ESPN Regional Television, the new over-the-air syndication home for Southeastern Conference programming, will debut its weekly live show from the SEC Network Studio on Saturday, Sept. 5, at noon ET, before the Western Kentucky at Tennessee matchup, as part of the SEC Network regionally syndicated college sports package that will air in more than 75 television markets and 66 million households (58 percent of the U.S.) – a result of the landmark 15-year agreement between ESPN, Inc., and the SEC.

In the noon to 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday window, the SEC Network will be ESPN’s third-largest network, behind only ESPN and ESPN2. The live pregame show from the SEC Network Studio, with host Rob Stone and analyst Matt Stinchcomb, is produced by ESPN Regional Television at its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., also the home of ESPNU.

“The studio show is something this package has not had in the past,” said Mike Moore, ESPN Regional Television senior coordinating producer. “We’ll have a completely separate production team working on content that is more about the SEC overall. The guys here will talk about what else is going on around the league, and once the game starts they’ll bring highlights and scores from other SEC games and national games, during the game and at halftime.”

Along with analysis of the SEC East and SEC West and a look at the three new coaches in the conference, Stone and Stinchcomb will discuss the following on the premiere from the SEC Network Studio:

* Can anyone knock off top-ranked Florida?

* Head coach Lane Kiffin’s impact at Tennessee

* Is Mississippi’s Jevan Snead the best QB in the SEC? The country?

* Who has the “craziest” fans in the SEC?

Also, ESPN analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware will join Stinchcomb for “Quick Hits,” a discussion of the hottest topics of the day.

The show will also feature student reporters, all seniors, from Kentucky (Nick Stacy), Vanderbilt (Jacquie Berger), Arkansas (John Gossett), Auburn (Kristen Keller) and Mississippi State (Lace Stewart).

The SEC Network features an SEC football Game of the Week regionally for 13 consecutive Saturdays. Telecasts will kick off at noon ET/11 a.m. CT with the live show from the SEC Network Studio, followed by the matchup, generally determined 12 to six days in advance.

SEC Network coverage will feature extensive football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball telecasts, produced by ESPN Regional Television.

Within the nine-state SEC footprint, the SEC Network will be delivered in markets by the local over-the-air carrier of SEC events. In markets outside the SEC footprint, the syndicated programming will air on either local, over-the-air television stations or regional sports cable networks.

About Rob Stone

Stone joined ESPN in 1997 as the host of ESPN2’s Worldwide Soccer, and has since covered a variety of events. He is a sideline reporter for select MLS and U.S. Soccer telecasts, and has covered the last three FIFA World Cups and hosted the last 11 MLS Cups. He has been a college football sideline reporter since 1999. Rob’s complete bio, here.

About Matt Stinchcomb

Stinchcomb started his television career in 2007 with Comcast Sports Southeast as an analyst and host. He has been a commentator and college football expert on SportsNite and is a color announcer for the Georgia Bulldogs. He also is a host and analyst for SEC College Football Today on Atlanta radio AM 680 The Fan. Matt’s complete bio, here.

ESPN and the SEC

ESPN, Inc., and the Southeastern Conference entered into a landmark 15-year agreement for extensive football, men’s and women’s basketball, Olympic sports and conference championship content across multiple ESPN entities beginning with the 2009-10 academic year. As a result of the deal -– the longest national rights agreement in ESPN history – ESPN will showcase more than 5,500 SEC events on ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Classic. ESPN has televised the SEC since 1982.

ESPN Regional Television

The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In addition to ownership of several sporting events, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network and the syndication rights holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, Sun Belt, WAC).

SEC

The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1933 and consists of 12 member institutions: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The league currently sanctions championship play in nine men’s sports and 11 women’s sports. Its headquarters has been located in Birmingham, Ala., since 1948. For more on the conference, visit www.secsports.com.

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