or


[04/03/14 - 12:26 PM]
ESPN Pioneer Chuck Pagano to Retire; LaBerge Named Successor
Aaron LaBerge has been named Pagano's successor and will assume the day-to-day management of the team June 1, reporting to Pagano and ESPN President John Skipper.

[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Pioneer Chuck Pagano to Retire; LaBerge Named Successor

Technology Chief Key Driver of ESPN's Technological Innovation from Beginning

Charles E. "Chuck" Pagano, who joined ESPN prior to its September 7, 1979, debut and whose vision and passion has driven ESPN's innovative use of technology for 35 years, will retire from the company in February 2015. Aaron LaBerge, who rejoined ESPN in 2013 as senior vice president, technology and product development, has been named Pagano's successor and will assume the day-to-day management of the team June 1, 2014, reporting to Pagano and ESPN President John Skipper. Pagano will remain in an advisory role in order to effect a smooth transition.

Pagano, ESPN's executive vice president, technology since 2005, was given the added title of ESPN's first chief technology officer in 2011 with added duties including advising other divisions across The Walt Disney Company on technological developments. Under his leadership and guidance, ESPN has built industry leading facilities at its headquarters in Bristol, Conn, its Los Angeles production center and around the world. This May, ESPN will launch Digital Center 2 in Bristol, a 195,000-square-foot facility featuring numerous technical firsts. Over the years, Pagano's contributions have made ESPN the leader in marrying cutting-edge technology to unparalleled content across a variety of media platforms.

"Quite simply, Chuck Pagano personifies ESPN - its entrepreneurial spirit, its creative passion and its focus on the people who make it all happen - and we would not be what we are today without him," Skipper said. "I am personally grateful for his contributions and insights, and I join all ESPNers in offering an enthusiastic thank you for all he has meant to our company."

LaBerge's ESPN roots go to the very early days of ESPN.com and ESPN's initial Internet product development efforts. He is in his second tour of duty with ESPN, having left for a time to launch and operate his own consumer software and digital product development company.

"In Aaron, we have an executive well versed in ESPN's culture and history, and who is also relentlessly focused on what's next," said Skipper. "He is a visionary technologist whose experience at ESPN and also in founding and successfully running his own company gives us a huge advantage as we contemplate how the future will evolve."

Pagano's career at ESPN spans more than three decades, having joined as a technical director in August 1979, a few weeks before the network launched in 1.4 million homes. At ESPN and throughout the industry, Pagano is known as a collaborative partner, an early adopter of new ideas and techniques, and a leader who always recognized that technology starts with people.

"I've been incredibly lucky to be at a place where from Day One, people have been emboldened to break barriers and seek new ideas," said Pagano. "I've been surrounded by incredibly talented and dedicated people. I learned long ago that the best leaders let others do their best work, as long as they have the appropriate culture and motivation to innovate. Yet, for all the amazing advancements I've seen - from two-inch tape to HD - what I remain most proud of is simply our birth. The odds were against this rag-tag group of people crazy enough to work 18 hours a day, seven days a week, but we had a goal and we reached it. We envisioned what others scoffed at - an all-sports network. Everything we are today started with that."

Among his many accomplishments, Pagano's influence was critical to the company's decision to launch an HD service in 2003, well before there was industry consensus on the preferred format. ESPN's first Digital Center, under construction at the time, was re-tooled by Pagano and his team, and at launch was the most sophisticated building of its kind in the world. ESPN's second Digital Center will open in late May. LaBerge has been working closely with Pagano as a key architect of that facility.

Before joining ESPN, Pagano worked for WFSB-TV, the CBS affiliate in Hartford, Conn., as a technician from 1977-1979. The native of Waterbury, Conn., (half-) jokingly says he joined ESPN to cut his commute in half.

An avid astronomer, Pagano has received many honors for his visionary and creative approach to both technology and his approach to management, including being the recipient of the 2012 Vanguard Award for Science & Technology presented by the NCTA and induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in December 2012. Most recently, Pagano was honored by SMPTE with the David Sarnoff Medal, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have contributed to the improvement of the engineering phases of television technology, including large-venue presentations. He was also inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in December 2013, and has won two Emmy Awards for technical achievement.

Pagano remains active in giving back to the community. Pagano currently serves on the Board of Regents at the University of Hartford, his alma mater, as well as on the Board of Advisers for the College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture. He also serves on the Tunxis Foundation Board for Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Conn., and is Chairman of the Connecticut Technology Council. He is President of the Board of Directors of The Holy Land, a grass-roots community effort to restore a sanctuary in his hometown of Waterbury, Conn.

Pagano received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1984 and a master of science degree in organizational psychology in 2007, both from the University of Hartford.

