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Executive Profile: Bob Rauscher, ESPN VP, NBA Production

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 , Posted by Christopher Byrne at 1:03 PM, under , , , , , ,

Athens, GA (Nov 28, 2007) - I will be very up front and tell you I do not like the NBA. I do not like it in a box or with a fox. I do not like it with a mouse or in the house. It is too much of a "produced" event. I much prefer a good game of college basketball no matter who is playing. But I need to be open minded, so here is the profile of Bob Rauscher, ESPN Vice-President of NBA Production, as published by the ESPN Networks.

Bob Rauscher, who joined ESPN during its first year, serves [as] vice-president, NBA production and oversees all of ESPN’s NBA programs. Previously, he was a senior coordinating producer in the studio production department and oversees all of ESPN's NFL studio shows – Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL PrimeTime, Monday Night Countdown, NFL Matchup and NFL Live. He is also responsible for on-site SportsCenter coverage of NFL special events, including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and remote production opportunities at Monday Night Football games.

For the past 22 Super Bowls, Rauscher has annually overseen ESPN’s countless hours of remote production efforts during Super Bowl week as multiple programs have originated from the host city. In 2007, the network’s extensive coverage of Super Bowl XLI in Miami featured an outdoor beachside set in the heart of South Beach, all under Rauscher’s direction. He also helped produce ESPN’s NFL Draft telecast alongside MNF producer Jay Rothman in 2006 and 2007.

Rauscher, winner of 16 Emmy Awards and eight CableACEs, has been involved in the launch of two of the most successful and acclaimed sports shows on cable. He was the first producer of ESPN's NFL GameDay, the original name for the network's Sunday morning NFL preview show -- now Sunday NFL Countdown -- which debuted in September 1985. The program accounts for seven of Rauscher’s Emmy Awards and five of the CableACEs. ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown was awarded the Weekly Studio Show Emmy in 2007.

Rauscher also was involved in the 1990 inception of Outside the Lines, the network’s weekly in-depth series hosted by Bob Ley that focuses on issues away from the playing field.

Rauscher joined ESPN in August 1980 as a sports assistant and was promoted to associate producer one year later. He was named producer in 1984, coordinating producer in 1990 (overseeing both NFL GameDay and College GameDay) and senior coordinating producer in 1994 (overseeing NFL studio shows and Baseball Tonight). During his advancement, he has served at every level in the production of SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship program. Additionally, Rauscher has overseen the production of The NBA Today and on-site coverage of multiple NBA All-Star games and playoffs, college football bowl games and Major League Baseball’s World Series and All-Star Game.

A native of Clifton, N.J., Rauscher received a bachelor of science degree in T.V./Radio from Syracuse University in 1980, graduating summa cum laude.

Photograph Courtesy of the ESPN Networks.

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