Norby Williamson is the executive vice president of production for ESPN. The Sporting News placed him #67 on its Power 100 list, two spots ahead of Shaq.
Norby, whose real first name isn’t Antwan, recently sent a memo to ESPN staffers informing them that would “no longer be allowed to make unauthorized appearances on non-ESPN stations in eight markets ? New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston and Houston.”
NBA fans might recognize Williamson’s work. This October 2006 quote sums up ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the league fairly well: “The goal is to find the right mix and chemistry and put the people in the right places, so we’ll keep experimenting,” ABC and ESPN have had five different lead broadcast teams in five years for NBA coverage, and six different lead studio teams over that same period.
Williamson is also the man Harold Reynolds had to answer to after being accused of sexual harassment earlier this year.
Williamson hasn’t met a hire or an idea he didn’t like, as evidenced by these glowing compliments:
“Nick is a huge sports fan and will add a unique perspective to the show … He will provide wide-ranging, off-the-field features spotlighting the tradition of the game, its fans, athletes and personalities.” – on adding Nick Lachey to College Gameday.
“Julie has an engaging personality and the ability to develop and articulate a good story … Having excelled at her sport, she brings the knowledge of how athletes at every level prepare and she has the uncanny ability to bring that insight to sports fans.? – on having Julie Foudy do special interest pieces, including one called “My Coffee with Matt Hasselbeck”.
“Quite Frankly will continue to feature Stephen A.?s cutting-edge long-format interviews, and will now be able to offer immediate reaction to each day?s storylines … When an athlete has a story to tell or there is a hot topic in the sports news, viewers will know Quite Frankly will have it covered.? – on the move of the low-rated Quite Frankly from 6:30 pm to the late night death slot of 11.
