ESPN Radio to Launch Online Affiliate Network

Initial Expansion to Include Washington D.C., Denver, Cleveland, Milwaukee, West Palm Beach and Enhanced ESPNRadio.com “Superstream Player” Delivers Live Audio and 12 Hours of Daily Live Video

June 23, 2008 -- ESPNRadio.com, the leading online sports radio destination in the U.S., is expanding its network of affiliate web sites. The ESPNRadio.com Online Affiliate Network will further develop the localized reach of ESPN’s fast-growing digital audio unit, serving fans with more daily live and on-demand audio from around the country while enhancing online opportunities for advertisers.

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The initial expansion will grow the network to include two 24/7/365 national feeds, 10 local networks, live NBA & College Football audio, and direct access to more than 50 local and national podcasts (accounting for more than eight million downloads per month). The first new affiliates will include Red Zebra Broadcasting’s Washington D.C. stations WXTR-AM, WWXT-FM and WWXX-FM (triplexespnradio.com), Good Karma Broadcasting’s WKNR-AM Cleveland (espncleveland.com), WAUK-AM Milwaukee (espnmilwaukee.com) and WEFL-AM West Palm Beach (espn760.com), and KEPN-AM Denver (espnradiodevner.com), owned by Lincoln Financial Group.

Already, the ESPNRadio.com Online Network features the sites, full programming lineups and Webcam video programs for ESPN Radio (national), ESPN Deportes Radio (national) and the company’s five owned stations: WEPN-AM New York (1050espn.com) WMVP-AM Chicago (espn1000.com); KSPN-AM Los Angeles (710espn.com); KESN-FM Dallas (espn1033.com); and WEAE-AM Pittsburgh (1250espn.com). More affiliates nationwide will be added to the network in the coming weeks and months.

Each affiliate will receive ESPN.com news and information feeds, online development resources (including design and advertising templates) and media assets (audio, video, scoreboards, local team schedules, polls, widgets and more) from ESPN to enhance their station’s home online. Each station’s live and on-demand audio and video assets will integrated into ESPNRadio.com and the site’s newly-enhanced “Superstream” integrated media player. Like with ESPN Radio’s terrestrial network, the ESPNRadio.com Online Network will enhance the advertising inventory, reach and targeted opportunities for marketers locally and nationally.

“We’ve built an enormously vibrant and passionate community of sports fans through ESPN Radio, our owned & operated stations, more than 350 affiliates nationwide and ESPNRadio.com,” said Marc Horine, vice president, digital partnerships and radio, ESPN Digital Media. “By extending our reach through this expanded online network, we can better serve local sports fans by delivering world-class content, and we will be able to offer a truly integrated national and local solution to advertisers.”

The new ESPN Radio “Superstream” media player offers sports fans access to the entirety of the ESPNRadio.com Network with single-click access to all national and local online radio streams and podcasts, as well as to the ESPNRadio.com live Webcam video lineup (6 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. ET Monday - Friday) and the ESPN Radio Insider premium service. For advertisers, the Superstream media player offers local or national ad insertions to any audio or video stream, banner ads synchronized to audio or video streams, local and national podcast sponsorships, integrated local advertising solutions, and integrated national advertising solutions including ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPNRadio.com.

ESPNRadio.com has grown its monthly online audience to nearly two million monthly unique users and 275,000 monthly live online listeners. In 2007, Total listening hours (TLH) for ESPNRadio.com’s live streams grew 46 percent to an average of more than four million hours per month, while average monthly cumulative audience (CUME) grew by more than 75 percent (when compared to the prior year). Additionally, from January through March of 2008, downloads of ESPN audio podcasts have increased 69 percent compared to the same period a year ago, while ESPN video podcast downloads have increased more than 250 percent. (source: AndoMedia Web Metrics & Omniture).

About ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio is the nation’s largest sports radio network, providing more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content to nearly 750 non-duplicative stations reaching more than 20 million listeners* each week. ESPN Radio’s nearly 350 full-time affiliates, offering round the clock programming, include owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Pittsburgh. Additionally, ESPN Radio is the exclusive national radio network for the NBA, Major League Baseball and the Bowl Championship Series, Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and also broadcasts 17 regular-season college football games.

Additionally, ESPNRadio.com is the most listened to sports radio destination online, with more than 275,000** monthly listeners, additionally sports fans can access all of ESPN Radio's daily content on-demand through ESPN Radio Insider (a part of ESPN.com's premium content section, ESPN Insider). ESPN Radio content is also available via ESPN's more than 50 original free podcasts on iTunes and ESPN's PodCenter, which are downloaded more than 8 million times per month.

* Knowledge Networks/SRI
** AndoMedia WebMetrics

Source: ESPN