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Draft:Brian Donlon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian Donlon
EducationPace University (College of White Plains, B.A. Journalism)
The New School (M.A. Media Studies)
OccupationsTelevision producer, media executive, journalist
Years active1978–present
Known forLaunching Cold Pizza and 1st & 10 on ESPN/ESPN2; developing morning programming for Fox Business Network; early champion of televised women's sports at Lifetime.
ChildrenJustin Donlon, Matthew Donlon
AwardsGracie Awards (1996, 1997, 1999, 2003)
Women's Sports Foundation Awards (1997, 1999)

Brian Donlon is an American television producer, media executive, and journalist with over two decades of experience in national news, sports broadcasting, and digital video distribution. He is widely recognized for his role as a format innovator in morning television, having supervised the launch of Cold Pizza and its debate spin-off 1st & 10 (the precursor to First Take) on ESPN2,[1] spearheading the foundational morning programming block for the Fox Business Network[2] and launching the new morning program line-up for Newsy/Scripps News. [3]

Earlier in his career, Donlon served as a journalist for USA Today before transitioning into TV starting with programming at Lifetime Television , where he became a key pioneer in bringing women's professional sports [4]—including the inaugural season of the WNBA [5], the LPGA Tournament of Champions [6] [7] and sponsorship of the FIFA Women's World Cup—to national television.[8]

Early life and education

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Donlon graduated from the College of White Plains of Pace University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He later earned a Master of Arts in Media Studies and Media Management from The New School in New York City.

Career

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While a senior in high school, Donlon interned at The Tablet, the newspaper for the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. At Pace University's College of White Plains he majored in journalism and served as the news editor, layout editor and columnist during his four years at the college paper, The Prestonian.

Following graduation, he began his media career on the sports desk of the Gannett Newspapers in Westchester, N.Y. outside of New York City. There he served as Copy Editor, Sports Television Columnist, Sunday Features Editor and Television Reporter. In 1982, he was part of the launch team for USA Today as an entertainment reporter based in Washington D.C. and later became a reporter covering the TV industry bassed in New York City. From 1990 to 1992, he was also a contributing correspondent for CNBC regualarly appearing on the primetime series, "The Real Story." [9]

Transition to Televsion

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In 1993, he joined Lifetime Television, dedicating his focus to expanding the network's sports, public affairs, and multi-platform media footprint. Promoted to Vice President of Sports, New Media, and Public Affairs in 1996,[10] Donlon actively championed televised women's athletics. He secured broadcast sponsorships and coverage for prominent women's sports milestones, including the all-women's American 3 team[11] for the America's Cup, the Colorado Silver Bullets women's baseball team, and the first national telecast of women's ice hockey featuring the USA Hockey Women's National Team in the Three Nation's Cup. [12]

In 1997, Donlon spearheaded the launch of Lifetime Sports. Under his direction, the network broadcast 10 games during the inaugural season of the WNBA,[13] marking Lifetime's first-ever live sports programming event. He subsequently negotiated broadcast rights contracts with the LPGA and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). His production work during this era earned him multiple Gracie Awards and recognition from the Women's Sports Foundation for several specials and the women's sports magazine series, "Breaking Through."

Digital Media

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At the turn of the millennium, Donlon moved into early digital video space, serving as Vice President and Executive Producer at iVillage [14] for its digital video including Parent Soup, a multi-platform magazine-style program that aired short-form digital video on the web and a half-hour block on the Newborn Channel. The project won a Gracie Award in 2003.

A Return to Sports at ESPN

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In May 2003, Donlon was hired by ESPN [15]to manage a staff of 34 and launch the network's first live morning program, Cold Pizza, which debuted on ESPN2 in October of 2003.[16] As executive producer, Donlon successfully grew the morning daypart's ad revenue. Within the show, he developed a daily sports debate segment called 1st & 10.[17] The segment proved so popular that it spun off into its own program and established the daily structural template later adopted by ESPN's multi-million dollar flagship debate franchise, First Take. [18]

Fox Business, MSNBC, and CNBC (2007–2019)

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In June 2007, Donlon was brought on as part of the senior executive team tasked with launching the Fox Business Network.[19] He supervised the creative production and creation process for the network's entire morning programming block, launching shows such as Fox Business Morning and Money for Breakfast' and "Money for Breakfast Weekend." [20]

From 2010 to 2012, Donlon transitioned to MSNBC as Co-Executive Producer for The Dylan Ratigan Show,[21] where he coordinated production and logistics for two special remote series, "Steel on Wheels" tour and "The 30 Million Jobs Tour." In January 2013, he moved to CNBC, where he served as a Senior Producer for Closing Bell until July 2019.

Scripps News (2020-2024)

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Donlon joined Newsy (later rebranded as **Scripps News**) in July 2021 as Executive Producer of weekday morning live news,[22] establishing dynamic morning news formatting tailored for over-the-top (OTT) streaming and digital over-the-air (OTA) television.

