Wide World of Sports (US television show)
| Wide World of Sports | |
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Wide World of Sports logo
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| Genre | Sports anthology series |
| Created by | Edgar Scherick |
| Presented by | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 37 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Roone Arledge |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | ABC Sports |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original release | April 29, 1961 – January 3, 1998 |
ABC's Wide World of Sports is an American sports anthology television program that aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from April 29, 1961 to January 3, 1998, primarily on Saturday afternoons. Hosted by Jim McKay, with a succession of co-hosts beginning in 1987, the title continued to be used for general sports programs on the network until 2006. In 2007, Wide World of Sports was named by Time Magazine on its list of the 100 best television programs of all-time.
Weekend sports news updates on sister radio network ABC Sports Radio, operated by Cumulus Media Networks, continue to be branded under the similar title ABC's World of Sports. The program also lent its name to an athletic facility at Walt Disney World, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – which was originally known as Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex from its opening in 1997 (one year after The Walt Disney Company acquired ABC, and a majority stake in ESPN) – until 2010.
Wide World of Sports was the creation of Edgar Scherick through his company, Sports Programs, Inc. After selling his company to ABC, he hired a young Roone Arledge to produce the show.
The series' April 29, 1961 debut telecast featured both the Penn and Drake Relays. Jim McKay (who hosted the program for most of its history) and Jesse Abramson, the track and field writer for the New York Herald Tribune, broadcast from Franklin Field with Bob Richards as the field reporter. Jim Simpson called the action from Drake Stadium with Bill Flemming working the field.
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