ESPN Names Bornstein Chairman

ESPN President Steven Bornstein, who has overseen the leading cable sports network’s rapid growth, was promoted Thursday to the new position of chairman to concentrate on further expansion.

George Bodenheimer, ESPN’s top sales and marketing executive, was appointed president and will be in charge of programming and day-to-day operations, ESPN parent ABC Inc. said.

ESPN and its “SportsCenter” highlights show are seen in more than 75 million homes. ESPN remains the dominant network for cable sports viewers. But ESPN faces a continuing challenge from Fox Sports Net, a network of 22 regional sports channels that spent heavily last week to lure former “SportsCenter” anchors Keith Olbermann and Chris Myers.

Since Bornstein became president in 1990, the company has added a radio network and three cable channels: ESPNews, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic, formerly Classic Sports Network.

Bornstein and Bodenheimer both said they expect ESPN to eventually add more channels as the growth of digital television creates more space for cable operators to fill.