ESPN, formerly an abbreviation of Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. It was founded by Scott Rasmussen and his father Bill Rasmussen, along with Donny Stanley and his son Cardell, and launched on September 7 1979. Its signature telecast, SportsCenter, debuted with the network and aired its 25,000th episode on August 25 2002. ESPN broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Bristol, Connecticut; it also operates offices out of Charlotte, including its newest network ESPNU. ESPN is available in over 90 million homes in the United States. The name of the company was shortened to "ESPN Inc." in February 1985. Contents 1 History 2 Other business ventures 3 Music 4 ESPN in Popular Culture 5 The ESPN Family of Networks 6 Shows 7 ESPN Original Entertainment programs 8 ESPN Movies 9 Personalities (past & present) 10 External links 11 See also History ESPN started as an alternative to standard television news broadcasts and the information found in "Sports" sections of newspapers. It began as a fairly small operation and often had to broadcast unorthodox sporting events, such as the World's Strongest Man Competition; international sport relatively unknown in the U.S., such as Australian Rules Football, as well as the short-lived United States Football League (USFL), to attract viewers. In 1987, ESPN landed a contract to show National Football League games on Sunday evenings, an event which marked as a turning point in its development from a smaller cable TV network to a marketing empire, a cornerstone to the enthusiastic "sports culture" it largely helped to create. ESPN was originally owned by a joint venture between Getty Oil Company (which was purchased by Texaco) and Nabisco. Since 1984, the entire family of ESPN networks and franchises have been owned by ABC (the American Broadcasting Company) (80%) (which became part of The Walt Disney Company in 1996) and the Hearst Corporation (20%). Other business ventures ESPN launched the ESPN Radio network on January 1, 1992; ESPN The Magazine on March 11, 1998; and its ESPN Zone franchise of restaurant/entertainment complexes in Baltimore, Maryland on July 11, 1998. ESPN Club opened at Walt Disney World in the 1990s, before ESPN Zone opened. ESPN launched its own website, known as ESPNET SportsZone, in 1995. The name later changed to ESPN SportsZone and eventually to ESPN.com. In 2001, ESPN's internet ventures expanded to include a new website called Page 2, which features sports opinion columns from several writers, most notably Bill Simmons and Scoop Jackson. Late writers Ralph Wiley and Hunter S. Thompson were also frequent contributors. The ESPY Awards are also administered by ESPN, having been initiated by the network in 1993. Proceeds from the event go to the V Foundation, a cancer-fighting nonprofit group founded in honor of and continuing in memory of former basketball coach Jim Valvano, who delivered an emotional speech at the first ESPY awards show, mere weeks before his death. Starting with their 2004 lineup of sports games, Sega acquired the ESPN license to integrate their "TV show look & feel" into its franchise of video games covering America's major professional sports leagues and college basketball. The deal, now owned by Take Two Interactive, will end after the 2005-2006 sports season. After the 2005-2006 season, Electronic Arts has acquired the ESPN license to use for 15 years on their video games. [1] In 2005 ESPN added a new section to its website, ESPN Cars, a joint venture with Autobytel. In 2006 ESPN is launching Mobile ESPN, a wireless service marketed to its fan base, which includes sports data and video feeds delivered to the handset. Music ESPN has had its own theme music for quite a few years, but early on it used source music. An early theme for its flagship "SportsCenter" program was "Pulstar", an energetic electronic instrumental piece by Vangelis from his 1976 album Albedo 0.39. It would play while computer animation of baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, etc. would fly out from the center of the TV screen in all directions. ESPN in Popular Culture ESPN is has become a part of popular culture since its inception. The name is constantly referenced throughout the media in movies and television. While the