- Roberts oversees ESPN’s news operation, studio shows, audio and more
- “His leadership has made a tremendous difference and he will leave a lasting legacy at ESPN.” – Burke Magnus
David Roberts, who has had a highly decorated career of nearly five decades in the media industry, will retire from his position as ESPN Executive Vice President, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment at the end of August.
Roberts, who joined ESPN in 2004 as a coordinating producer, currently oversees ESPN’s vast news operation including sports news and coverage, investigative and enterprise journalism, research and digital editorial and all editions of SportsCenter. He also has oversight of studio shows including First Take, Get Up, PTI, NFL Live and fantasy shows, ESPN Audio, ESPN podcast content, ESPN digital shows, the Creative Content Unit and the Studio Enhancement Team.
“This has been both a real honor and a blessing to work for and with the most talented people in the industry,” Roberts said. “I am extremely humbled and grateful to have had the opportunities afforded me as a member of the ESPN leadership team. It has been simply an awesome 22 years.”
Roberts’ career has included many honors. In 2024, he was named to the NATAS Silver Circle honor society, the inaugural Sports Emmys class. Members are honored for their distinguished service within the television industry, setting standards for achievement, mentoring, leadership and professional accolades, representing the best and brightest in the industry. The previous year, he was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame.
Roberts’ leadership of ESPN’s studio shows has led to significant milestones, including:
- Get Up and First Take taking dominant roles in the morning block and consistently performing strongly in viewership.
- First Take going on the road for live shows at HBCU campuses for six consecutive years, an initiative that began at 2019 HBCU Week with the goal to increase HBCU enrollment and scholarships.
- The 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt and the Saturday morning edition all had their highest first quarter viewership ever in Q1 2026.
- Launching of the 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. editions of SportsCenter, with the 2 p.m. edition having its best Q1 viewership ever this year.
- SportsCenter 50 States in 50 Days, which brought ESPN’s signature news and information show to all 50 states during the Summer of 2025.
- Rich Eisen’s return to ESPN with his weekday program on ESPN+, Disney+ and ESPN Radio, and hosting special editions of SportsCenter.
- Launching of the NBA Today program in October of 2021, while at the time also overseeing ESPN’s NBA and WNBA coverage.
Roberts, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications from Wayne State University, also has identified and elevated new talent on ESPN platforms, including popular basketball commentators Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter, and the recent move of Christine Williamson to the co-anchor position on the 6 p.m. SportsCenter. He also helped engineer the early 2025 revamped, first-ever all local radio weekday lineup for 880 ESPN New York.
Roberts came to ESPN after more than 25 years of working in local news, starting as a reporter for WGPR-TV in his hometown of Detroit in 1978. He progressed to assignment editor and executive producer roles at stations in California, Michigan and North Carolina before being named news director at WDTN-TV in Dayton, Ohio, in 1987, becoming the first African American news director in the state’s history. After a stint in Baltimore, he moved to an Atlanta station in 1996, again becoming the state’s first African American news director.
Previously in his ESPN career, starting in 2018, Roberts served as vice president, production which included oversight of the ESPN Audio network. Prior to that, he served as general manager of ESPN New York 98.7FM and was senior coordinating producer, studio production for ESPNEWS.
“David Roberts has had a long and extremely distinguished career in this industry and we’ve been fortunate to have him as part of the ESPN team for more than two decades,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN President, Content. “His leadership has made a tremendous difference and he will leave a lasting legacy at ESPN. We wish him all the best in retirement.”
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