> JOHN A. WALSH JOURNALIST, STORYTELLER, INNOVATOR
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t’s safe to say that there aren’t many parents in Scranton, PA, who make it a habit of taking their son to the World Series. But John Walsh’s father did just that during the 1950s, instilling in his son a life-long love of big-time sports events (even though he was a Phillies fan) that turned into a love of the sports pages, a love of journalism, and, ultimately, a love of ESPN. But it took Walsh more than two decades to find his calling in TV. “After 22 years in print,” says Walsh, “I found a place for 27 years that was open to something new, that had a creative environment [where it] was easier to get a yes than a no and it was up to us to find the things that would stand out.” Joining ESPN in 1988 at the behest of Steve Bornstein, a fellow Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer, Walsh was looking to take his passion for journalism to a new medium. He had worked for more than 30 media companies, including Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and the Washington Post. He was also able to persuade publishing giant Katherine Graham to launch Inside Sports in 1979; the magazine ceased publishing in 1982. Walsh joined ESPN as managing editor of SportsCenter on Jan. 10, 1988. There was much to do, including catching CNN in the ratings. “I wanted a standard of three S’s for the show: smart, smile, and surprise,” he says. The first change? The very nature of highlights shows that tended to go from one sport to the next. “We changed the first segment to be like the front page of a sports section and make it a video version with the top five stories.” And then there was the talent. Walsh credits much of the successful turnaround at SportsCenter to the combination of Chris Berman and Bob Ley. “Bob knew what he was doing and was serious and insightful while Chris knew how to have fun,” he says. “And the idea was that there wasn’t enough ‘sports smart’ programming. So, the idea was to make SportsCenter the landing place for any fan at the end of the day and a must view and must see. But we need to
CLASS OF 2017
John A. Walsh with ESPN commentator Tony Kornheiser
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SPORTSTECHJOURNAL / SPRING 2018
“I come here to thank everybody. … The hallmarks of ESPN were collegiality, consciousness, and competitiveness. And, to this day, that’s what makes ESPN, for over 30 years, the network that it is.” have entertaining people hosting it and we had to throw pages of stats at viewers to show we really love sports and are passionate.” But Walsh soon found himself surrounded by singular talents like Robin Roberts, Andrea Kramer, Jimmy Roberts, Stuart Scott, Mike Tirico, Rich Eisen, and “some nutcase” from Los Angeles named Keith Olberman. Toss in Dan Patrick, Gary Miller, and Charley Steiner (who formed a lethal trio with Ley and Roberts), and the personality of SportsCenter came through at home: smart, funny, insightful, and diverse. But Walsh was not done. In the 1990s, he would be critical to the launch of ESPN The Magazine, ESPN2, ESPN Radio, documentary programs like SportsCentury and 30 for 30, the ESPYs, and Page Two on ESPN.com. When discussing those efforts, he speaks most of those around him: John Skipper, Bill Simmons, Mark Shapiro, George Bodenheimer. Former ESPN President John Skipper notes that Walsh has been a mentor and confidant to hundreds, including himself among that number. “John is among the most influential people in the history of ESPN,” he says. “He brought a newspaperman’s sensibilities to television and helped revolutionize SportsCenter by championing smart content that educates fans. He was instrumental in launching many of our businesses and shows that feature journalism and storytelling in their foundation. Even more important, John has been a mentor and confidant to hundreds, myself included. I have always considered John one of my most trusted advisors and closest friends.” “The greatest quality of ESPN for my 27 years was collaboration,” says Walsh. “Everyone was always itching to make whatever the product was better day in and day out.” — Ken Kerschbaumer