Eleanor Sanger
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Sanger was a 7-time Emmy-award winning television writer and producer, who was the first woman Network Sports Producer.
“Women television producers are still as rare as Howard Cosell
’s silences, but at least one has begun to break through the double barriers of televised sports. That rarity is Eleanor (Sanger) Riger, the lone distaff on any network sports team.” The New York Times, January 8, 1974.
in 1929, Sanger was the daughter of Richard Sanger
(1894–1957) and Lonni Wheeler, née Wernicke (1891–1987). Her father was a sales executive for Standard Oil of California posted in the Orient for almost 30 years. Her mother was a native of Berlin, Germany. In Hong Kong, Sanger attended the Peak School
, and later the British Central School
. When the family was at home in Cambridge, Massachusetts she attended what is now the Buckingham Browne & Nichols
School. In 1950 Sanger graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from Smith College
, with a degree in Government. In 1952 she completed post-graduate work at the Russian Institute (now The Harriman Institute
), at Columbia University.
, Richard Heffner
’s award winning series that celebrated its 50th. year on the air in 2006. In 1966, Sanger into Sports as the Manager of Client Relations and Associate Producer for ABC Sports where she stayed until 1970—with a stint as a writer on ABC News
in 1967. From 1970 to 1973, Sanger was a Producer Writer for Tomorrow Entertainment producing various documentaries, including "Day of the Big Horn" starring John Denver
, Tommy Tompkins, and the elusive Big horn sheep themselves.
challenge by the National Organization of Women of ABC’s allegedly discriminatory hiring and programming practices, and a long-standing working relationship with the head of Sports, Roone Arledge
, for Sanger to be re-hired by ABC Sports as a full-fledged Producer, Writer, and Director in 1973; a post she held full-time through 1986. This assignment began in 1974 with a focus on women in sports, including a $200,000 prime-time Women’s Sports special sponsored by Colgate
, narrated by Dinah Shore
, featuring Billie Jean King
, Olga Korbut
, jockey Robin Smyth and The Princess Anne
. Sanger’s association with women’s sports continued, including her mentoring of other women in the business, passing along her belief that you could succeed without imitating your male counterparts.
Interviewed in 1974 by the New York Times, Sanger’s closing quote was “I’ll leave the football games to the guys,” she said. “They do them fine.” She had it wrong, eventually winning an Emmy Award for her coverage of NCAA football in 1988. In fact during her ABC career there wasn't a sport, played by men or women, (including the Scottish Highland Games
) that Sanger didn’t produce. In addition, Sanger’s trips to China and North Korea covering ping pong tournaments, made her a unique academic resource on how the Western media was treated early on.
, Summer Olympics, Seoul South Korea, 1988.
in 1982, awarded to "those alumnae who, in the judgment of the trustees, exemplify in their lives and work the true purpose of a liberal arts education." From 1991 to 1993 Sanger sat on the Smith College Medal Committee. Sanger’s papers are part of the Sophia Smith Collection
at Smith.
Sanger was a member of the Advisory Board of the Women’s Sports Foundation, she was a Member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
, Writers Guild of America
, and the Directors Guild of America
. She was a founding Editor of Ms. Magazine
(1972), and on the Advisory Board of the National Women’s Conference to Prevent Nuclear War (1974). Finally, she was Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Media Arts Department at the University of Arizona
from 1990 to 1993.
(June 4, 1924 – May 19, 1995), they had four children: Christopher Robin Riger (1951), Victoria Eleanor Riger (1952), Robert Paris Riger (1960), Charlotte Irene Riger (1963). Sanger's sister, Helen Sanger, born in Java, lives in New York city; her eldest sister (Lonni) Charlotte Sanger Ward, died in 12 August 1955. Sanger and Riger divorced in 1981; and she remarried Peter L. Keys in 1984; they moved first to the Cotswolds in England where Sanger produced weekly US Football games for British television, she then returned to live in Tucson, Arizona. Before she died of Cancer in 1993, Sanger moved back to Martha's Vineyard
, a place she first visited in the 1930s and 40's, where she was married to Riger, and summered in Edgartown and later West Tisbury
.
