Reviewing an extraordinary week for ESPN

ESPN President John Skipper addresses the WISE audience as he accepts the organization’s Champion Award. (Women in Sports and Events)

ESPN EVP and CFO Christine Driessen (L) accepts an award, on behalf of ESPN, from Playworks. (Diane Lamb/ESPN)

Former ESPN President George Bodenheimer (left), congratulates Chris Berman on his NSMA Hall Of Fame induction. (Sean Meyers Photography/NSMA)

Chris Berman is the recipient of the 2016 Newseum Institute’s 2016 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media. (Maria Bryk/Newseum Institute)

Chris Mortensen is the recipient of the 2016 Professional Football Writers of America’s (PFWA) Dick McCann Award. (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images))

ESPN Communications colleagues celebrate the Beacon Award for “Jessica Mendoza Makes History.”

ESPN Founder and former company president Bill Rasmussen was inducted into the Cynopsis Sports Hall of Fame in New York.. (Courtesy of Chris McKee’s Twitter feed)

This past week, ESPN was cited by numerous organizations for demonstrated excellence in a variety of categories. Front Row congratulates our colleagues. The text below and pictures above provide an overview.

• ESPN President John Skipper was recognized by Women in Sports and Events (WISE) with the 2016 WISE Champion Award, an annual celebration of a male executive who has championed women in the workplace.
• ESPN was honored by Playworks with the Most Inspiring Leadership Award for its “enduring and generous commitment to bringing the life changing power of play and sports to kids and communities worldwide.” ESPN Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Christine Driessen, accepted the award on behalf of ESPN.
• Commentator Chris Berman, who joined ESPN one month after its 1979 inception, received a pair of distinguished awards in recognition of his outstanding career this week. On Monday in Salisbury, N.C., the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) inducted Berman – a six-time National SportsCaster Of The Year honoree – into its Hall of Fame. Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Berman became the first sports journalist to receive the Newseum Institute’s 2016 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media.
• Each year, the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) recognizes one of its own with the prestigious Dick McCann Award – a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage. This year’s recipient is ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who has covered the NFL for 32 years, including the last 25 at ESPN. Mortensen will be honored during the 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on Aug. 6.
• ESPN received four top honors in the 2016 National Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) announced. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, the awards annually recognize outstanding work produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world. In the network television division, ESPN received Murrow Awards for Investigative Reporting (its second, the only times a sports entry has won in the category), Feature Reporting and Sports Reporting. ESPN also received a Murrow Award in the network radio division for Feature Reporting.
• ESPN Founder and former company president Bill Rasmussen was inducted into the Cynopsis Sports Hall of Fame in New York.
• The Association of Cable Communicators honored ESPN Communications with a 2016 Beacon Award. The campaign for “Jessica Mendoza Makes History” was cited in the category for Reputation Brand Management.