2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Glenn Adamo, Artist of StorytellingBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 11:29 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Glenn Adamo may have begun his career in sports on the ice, but his impact on the industry has been in the production truck and the front office. Whether it was at NBC Sports, the NHL, the NFL, the New Jersey Devils, or The Switch, he proved adept and creative when it came to storytelling, operations, and technology.
Adamo's approach to deploying new technology - whether getting cameras in the goal or red lights in the penalty box to denote TV timeouts - was to make sure it made sense for the production team, the viewer at home, and even the athletes.
How can it make the show more enjoyable for the fan back home? he says. When we first put a Fletcher HD camera in the goal and Detroit's Steve Yzerman scored on a slap shot, we knew we had struck gold with that camera, and our thought process for coverage changed.
Adamo's career in sports production began when a knee operation in college forced him to give up on the dream of becoming an NHL player (he had been offered a tryout at the St. Louis Blues following a college career at the University of Connecticut). But things have worked out just fine for him, and, in 40+ years, he has had an indelible impact as both producer and front-office executive.
From the Ice to the PeacockA Brooklyn native, Adamo grew up among hockey royalty, playing with future NHL player Bob Francis (Adamo's best man and godfather to his son) and Hall of Famer Joe Mullen, and he credits Francis's NHL Hall of Famer father, Emile, as one of the most influential people in his life. Adamo went on to play hockey at UConn but opted not to pursue a pro career because of a series of knee injuries. His mother worked at NYU and made him aware of a summer program at New York University's Film and Television school.
Adamo on his introduction to broadcasting via an NYU Film and Television School summer program: It was intense, and I fell in love with broadcasting instantly.
It was eight hours a day six days a week for the entire summer, he says. It was intense, and I fell in love with broadcasting instantly. It was a lot like being an athlete: you get immediate feedback as to whether something was good or bad.
The bug led to his hunting opportunities, which resulted in a stint as freelance AD for WWOR-TV New York and New York Mets games, but it wasn't until he was a summer relief switchboard operator at WNBC-TV that things began to fall into place.
I knew Marv Albert and Dick Shapp from my days being around the New York Rangers, he notes, and they got me working in the studio on weekends as a runner,' doing whatever needed to be done.
In the late '70s, NBC Sports producer Ginny Seipt hired Adamo as a production assistant, and Executive Producer Don Ohlmeyer assigned him to the 1980 Moscow Olympics Profile Unit. After the U.S. announced that it would be boycotting the Moscow Games, Adamo became a full-time PA, working everything from Wimbledon and French Open tennis to the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball.
Ginny was probably most responsible for my success, says Adamo. She just drilled me about mistakes and the need to pay attention to detail, being responsible, and being accountable. At that time, I would just observe, watch, and learn the vibe of the business, he adds of his formative professional years. By watching, you learn what works and what doesn't work and also what works and doesn't work for you.
Just before leaving NBC in 1982, Ohlmeyer elevated Adamo to associate producer, and, in 1984, new chief (and close friend) Michael Weisman offered Adamo his first producer contract. Adamo also served as coordinating videotape producer for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Adamo's long career began in the '70s at NBC Sports.
Mike was one of the first people to tell me I was really creative, recalls Adamo. I would come up with crazy ideas that someone would like. I approached Dick Enberg once and said, Why don't we do a feature that wraps up Wimbledon, and Dick Enberg's Memories' was born. Dick loved the idea, and we would edit it for 18 hours and then take a half-hour nap and do a full day for the men's final.
In 1988, Dick Ebersol arrived at NBC and elevated Adamo to coordinating producer on a variety of shows, including Sportsworld, Wimbledon and French Open tennis, and anthology programming. He also worked extensively on the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and, that year, had one of his career highlights.
Ebersol said he had someone special who wanted to come into the truck at Wimbledon and wanted to see Dick's Memories, Adamo recalls. He brings in Johnny Carson, who says Dick's Memories was his favorite part of Wimbledon. We played about 14 minutes of it for him, and he turned to me, put out his hand, and said, Young man, that's not television. That's art.' When he left, I bolted, called my wife, and said, Johnny Carson just told me what I produce is art!'
As much as there is art in sports production, there are also business, personalities, and the need for the next thing. In 1993, Ebersol provided the gateway for Adamo's next big break.
Dick Ebersol called me into his office one day and told me that Gary Bettman, whom I knew from working the NBA on NBC, was going to be the commissioner of the NHL, recounts Adamo. [Ebersol] knew how much I loved hockey and said Gary was looking for someone to start and run his broadcast department. I met with Gary, and we hit it off immediately, so I took the job. It was magic right from the start at [the NHL], and I learned more there than anywhere in my career.
A Return to the Rink - in the Front OfficeBettma
North America Stories
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13 with guest ...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
04/12/2025
Creative software developer Foundry today announced Mari 7.5, the latest iteration of its artist-friendly paint toolset that can handle large, detailed assets w...
04/12/2025
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco providing...
04/12/2025
LTN's purpose-built IP video network brings all-movie diginet to over 100 stations and streaming platforms in just three months while eliminating satellite ...
04/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-powered data a...
04/12/2025
The HELM, a global expert in cinematic live broadcast and high-end production workflows, has signed a partnership agreement with Keslow Camera, one of North Ame...
04/12/2025
At ISE 2026, LiveU will showcase its expanded IP-video EcoSystem, enabling broadcasters, sports, production companies and pro-AV professionals to share their st...
04/12/2025
Since the beginning of commercial television, advertising has been a key part of broadcasting. Over the years, the technology for inserting ads into programs ha...
04/12/2025
MUNICH and MILAN Warner Bros. Discovery said HBO Max is expanding into Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on Jan. 13, 2026, and ...
04/12/2025
SAN FRANCISCO AudioShake has launched its first streaming-capable software development kits (SDKs) designed specifically for real-time music detection and copyr...
04/12/2025
NASHVILLE The mobile and REMI production company TNDV has announced that it headed south into Mexico to live-produce the three-day 2025 Zane Grey Championship P...
04/12/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Hollywood Professionals Association Executive Director Phil Kubel has stepped down from the organization to pursue new opportunities, the group ...
04/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission said it has closed 2,048 inactive proceedings, the largest number of dormant dockets ever terminated in a singl...
04/12/2025
A new tech blog from Netflix highlights the importance of the AV1 open video codec, which now powers about 30% of the platform's streaming and discusses a v...
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Glenn Adamo, Artist of StorytellingBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
