September 21, 2015
Jalen & Jacoby Launches as National ESPN Radio Primetime Show
ESPN Radio will debut an enhanced weekday lineup on Monday, Sept. 28, with new program Jalen & Jacoby launching in the 7 – 9 p.m. slot.
Jalen & Jacoby, hosted by ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose and Grantland writer, podcaster and senior producer David Jacoby, will launch as a national ESPN Radio show after premiering in 2011 as a Grantland podcast and will broadcast out of the Grantland studio in Los Angeles. The show highlights the chemistry between Rose and Jacoby as they break down the latest news in sports and pop culture with humor, intelligence and perspective that only a former NBA star and longtime ESPN producer can provide.
“Jalen and David are all rising stars in the audio space,” said Mo Davenport, senior vice president, ESPN Audio. “They appeal to a young demographic and their followings in the digital space are phenomenal. Adding them to our already impressive stable of ESPN Radio hosts gives us a powerful and diverse weekday lineup.”
Rose, a former NBA star who joined ESPN in 2007, is a regular contributor to the network’s NBA coverage and is a studio analyst on the Kia NBA Countdown show. He will continue in his role on Countdown. Jacoby joined ESPN in 1999 as an intern, then went on to create and produce several ESPN shows, including SportsNation, and has been responsible for developing and producing all of Grantland’s audio and video content since the launch of the site in 2011.
“We truly appreciate the opportunity to GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT five days a week on our new ESPN radio show,” said Rose. “After winning the Academy of Podcasters Awards in July for best sports podcast this year, our fans can expect a radio show like no other.”
Added Jacoby: “Jalen and I are flattered by this opportunity and we will continue to do what has made our podcast successful, being utterly unfiltered and unprofessional. I can promise we will have fun and I can promise that we will do everything in our power to entertain and educate our audience. I can’t promise that Jalen won’t sing. The guy really likes to sing.”
All programs will be available nationally on ESPN Radio, espnradio.com, the ESPN app, SiriusXM, Apple iTunes, Slacker Radio and TuneIn.
About ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, the country’s largest sports radio network, ESPN Deportes Radio,ESPNRadio.com, and ESPN Podcasts comprise ESPN Audio.
ESPN Radio, which launched January 1, 1992, provides more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, reaching 20 million listeners a week on 500 nationwide stations, including more than 375 full-time affiliates and clearance in the top 25 markets. ESPN owns and/or operates stations in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. ESPN Radio programming is also available on SiriusXM and via digital distributors iTunes Radio, Slacker Radio and TuneIn.
ESPN Audio listeners logged more than 7.8 billion streaming minutes in 2014 and 194 million session starts, with an average time spent listening of more than 40 minutes. ESPN Audio launched its first podcast in 2005, and in 2014 ESPN Audio podcasts were downloaded 302 million times, an increase of 51 percent compared to the previous year.
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Contacts:
Joyce Wang joyce.wang@espn.com (213) 405-4403 @JoyceWang_ESPN
Tara Chozet tara.c.chozet@espn.com (860) 766-2206 @TaraESPN
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