ESPN on ABC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "ABC Sports" redirects here. For other uses, see ABC Sports (disambiguation).
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. On September 2, 2006, the former ABC Sports division was fully integrated into ESPN, which, like ABC, is controlled by The Walt Disney Company. <ref>[1]</ref> Programming on ABC currently has the ESPN logo in the digital on-screen graphic displaying the game score, and use the ESPN BottomLine and SportsCenter In-Game Updates. The change was made to better orient ESPN viewers with the programming on ABC. The ABC logo is used on the watermark-like digital on-screen graphic in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, and is also used for promotions so that viewers will know to tune into the broadcast network and not cable ESPN. <ref>[2]</ref>
The only remaining separation between ESPN and the former ABC Sports is that ABC itself maintains the copyright over at least some of the ESPN on ABC broadcasts.<ref>For instance, on September 16, 2006, the copyright disclaimer at the end of Saturday Night Football read "©2006 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc." Disclaimers used on earlier 2006 college football broadcasts had attributed copyright to ESPN Inc.</ref> This appears to be a minor technicality stemming from Disney/ABC owning only 80% of ESPN; it is unclear whether Hearst derives any direct revenue from ABC broadcasts.
Contents |
[edit] ABC Sports
[edit] Under Capital Cities
Like its longtime competitors CBS Sports and NBC Sports, ABC Sports was originally just the sports division of a major American network, ABC. The seeds of its eventual integration with ESPN occurred when the cable network's majority owner Capital Cities Communications bought ABC in 1985. Although some ESPN sportscasters such as John Saunders and Dick Vitale began to also appear on ABC Sports telecasts, ESPN and ABC Sports continued to operate separately.
[edit] Under the Walt Disney Company
After the The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC in 1996, Disney started to slowly integrate ESPN and ABC Sports. ESPN personalities like Chris Berman, Mike Tirico, and Brad Nessler worked on ABC Sports programs. In 1998, ESPN adopted ABC Sports' Monday Night Football graphics and music for its Sunday Night Football broadcasts. During that same year, ESPN signed a five year deal to televise National Hockey League (NHL) games, whereby the cable network essentially bought time on ABC to air selected NHL games. This was noted in copyright beds at the conclusion of the telecasts, i.e. "The Preceding Program has been paid for by ESPN, Inc." ESPN then signed a similar television rights contract in 2002 so it could produce and broadcast National Basketball Association (NBA) games on ABC. Major League Soccer telecasts have a similar arrangement.
[edit] 2000s
Between 2000-2002, many ABC Sports programs utilized graphics almost identical to those of ESPN. Until 2004, ABC used the exact same graphics as ESPN for college basketball, NBA and NHL games (with the lone differences being the time/score graphic and the ABC Sports logo replacing ESPN's). One notable exception was Monday Night Football, which switched to different graphics as part of then-new producer Don Ohlmeyer's attempt to provide some new vigor into those telecasts. From 2002 to 2005, ABC changed graphics each fall, while ESPN's basically remained consistent. As in 2002, both ESPN and ABC switched to new graphics to coincide with the FIFA World Cup in 2006.
Meanwhile, Disney continued to consolidate the corporate structure of ESPN and ABC Sports. Steve Bornstein was given the title as president of both ESPN and ABC Sports in 1996. The sales, marketing, and production departments of both divisions were eventually merged. Thus, ESPN uses some union production crews for its coverage (as the networks normally do), whereas non-union personnel is quite common in cable sports broadcasting.
[edit] The end of ABC Sports
It was announced in 2006 that ABC Sports would be totally integrated into ESPN, using ESPN graphics, music, and production. The brand integration does not directly affect whether ESPN (the cable channel) or ABC carries a particular event, as in most cases this is governed by contracts with the applicable league or organization.
The last live sporting event televised by ABC Sports was the United States Championship Game in the Little League World Series on Saturday, August 26, 2006 (ABC was slated to carry the Little League World Series Championship Game on Sunday, August 27, but the game was postponed to Monday August 28 due to rain, subsequently airing on ESPN2).
The changeover took effect to coincide with the start of the college football season, with the NBA, IRL, and NASCAR (beginning in 2007) coverage eventually following suit.
[edit] Trivia
- When ABC was airing the Saturday morning cartoon series Laff-A-Lympics between 1976 and 1979, commentators Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf were drawn to be wearing the then-traditional yellow jackets of ABC Sports commentators.
