SportsNation Debuts Oct. 23 Increasing ESPN Radio Interactivity

John Seibel and Orestes Destrade to Co-Host Weekdays 4-6:30 p.m. ET

October 18, 2007 -- Afternoon drive time on ESPN Radio will present a new level of listener involvement starting Tuesday, Oct. 23 when SportsNation with John Seibel and Orestes Destrade debuts in the 4-6:30 p.m. ET time slot Monday-Friday. (In deference to football programming, SportsNation will be aired Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday during the season.)

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SportsNation on ESPN Radio will tie into ESPN.com’s “SportsNation” page, the site where sports fans discuss the day’s issues and vote on topical polls. Prior to their show, Seibel and Orestes will “chat” with listeners who will help format each afternoon’s program by telling the co-hosts what they feel are the hot topics of the day. During the show, the daily SportsNation on ESPN Radio poll on the ESPN.com “SportsNation” page will be updated and discussed, as will other poll results and fan feedback on the page.

"The voice of the fan is a key part of radio's success, and SportsNation with John and Orestes will take advantage of the rich fan interaction within our ESPN.com franchises,” said Mo Davenport, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Radio. “We will do chats, and participate in our popular conversation pages. Sports talk is about an ongoing conversation with our fans, and SportsNation will use ESPN.com’s “SportsNation” page to become even more involved with our fans."

SportsNation on ESPN Radio can also be heard and viewed live on ESPNRadio.com, the most visited online sports radio destination, featuring the new “ESPN Super-stream Player” that delivers live 24/7 streaming of more than 100 hours of podcasts and local and national programming daily. SportsNation on ESPN Radio podcasts will also be available on ESPN PodCenter and the iTunes Music Store.

Seibel had been serving as interim host of ESPN Radio’s SportsBash, the network’s previous drive time program, since that show’s host Erik Kuselias became host of ESPN2’s NASCAR Now.

"SportsNation is ‘The People's Show.’ We'll have a direct line with the fans to be water cooler central,” Seibel said. "I couldn't be more thrilled to have Orestes on board, and his Major League Baseball experience brings the pro perspective on a daily basis. Orestes was able to do something I only dreamed of, stepping into a Major League batter's box."

Seibel joined ESPN in October 2000 as an anchor for ESPNEWS, eventually moving into the radio booth where he co-hosted GameNight from April 2004 through January 2007. He has also served as host for ESPN Radio’s NFL Huddle, NFL on ESPN Radio, and The Baseball Show.

Destrade, who played Major League Baseball (Yankees 1987, Pirates 1988, and Marlins 1993-94) and professionally in Japan (Seibu Lions 1989-92 and again in 1995), joined ESPN in August 2005 and currently serves as a Baseball Tonight contributor. He is fluent in three languages (English, Spanish and Japanese), was co-host of XM Radio’s Baseball This Morning show, and has served as an analyst for ESPN’s Little League World Series and ESPN Radio’s MLB game broadcasts.

"I'm truly looking forward to coming over to the ESPN Radio family – it’s a great opportunity to regularly be on both Radio and TV within the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports,’” Destrade said. “I have good chemistry with John, whom I regard as extremely talented and diverse with his on-air persona – we’re both a bit wacky and think out of the box at times. I'm looking forward to the show being informative and analytical, as well as, offering plenty of fun-loving entertainment."

Source: ESPN