ESPN, an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, was founded on September 7, 1979. The founding members were Bill Rasmussen, Scott Rasmussen, and Ed Eagan. ESPN’s headquarters are located in Bristol, Connecticut. However, there are several other offices throughout the United States. These other offices are located in Miami, New York, Seattle, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. The current president is John Skipper, who has held this position since January 1, 2012. ESPN’s impact on broadcast journalism has been universal, attracting people to the world of broadcasting and sports since it was founded.

Bill Rasmussen thought of ESPN in May 1978 when he was fired from the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association. Bill was joined by his son Scott, who had also been let go by the Whalers. However, …show more content…
On September 7, 1979, ESPN began with the first telecast of what would become, SportsCenter. ESPN first aired the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in March 1980, creating what is known today as “March Madness.” ESPN has launched the broadcasting careers of many well-known journalists, including Dick Vitale. Vitale joined ESPN after he had been fired as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Also the next month, ESPN began televising the NFL Draft. The sister-channels of ESPN include ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+, ESPN Latin America, ESPN Films, ESPNews, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network, and the SEC Network. ESPN2 launched on October 1, 1993 and was intended for younger viewers. The ticker displayed at the bottom of most ESPN channels originated on ESPN2 in 1995. ESPN Classic launched in 1995 as Classic Sports Network and was founded by Brian Bedol and Steve Greenberg. ESPNews launched on November 1, 1996, and was originally focused only on sports news, highlights, and press conferences. ESPNU launched on March 4, 2005, and focuses college athletics