ESPN Deportes Radio will soon be history. ESPN announced today it is shutting down its Spanish-language radio division on September 8.
The company will lay off 10 full-time and 25 part-time employees. Some roles will be reassigned. ESPN will also close the division’s offices in Coral Gables.
ESPN issued the following statement regarding the closure:
“Hispanic audience consumer habits are changing rapidly and this requires ESPN to evolve as well. It’s no secret Hispanic fans skew heavily on digital and social which is why we made the decision to discontinue ESPN Deportes terrestrial radio (ESPN Deportes Radio) in September. Moving forward, ESPN will continue serving Hispanic sports fans with the widest variety of sports through multiple platforms including television, digital, social, mobile and audio podcasts.”
ESPN will keep some ESPN Deportes Radio shows as on-demand podcasts, including “Jorge Ramos y Su Banda,” “Raza Deportiva,” and “Fútbol Picante.”
ESPN Deportes Radio launched in October 2005 and currently airs on over 40 affiliates, mostly AM stations, across 15 states.
According to several reports, ESPN Radio Deportes had a 70% drop in ratings over the past five years.
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