TVNewser has obtained an email from ABCNews.com announcing that EP Chris Sheridan, is leaving his post as EP of the site to join ESPN.

He will be a producer with the team launching the new nine hours of SportsCenter, as well as work on SportsCenter.com debuting later this summer.

Sheridan previously worked at MSNBC and NBC as well as at other posts within ABC before joining ABCNews.com in June 2007.

Deirdre Michalopoulos, who was recently promoted to managing editor of ABCNews.com, is responsible for day to day editorial content and production of the site. A new EP will be named soon.

Sheridan's email to his staff, after the jump...

To the team:

I tried to get hold of each of you but I know there are some whom I didn't get to and who were not able to attend today's meeting with Paul...

As I told the group earlier, it's with very mixed emotions that I announce that I will be leaving dot.com and ABC News. But I won't be going far-- just up the road to Bristol at ESPN. I've been invited to come and be a part of the team that will launch 9 new hours of SportsCenter a day and launch a revitalized SportsCenter.com later this summer. The chance to join that team and help extend the premiere brand in sports journalism both on television and on the web is one I just can't pass up.

As excited as I am about this new challenge, it is certainly a tad bitter-sweet. We have done great things over the last year; by the numbers, we've hit consecutive months of record traffic, shown huge percentage increases year over year in every category, and we've increased show participation across the board. Together we've also raised the profile and the respect of dot.com inside the news division and have made it a truly terrific place to work. You should all be very proud of the changes you embraced and the work that you've done. I have no doubt that all of these successes are just the beginning.

While there will be time for cakes and toasts and goodbyes, let me say here that it has been a pleasure and privilege. I thank each of you for teaching an old TV guy some new tricks, and for making my first dot.com experience such a rich and rewarding one.

Chris