Scott Ackerson, the Fox Sports executive vice president of news and the accomplished longtime producer of Fox NFL Sunday, will retire in March.
Ackerson, who has been leading the unit's news operation and its expanding role as part of the launch and first two years of Fox Sports 1, will remain with the company in an advisory role.
After working at ESPN, he joined Fox Sports in 1994 and served as coordinating producer for Fox NFL Sunday for 17 years, which he helped make the most-watched NFL pregame show and captured a quarter of Emmys for Best Studio Show. During the course of his career, Ackerson earned a baker's dozen worth of statues.
Ackerson was promoted to executive vice president and executive producer for all of Fox Sports’ studio programming in 2011. Later that year, he was tapped to serve as the interim president of the former Speed channel, which he helped build into FS1, which bowed on Aug. 17, 2013.
Ackerson had served in his current role since 2013, with responsibility for all of the cable network's news gathering and studio programming, including its flagship Fox Sports Live.
“After a lot of thought, now seems like the right time to step down from the constant grind of running a 24/7 news operation,” said Ackerson. “We’ve gotten Fox Sports 1’s news shows moving in a great direction, thanks to the very dedicated, hard-working team we’ve assembled. I’ve been in this business at full-speed for more than 30 years, and it’s been a great ride, but now it’s time for me to step back and see where the next chapter in my life takes me, hopefully part of that is improving my golf game. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and I want to thank David [Hill] and Ed [Goren] who 20 years ago amazingly handed me the keys to a show that starred Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson; Eric [Shanks] Randy [Freer] and David Nathanson for the chance to help launch Fox Sports 1 and run the news operation; and all the amazing, gifted men and women who I have had the pleasure of calling my colleagues over the last three decades.”
“We have reluctantly accepted Scott’s decision to retire from running the expansive news operation he helped build over the last 18 months,” said Fox Sports president, COO and executive producer Eric Shanks. “Axe is one of Fox Sports’ founding fathers. While his instincts as a news producer are exceptional, he made an indelible mark on sports television as Fox NFL Sunday’s producer for its first 17 years. The show’s stature as the No. 1 show in its time period places it among the most iconic shows in television history, and his contributions to the show and industry cannot be understated.”