Sanger and Riger are buried side by side in Village Cemetery, West Tisbury, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard.
“Women television producers are still as rare as Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
’s silences, but at least one has begun to break through the double barriers of televised sports. That rarity is Eleanor (Sanger) Riger, the lone distaff on any network sports team.” The New York Times, January 8, 1974.
Background and Education
Born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1929, Sanger was the daughter of Richard Sanger
Charles Robert Sanger
Charles Robert Sanger was a chemist and professor at Harvard University whose research centered on detecting and curing the causes of illness caused by chemicals in the home.-Early life :...
(1894–1957) and Lonni Wheeler, née Wernicke (1891–1987). Her father was a sales executive for Standard Oil of California posted in the Orient for almost 30 years. Her mother was a native of Berlin, Germany. In Hong Kong, Sanger attended the Peak School
Peak School
Peak School is a school on Plunketts road in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The school opened in 1994, and teaches students from Year One to Year Six....
, and later the British Central School
Former Kowloon British School
The building of Former Kowloon British School is located 136, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.-History:It is the oldest surviving school building which is constructed for children of overseas parents living in Hong Kong. In 1900, Mr. Ho Tung donated $15,000 to the Government to set...
. When the family was at home in Cambridge, Massachusetts she attended what is now the Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, often referred to as BB&N, is a private school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by the Charles River. The school educates students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was established by a merge of two independent schools, the Buckingham School founded...
School. In 1950 Sanger graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, with a degree in Government. In 1952 she completed post-graduate work at the Russian Institute (now The Harriman Institute
Harriman Institute
The Harriman Institute, the first academic center in the United States devoted to the interdisciplinary study of Russia and the Soviet Union, was founded at Columbia University in 1946, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, as the Russian Institute....
), at Columbia University.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
Early career
From 1957-60, Sanger was the Manager of Public Affairs, at Station WNBC-TV, New York City. She told the New York Times later that "'the only place women were allowed then was in Religious Programming,' noting that when she quit as WNBC's manager of Public Affairs in 1961 she was replaced in the job by two men each making twice as much as she had." During the same period, she was also the Associate Producer (1957–1960) and Producer (1960–1963) of the Open MindOpen Mind
Open Mind may refer to:* Open Mind , 1984 album by Jean-Luc Ponty* Open Mind , American Champion racehorse* Keep Your Mind Wide Open, a 2007 song by AnnaSophia Robb* The Open Mind, a long-running public affairs talk show...
, Richard Heffner
Richard Heffner
Richard Douglas Heffner is the creator and host of The Open Mind, a public affairs television show first broadcast in 1956. He is a University Professor of Communications and Public Policy at Rutgers University and also teaches an honors seminar at New York University...
’s award winning series that celebrated its 50th. year on the air in 2006. In 1966, Sanger into Sports as the Manager of Client Relations and Associate Producer for ABC Sports where she stayed until 1970—with a stint as a writer on ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in 1967. From 1970 to 1973, Sanger was a Producer Writer for Tomorrow Entertainment producing various documentaries, including "Day of the Big Horn" starring John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
, Tommy Tompkins, and the elusive Big horn sheep themselves.
First Woman Sports Producer
It took a Title IXTitle IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
challenge by the National Organization of Women of ABC’s allegedly discriminatory hiring and programming practices, and a long-standing working relationship with the head of Sports, Roone Arledge
Roone Arledge
Roone Pickney Arledge, Jr. was an American sports broadcasting pioneer who was chairman of ABC News from 1977 until several years before his death, and a key part of the company's rise to competition with the two other main television networks, NBC and CBS, in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.-Early...
