Former ESPN CTO Chuck Pagano Among 2016 Consumer Technology HOF Inductees

The Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) 2016 Consumer Technology (CT) Hall of Fame class includes former ESPN CTO and sports broadcasting legend Chuck Pagano. The CT Hall of Fame, created in 2000, pays tribute to the leaders who have advanced innovation and developed a foundation for the consumer technologies we enjoy today and others still to come. Pagano, who is also a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, is being inducted in the Transformational Technologist category. 

Chuck Pagano with his Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award

“The CT Hall of Fame celebrates our rich history of innovation,” said CTA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “This year’s class represents leaders who laid the cornerstones for many of today’s hottest products and trends – from immersive television delivered where and when we want, to the developer of the wireless Bluetooth standard that we rely on daily to exchange data over short distances. From a satellite-based navigation system to the early days of the smart home and video games, these leaders followed their visions creating, selling, distributing and promoting products that improve consumers’ lives.”

The 2016 class includes inventors with an idea, business executives, a distributor with distinctive strategies to bring accessories to store shelves, a retailer who marketed these products and a journalist that explained how technology works. The class also includes two teams who combined their individual efforts to make a lasting contribution to the industry:

Visionary Retailer: Sidney Cooper – Silo
Father of Bluetooth: Dr. Jaap Haartsen – Ericsson
Prominent Distribution Pioneer: David B. Lorsch – DBL Distributing
Transformational Technologist: Chuck Pagano – ESPN
Legendary Journalist: Steve Smith – TWICE Magazine
Home Automation Developer: Joel Spira – Lutron
Pioneering Accessories Executive: Nat Tiffen – The Tiffen Company
Video Game Futurist: Hiroshi Yamauchi – Nintendo

Renowned GPS Developers: Norm Hunt, Ed Tuck, Don Rea – Magellan

Distinguished Digital HDTV Grand Alliance Leaders
Dr. Peter Bingham, Phillips Labs President;
Jim Carnes, Sarnoff Labs CEO;
Dr. Curt Crawford, AT&T Microelectronics President;
Dr. Jae Lim, MIT Professor;
Jerry Pearlman, Zenith Electronics CEO; and
Donald Rumsfeld, General Instrument CEO.

The inductees were selected by a group of media and industry professionals, who judged the nominations submitted by manufacturers, retailers and industry journalists. The 2016 honorees will be inducted into the CT Hall of Fame in New York at an awards dinner to be held on Wednesday, November 9, at the Rainbow Room.