Two-time Ray Guy Award Winner Tom Hackett Joins Sean O’Connell Daily from 2-6p MT,
Following “The Bill Riley Show” 11a-2p Monday through Friday
SALT LAKE CITY (Friday, February 24, 2017) – Broadway Media President Kayvon Motiee today announced that ESPN700 AM – Salt Lake’s #1 Sports Talk Radio and the home of University of Utah athletics and Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer – welcomes former Ute Tom Hackett to the station’s afternoon lineup, with the “O.C. & Hackett Show” airing daily each afternoon Monday – Friday from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. MT.
“Tom is everything you want in a personality,” said Motiee, a long-time veteran of Utah’s radio and media landscapes. “He is smart, opinionated, knowledgeable, and wickedly funny. The guy is great storyteller, and we can’t wait for him to connect with our listeners.”
The “O.C. & Hackett Show” continues to feature Sean O’Connell, the former Ute football player and active MMA fighter in the afternoon drive spot, with the new ESPN700 AM pairing extending the station’s “live and local” philosophy coming out of the critically-acclaimed “Bill Riley Show” from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. MT each day, Monday through Friday. Both shows examine the issues of the day affecting the compendium of sports across the Wasatch Front.
“Tom will be a great addition for ESPN700 AM and will compose a phenomenal partnership with O.C.,” said Riley, a 15+-year Salt Lake-area radio veteran and the recent two-time Sports Broadcaster of the Year in the state of Utah, who also serves as the Program Director for ESPN700 and play-by-play voice for Real Salt Lake and University of Utah Football, Basketball and other sports, including the weekly coach’s shows for Kyle Whittingham and Larry Krystkowiak. “Hackett’s personality combined with his work ethic and knowledge of the University of Utah and Real Salt Lake is a real plus. We look forward to working with Tom and watching his radio career take off with our ESPN 700 family.”
Hackett – a native of Melbourne, Australia, who starred at the University of Utah as a special teams standout, winning the prestigious NCAA Ray Guy Award in both 2014 and 2015 – was also a consensus All-American in those years, and a three-time All Pac-12 honoree (2013, 2014, 2015) after arriving in Utah from his native country. Hackett did spend the summer of 2016 with the New York Jets of the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent.
“I am incredibly excited to accept my new position as the co-host in the afternoon with Sean O’Connell, said Hackett, whose sense of humor regarding his recruiting process to Utah, the Utes’ rivalry with “the team down south,” and his social media acumen displayed in a successful 48-hour search to track down a stolen car make him a natural for sports talk radio. “I am ready to take on the next adventure in my life and am thrilled that I have been given the opportunity to join the team at ESPN 700. I can ensure that all of my attention will be given to further improve the drive home experience for our beloved listeners.”
The daily slate adjustments – following the national shows from ESPN (Mike & Mike, 4-8a) and The Dan Patrick Show, 8-11a) – allow ESPN 700 to broaden its market-leading, University of Utah and Real Salt Lake coverage, while further expanding other local sports offerings and horizons.
“Everyone at ESPN700 is extremely excited to have Tom on board,” said O’Connell, who continues to augment his radio career as an author, artist and MMA fighter. “Tom is an all-time Ute and I think he will be an absolute star on the radio waves. We have some fun ideas to freshen up the afternoon drive and I can’t wait to get started. I’m sure I speak for all our listeners when I say we are also looking forward to learning some cool Aussie slang.”
ABOUT ESPN 700 SPORTS RADIO
Kicking off each day with ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning” from 4:00 – 8:00 a.m. MT, ESPN 700 Sports Radio continues with “The Dan Patrick Show” LIVE from 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. MT.
“The Bill Riley Show” follows from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. MT, prior to “O’Connell & Hackett” from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. MT, each bringing regular discussion and guests from University of Utah, Real Salt Lake, Utah Jazz and BYU, as well as the state’s other offerings and national topics of the day.
Local “ESPN 700 SportsCenter” breaks are featured throughout the national programming, with 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT featuring the best interviews and segments from the eight-hour “live and local” ESPN700 block.
ESPN 700 is the longtime “Home of the Utes,” providing the call for every University of Utah football and men’s and women’s basketball contest, and also serves as the flagship station of 2009 MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake and the USL Real Monarchs, who also call Rio Tinto Stadium home.