, for Sanger to be re-hired by ABC Sports as a full-fledged Producer, Writer, and Director in 1973; a post she held full-time through 1986. This assignment began in 1974 with a focus on women in sports, including a $200,000 prime-time Women’s Sports special sponsored by Colgate
Colgate
- Places :*Colgate, West Sussex, UK*Colgate, North Dakota, USA*Colgate, Wisconsin, USA*Colgate, Saskatchewan, India- People :*Pat Colgate, the artistic director of the Placer Theatre Ballet dance company...
, narrated by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, featuring Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
, Olga Korbut
Olga Korbut
Olga Valentinovna Korbut , also known as the Sparrow from Minsk, is a Belarusian, Soviet-born gymnast who won four gold medals and two silver medals at the Summer Olympics, in which she competed in 1972 and 1976 for the USSR team....
, jockey Robin Smyth and The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. Sanger’s association with women’s sports continued, including her mentoring of other women in the business, passing along her belief that you could succeed without imitating your male counterparts.
Interviewed in 1974 by the New York Times, Sanger’s closing quote was “I’ll leave the football games to the guys,” she said. “They do them fine.” She had it wrong, eventually winning an Emmy Award for her coverage of NCAA football in 1988. In fact during her ABC career there wasn't a sport, played by men or women, (including the Scottish Highland Games
Highland games
Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
) that Sanger didn’t produce. In addition, Sanger’s trips to China and North Korea covering ping pong tournaments, made her a unique academic resource on how the Western media was treated early on.
Emmy Award Winning Olympic Games
Sanger received six Emmy Awards, for her work as Producer on the Winter and Summer Olympics: 1968 – Grenoble, France and Mexico City, Mexico; 1976, Innsbruck, Austria and Montreal, Canada; 1984 – Sarajevo, Yugoslavia and Los Angeles, California. Producer Winter Olympics 1980, Lake Placid, USA. Producer Bobsled and Luge competition, 1988, Calgary, Canada. Producer Equestrian Events, NBC SportsNBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
, Summer Olympics, Seoul South Korea, 1988.
Smith College Medal
Sanger received the Smith College MedalSmith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in 1982, awarded to "those alumnae who, in the judgment of the trustees, exemplify in their lives and work the true purpose of a liberal arts education." From 1991 to 1993 Sanger sat on the Smith College Medal Committee. Sanger’s papers are part of the Sophia Smith Collection
Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. It was founded by Margaret Storrs Grierson in 1942 to be the library's distinctive contribution to the college's mission...
at Smith.
Sanger was a member of the Advisory Board of the Women’s Sports Foundation, she was a Member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
, Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
, and the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
. She was a founding Editor of Ms. Magazine
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
(1972), and on the Advisory Board of the National Women’s Conference to Prevent Nuclear War (1974). Finally, she was Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Media Arts Department at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
from 1990 to 1993.
Family
In 1950, Sanger married sports illustrator and photographer Robert Nelson RigerRobert Riger
Robert Riger was a celebrated sports illustrator, photographer, award-winning television director, and cinematographer....
(June 4, 1924 – May 19, 1995), they had four children: Christopher Robin Riger (1951), Victoria Eleanor Riger (1952), Robert Paris Riger (1960), Charlotte Irene Riger (1963). Sanger's sister, Helen Sanger, born in Java, lives in New York city; her eldest sister (Lonni) Charlotte Sanger Ward, died in 12 August 1955. Sanger and Riger divorced in 1981; and she remarried Peter L. Keys in 1984; they moved first to the Cotswolds in England where Sanger produced weekly US Football games for British television, she then returned to live in Tucson, Arizona. Before she died of Cancer in 1993, Sanger moved back to Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
, a place she first visited in the 1930s and 40's, where she was married to Riger, and summered in Edgartown and later West Tisbury
West Tisbury
West Tisbury is the name of two places:*West Tisbury, Wiltshire, England*West Tisbury, Massachusetts, USA...
.
Sanger and Riger are buried side by side in Village Cemetery, West Tisbury, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard.