CHICAGO (March. 3, 2014) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Monday that ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM) will broadcast a live, weekly Fire-themed soccer show beginning on Saturday, March 8, at 7 a.m. CT. Fred Huebner will host the show, entitled “Chicago Fire Weekly,” with regular contributions from current Fire TV color analyst, Kevin Egan.
“In 2014, a World Cup year, it’s a great opportunity for the Fire to launch a weekly English radio show in addition to our existing Spanish-language programming on WLEY FM-107.9,” said Fire COO Atul Khosla. “We want to be engaged and part of the soccer discussion in Chicago. By partnering with ESPN we will be able to reach an even wider audience of soccer supporters than ever before.”
The format for the Fire Weekly show will be a live, one-hour show covering the Chicago Fire and other soccer news from around MLS and the world – all with a Chicago slant. The show is scheduled to run for 33 weeks, beginning on March 8 through Oct. 18, with an option to extend the show through the MLS playoffs. All shows will also be available via live streaming at ESPNChicago.com, as well as via downloadable podcast.
“It is very exciting to bring Chicago Fire Weekly to the ESPN Chicago audience, a show that will provide in-depth insight to the team, and a place where fans can engage with their favorite Chicago Fire players,” said Adam Delevitt, Program Director, ESPN Chicago. “This will be the place for soccer fans to consume coverage on multiple platforms that only ESPN Chicago can provide.”
ADDITIONAL BIO INFORMATION:
Fred Huebner – Huebner is currently a part-time host at ESPN 1000 for various weekend shows including Talkin’ Baseball, Ultimate Postgame Show and Chicago’s Gameday. Fred also anchors the local updates during the Mike & Mike Show during the week. He knows soccer well as he currently does color commentating for girls high school soccer broadcasts on Comcast CN100. Fred is also a fan and familiar with the Fire, and served as the Fire’s play by play announcer for two games in 2007, and full seasons in 2008 and 2009 on My50 and FOX. @fred_huebner.
Kevin Egan – Egan is a television sports journalist from Dublin, Ireland, who has covered soccer at the highest level. After working for RTE (Ireland’s National Broadcaster) for five years, Egan moved to Chicago in 2009 and began working for the Big Ten Network. At BTN, Egan commentates on Big Ten soccer matches, while also presenting BTN Soccer Report, an online show covering the game within Big Ten country. This is Egan’s second season as color analyst for the Fire. @Kev_Egan
