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As Radio Ink reported last week, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith will be getting his own Sports Talk program on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio (channel 85). The program will be produced by ESPN from ESPN Audio's headquarters in Bristol. The new two-hour daily show debuts Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 1 p.m. ET. Smith said, "Words can't express how excited I am to be going to SiriusXM. I've waited a long time for this. All I'm going to say is Sept. 2 can't arrive soon enough. So buckle up, because I'm coming!"
Traug Keller, ESPN senior vice president, production, business divisions, added, "This is an exciting new business opportunity for ESPN Audio. By creating outstanding exclusive audio content for SiriusXM, in this case The Stephen A. Smith Show, we are maximizing our presence on a variety of platforms that expand our reach and options for sports fans."
Smith just came off a one-week suspension after he made insensitive comments toward women shortly after the Ray Rice incident. Rice was caught on tape getting physical with his girlfriend (now wife) and suspended by the NFL for two games. Smith used the word "provoke," when talking about women in that type of violent situation, which lead to his suspension from both ESPN TV and radio for one week.
