Jed Drake and ESPN: Growing Up Together

When Jed Drake joined ESPN, Inc., as a producer and director in 1980, the possibilities for him and the all-sports network were endless. Established in 1979, the network did not begin broadcasting 24/7 until the following year. A cable pioneer in devoting programming to one subject, ESPN took shape almost by accident. In 1978, out-of-work sports announcer Bill Rasmussen rented satellite time from RCA Corporation to broadcast basketball games of the University of Connecticut via cable-TV stations across the state. Because renting 24 hours of satellite time was less expensive than renting for the five hours he needed, he decided to offer 24-hour sports programming nationally. He made his first payment on air space by credit card, with Entertainment Sports Programming Network (ESPN) debuting in September 1979. By the time Jed Drake came on board, coverage included NCAA football games, preliminary rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, and weekly boxing matches.

With an early $10 million investment from Getty Oil and another $25 million in venture capital raised with no profits in sight, Getty hired a management firm to assess ESPN’s future. The company’s top consultant on the project, Roger Werner, predicted the network would become profitable in five years with another $120 million in investment. Werner, who became Vice President of Finance, Administration, and Planning at ESPN, introduced the concept of charging affiliates for programming, now a standard industry practice. By December 1983, ESPN had become cable television’s largest network, broadcasting to 28.5 million households.

ABC, Inc., acquired ESPN in 1984, and two years later, the parent company became Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. The network began airing National Football League games in 1987 and covering Major League Baseball in 1989. Other milestones include The Walt Disney Company’s 1995 acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc.; the launch of ESPN Classic in 1997; and the debut of ESPN: The Magazine in 1998. Jed Drake’s career has paralleled the rise of the all-sports network. Today, he oversees the remote production of more than 6,000 hours of sports programming on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC as Vice President and Executive Producer of Event Production.

To learn more about Mr. Drake and ESPN history visit jeddrake.tumblr.com