ESPN

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.

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.

Related Topics:
ESPN - Australian Rules Football - United States Football League - 1987 - National Football League

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ESPN was originally owned by a joint venture between Getty Oil Company (which was purchased by Texaco) and Nabisco. In 1984, the entire family of ESPN networks and franchises are owned by ABC (the American Broadcasting Company) (80%) (which became part of The Walt Disney Company in 1996) and the Hearst Corporation (20%).

Related Topics:
Nabisco - 1984 - American Broadcasting Company - The Walt Disney Company - 1996 - Hearst Corporation

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In 2003, the Office of Foreign Assets Control reported that ESPN engaged in illegal trade with Cuba, a charge that was settled with a fine payment to the United States government for US$40,000. http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/04/14/enemy.trading/index.html

Related Topics:
2003 - Office of Foreign Assets Control - Cuba

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Other business ventures==

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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.

Related Topics:
ESPN Radio - January 1 - 1992 - ESPN The Magazine - March 11 - 1998 - ESPN Zone - Baltimore, Maryland - July 11 - Walt Disney World

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ESPN launched their own website, known as ESPN SportsZone, in 1995. After 1998, the site was renamed 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 Skip Bayless, Bill Simmons and Scoop Jackson. Late writers Ralph Wiley and Hunter S. Thompson were also frequent contributors.

Related Topics:
1995 - ESPN.com - 2001 - Skip Bayless - Bill Simmons - Ralph Wiley - Hunter S. Thompson

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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.

Related Topics:
ESPY Awards - 1993 - V Foundation - Jim Valvano

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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. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=1969067

Related Topics:
Sega - College basketball - Take Two Interactive - Electronic Arts

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