ESPN to close Huntington office

[genlock]

HUNTINGTON -- ESPN will close its Huntington office effective Aug. 1, and the nine employees assigned to the office have been given the option to transfer to Bristol, Conn.

Dan Shoemaker, vice president of Collegiate Development for ESPN who is now based in Charlotte, N.C., visited the Huntington office in the St. James Building on Monday to make the announcement.

"The focus has become the production and support of ESPN's newest network, ESPN3," Shoemaker said. "As it has looked to consolidate those operations and grow ESPN3, this office will become the primary production and support staff for ESPN's growing content division in Bristol."

The sports entertainment company's decision comes after a tremendous experience here in Huntington, Shoemaker said.

"ESPN has enjoyed a long and productive association with the Huntington area and has appreciated the contribution that this area has made to the growth of the company," said Shoemaker, who started the company that was purchased by ESPN in 1994. His company was founded in association with Creative Sports Marketing out of Charlotte.

At that time, the company in Huntington was Creative Productions, which ESPN purchased from Creative Sports.

"It purchased the entire creative company in 1994 and it became ESPN Regional Television Inc.," Shoemaker said. "This office had continued to operate under the ESPN name since 1994, focusing primarily on new productions of ESPN2, ESPNU and now ESPN3 in addition to ESPN's college syndication."

The office had numerous productions in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa, most recently producing a soccer tournament in Hawaii for ESPN3, Shoemaker said.

Seven employees work from Huntington, with one in Nashville, Tenn., and another in Norfolk, Va.

Eight employees associated with Huntington are being offered at least equivalent positions in Bristol and one is being offered an equivalent position in Charlotte.