[edit] Programs over the years
- Monday Night Football (1970-2005, now on ESPN)
- Monday Night Baseball (1976-1988, telecasts moved to Thursday for 1989)
- Baseball Night in America (1994 and 1995)
- 1995 World Series (Games 1, 4, & 5)
- The NBA on ABC (1965-1973; 2002-present)
- The NHL on ABC (1992-1994, 1999-2004)
- College football (1961-present, former home of exclusive NCAA package, currently first pick of ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 matchups, Rose Bowl from 1989-2014, Saturday nights beginning in 2006)
- Summer Olympic Games (1968, 1972, 1976, 1984)
- Winter Olympic Games (1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988)
- World Cup Soccer (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
- British Open, Women's British Open and Senior British Open golf (through 2009)
- U.S. Open golf (early 1960s-1994, now on NBC)
- PGA Championship (until 1995, now on CBS and TNT)
- LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship (1991-2005)
- PGA Tour golf (through 1978, 1999-2006)
- Indianapolis 500 (since 1965)
- Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (1994-2000; will return for 2007-2014)
- Wide World of Sports (1961-1996 as a series, blanket title circa 1996-2006)
- Pro Bowlers Tour (1962-1997)
- North American Soccer League (1978-1981)
- WNBA (2002-present)
- Major League Soccer (1996-2014)
- Kentucky Derby (1976-2000)
- Belmont Stakes (1986-2000, 2006-2007)
- Little League World Series (since 1963)
- X Games (since 1997, began on ESPN and ESPN2 in 1995)
- NASCAR (1971-1979, 1989-2000, 2007-2014)
- CART racing (1983-2001, 2007-?)
- IndyCar Series (1996-)
[edit] Notable personalities
- Roone Arledge
- Gary Bender
- Jack Buck
- Howard Cosell
- Chet Forte
- Frank Gifford
- Curt Gowdy
- Chuck Howard
- Keith Jackson
- Jim McKay
- Al Michaels
- Brent Musburger
- Chris Schenkel
- Edgar J. Scherick
[edit] Main Competitors
[edit] Quotes about the demise of ABC Sports
| {{{1}}} | ||
| —Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports, whose career started as an Olympic researcher at ABC Sports before he became Roone Arledge's executive assistant. | ||
| {{{1}}} | ||
| —Veteran ABC Sports announcer Keith Jackson. Jackson added that Capital Cities' refused to fully back bids by Dennis Swanson, Roone Arledge's successor, to acquire the TV rights to the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, which were signature purchases for NBC. According to Jackson, Capital Cities didn't just short, they cut him off. The last Olympic Games that ABC televised were the 1988 Winter Olympics from Calgary. | ||
| {{{1}}} | ||
| —Longtime Monday Night Football commentator Frank Gifford. | ||
| {{{1}}} | ||
| —George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN. | ||
| I think the tradition of ABC Sports has been incorporated within ESPN. I think your next question is what would Roone Arledge think, and I'll tell you Roone could never have anticipated the media world of 2006. If he had or if he was alive today, I think he would support the move because of the power of the ESPN brand.<ref>Goodbye ABC Sports, hello ESPN on ABC</ref> | ||
| —Former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson | ||
[edit] Logos
The Wide World of Sports logo. |
ABC Sports logo from 1976 to 1986. This ident is from 1981. |
ABC Sports logo from 1980 |
ABC Sports logo from 1981 |
ABC Sports logo from 1987 to 1989 |
ABC Sports logo from 1989 to 1992 |
ABC Sports logo from 1990 |
ABC Sports logo from 1992 to 1997 |
ABC Sports logo from 1995 |
ABC Sports logo from 1997 to 1998 |
ABC Sports logo from 1998 |
ABC Sports logo from 1998 to 1999 |
ABC Sports logo from 1999-2006 |
The Alternate ABC Sports logo, used from 2001-2006 |
ESPN on ABC logo, September 2006-Present |
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- ABC Sports Website
- Saunders: ABC's demise signals end of an era
- What to Watch: Rest in peace, ABC Sports
- The Evolution of ABC
| American Football: Monday Night Football* | The Monday Night Miracle* |
| Auto Racing: NASCAR |
| Baseball: Monday Night Baseball* | Baseball Night in America* | Major League Baseball on ABC* |
| Basketball: NBA Sunday | List of National Basketball Association games televised by ABC | NBA Sunday Countdown | NBA Inside Stuff | NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad |
| Hockey: The NHL on ABC* |
| Horse Racing: Triple Crown Productions* |
| Other programming: ABC's Wide World of Sports* | Superstars* |
| See also: United States sports broadcasting lists |
| Asterisk (*) indicates that the program aired only during the ABC Sports era (in other words, the program ended prior to August 2006), not during the ESPN on ABC era. |
