NEW YORK — Stephen A. Smith is scheduled to be inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, adding an industry honor to a career that has taken him from newspaper reporting to the center of ESPN’s daily sports debates.
The September 29 ceremony at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom is the Hall’s 34th annual gala. Smith joins a class that includes Wolf Blitzer, Andy Cohen and Bobby Flay, with television executives and producers also among the honorees.
For Smith, the recognition follows a fascination with broadcasting that began well before he became a familiar face on television. In the Hall’s profile accompanying his selection, he recalled admiring Howard Cosell, Bryant Gumbel and Ed Bradley while growing up in New York.
“A lot of people watched sports and the games, but I loved the commentary,” Smith said.
His route to that microphone began in print. A 1991 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, which he attended on a basketball scholarship, Smith worked for the Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News and Record and New York Daily News before joining the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1994. His time at the Inquirer included work as a general sports columnist.
Smith joined ESPN in 2003 as an analyst on NBA Shootaround. He later hosted Quite Frankly on ESPN2 and built a radio career before becoming a featured commentator on First Take in 2012. He now also serves as an executive producer of the program.
In the Hall’s profile, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro credited Smith with helping shape both First Take and the wider landscape of morning sports studio programming. That assessment places the recognition around his influence on television as well as his individual career.
Smith’s fellow honorees reflect the event’s reach across the media business. Disney advertising chief Rita Ferro and YES Network president and CEO Jon Litner are also in the class. The ceremony will recognize Star Trek with its inaugural Franchise of the Year Award as the series marks its 60th anniversary.
Reporting sources
Official event; Hall of Fame profile; ESPN biography; Event announcement
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This page is an original Sporting Page summary. The reporting remains with Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame.
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