Aaron LaBerge

LaBerge first worked at ESPN for a decade, 1997 - 2007, originally as a software engineer, through Disney's acquisition of Starwave Ventures, the company that produced ESPN's early Internet initiatives. In his current role, LaBerge is responsible for oversight and strategic leadership for technology and product development for digital media and mobile platforms, and on-air production software. His teams include the production data group supporting all ESPN media, technology integration across multiple media platforms, and ESPN's technology research and development team.

In 2007, LaBerge pursued a new path as co-founder of Fanzter Inc., and served as CEO of the venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. In this capacity, he directed the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused Internet and mobile products.

"Chuck Pagano is one of the smartest, most curious and most loved people I know," LaBerge said. "While it is impossible to fill his shoes, I'm excited to advance the legacy of innovation that Chuck has fostered for more than 35 years. ESPN is one of the greatest American companies ever created and I am humbled to accept the challenge to lead the technology team as we shape the next wave of products and services."

He is a native of Charleston, S.C., and holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of South Carolina.





  [april 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/21/25 - 01:46 PM]
Apple TV's High-Octane Thriller "Hijack," Starring and Executive Produced by Idris Elba, Returns for Season Two on January 14
The eight-episode second season will premiere globally on Wednesday, January 14 with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly until February 25.

[10/21/25 - 12:10 PM]
FOX Nation to Premiere "Scammed: Getting Even" on October 22
The six-part docuseries, released weekly, follows viral YouTubers Ashton Bingham and Art Kulik as they take justice into their own hands - tracking, confronting, and exposing real-life scammers across the globe.

[10/21/25 - 12:02 PM]
Gerry Dee Returns to the Mic for His First Global Special: "Gerry Dee: Funny You Should Say That" Only on Netflix November 18
With dry wit, Canadian comic Gerry Dee explores his perilous years as a schoolteacher, the pitfalls of open marriages and the truth about Santa.

[10/21/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of October 13: "The Woman in Cabin 10" Sails Smoothly to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
In the final stretch to Halloween, those lured in by the story of the OG horror villain put "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" at No. 1 on the English TV list with 9.5 million views.

[10/21/25 - 11:01 AM]
A New Season of "Project Runway" Is Coming to Freeform, Hulu, and Disney+
Couldn't keep this zipped up.

[10/21/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Gives Fans a First Look at Little Garden in "One Piece" Season 2
Netflix's epic high-seas pirate adventure returns for Season 2 - unleashing fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet.

[10/21/25 - 10:00 AM]
A24's "Eddington" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max November 14
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

[10/21/25 - 09:04 AM]
"Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay" Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9:15 P.M. ET/PT on Bravo
All three parts will drop exclusively on Peacock on November 12.

[10/21/25 - 09:01 AM]
The History Channel Honors Veterans Day with Two-Hour Event "The Warfighters: Battle Stories" Premiering Monday, November 10 at 8/7c
Blending raw first-person accounts from Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Marines with archival footage and cinematic recreations, these stories are told entirely in the voices of the men who lived them.

[10/21/25 - 08:46 AM]
The World of "Catan," Based on Klaus Teuber's Beloved Board Game, Is Coming to Netflix
The world at the heart of this global phenomenon will be brought to life for the first time across film, series, and unscripted - including live-action and animation.

[10/21/25 - 08:12 AM]
Fulwell Entertainment's Uninterrupted, 4.4.Forty Media and State Farm Present "On the Rise: JuJu Watkins" Season 2 on NBC and Peacock
All four episodes will be available exclusively on Peacock after the premiere of Episodes 1 and 2 on Saturday, November 15, at 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. CT on NBC.

[10/21/25 - 08:08 AM]
Video: New Season Three Trailer for Acclaimed, BAFTA-Winning Drama "Blue Lights"
The season will premiere November 13 with episodes dropping weekly through on December 18.

[10/21/25 - 07:31 AM]
"Is It Cake? Holiday" Season 2 - First Look and Date Announcement
The series returns November 25 for another festive season with Mikey Day and six All-Star cake artists!

[10/21/25 - 07:05 AM]
Apple's Beloved Comedy "Shrinking" Returns for Season Three on January 28, 2026
In addition to the ensemble cast, season three brings back guest stars Goldstein, Damon Wayans Jr., Wendie Malick and Cobie Smulders, along with new additions Jeff Daniels and multi-award winner and activist Michael J. Fox.

[10/21/25 - 07:04 AM]
Video: "Old Dog, New Tricks" - Season 2 Announcement - Netflix
Cash-strapped vet Antón takes a job at a fancy pet store, going from treating rural farm animals to peddling premium treats for pampered pooches.