In August of 2023, Scripps News promoted Donlon to Senior Director of Live News Programming.[23] In this executive position, he oversaw all programming, production schedules, program development launching 11 newly created hours of news content[24] that set veiwership highs for both OTT and OTA. In addition, he oversaw the network's 2024 political coverage[25] which included some innovative programming stunts such as the "Midnight Van to Georgia"[26] which featured Scripps News reporters talking to voters in battleground states on a road trip from Washington, DC, to Atlanta as a preview of the 2024 presidential debate [27]. In May 2024, Donlon orchestrated a strategic investigative journalism partnership between Scripps News and ProPublica[28] to produce joint deep-dive investigative reporting broadcasts.

Surprising many of its 200 plus staffers, in September of 2024, Scripps News announced it was shutting down the 24/7 live version of Scripps News and put an end to its OTA distribution. [29] Donlon left the network along with most of his staff following the 2024 Presidential election.

Awards and honors

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  • **1996:** Gracie Award – Best Public Affairs Series (Perspectives on Lifetime)
  • **1997:** Gracie Award – Best Sports Special (Breaking Through, Lifetime)
  • **1997:** Women's Sports Foundation – Outstanding Television Journalism Award (The Quest for Gold, Lifetime)
  • **1999:** Gracie Award – Best Sports Special (Women of the World Cup, Lifetime)
  • **1999:** Women's Sports Foundation – Outstanding Television Journalism Award (Women of the World Cup, Lifetime)
  • **2000:** Named among the "100 Most Influential Irish Americans in Business" by Irish America magazine.
  • **2003:** Gracie Award – Best Magazine Series with Web Site (Parent Soup, iVillage)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Reynoldspublished, Mike (2004-11-08). "Slicing Up a Spinoff". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  2. ^ Staffpublished, M. C. N. (2007-09-13). "FBN Taps Four Executive Producers". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  3. ^ Jacobson, Adam (2021-09-15). "New Programming Lineup, News Teams for Newsy | Radio & Television Business Report". Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  4. ^ "The 100 Most Influential Irish Americans in Business: Brian Donlon". www.irishamerica.com. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  5. ^ "THE WNBA: A LEAGUE WITH NO PLAYERS, BUT THREE TV PARTNERS". Sports Business Journal. 2026-05-28. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  6. ^ "LPGA SIGNS DEAL TO SHOW TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ON LIFETIME". Sports Business Journal. 2026-05-28. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  7. ^ Brockinton, Langdon (2026-05-28). "Raycom nearly out of time for ABC's college hoops games". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  8. ^ "HAMM, KWAN & VENUS TOP THE DAILY'S MOST MARKETABLE POLL". Sports Business Journal. 2026-05-28. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  9. ^ "CABLE HEAVY ON ORIGINAL FARE FOR 1991-92". Chicago Tribune. 1991-09-22. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  10. ^ "LIFETIME DEVELOPS DIVISION FOR WOMEN'S SPORTS PROGRAMMING". Sports Business Journal. 2026-05-28. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  11. ^ Zad, Martie (1995-01-08). "AMERICAN WOMEN ROCK THE BOAT". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  12. ^ "1997 Three Nations' Cup". whockey.com. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  13. ^ SLUSSER, SUSAN (1998-06-10). "Lifetime to Make a Story Out of WNBA". SFGATE. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  14. ^ Alleynepublished, P. Llanor (2002-03-11). "Fates & Fortunes". Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  15. ^ "ESPN2's 'Cold Pizza' warms up". The Washington Times. 2004-05-23. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  16. ^ "ESPN2'S `COLD PIZZA' MAKES ITS MORNING DEBUT". Chicago Tribune. 2003-10-21. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  17. ^ "ESPN Makes "Cold Pizza" Feature A Daily Show; ESPN2 HD News". Sports Business Journal. 2026-05-28. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  18. ^ "Sage Journals: Discover world-class research". Sage Journals. doi:10.1177/0193723519881199. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  19. ^ Staffpublished, M. C. N. (2007-09-13). "FBN Taps Four Executive Producers". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  20. ^ "What Makes Alexis Glick Click? - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  21. ^ "The Dylan Ratigan Show and Nucor Corporation team up for 'Steel on Wheels'". NBC News. 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  22. ^ "Newsy Announces New Programming Lineup & New Leadership". Scripps. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  23. ^ Ahmed, Mariam (2023-10-24). "Scripps News appoints Donlon senior director, live news programming". Talking Biz News. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  24. ^ "Scripps News announces five new programs". NewscastStudio. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  25. ^ "Scripps News Answers TVNewser's 2024 RNC Questionnaire". 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  26. ^ "Here's Why Scripps News is Taking the Midnight Van to Georgia for CNN's Debate". 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  27. ^ Fine, Sarah (2024-06-28). "Scripps News viewers weigh in on 'Midnight Van to Georgia' road trip for debate". Scripps News. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  28. ^ Media, Cynopsis (2024-05-15). "Cynopsis 05/15/24: In the pink at the Prime Video upfront event". Cynopsis. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  29. ^ Vesoulis, Abby. "Watching the media reckoning unfold in a now-shuttered broadcast newsroom". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
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