announcers may be actual personalities, in many films where there is a sporting event, the coverage is by ESPN. People who don't even watch sports are familiar with ESPN. A few examples: In the movie Dodgeball, a major dodgeball tournament is broadcast by ESPN 8 ("The Ocho"): "If it's almost a sport, we've got it!" There is no ESPN 8 (yet?). The ESPN Family of Networks ESPN ESPN2 ESPN Classic ESPNU ESPNEWS ESPN PPV (Pay-Per-View services such as Full Court (College Basketball) and Game Plan (College Football) ESPN HD ESPN2 HD ESPNDEPORTES ESPNRADIO Shows Baseball Tonight (1993–present) Battle of the Gridiron Stars (2005–present) BodyShaping (1990–1998) College GameDay (1989–present) Dream Job (2004–present) NFL Primetime (1987–present) Outside the Lines (1990–present) SportsCenter (1979–present) NHL 2Night (1995–2004) Road to The Kentucky Derby (Has Been extended from 2006 until 2013) NTRA Super Saturdays (2003–present) ESPN Original Entertainment programs Around the Horn (talk show, 2002–present) Beg, Borrow and Deal (reality contest, 2001-2002) Dream Job (reality contest, 2003–present) Hustle (TV movie, 2004) The Junction Boys (TV movie, 2002) Pardon the Interruption (talk show, 2001–present) Playmakers (drama series, 2003) A Season on the Brink (TV movie, 2002) Streetball: The AND 1 Mix Tape Tour (2002–present) Stump the Schwab (game show, 2004–present) Teammates (game show, 2005–present) 2 Minute Drill (game show, 2000-2001) 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story (TV movie, 2004) Tilt (2005–present) World Series of Poker (2003-present) ESPN Movies see Television Movies That Aired on ESPN Personalities (past & present) Shows in which these personalities are best known on in parenthesis J.A. Adande (Around the Horn) David Aldridge (NBA 2Night, NBA Shootaround) John Anderson (SportsCenter) Thea Andrews (Cold Pizza) Jill Arrington (SportsCenter, telecasts of NFL games) Jack Arute (Auto racing coverage, college football coverage) Skip Bayless (SportsCenter, 1st and 10) Chris Berman (SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime) Steve Berthiaume (SportsCenter) Kevin Blackistone (Around the Horn) Michelle Bonner (ESPNEWS and SportsCenter) Jeff Brantley (Baseball Tonight) Tony Bruno (formerly of ESPNRadio) John Buccigross (NHL 2Night) Phil "The Showkiller" Ceppaglia (Producer, The Dan Patrick Show on ESPNRadio) John Clayton (Sunday NFL Countdown, hosts "Inside the Huddle" segment on SportsCenter) Bill Clement (NHL telecasts) Linda Cohn (SportsCenter) Beano Cook (College Gameday) Lee Corso (College Gameday) Colin Cowherd (Host of The Herd on ESPNRadio) Tim Cowlishaw (Around the Horn) Jay Crawford Rece Davis (College football and basketball) Jennifer Dempster Rob Dibble (former Baseball Tonight analyst and Dan Patrick Show co-host) Rich Eisen (SportsCenter) Neil Everett (SportsCenter) Chris Fowler (College Gameday) Ron Franklin Kevin Frazier (SportsCenter) Peter Gammons (Baseball Tonight) Gayle Gardner (SportsCenter) Gary Gerould (Auto racing coverage) George Grande (SportsCenter) ESPN's first on-air talent Mike Greenberg (With Mike Golic, hosts Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio) Mike Golic (Mike and Mike in the Morning) Scott Goodyear (Auto racing coverage) Mike Gottfried Greg Gumbel (SportsCenter) Tony Gwynn (Baseball telecasts) Mike Hall (Programming on ESPNU) First winner of Dream Job Todd Harris (Auto racing coverage) Kirk Herbstreit (College Gameday) Fred Hickman (SportsCenter) Kit Hoover (Cold Pizza) Michael Irvin (Sunday NFL Countdown) Dana Jacobson (SportsCenter and Cold Pizza) Ned Jarrett (Auto racing coverage) Bob Jenkins (Auto racing coverage) Eric Karros (MLB coverage) Adrian Karsten (College football sideline reporter) Max Kellerman (Boxing coverage, first host of Around the Horn) Brian Kenny (Host of The Hotlist on ESPNEWS) Craig Kilborn (SportsCenter) Mel Kiper, Jr. (NFL Draft coverage) Curry Kirkpatrick Suzy Kolber (NFL Draft Day 2, sideline reporter/hostess and co-producer) Tony Kornheiser (Pardon the Interruption) John Kruk (Baseball Tonight) Erik Kuselias (ESPNRadio Host) Bill Laimbeer (NBA Shootaround) Tim Legler (NBA Shootaround) Lou Leonard Steve Levy (NHL coverage, SportsCenter) Rush Limbaugh (Briefly worked on Sunday NFL Countdown, until being fired