Sports Video Group Establishes Hall of Fame for Sports Broadcasting and Technology Executives

The Sports Video Group (SVG) established the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame today, the first of its kind to honor executives from the worlds of sports, technology and broadcasting.

Additionally, the first class of inductees were announced and will be presented with the coveted lifetime achievement honor at the SVG Annual League Technology Summit held at the New York Hilton Hotel on Dec. 11, 2007.

“The inaugural class represents the high ideals of sports broadcasters who made sports television the economic and cultural powerhouse it is today,” said Ken Aagaard, chairman of both the SVG and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, who is also CBS Sports senior vice president, Operations and Production Services. “This marks the first-time ever the entire spectrum of professionals will be represented, from on-air talent who have redefined the nature of sports journalism, to network and league management that had a vision of what sports broadcasting could be and to the technical and production personnel who helped make those visions reality.”

The 11 inductees were chosen for their unique contributions to the advancement of the sports broadcasting industry. A panel of 44 industry leaders participated in two rounds of voting to determine the inductees.

The inaugural class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame was selected this past summer in a series of votes by a Blue Ribbon panel of more than 40 sports industry leaders from the worlds of sports, professional leagues and teams, sports broadcast management. The 2007 class of inductees include:

* Roone Arledge: ABC Sports chairman from 1977 until 2002, Mr. Arledge is the unquestionable father of the modern era of TV sports broadcasting.

* Julius Barnathan: For more than 40 years Mr. Barnathan helped transform ABC Sports and the Olympic games into a technical powerhouse.

* Frank Chirkinian: While at CBS Sports, Mr. Chirkinian revolutionized PGA coverage and turned the Masters into a TV sports mainstay.

* Howard Cosell: Mr. Cosell changed the role of the sportscaster and in two-minutes during halftime of every MNF telecast helped turn highlights into a TV mainstay.

* Harry Coyle: Mr. Coyle redefined the way baseball telecasts were produced with innovations like the centerfield camera shot.

* Jim McKay: From 1961-1998 Mr. McKay hosted ABC’s Wide World of Sports, transforming the very definition of televised sports into something more than just baseball and football.

* Pete Rozelle: From 1960-1989, Mr. Rozelle turned the NFL into the premier sports league in the country and helped make the NFL the first league to broadcast every game on TV.

* Ed Sabol: For more than 30 years, Mr. Sabol brought fans closer to the action than ever through NFL Films, the company he founded.

* Tom Shelburne: The founder of NEP SuperShooters, Mr. Shelburne played a huge role in establishing the remote production vehicle market that plays an integral part in every TV sports production.

* Larry Thorpe: Mr. Thorpe helped create new imaging technologies that made sports broadcasting what it is today and helped lead the charge to high-definition, a key component of today’s sports viewing experience.

* George Wensel: Mr. Wensel embodied the sports TV technical professional during his short life, becoming a “must have” tech during his days at NEP.

SPORTS BROADCASTING HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE

Chairman
Ken Aagaard, CBS Sports

Committee Leaders
Lou Borrelli, NEP Broadcasting
Jerry Gepner, Vitec
Steve Hellmuth, NBA

Voting Committee Members
Rick Abbott, ESPN
Adam Acone, NHL
Glenn Adamo, NFL
Andrea Berry, Fox Sports
Chuck Blazer, FIFA
George Bodenheimer, ESPN
Steve Bornstein, NFL
David Catzel
Joe Cohen, HTN
Jim DeFilippis, Fox Sports
Ed Delaney, YES Network
Dick Ebersol, NBC Sports
Russell Gabay, MLB International
Bruce Goldfeder, CBS Sports
Stephen Gorsuch, USTA
>Ken Goss, NBC Sports
Ross Greenberg, HBO Sports
David Hill, Fox Sports
Debbie Honkus, NEP Supershooters
Mark Howorth, NMT
Bob Jordan, New York Jets
Howard Katz, NFL Films
John Leland, IMG Media
Geoff Mason
David Mazza, NBC Olympics
John McCrae, CBS Sports
Sean McManus, CBS Sports
Mike Meehan, NBC Sports
Don Ohlmeyer
Chuck Pagano, ESPN
Phil Parlante
Patty Power, CSTV
cott Rinehart, NASCAR Images
Tom Sahara, Turner Sports
Chuck Scoggins, PGA Tour Productions
Jerry Steinberg, Fox Sports
Pat Sullivan, Gamecreek
Michael Weisman, NBC Sports
Mike Werteen, NCP
Richard Wolf, ABC Sports