Bill Riley Joining Utah Athletics as Director of Broadcasting

SALT LAKE CITY – Long-time radio voice of Utah Athletics Bill Riley will join the athletics department full-time in the newly-established role of Director of Broadcasting, it was announced today. The three-time Utah Sports Broadcaster of the Year will play a key role in the launch of the Utes' new initiative to self-produce digital game broadcasts on ESPN+ as part of its move to the Big 12 Conference later this summer.

Utah Athletics will produce 50-plus live broadcasts of home athletics competition in 2024-25 via the conference's Big 12 Now on ESPN+ digital platform that will bring greater access for Utes fans and viewers worldwide.

"We are very excited to bring Bill Riley into our team and benefit from his extensive experience in broadcasting and his deep connections and familiarity with Utah Athletics spanning nearly three decades," said Charmelle Green, Utah's Deputy A.D. and Chief Operating Officer. "This is an important new endeavor for our department and the University of Utah, and this position is critical for us to have immediate success in the broadcasting space. We're looking forward to working closely with our university partners to build a robust broadcasting department and establish a strong presence in this industry as we enter the Big 12 Conference later this summer."

Riley, who has served as the play-by-play voice for Utah's football and men's basketball radio broadcasts on ESPN 700 and 92.1 FM continuously since 2010, and hosted weekly coaches' shows, will play a prominent role in the presentation of Utah's Big 12 Now on ESPN+ digital broadcasts. He will be responsible for scheduling all play-by-play and game analyst assignments, including calling select games as the play-by-play voice, and collaborate with the department's broadcast production, digital and creative media, and communications teams in the planning, production and distribution of creative storytelling content for Utah's ESPN+ digital broadcasts, as well as for the Utes' digital and social media platforms.

Riley will continue to serve as the play-by-play voice for Utah's football and men's basketball radio broadcasts and coaches shows with Kyle Whittingham and Craig Smith on Utah's radio flagship ESPN 700 and 92.1 FM, and select radio broadcasts of other sports, through the Utes' multimedia rights partnership with JMI Sports. He also will continue to teach a sports media class at the U, which he began in 2022.

"I am thrilled to join the amazing team at the University of Utah in this exciting new position," Riley said. "Not only do I look forward to continuing as the Voice of the Utes, but the opportunity to play a role in this significant expansion of the U's broadcasting capabilities will enable me to become more deeply involved with all of the Utes' teams as we grow their coverage and expand the broadcast curriculum for students. The talent, vision and commitment of the Utes' athletics staff has built a tremendous foundation for the production and distribution of digital broadcasts, as well as elite storytelling and content creation, and I'm excited to come alongside that team as we take on this new endeavor."

Riley, who was named Utah Sports Broadcaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association in 2012, 2015 and 2022, will leave his daily weekday talk show on ESPN 700 and 92.1 FM, The Bill Riley Show, as well as his role as program director, to begin his full-time role with Utah Athletics at the end of June.

The longest-tenured member of the ESPN 700 & 92.1 FM family, Riley has been with Utah's #1 Sports Talk since 2004 in various roles, including mid-day radio host and program director. He began working in Utah's radio and television market in 2001, and has spanned more than three decades covering professional and collegiate sports in the market. He served as the play-by-play voice of the MLS Real Salt Lake for 18 years, initially on TV from its inception in 2005 to 2013, then as the radio voice.

"This opportunity is a dream job, and it would not have been possible for me without the great experience that I've had at ESPN 700 here in Salt Lake City over the past 20 years," Riley added. "It is a first-class station with first-class people, and I'm grateful that I can continue to be part of Utah radio broadcasts on the 'Home of the Utes' in my new role at the U."

Riley is a 1992 graduate of the University of Kansas, with work stops in Hastings, Neb., Moberly, Mo., Wichita, Kansas and Jacksonville, Fla. Riley is the proud father of two children: Son, Billy, who is a University of Utah graduate, and daughter, Katherine, who is currently a student at the U.

Utah's entry into the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25 will bring with it familiar conference network television partners for linear broadcasts, in ESPN and FOX, and usher in a new era of access to digital broadcasts and livestreams on the ESPN+ platform via its Big 12 Now channel. In addition to linear broadcasts of select games on the ESPN family of networks, FOX and FS1, fans will be able to watch hundreds of Utah athletics competitions with a subscription to ESPN+.

"We are entering into an exciting new era for Utah Athletics with the opportunity to reach a significantly wider audience through our digital broadcasts and livestreams on ESPN+, providing a larger platform for telling the stories of our incredible student-athletes, coaches and staff," said Paul Kirk, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications. "Our digital and creative media team and the communications staff do an excellent job of shining a light on the amazing accomplishments of our athletics programs and telling the stories of the people behind those performances, and bringing Bill Riley into our team on a full-time basis alongside our phenomenal broadcast production team will greatly enhance those storytelling capabilities. Bill is a tremendous talent who has established great credibility with Utes fans through his broadcasts and his daily show on ESPN 700, and given voice to the amazing stories of Utes past and present. We are excited to bring his talents and dedication to the University of Utah in-house to embark on this ambitious new initiative."

Subscriptions to ESPN+ may be purchased directly from ESPN or via a digital bundle through numerous streaming providers. For more information, please visit the ESPN+ page on ESPN.com.

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Bill Riley Joining Utah Athletics as Director of Broadcasting

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Bill Riley Joining Utah Athletics as Director of Broadcasting

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