Ed Goren, president of Fox Sports, spoke Wednesday as the first of a hat trick of alumni sportscasters to speak on the Hill.

George Bodenheimer and Bob Costas will also speak this week in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The three presentations are not related, but coincidentally scheduled, said Nicci Brown, a media relations official for Newhouse.

Brown said she believes these voluntary speeches will go a long way to enhance Newhouse’s reputation.

‘This kind of event is indicative of the kind place Newhouse is in terms of producing big names in sportscasting,’ Brown said. ‘It’s something we’re very proud of.’

Goren spoke Wednesday in the Bartlett Room of Newhouse II to a closed audience of 35 students about both the history of Fox Sports and its integration of more viewer-friendly services, such as video game-like graphics and adding microphones on the baseball diamond.

Goren’s speech elicited positive reactions from attending students.

‘These lectures are as valuable as class,’ said Michael Handell, a sophomore in broadcast journalism. ‘When you have a chance to see speakers of this caliber coming to your school, it’s something you really can’t miss.’

Today, Bodenheimer, president of ABC and ESPN Sports, will speak at 4 p.m. in Studio B of Newhouse II with the topic: ‘Is Sports on Cable Good for Democracy?’ He will be accompanied by Fred Dressler, the executive vice president of Time Warner Cable and a ’63 Newhouse grad, and Bob Miron, the president of Advance/Newhouse Communications and a ’59 Newhouse grad. The event is free and open to all students and the public.

On Saturday at 1 p.m., Costas will speak in Studio A of Newhouse II. This speech is also free and open to the public.

‘Bob Costas comes to Syracuse at least once a year and always makes himself available to talk to students,’ Brown said. ‘He’s definitely a valued supporter of the school.’

Brown anticipates a full house at the Costas speech, citing both his reputation and the amount of publicity given to the event.

Costas, since he joined NBC in 1980, has covered Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and college basketball. In addition, he hosted various major sporting events including many World Series, Super Bowls, NBA championships and both winter and summer Olympics. Overall, his work earned him 12 sports Emmys.

Bodenheimer joined ESPN in 1991 and became its president in October of 1998. He is largely credited with updating the network’s technology including the addition of interactive television, broadband, wireless products and the launching of ESPN HD, a high definition simulcast service, on March 30.

Goren acknowledged Newhouse as a school that produces outstanding journalists.

‘When I graduated from Syracuse, I had a solid, broad education that had me well-prepared for CBS,’ Goren said. ‘This is a fabulous, fabulous facility you have here [and] combined with the quality of Newhouse’s professors, it deserves the reputation that it has.’

Published on April 23, 2003 at 12:00 pm