When David Berson joined ESPN in 1994, he plowed through several entry-level jobs. He was a screener — somebody who watched the networks and made sure the correct ads ran and the shows started on time. He was a programming assistant — somebody who did everything, from making copies and getting coffee to helping decide how to program the networks.
The way Berson approached those jobs helped pave a career path that eventually led to the top spot at CBS Sports, according to executives who worked with him. Last week, the network announced that Berson will replace Sean McManus as the head of CBS Sports after next year’s Masters.
David Berson will lead CBS Sports.Michele Crowe / CBS
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Mark Shapiro was an ESPN executive at the time. He recalled how Berson would walk into his office most mornings at 7 a.m. with ideas on programming strategies, rights renewals … you name it. Shapiro is a media executive known for his own abundant energy and relentless work ethic. So it means a lot to hear him describe Berson’s energy levels and work ethic as “unmatched.”
“He’s quiet and understated and unbelievably selfless,” Shapiro said. “At the same time, he is one of the most polished and talented executives in the media industry.”
Shapiro highlighted Berson’s performance in 2001, just after ESPN lost NASCAR rights to Fox, NBC and TNT. “We were in kind of a tailspin,” Shapiro recalled. “And David just took charge without bias or prejudice, no heart involved. He just used data and instincts on what should be programmed — and when and where it should be programmed — to maximize ratings. We went into a two-year, quarter-over-quarter run once he took control of all scheduling of the ESPN networks. I can’t say enough about him.”
Burke Magnus joined ESPN just a year after Berson and was one of two programming assistants — Berson was the other — reporting to John Wildhack, who is now Syracuse’s athletic director. Money was so tight at ESPN at that time that Berson and Magnus shared a cubicle, sitting back-to-back.
In those days, Berson gained a reputation in the office as an unusually loud typist. “I can vouch for the fact that he was relentless on the keys,” Magnus said with a laugh.
Back in the mid-1990s, neither Berson nor Magnus had any aspirations that a few decades later they both would command two of the most coveted positions in sports media. But, like Shapiro, Magnus suspected that Berson would be successful, specifically citing his high energy level and infectious enthusiasm.
“He was so high energy and so relentless that it drove me to be the same,” Magnus said. “I figured that I had to go toe-to-toe with David because we were both in the same position and were undoubtedly being compared to each other.
“He’s just smart, curious and good natured. People like working with him.”
John Ourand can be reached at jourand@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on X @Ourand_SBJ and read his weekly newsletter and listen to his weekly podcast.
