re: Seriously, if not Bham -- where should the SEC

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Well that's a good point, but since all signs point to ESPN working to develop the ACCN, why not reserve that for them?
Of course the faculty may be big enough to house all 3 or the could expand , which will probably happen.

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Today, ESPN Regional shares a 37,000-square-foot office and studio space in south Charlotte with ESPNU, a dedicated college network available in 75 million homes. The SEC Network will also be housed at the Ballantyne complex.

Justin Connolly, ESPN senior vice president of programming for college networks, will run the SEC Network when it launches in 11 months. Finebaum, hired in May, is the network’s first employee, but 100 to 120 people will work on the dedicated SEC channel by the time it hits the air.

ESPN Regional’s presence here was an important factor in landing the SEC Network. Direct air service from the US Airways hub also was a factor.

Mike Slive, the SEC commissioner, says the goal for the network is simple: to put the conference in front of as many viewers as possible. To make the network legitimate, Finebaum was a game-changer, the commissioner says.


Raycom Sports, formed in 1979, is the oldest sports-media company in Charlotte. Now owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the company works as a subcontractor to ESPN to produce Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball games.

Fifty people work full time for Raycom here. Raycom also runs the ACC website, fan festivals and sponsorship sales for the conference.

Based on the involvement of Raycom and ESPN in ACC broadcasts, it seems likely an ACC network, if created, would find a logical home in Charlotte. ACC executives have discussed the possibility of a conference channel in the past year, but nothing has happened to date.

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More than 10 months out from the launch of the SEC Network, ESPN’s focus has been more on building the infrastructure for the channel than attracting talent.

The Charlotte offices that currently house ESPN Regional Television and ESPNU will soon become the home to the ESPN-run SEC Network, and that means 110 to 120 new employees. They’ll need desks. And studio space.


The SEC is home to nine of the top 10 markets for college football TV ratings.

With the incremental growth in heads and the need for additional studios, ESPN has begun looking into ways to expand its footprint in the Ballantyne business park in south Charlotte. The channel plans to lease extra space across the street from its current location and reconfigure the studio space it already has.

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