Journalism Showcase: How ESPN created the distinctive NFL Draft chime

This weekend’s SC Featured, “Ten Notes,” explores the origin and legacy of one of the most recognizable sounds in sports: the ESPN Draft chime. 

From the NFL to the WNBA, it’s the audio cue that signals a dream secured — but the story of how it came to be is one few people knew.

The idea for the piece came from content associate Anissa Deol, who first noticed the chime’s cross-sport presence during last year’s WNBA Draft.

“The chime went off, and I realized it was the same one we used for the NFL and NBA Draft. It was definitely not a coincidence,” Deol says. “People have made it their ringtone, set it as a notification — it’s so recognizable. 

“So, I was curious: Where did these 10 notes come from? Who came up with it? How did it become part of the sports world?”

That curiosity kicked off a months-long process of informal interviews, research, and production work — including a key pivot from looking externally to turning inward.

The chime was just one idea among many we were trying out that year . . . That’s also what makes it a great story — the life it has taken on after little fanfare. – Steve Ackels, VP, Production, on the introduction of ESPN’s NFL Draft chime in 2006

“The moment that really surprised me was realizing ESPN had created it,” Deol says. “I spent two months digging online, and it wasn’t until Julie McGlone [VP, Production] pointed me toward Steve Ackels that the real story started to emerge.”

Ackels, now VP, Production and producer for Monday Night Football — and, in 2006, an associate producer of ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage — remembers the moment well.

“Kevin Wilson [Creative Director, ESPN Music] and I were just messing around with an electric piano in the basement of Building Three,” Ackels says regarding a structure on ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut campus.

In the lead-up to the NFL Draft, Ackels and his colleagues felt the telecast needed a clear cue to signal when a pick was in — something to refocus the audience during what was then a 14-hour event spread over two days.

“[For the chime debut], there wasn’t an abundance of anticipation — except for maybe Kevin and me,” he continues. “The chime was just one idea among many we were trying out that year. Some stuck, others didn’t. That’s the nature. 

“That’s also what makes it a great story — the life it has taken on after little fanfare.”

Uncovering that story, however, was its own challenge.

“There really wasn’t anything previously done on this — no article, no deep-dive,” says feature producer Jason Kostura. “So, we spent a lot of time in pre-interviews with ESPN colleagues to figure out if there was even a story behind the creation worth telling.”

What surprised them most? 

The moment the chime made its debut: not at the start of the draft, but at pick No. 8 overall in 2006, just before the Buffalo Bills selected Donte Whitner.

“That was the fun detail we needed to turn this from an idea into a narrative,” Kostura says.

And now, nearly 20 years later, that short, simple cue still resonates.

“You never think something like that will last,” Ackels says. “But the simplicity of it is part of the charm. It’s a new beginning for many — the player, the team, the fan base. It’s cool that a sound can evoke that meaning.”

“Ten Notes” will debut on Sunday, April 20, during the 8 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter and will re-air in other show editions throughout the day.

For more on ESPN’s 2025 NFL Draft coverage, visit ESPN Press Room

More on Front Row: Composer Bob Christianson, who wrote ESPN’s NFL Draft chime, is also responsible for the theme to ESPN’s National Hockey Night