Roone Arledge, former president of ABC News, had a more profound impact on the development of television news and sports programming and presentation than any other individual. In fact, a 1994 Sports Illustrated magazine ranking placed Arledge third, behind Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan, in a list of 40 individuals who have had the greatest impact on the world of sports in the previous four decades. In addition, a 1990 Life magazine poll listed Arledge as among the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century.”

In 1960 Arledge defected from NBC to join a struggling ABC. Later, in his role as vice president of ABC Sports, Arledge created what would become the longest-running and most successful sports program ever, ABC’s Wide World Sports. He brought his production specialty to ABC and overhauled sports programming, including introduction of such techniques as slow motion and instant replays. These production techniques enabled Arledge to create a more exciting and dramatic sports event. He combined his production skills with “up close and personal” athlete features, which changed the way the world viewed competing athletes. He was one of the first users of the Atlantic satellite, enabling him to produce live sporting events from around the world.

Arledge’s success in sports resulted in his promotion to sports division president in 1968, where he served until 1986. Shortly after his promotion, he again elevated ABC’s sports prominence with NFL Monday Night Football. This prime-time sports program gave ABC the lock on ratings during its time slot and earned Arledge even greater respect.

Under Arledge’s lead, ABC Sports became the unchallenged leader in network sports programming. Arledge’s innovations on Wide World were also successful for the ten Olympic games he produced. Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame for his commitment to excellence, Arledge was later awarded the Medal of Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee, making him the first television executive and one of a select group of Americans to receive this prestigious award.

Despite his successful transformation of ABC Sports, his promotion to president of ABC News came as a surprise to many individuals because Arledge had no formal journalistic training. He was president of ABC Sports and ABC News for nearly ten years.

With the development of shows such as 20/20, World News Tonight, and Nightline, ABC was soon on the top of the network news battle. Among his greatest skills was identification of potential stars. Arledge successfully recruited the strongest and most promising journalists for his news team, including World News Tonight star Peter Jennings. Arledge recognized Jennings’s talent and cast this once-defeated ABC Evening News anchor in the spotlight, and it worked. Arledge’s team included David Brinkley, Diane Sawyer, Sam Donaldson, Ted Koppel, Barbara Walters, and Hugh Downs.

Arledge put news on the air in nontraditional formats and at nontraditional times and received high ratings. In its more than 20 years, Nightline has battled entertainment personalities such as Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Jay Leno for ratings and in 1995 was the highest rated late-night program. From its first show with Ali Agah, Iranian affairs leader, and Dorothea Morefield, wife of American hostage Richard Morefield, Nightline has been a leader in international affairs reporting.

Arledge’s other news show creations include Primetime, with Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson; This Week with David Brinkley; World News Now, a 2:00–6:00 A .M . Monday through Friday overnight news program; and numerous ABC News Presents specials, such as Turning Point and Viewpoint. Arledge also designed inventive news broadcasts such as Capital to Capital, the first satellite news series to promote discussion between U.S. and Soviet legislators.

His shows have received virtually every broadcasting honor possible. In 1995 ABC News was the first news organization to receive the Alfred I. du Pont-Columbia University Award, given for the network’s overall commitment to excellence. Interestingly, Arledge won his first of 37 Emmy Awards for producing the puppet show featuring Lambchop and Shari Lewis.

In a speech following his appointment at ABC, Arledge declared, “We (ABC) will be setting the standards that everyone will be talking about and that others in the industry will spend years trying to equal.” It is clear, based on the success of ABC Sports and ABC News, that Arledge lived up to his immodest words.

Arledge died December 5, 2002, due to complications from cancer. He was 71. Arledge served as a trustee of Columbia College from 1999 until his death. He was benefactor of the Roone Arledge Auditorium and Cinema at Columbia and 1998 recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Medal, the alumni association’s highest award.