The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) today announced that ESPNLA 710 AM and KFWB 980 AM will serve as the Club’s official flagship radio partners for the inaugural 2018 and the 2019 season. LAFC matches will be broadcast in English on LAFC’s radio home and Southern California’s number one sports station, ESPNLA 710 AM, and in Spanish on KFWB 980 AM ‘La Mera La Mera’.
“We are excited to expand our broadcast reach and partner with ESPNLA 710 AM and KFWB 980 AM,” LAFC Owner and President Tom Penn said. “We are committed to making our matches accessible throughout Los Angeles, and these industry leaders will provide comprehensive coverage of our club throughout Southern California.”
Dave Denholm, host of the popular “Soccer Weekly” show on ESPNLA, will call all LAFC matches in English. A sports radio veteran with more than two decades of experience in sports, news and talk radio as well as calling countless soccer matches on FOX Sports and other networks, Denholm will bring a varied and unique L.A. -based perspective to LAFC broadcasts.
“We are incredibly honored to be a part of LAFC’s inaugural season and very excited to help welcome the team to Los Angeles,” Vice President and General Manager of ESPNLA Scott McCarthy said. ”LAFC is a world-class organization from top to bottom – from the great players and coaching staff, to the ownership and management group, to the gorgeous new stadium in downtown Los Angeles. Fans of the beautiful game in Southern California can look forward to some great football and a game-day experience second to none.”
The number one sports station in Southern California, ESPNLA 710 AM is adding LAFC to a local lineup that features the leading sports talk shows in Los Angeles as well as Lakers, Rams, Angels and USC football and basketball games. With the most hours of daily local sports programming in L.A. and the city’s only local sports morning show, ESPNLA’s 710 AM’s 50,000-watt signal provides LAFC with a powerful partner in the Southern California sports landscape.
“LAFC is proud to be affiliated with these two strong radio partners in Los Angeles,” LAFC EVP & Chief Business Officer Larry Freedman said. “ESPNLA 710 and the ESPN brand are known for excellence, and we are delighted to provide our matches in Spanish on a major outlet such as KFWB 980 AM.”
LAFC’s Spanish language radio broadcasts will be heard on KFWB 980 AM La Mera La Mera and feature a 30-minute pre-game show and a 30-minute post-game show. In addition, an LAFC Weekly Show will air on KFWB every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. PT.
“We are thrilled to deliver the excitement of the LAFC to L.A.'s Spanish Speaking Community,” President and General Manager of KFWB Jim Kalmenson said. “This is a big event for Southern California's Latino Community and KFWB's expansive coverage ensures that listeners from Oxnard to San Bernadino and beyond will be able to cheer on LA's new team.”
Long-time ESPN Deportes host Armando Aguayo will handle play-by-play duties for the broadcast on 980 AM, while Francisco X. Rivera will serve as the analyst for most matches. A familiar voice to sports fans in Los Angeles, Aguayo serves as the Director, Producer and on-air talent for two shows on KWKW 1330 AM ESPN Deportes, as well as experience calling Clippers, Galaxy and UCLA football and basketball. Rivera can be seen and heard on FS1, Estrella TV and FOX Deportes, working Mexican National Team games, Major League Baseball, NFL and numerous other broadcasts.
ABOUT ESPNLA
ESPNLA serves fans with total coverage of sports in Southern California and beyond. ESPNLA 710AM provides sports talk, local and national play-by-play, and breaking news coverage. ESPNLA is the official home of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Rams, University of Southern California Football and Basketball, the Los Angeles Football Club, the College Football Playoff, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association, and has a broadcasting agreement with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Live streaming and podcasts for select content, including all talk shows, are available on the ESPN App. Follow ESPNLA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @espnlosangeles.
ABOUT LOTUS COMMUNICATIONS
Lotus Communications Corporation is one of the nation's largest privately-owned broadcasting companies with 37 radio stations, 2 TV stations and a host of e commerce enterprises. It has been under continuous ownership by the Kalmenson family since 1962.
