Legends Behind the Lens: Steve Anderson

Legends Behind the Lens: Steve Anderson One of the early architects of ESPN, he laid a foundation for sports television culture By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Friday, July 17, 2020 - 10:00 am

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The story of American sports television is engrained in the history of this nation, rising on the achievements of countless incredible men and women who never once appeared on our screens. During this pause in live sports, SVG is proud to present a celebration of this great industry. Legends Behind the Lens is a look at how we got here seen through the people who willed it to be. Each weekday, we will share with you the story of a person whose impact on the sports-television industry is indelible.

Legends Behind the Lens is presented in association with the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund. In these trying times - with so many video-production professionals out of work - we hope that you will consider (if you are able) donating to the Sports Broadcasting Fund. Do so by visiting sportsbroadcastfund.org.

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By Jason Dachman

During ESPN's first 35 years, few - if any - individuals had a greater hand in crafting the network's production philosophy and content strategy than Steve Anderson. From building SportsCenter into the gold standard of sports-news programs to launching new cable networks to overseeing thousands of ESPN's live game productions, Anderson's fingerprints can be seen today across ESPN's expansive programming portfolio.

Steve's place in ESPN's legacy is considerable and concrete, says legendary ESPN commentator and fellow Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee Bob Ley. From producing the epic #1 Georgetown vs. #2 St. John's college basketball game in 1985 to teaming with John A. Walsh to mold SportsCenter into its modern form and leading at the highest executive levels in connection with ESPN's most important properties and projects. But, more important, Steve is universally admired for how he led, the care he constantly demonstrated for his team members, and his forthright nature. No one, in my experience, has ever been more respected, and rightfully so.

The Early Days: From Hardcourt to Production Truck

Brooklyn-born Anderson grew up in Tenafly, NJ, in a sports-friendly household with his father, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times sports columnist Dave Anderson; his mother, Maureen; and three siblings. After graduating from Xavier High School in New York City, Anderson played basketball at College of the Holy Cross and envisioned a career as a college basketball coach. However, after a short stint as an assistant coach at Fordham University, his aspirations turned to sports television.

I was getting opportunities to be a runner for NBC for baseball games in New York but nothing concrete, says Anderson. Then I heard about this little cable company starting up in Connecticut, and I was fortunate enough to know [ESPN pioneers and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famers] Chet Simmons and Scotty Connal from NBC, and they hired me in April of 1980. I was taking a chance on a 24-hour sports cable network that very few, including myself, thought was going to make it, but I was absolutely thrilled.

Anderson's three-plus decades in Bristol began modestly as a PA on the SportsCenter night shift.

All I knew was, I was getting a chance to work in television sports and to learn a tremendous amount right away, he recounts. Every day, we were working so hard and just hoping the place was going to make it. You hear all the old ESPN stories about the one small building and people working in trailers, but I didn't even think twice about it. I was just excited to be there.

A year into his tenure at ESPN, Anderson snagged an associate-producer gig in the Remote Production Department under Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Bill Fitts. He quickly found his way to the front bench, producing an eclectic mix of events, including cross-country, senior tennis, horse show jumping, and boxing. Soon he moved to higher-profile properties, such as the NBA, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, college football, and the USFL.

Taking Over the Gridiron: Arrival of the NFL on ESPN

In 1986, when ESPN won the rights to the NFL's new Sunday Night Football package, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Steve Bornstein tapped Anderson as coordinating producer for the NFL. He would oversee the first two years of ESPN's NFL-game coverage, as well as production of the network's groundbreaking Sunday studio shows: NFL GameDay (which would become NFL Countdown) and NFL PrimeTime led by Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.

Steve is one of the most talented production executives in the industry - smart, creative, and a tremendous leader. He was the driving force behind key accomplishments and innovations at both ABC and ESPN. Jodi Markley, EVP, Content Operations & Creative Services, ESPN

Our initial goal was to be considered just good as any other network doing NFL games, says Anderson. But what really set us apart early on were the studio shows, especially PrimeTime at night. Nobody had ever seen a one-hour show quite like Primetime with the expansive amount of highlights of every single game in an hour. The NFL clearly elevated ESPN, and I think that was when the industry understood that we were for real.

In addition to his NFL duties, Anderson also was responsible for all ESPN's college-basketball productions (including the NCAA Tournament). In 1988, he was elevated to director of production, leading the Remote Production Department (including NFL, MLB, college sports, and NASCAR) and overseeing ESPN's inaugural season of MLB games and studio shows.

Steve was one of a handful who helpe

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