ESPN Inks Extension With 80-Year-Old Vitale

Hall of Fame basketball analyst Dick Vitale, who turned 80 this month, has signed a new extension with ESPN that will keep him with the sports network through the 2021-22 season.

The still-boisterous Vitale signed up for this season last May.

“I’m so honored and proud to be a little spoke in the big wheel that ESPN is in the world of sports,” said Vitale. “ESPN is my second family, and all the beautiful people I’ve have the opportunity to work with over the years are so important to me.”

Vital joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after the network was launched. He will continue to work as a game analyst, contribute to SportsCenter and ESPN.com

“Dick’s passion for college basketball and commitment to the sport over the last four decades is unrivaled,” said Stephanie Druley, ESPN executive VP of event and studio production. “We are thrilled to have such a great ambassador for the game on our air now and in the future.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.

Latest in Fates & Fortunes
Joseph Holloway
Joseph Holloway Joins WOI Des Moines as ‘Good Morning Iowa’ Anchor and EP
'CBS Mornings' co-anchors Tony Dokoupil, Gayle King and Nate Burleson
CBS News Sees Third Hour of ‘CBS Mornings’ Arriving in September
Adam Smith
Disney Poaches YouTube Subscription Exec Adam Smith for Chief Product and Technology Officer Role
Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale To Join 2024 B+C Hall of Fame Class
Simon Cassels
Charter Names Simon Cassels Senior VP, Chief Creative Officer
Kennan Oliphant of WWJ Detroit
Kennan Oliphant Named VP of News and Station Manager at WWJ Detroit
Latest in News
Dish and DirecTV satellite dishes
DirecTV Acquires Dish, Unifying Struggling Satellite Business
B+C Hall of Fame class of 2024
Freeze Frame: B+C Hall of Fame 2024
DirecTV and Dish
Next Text: As DirecTV and Dish Try to Seize the Remains of the Day, Does It Even Matter?
Adam Symson speaks to KNXV Phoenix GM/VP Anita Hecht.
E.W. Scripps Folding Scripps News, Eliminating 200 Jobs; Stock Jumps 15%
Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty handles the ball during the game against the Las Vegas Aces on September 8, 2024
WNBA Playoffs Continue: What’s On This Weekend in TV Sports (Sept. 28-29)
Fubo Multiview
Fubo Launches 'Multiview' Beta on Roku