Press

CBS Sports Executive Ken Aagaard to Receive New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award

New York, NY | September 17, 2014

New York Festivals Television & Film Awards will honor Ken Aagaard, Executive Vice President, Operations, Engineering & Production Services, CBS Sports with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Aagaard will receive the award at the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards gala on April 14, 2015 at the annual NAB Show.  New York Festivals TV & Film Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes prominent industry leaders whose accomplishments and contributions have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry.

“In the 45 years I have been fortunate enough to be working in the broadcast business, content has always been king and the show has always been the most important,” said Ken Aagaard, Executive Vice President, Operations, Engineering & Production Services, CBS Sports.  “I have also been fortunate to achieve such a long career by surrounding myself with a lot of good people.  I am honored to receive this award and share it with a lifetime of colleagues.”

With a media career spanning over four decades, Ken Aagaard is one of sports television’s most respected broadcast executives. His resume includes high profile global sporting events for many networks including 18 Super Bowls, five World Series, a half dozen Wimbledon matches and French Opens, and three Olympic Games, including the 1988 Games in Seoul where he was VP Operations for NBC Olympics. 

As Executive Vice President, Engineering, Operations and Production Services for CBS Sports, Aagaard is responsible for overseeing operations, engineering and production management for all field events and the CBS Broadcast Center, including logistics and technical support. In addition to overseeing these areas for CBS College Sports Network, his efforts include developing new technology and production enhancements for both CBS Sports and CBS College Sports Network.

Mr. Aagaard introduced multiple critically acclaimed technical achievements including EyeVison, a new technology showing replays in a 3-D way introduced in January 2001 at Super Bowl XXXV, and Swing Vision, a super-slow motion breakdown for replaying golf swings.

Prior to joining CBS Sports in 1998, Aagaard was president of Creative Broadcast Techniques, a company which he established in 1988. While at CBT he worked as a consultant to CBS Sports, to NBC for the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Summer Games, to Fox Studios, Los Angeles, for 1995 NFL football, and HBO for Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour and Paul Simon Live in Central Park concert. He served as operations producer for events including World Figure Skating Championships (1992-95), Super Bowl Television in Los Angeles (1993), Atlanta (1994) and Miami (1995), World Cup Soccer (1994), the New York City Marathon (1994-95) and the NHL All-Star Game (1994).

From his early beginnings as operations director at the local news level for NBC Chicago affiliate, WMAQ to his current position as Executive Vice President, Operations, Engineering & Production Services CBS Sports, Aagaard has overseen operations for events spanning the worlds of sports, music, and news.

As a  member and former chairman of the Sports Video Group (SVG) advisory board, Aagaard also serves as chairman of the SVG Broadcasting Fund Advisory Board, the sports-television industry’s charity fund dedicated to providing assistance to industry professionals and their families in need. Mr. Aagaard will be inducted into the 2014 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

The New York Festivals Awards 2015 ceremony will celebrate the World’s Best TV & Films™, as well as present the Lifetime Achievement Award, Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, and United Nations Department of Public Information Awards. For more information on the 2015 Television & Film Awards visit: www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/

The deadline to enter the 2015 Television & Film Awards competition is October 15, 2014. Entry details and competition rules and regulations can be found on the NYF Television & Film Awards website: www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/. To view the complete list of categories click: HERE

All Entries in the 2015 competition will be judged online and screened by New York Festivals Television & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200 plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the NYF Television & Film Awards website.

Press inquiries are welcome and should be directed to Gayle Mandel: gmandel@internationalawardsgroup.com, Ph: 1 212 643 4800.

About New York Festivals

New York Festivals organizes advertising and programming competitions for the following brands:

AME Awards World's Best Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness™
The Global Awards World's Best Healthcare & Wellness Advertising™

Midas Awards World's Best Financial Advertising™
New York Festivals World's Best Advertising™
New York Festivals World's Best Radio Programs™
New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films™

Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.

About the 2015 NAB Show
NAB Show, held annually in Las Vegas, is the world's largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With nearly 98,000 attendees from 159 countries and more than 1,700 exhibitors, the NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, the NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways. Complete details are available at www.nabshow.com.

About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.