Steve Anderson, Executive Vice President, News, Talent & Content Operations, ESPN

Steve Anderson, an ESPN pioneer, has been an executive vice president since March 1999 and has held his current title – executive vice president, news, talent & content operations – since June 2007. In this newly created position, he oversees the new office of talent development, which includes the recruiting, contract negotiation, management and coaching of talent across all ESPN properties. He also oversees the company’s news-gathering operation.

Anderson had served as executive vice president, production and technical operations since 1999. He was responsible for studio production, ESPN Radio, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN International production, as well as the company’s engineering and technical operations. His responsibilities covered ESPN, including the flagship SportsCenter program, ESPN2, ESPNEWS and ESPN International’s 25 networks worldwide. In addition, in June 2006, he added oversight of ESPN Outdoors and BASS.

Anderson, who joined ESPN in its first year of operation – April 1980 – left the network October 1, 1996 when he was named senior vice president, production, ABC Sports, where he was responsible for all areas of production and promotion. He rejoined ESPN in January 1999 as senior vice president, production, overseeing all of the studio and remote production elements of ESPN’s domestic networks – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic and ESPN Radio.

Prior to joining ABC Sports, Anderson was ESPN’s senior vice president, remote production, serving in that position since September 1994. He was responsible for all remote production efforts including the network's extensive lineup of Major League Baseball, NFL, NHL, college sports and motorsports, overseeing the on-air look of ESPN's event coverage including commentators, music, graphics, studio wrap-around segments, camera positions, and technological enhancements.

Anderson was previously managing editor (December 1990-September 1994), responsible for the daily operation of SportsCenter and the network’s other studio shows. Prior to that, he served as ESPN’s director of production (January 1988-November 1990), with responsibility for the remote production department, including overseeing NFL and Major League Baseball game telecasts and “electronic cut-ins.” During this time he worked closely with then-managing editor John A. Walsh on SportsCenter, and played an active role in the development of Baseball Tonight, the network’s nightly Major League Baseball news and highlights program.

Anderson originally joined the network as a production assistant on the SportsCenter staff, and moved to the remote production department as a production assistant five months later. In April 1981, he was promoted to associate producer, then to senior associate producer (March 1982) and to producer/director (March 1984). His credits include work on a wide variety of sports including the NBA, boxing, golf, gymnastics, college basketball and football, the USFL, and the U.S. Olympic Festival.

He was promoted to coordinating producer in August 1986, and oversaw the beginning of ESPN’s NFL coverage, including the highly acclaimed studio shows, NFL GameDay (winner of two Sports Emmy Awards as Best Studio Show and three CableACE Awards as best Sports News Series for the 1988, ‘91 and ‘93 seasons, now Sunday NFL Countdown) and NFL PrimeTime. ESPN’s 1989 Sunday Night NFL (now Sunday Night Football) received a CableACE Award for Sports Events Coverage Series. He was also responsible for NCAA basketball, NCAA Tournament coverage and early production of Big Monday and Championship Week. ESPN’s 1986 NCAA basketball open won a Sports Emmy Award -- the network’s first -- in the graphics category.

During his tenure as managing editor, ESPN’s news and information programming won 11 Sports Emmys, including five for the network’s Outside the Lines series, which explores issues off the playing field, and six CableACE Awards. As senior vice president, remote production, he led the network to eight Sports Emmys and four CableACEs.

Anderson, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. who was raised in Tenafly, N.J., graduated from Holy Cross in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, playing on the varsity basketball team for three years. He then served as an assistant basketball coach at Fordham University (1976-78) and worked for the Insurance Services Office in New York (1978-80).