ESPN’s reorg, announced last week, solidifies Burke Magnus’ position as the heir apparent to Jimmy Pitaro should ESPN’s chair leave. Who else fared well from all of last week’s moves?
Here are my top five movers:
- Norby Williamson, executive editor and head of event & studio production: The NFL is king in Bristol. College football is, probably, No. 2. The fact that Williamson now will be overseeing all football programming -- NFL, college and XFL -- solidifies the long-time exec as the one who gained the most through the reorg.
- Tina Thornton, EVP/creative studio & marketing: A 30-year ESPN vet, the well-liked Thornton becomes the company’s top marketing exec. She replaces Laura Gentile, who by all accounts, is leaving on her own to set up her own shop.
- Dave Roberts, head of event & studio production: ESPN is making a big bet on Pat McAfee, who will be making a reported $85 million over five years to host his show on ESPN platforms. ESPN picked Roberts to oversee “The Pat McAfee Show,” in addition to his work running the NBA and WNBA’s event and studio production.
- John Lasker, SVP/ESPN+: ESPN promoted Lasker into a huge job -- running the business behind the company’s over-the-top streaming service. Lasker replaces Russell Wolff, former EVP & GM of ESPN+, who was part of Disney’s layoffs in April.
- Nick Dawson, SVP/college sports programming & acquisitions: Here’s a name that likely flew under the radar last week. Dawson was promoted to oversee programming for all of ESPN’s college sports. This marks the first time that one exec runs all of ESPN’s college sports programming.
Honorable mention goes to Julie Sobieski, SVP/league programming & acquisitions. Sobieski already had a big job, overseeing programming for the NFL, NBA, WNBA and combat sports. After last week’s reorg, she adds MLB and the NHL to her plate.
