ESPN Deportes Radio Launches in Three Additional Markets and Adds Hugo Sanchez, Coach of the Mexican National Soccer Team, to Talent Line-up

“ESPN, Inc., announced today that ESPN Deportes Radio, the only around-the-clock national Spanish-language radio network in the U.S., will launch in three new markets – Dallas, New Jersey and Knoxville. ESPN Deportes Radio can now be heard on KNIT 1480-AM in the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area, WADB-1330-AM serving the central region of New Jersey and WKCE-AM in Knoxville, Tennessee. The affiliate in Dallas will be managed and operated by ESPN, Inc., making it the first Spanish-language radio station to be fully managed by the company.

In addition, the radio network announced today an exclusive agreement with Hugo Sanchez, head coach of the Mexican National Soccer team. Under the agreement, Sanchez will join ESPN Deportes Radio soccer experts Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra to co-host Hugo Sanchez en Estado Puro, a talk show that will explore current events in the world of Mexican soccer and beyond. Hugo Sanchez en Estado Puro will be aired Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, the agreement grants ESPN Deportes Radio exclusive one-hour interviews with Sanchez prior to and after each match featuring the Mexican National Soccer team.

“This is a significant step forward in our effort to make ESPN Deportes Radio available to Hispanics in large and emerging markets in the U.S.,” said Oscar Ramos, senior director and general manager, ESPN Deportes Radio. “The addition of these radio stations brings the coverage of ESPN Deportes Radio to 45% of the Hispanic population in the U.S.

Added Ramos: “We are also honored that Hugo Sanchez, a legend and hero to soccer fans, has agreed to join our team. This deal will provide us unmatched access to a wealth of news, information and insights on the Mexican National Soccer team and will allow us to feed the appetite Hispanic fans have for more information in Spanish.”

With these new affiliates, ESPN Deportes Radio now has presence in 12 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets – Los Angeles, New York (the New Jersey affiliate is part of the New York DMA), Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego, Fresno, El Paso, Albuquerque, Austin, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Tucson. The radio network is also available nationally on SIRUS Satellite Radio.

About Hugo Sanchez:

Born in Mexico in 1958, Sanchez, who currently serves as the coach of the Mexico National Football team, is considered one of the greatest soccer legends of all times. One of the world’s most prolific scorers of his era, Sanchez played twelve seasons in the Spanish Primera Division, and is the second highest goalscorer in the history of that league. He played for the Mexico National Team for 17 years and participated in the World Cups of 1978, 1986, and 1994. After winning two championships as head coach of the club UNAM Pumas and briefly with Necaxa, both teams in the Mexican first division, Sanchez was named head coach of the Mexican national team, aimed to reach the World Cup 2010. In 1999, he was voted the 26th best footballer in history, and the best footballer from the North America, Central America, and the Caribbean area by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

ESPN Deportes Radio offers a variety of sports talk programming and events, highlighted by exclusive, national Spanish-language broadcasts of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, League Championship Series, and World Series. The radio network also features coverage of Mexican League Soccer with exclusive broadcasts of all the Chivas de Guadalajara home matches, exclusive coverage of Copa America soccer tournament, UEFA Champions League and much more. In 2006 ESPN Deportes Radio became the exclusive Spanish-language radio home of EURO 2008 and NASCAR.

ESPN Deportes is the brand under which ESPN Inc. has been serving U.S. Hispanic sports fans since 2000. In addition to ESPN Deportes Radio, the only around-the-clock national Spanish-language radio network in the U.S., the roster of branded initiatives now includes ESPN Deportes TV; ESPNdeportes.com, the leading Spanish-language sports site in the U.S.; ESPN Deportes La Revista, the only general sports Spanish-language magazine in the U.S.; and ESPN Deportes Wireless, which offers mobile phone subscribers images of their favorite Latino sports stars.

ESPN Radio is the nation’s largest sports radio network, providing more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content to more than 335 full-time affiliates. It is also the exclusive national radio network of the NBA, Major League Baseball and Bowl Championship Series.”

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