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| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ESPN, Inc. (Disney 80%/Hearst 20%) |
| History | |
| Launch date | October 5, 2005; 20 years ago (2005-10-05) |
| Closed | September 8, 2019; 6 years ago (2019-09-08) |
| Replaced by | Unanimo Deportes (in some markets) |
| Coverage | |
| Availability | National, through regional affiliates andsatellite radio |
| Links | |
| Website | ESPN Deportes Radio |
ESPN Deportes Radio was an AmericanSpanish languagesports radio network created and produced byDisney-ownedESPN. Programming included call-in talk shows and commentary from hosts about a full range of sporting events, includingsoccer,American football,baseball andboxing.
The network had stations in 15 states in the United States (Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington). It was also available terrestrially in Puerto Rico and in northern Mexico (by spillover radio signals) and was available nationally in the US onSirius XM Radio on Channel 149.
The network shut down on September 8, 2019.
ESPN Deportes Radio featured sports news and talk in Spanish, with a special emphasis on soccer. Popular personalities on the network includedJorge Ramos, Fernando Alvarez, Hernan Pereyra, José del Valle,Kenneth Garay, Rafael Ramos Villagrana, Elmer Polanco, Armando Talavera Broderick Zerpa, Giovanni Scavia, Omar Fuentes, Jairo Moncada, Noe Vazquez, Diego Cora, Miguel Mannella, Dairon Esmoriz, Humberto Carrera, José Francisco Rivera, Oscar Restrepo, Alberto "Mono" Gambetta, David Lopez, Miguel Angel Cebreros, Dionisio Estrada, Bernardo Pilatti, Guillermo Celis, Renato Bermudez, Alvaro Riet, Omar Orlando Salazar, David Faitelson, Carlos Arratia and Luis Escobar.
ESPN Deportes as well as its English counterpartESPN Radio were retained by Disney in the sale of ABC Radio toCitadel Broadcasting, then toCumulus Media. The network wasflagshipped atWMYM inMiami, Florida, which was not owned by Disney (it sold the station, then aRadio Disney outlet, in 2015) but had been operated by Disney for several years before that.[1]
On June 11, 2019, ESPN announced that it would be discontinuing the ESPN Deportes Radio network on September 8, 2019, citing consumer habits within the demographic skewing towards digital platforms, the lack of a cohesive sports culture among the United States' various Spanish-speaking communities, and the cost, expense and complications of running a full-time radio network. ESPN plans to convert some of the network's programming topodcasts. 10 full-time employees and 25 part-time employees would be laid off as a result of the closures.[2][1]
Most stations became affiliates of rival Spanish-language sports networkTUDN Radio and the newly launchedUnanimo Deportes radio network (which is run by ESPN Deportes alumnus Lino García and also based at WMYM), whileWEPN inNew York City became a pass-through for the national ESPN Radio programs and local overflow not cleared by sister stationWEPN-FM.[3][4]
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