ESPN, Inc.: 1986 in Review

AnnouncementsYear in Review

ESPN, Inc.: 1986 in Review

Photo of Dave Nagle Dave Nagle Follow on Twitter January 2, 1987

PROGRAMMING PROGRESS MARKS ESPN YEAR

ESPN, in its seventh year, took “further strides in providing the nation’s sports fans the broadest and most in-depth coverage of sports on television,” according to J. William Grimes, ESPN president and chief executive officer.

In addition to a strengthened programming schedule, ESPN experienced steady growth in advertising sales and in the number of its affiliates and subscribers, adding more than two million homes.  Also, while most cable networks experienced a decline in ratings, ESPN maintained the same level in the first half of the year and increased its ratings in the third quarter.

“I am delighted with the progress ESPN made in 1986,” added Grimes.  “We acquired long-term, cable-exclusive deals in college football and basketball; added innovative series like ‘Scholastic Sports America;’ and enhanced SportsCenter, the network’s flagship program.”

The following are highlights of 1986:

Programming and Production                            Corporate Announcements

            Developments

America’s Cup — 80 hours in 1986-87                 39.3 million subscriber homes

Auto Racing — record 84 events telecast             SportsCenter granted trademark

Super Slo-Mo utilized in NHL                                Nike signs seven-figure advertising

CFA — four-year extension of prime-time                agreement

series, new four-year deal for late                    ESPN/Pan Am World Tour

afternoon package                                                  Sweepstakes

“Whiparound” format enhances post-season     Home video instructional series

basketball and hockey coverage.                     Third quarter rating increase

Big East & Big Ten basketball — three-year        Record 13 ACE Award nominations

pacts                                                                       Burnett, Brando and Saunders join

NAIA basketball — ‘87 tournament                            SportsCenter

Scholastic Sports America — first national

high school sports show

Bowling — PBA Summer Tour, LPBT Fall Tour

A summary of 1986’s key developments follows:

March

  • All-women commentating team utilized for Division I women’s basketball tourney:  Leandra Reilly (play-by-play) and Mimi Griffin (analyst).
  • ESPN’s “Conference Tournament Central” features 27 college basketball games and provides “whiparound” format of live cut-ins to 45 other games.

April

  • Extensive Stanley Cup Playoff coverage features 35 games in 50 days, including Stanley Cup finals.  Network utilizes “whiparound” format, cutting in to other live games 115 times, plus 80 times on tape.

June

  • ESPN and CFA extend agreement to provide live prime-time games through 1990.
  • Extensive live coverage of World Cup Soccer tourney presented:  15 games, 14 live.

September

  • ESPN reaches four-year agreement with CFA for late afternoon package of 12 games.

October

  • ESPN and Nike, Inc. sign seven-figure ad agreement, giving Nike product exclusivity for all college basketball programming through 1986-87.

December

  • ESPN, the nation’s largest cable TV network, is received in 39.3 million subscriber households, representing 45 percent of country’s TV homes.

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Photo of Dave Nagle Dave Nagle Follow on Twitter January 2, 1987
Photo of Dave Nagle

Dave Nagle

As I write this on 11-11-21, it's now 35 years for me at ESPN, the only real job I’ve ever had. I joined merely to help with the upcoming America’s Cup in Australia. I was told it would be for three months at all of $5.50 per hour. I like to say I simply kept showing up. I’ve worked on almost every sport, plus answered viewer calls and letters (people used to write!), given tours, written the company newsletter and once drove NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon to the local airport. My travels have been varied…I’ve been to Martinsville, Darlington, Indy and Super Bowls; the America’s Cup (all 3) in San Diego and College GameDay in the sport’s meccas such as Eugene, Auburn, Lubbock, Stillwater and more; the NBA Finals, Wimbledon (16 times and counting) and the “other Bristol,” the one with a race track in Tennessee. These days, my main areas are tennis, UFC, boxing, network-wide ratings (by month/quarter/year), and corporate communications documents, including fact sheets, chronologies, lists and nearly 35 of the Year in Review press releases. UPDATE EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER: Today, November 11, 2022, I am retiring from ESPN -- 36 years to the day I began. As I ride off into the sunset – top down and E Street Radio blaring – I do so with so many wonderful memories, proud of my contributions and a heart full of gratitude for the opportunity. 
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