In 2017, ESPN Radio will celebrate its 25th anniversary, kicking off with a 25th Anniversary Special hosted by Keith Olbermann, with guests Tony Bruno and Chuck Wilson – all voices on the first ESPN Radio broadcast — airing Wednesday, Jan. 4, from 7 – 9 p.m. ET. The anniversary special will re-air on ESPN Radio periodically throughout 2017.
“ESPN Radio has been around for 25 years serving sports fans on the go wherever and whenever. We have evolved over time, adapting as sports fans have adapted, to new ways of listening while all along maintaining strong relationships with our over 500 affiliates across the country,” said Traug Keller, senior vice president, ESPN Audio. “From compelling talk programming to the strongest package of play-by-play content in the industry, ESPN Radio has consistently been the leader among sports broadcasters. We’re incredibly grateful to all the hard-working individuals who have contributed so much to the network over the years — both behind and in front of the mic. Bringing back Keith, Tony and Chuck was a way for us to tip our hats to the folks who got us started.”
Throughout 2017, ESPN Radio will revisit pivotal moments in sports from the past 25 years. From January 9 through December 11, the network will offer the bi-weekly 25 Stories in Sports from the Last 25 Years podcast series, which will be hosted by various ESPN Radio voices and discuss some of the landmark sporting events since 1992. The podcasts will be available on the ESPN app and as a series on ESPNRadio.com.
Also beginning in January, ESPN Radio will explore the Top 25 of the last 25 years – Best Coaches, Best Fights, Most Underrated Athletes and more – with one list debuting each month through 2017 on ESPNRadio.com. In addition, vignettes showcasing “This Week in Sports History” will run weekdays during ESPN Radio’s talk programming.
ESPN Radio launched on January 1, 1992, with 16 hours per week of sports news and information. The network has since grown to provide more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, and reaches 20 million listeners a week on 500 nationwide stations. Over the last quarter-century, ESPN Radio has created provocative and entertaining programming including Mike & Mike, The Dan Le Batard Show, The Fabulous Sports Babe, The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd and more.