Nov. 14, 2007

NEW YORK- CSTV will honor CBS Sports Hall of Fame broadcaster Lesley Visser and Washington Mystics President Sheila Johnson with the network's "Women In Sports Trailblazers" Award.  The award was created by CSTV as it commemorates the 35^th anniversary of Title IX and honors leaders who have advanced opportunities for women in sports.  

CSTV will honor Visser and Johnson on Friday, Nov. 16 (7:30 AM, ET) during a reception in the Conference Theatre at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. This event is being held in conjunction with the annual Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Gala. 

Earlier this year, CSTV recognized University of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow as trailblazers, for their contributions and impact on women's sports. 

Visser is the first and only woman to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio and Television Award. Her career in television and as a reporter for the Boston Globe have been marked by many firsts, paving the way for countless women who have followed in her footsteps. She is the only sportscaster in history who has worked on the network broadcast of the Men's NCAA Division I Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open Tennis and World Figure Skating Championship. Visser became the first woman sportscaster to carry the Olympic Torch when she was honored in 2004 by the International Olympic Committee as a "pioneer and standard-bearer."

Johnson is President and Managing Partner for the WNBA's Washington Mystics.  Johnson is the first African-American woman to be an owner or have a stake in three professional franchises; the Mystics, Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.  Johnson is a founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET).  She currently is CEO of Salamander Hospitality, LLC, and a global ambassador for the humanitarian organization CARE.  Johnson has been honored for her philanthropic efforts and currently serves on the boards of Americans for the Arts, the Curry School of Education Foundation at the University of Virginia, University of Illinois Foundation, VH1 Save the Music and Parsons The New School For Design.

CSTV, a leader in women's sports programming, provides comprehensive on-air and online coverage of the entire landscape of collegiate women's sports.  CSTV airs numerous live women's sports events and original programming features every year, while CSTV.com serves at the complete source for women's sports news, information and analysis. CSTV will again feature the Big East Women's Basketball Game of the Week, a national package showcasing the top rivalries and games from the Big East Conference for the 2007-08 basketball season.