Just a day after his last Washington Post column was published, ESPN announces that Michael Wilbon will be joining the Alleged Worldwide Leader as a featured columnist. He’ll write for the main ESPN.com website and also write for the ESPN Chicago site. In addition, he’ll make weekly appearances on ESPN Radio’s Chicago affiliate.
His first column for ESPN.com will appear later today. Let’s take a look at the press release.
Michael Wilbon Joins ESPN.com, ESPNChicago.com as Featured ColumnistWill Make Weekly Appearance on ESPN Radio 1000’s Waddle and Silvy Show in ChicagoLongtime Pardon the Interruption co-host and ESPN NBA studio analyst Michael Wilbon, one of the nation’s most respected sports journalists, will expand his role with ESPN as a featured columnist for ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, ESPN’s local online destination for in-depth sports coverage of his beloved hometown, in addition to appearing weekly on ESPN Radio 1000’s Waddle and Silvy Show in Chicago. Wilbon, a veteran sports columnist who most recently concluded three decades with The Washington Post, delivers his first column and chat at 1:30 p.m. ET today on ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com.“We’re thrilled to have a writer and a voice of Mike’s stature joining ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, where his strong opinions and thoughtful commentary on the most important issues in sports and culture will engage our fans in new ways across our platforms,” said Rob King, vice president and editor-in-chief for ESPN Digital Media.Wilbon added: “Although I’ve been working for ESPN as co-host of PTI since 2001, writing is my first love and I’m particularly excited to be able to join an impressive stable of columnists at ESPN.com. And to lead some of the discussion in the best sports city in America, which is also my hometown, is both a challenge and dream-come-true.”Wilbon joined The Washington Post in 1980 as a general assignment sports reporter and was a full-time sports columnist from 1990-2010. In 31 years, Wilbon covered everything from local and national sports to Major League Baseball, the National Football League and the NBA, as well as professional tennis, soccer, and hockey, the Olympic Games; and 20 Super Bowls, 20 Final Fours, and any number of World Series and NBA Finals as a reporter and columnist.A pioneer in sports journalism, Wilbon was one of the first sports writers to broaden his success beyond newspapers to include television, radio and other media. He and fellow Post sports columnist Tony Kornheiser have co-hosted ESPN’s popular PTI show since its debut in September 2001, combining fast-paced, wide-ranging and humorous discussion of the day’s most important and interesting news in sports. Wilbon expanded his role in 2006 to include NBA studio analyst work. He currently appears on the NBA Sunday Countdown pregame show on ABC in addition to ESPN.Wilbon’s work has earned national recognition from a variety of organizations for distinguished reporting or commentary. In April 1997, Wilbon was inducted as an inaugural member into Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement, and in 2000 Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists, honored him as the top sports columnist in the nation. The Society of Professional Journalists named Wilbon the top sports columnist of the year in 2001. In all, he has been among the top three national sports columnists selected by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) three times. Wilbon received the prestigious Eugene Meyer Award in 2007 from The Washington Post, and he was honored with the National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
More coming up.
