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New York(Oct 31, 2007) - The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Ceremony will be hosted by renowned sports broadcasters Jim Nantz of CBS Sports and Bob Costas of NBC Sports/HBO. The event, which will induct 11 leading figures in the history of sports on television, is scheduled for the evening of Dec. 11, 2007 at the New York Hilton in New York City.

The Sports Video Group (SVG), along with leading executives from the sports world established the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, a first of its kind to honor executives from the worlds of sports, technology and broadcasting.

"Having two of the most recognized figures in sports broadcasting host our ceremony further underscores the widespread industry support we are receiving for this long-overdue event," explains Selection Committee Chairman Ken Aagaard, who is also senior vice president, Operations and Production Services, CBS Sports. "This will truly be an evening in which the luminaries in sports broadcasting come out to honor their own and recognize those giants who came before us."

Lead play-by-play NFL announcer for CBS, Jim Nantz has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Network since 1985. This year marks Nantz's 21st year covering the Final Four. His extensive credits include serving as host of THE SUPER BOWL TODAY, CBS Sports' Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game show; anchor of CBS's golf coverage, including the Masters and the PGA Championship; lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball, including the Final Four and Championship game; and primetime host of CBS Sports' coverage of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. Nantz was named the 2005 National Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Bob Costas, a 27-year veteran of NBC Sports, has hosted seven Olympics and been prominently involved in virtually every major sports event, including numerous World Series, Super Bowl and NBA Finals broadcasts. He is the host of NBC's Sunday evening NFL program, "Football Night in America." Costas, who joined HBO Sports in February 2001, is also the host of "Costas Now," a hard-hitting, intelligent and topical sports series. He has also received 15 Sports Emmys as a broadcaster and two Sports Emmys for writing and another as host of the general interest program "Later with Bob Costas" on NBC. His book "Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball," published in the spring of 2000 spent several weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

The inaugural class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame includes:

Roone Arledge: Chairman of ABC Sports from 1977 until 2002, Arledge is the unquestionable father of the modern era of TV sports broadcasting.

Julius Barnathan: For more than 40 years Jules helped transform ABC Sports and the Olympic games into a technical powerhouse.

Frank Chirkinian: While at CBS Sports Frank revolutionized PGA coverage and turned the Masters into a TV sports mainstay.

Howard Cosell: Truly one of a kind, Howard changed the role of the sportscaster and in two-minutes during halftime of every MNF telecast helped redefine the way viewers and producers approached highlights.

Harry Coyle: The center-field shot in baseball? it was Harry’s idea and still remains the defining element of a baseball telecast.

Jim McKay: From 1961-1998 Jim hosted ABC’s Wide World of Sports, transforming the very definition of televised sports into something more than just baseball and football.

Pete Rozelle: From 1960-1989 Pete turned the NFL into the premier sports league in the country and helped make the NFL the first league to broadcast every game on TV.

Ed Sabol: For more than 30 years Ed brought fans closer to the action than ever through NFL Films, the company he founded.

Tom Shelburne: The founder of NEP SuperShooters Shelburne played a huge role in establishing the remote production vehicle market that plays an integral part in every TV sports production.

Larry Thorpe: One has to wonder where HDTV sports, would be without him. And not just for his constant cheerleading of the format around the globe but also his integral role in the development of the CCD and the color studio camera.

George Wensel: George embodied the sports TV technical professional during his short life, becoming a “must have” tech during his days at NEP.

The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is produced by the Sports Video Group (SVG), an association dedicated to advancing the creation, production and distribution of sports content. For more information about SVG visit www.sportsvideo.org

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Committee