Ebersol Is Named Head of NBC Sports

Dick Ebersol, one of the creators of “Saturday Night Live,” Tuesday was named the president of NBC Sports, effective May 1.

He will replace Art Watson, who has been president of the network’s sports division since 1979 and has been with NBC since 1956.

Watson, 54, will remain with the network as an executive vice-president until his anticipated retirement next year. In his new position, Watson will continue to be involved in rights negotiations.

Ebersol, 41, started at ABC Sports in 1967 as an Olympics researcher and became executive assistant to Roone Arledge, the department’s president, in 1971. Ebersol also was a college football producer.

At 28, Ebersol became an NBC vice-president after he and an independent producer, Lorne Michaels, created “Saturday Night Live” in 1975. Ebersol, currently the producer of “Later With Bob Costas,” is married to actress Susan Saint James.

Tuesday’s announcement came as a surprise. It had been speculated that when Watson retired, either Ken Schanzer, current executive vice-president of sports, or Al Barber, the network’s executive vice-president who oversees sports, would become president.