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ESPN Exec David Roberts Retires After 22 Years, Viewership Peaks

5/1/2026

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Summary

Roberts Retires

David Roberts will retire as ESPN executive vice president at the end of August 2026 after 22 years.
The 6 p.m. SportsCenter, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, and Saturday morning edition each achieved their highest Q1 2026 viewership.
Roberts cancelled SC6 and The Right Time, did not re-sign their hosts, and promoted analyst Will Cain opposite host Stephen A. Smith on First Take, helping Cain land Fox News show and JD Vance interview.

Summary

Roberts Retires

David Roberts became Ohio’s first Black news director at WDTN and Georgia’s first in 1996.
He entered the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame in 2023 and earned the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Silver Circle honor in 2024.
After Roberts’ retirement, 2025 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree Mike Foss will assume a role overseeing the audio revamp that added a new weekday lineup.

History

Historical Context

In 1978 Roone Arledge hired Max Robinson as the first African-American network news anchor, placing him in ABC’s new three-anchor World News Tonight with Frank Reynolds in Washington and Peter Jennings in London. The move helped ABC compete with NBC and CBS and led Robinson to co-found the National Association of Black Journalists, cementing a push for greater representation that still shapes newsroom hiring today.

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Roberts Retires

David Roberts will retire as ESPN executive vice president at the end of August 2026 after 22 years.
The 6 p.m. SportsCenter, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, and Saturday morning edition each achieved their highest Q1 2026 viewership.
Roberts cancelled SC6 and The Right Time, did not re-sign their hosts, and promoted analyst Will Cain opposite host Stephen A. Smith on First Take, helping Cain land Fox News show and JD Vance interview.

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