for comments he made about Eagles QB Donovan McNabb) Jamie Little (Auto racing coverage) Bob Ley (Outside the Lines) Chris McKendry (Usually hosts 6pm SportsCenter) Paul Maguire (Analyst on ESPN's Sunday Night Football) Jay Mariotti (Around the Horn) Buck Martinez (Baseball coverage) Kenny Mayne (SportsCenter, horse racing coverage) Tom Mees (NHL coverage) Barry Melrose (NHL 2Night) Al Michaels (Will do Monday Night Football telecasts when it moves from ABC in 2006; Has Done Some Major League Baseball Work for the Network) Jon Miller (Sunday Night Baseball) Joe Morgan (Sunday Night Baseball) Rachel Nichols (SportsCenter) Larry Nuber (Auto racing coverage) Keith Olbermann (SportsCenter) Paul Page (Auto racing coverage) Woody Paige (Around the Horn, 1st and 10 (itself an offshoot of Cold Pizza)) Lou Palmer Darren Pang (NHL coverage) Benny Parsons (Auto racing coverage) Dan Patrick (SportsCenter and Host of The Dan Patrick Show on ESPNRadio) Mike Patrick (Sunday Night Football) Bill Pidto (NHL coverage) Bill Plaschke (Around the Horn) Dr. Jerry Punch (Auto racing coverage, college football coverage) Karl Ravech (Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter) Tony Reali (Pardon the Interruption, where he is known as "Stat Boy": also current host of Around the Horn) Dave Revsine (NHL coverage) Harold Reynolds (Baseball Tonight) Robin Roberts (College football and basketball coverage) Jim Rome (Talk2, Jim Rome Is Burning) Karie Ross Bob Ryan (Around the Horn, guest host on Pardon the Interruption) Sean Salisbury (NFL coverage) Lisa Salters (SportsCenter) John Saunders (Various) Jeremy Schaap (The Sports Reporters; until his death, his father Dick Schaap hosted the show) Stuart Scott (SportsCenter) Jason Smith (Host of ESPN Radio AllNight) Michael Smith (Around the Horn) Stephen A. Smith (SportsCenter, NBA Shootaround, Quite Frankly) Tommy Smyth (Champions League coverage) Tom Sneva (Auto racing coverage) Melissa Stark (NFL coverage) Charley Steiner (MLB coverage) J.W. Stewart (ESPNNEWS) Steve Stone (Major League Baseball coverage) Michele Tafoya (SportsCenter) Joe Theismann (Sunday Night Football) Mike Tirico (College football coverage) Bobby Unser (Auto racing coverage) Scott Van Pelt (SportsCenter) Dick Vitale (College basketball coverage) Bill Weber (Auto racing coverage) Ann Werner (SportsCenter) Michael Wilbon (Pardon the Interruption) Matt Winer (SportsCenter) Trey Wingo (SportsCenter) Gene Wojciechowski (Around the Horn) Todd Wright (Former host of ESPN Radio AllNight) External links ESPN: http://www.espn.com ESPN Radio: http://www.espnradio.com ESPN Video Games: http://www.espnvideogames.com ESPN Regional Television: http://espn.go.com/tvlistings/networks/espnregional.html See also Sports channel List of assets owned by Disney List of who owns what The Walt Disney Company Corporate Directors: John Bryson | John S. Chen | Judith Estrin | Robert Iger (President, CEO) | Fred Langhammer | Aylwin Lewis | Monica Lozano | Robert Matschullat | George J. Mitchell (Chairman) | Leo O'Donovan | Gary L. Wilson Record Labels: Buena Vista Records | Hollywood Records | Walt Disney Records Studio Assets: The Walt Disney Studios | Walt Disney Feature Animation | Touchstone Pictures Television Stations: KABC | KFSN | KGO | KTRK | WABC | WJRT | WLS | WPVI | WTVD | WTVG Television Assets: ABC | ABC Family | Buena Vista Television | Disney Channel | ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPN Classic | ESPN Deportes | ESPNews | ESPNU | Toon Disney Radio Stations: KABC | KDIS | KDIS | KESN | KGO | KLOS | KMEO | KQRS | KSCS | KSFO | KSPN | KSPN | KXXR | WABC | WBAP | WDRQ | WDVD | WPLJ | WEPN | WEAE | WGVX | WJR | WJZW | WKHX | WLS | WMAL | WMVP | WRQX | WYAY | WZZN Radio Networks: ABC News & Talk | ABC Radio | ESPN Radio | Radio Disney Parks and Resorts: Disneyland Resort | Walt Disney World Resort | Tokyo Disney Resort | Disneyland Resort Paris | Hong Kong Disneyland Resort | Disney Cruise Line | Walt Disney Imagineering Annual Revenue: Employees: 129,000 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: DIS | Website: disney.go.com ca:ESPN Search Term: "ESPN" Categories: ESPN | Mexico television networks | TV channels with British versions | United States television networks | Walt Disney Company subsidiaries