 and will induct seven industry leaders on Dec. 17 during its annual Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Ceremony, to be held at the New York Hilton Hotel.
