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Catching Up With ESPN Senior VP/Production, Business Divisions Traug Keller

Keller has helped oversee ESPN Radio
and ESPN Deportes since '04
As ESPN's Senior VP/Production, Business Divisions, TRAUG KELLER has responsibility for some of the company's marquee entities. Since joining ESPN in '04, he has helped oversee both ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes, and he also played a key role in the launch of ESPN's local sites two years ago. The ESPN Radio role continues Keller's lengthy background in the radio business, as he previously held positions at both CBS and ABC Radio Networks. Keller recently took time to speak with Staff Writer William Cooper about his many responsibilities, the state of the radio business and new developments in sports technology.

Favorite iPad app: ESPNNewYork.
Favorite Bristol restaurant: The ESPN Café on our Bristol main campus. Best and only food for miles.
AM or FM? Streaming of either. Both are high fidelity now.
Sports talk radio: enlightened dialogue or rambling babble? Big menu out there ... both.
Finish this sentence: The future of sports radio is heavily reliant on... the ability to provide great audio content no matter the device.

Q: What is a normal day for you while juggling your various responsibilities?
Keller: My day is like anyone else's these days -- hectic. Several meetings, e-mails and more meetings. The people I work with are such a dynamic group. I am always just trying to keep up with all they have going on.

Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Keller: Staying current with everything that is happening, while keeping our focus on the long view. I have very talented leaders running our individual businesses, so my primary responsibility is to make sure they have the tools they need, both for the immediate, and most importantly, for the longer term. Maintaining a balance between our short- and long-term goals is always a challenge. I love to jump into things, much to the chagrin of my group leaders.

Q: Who or what inspired you to work in radio?
Keller: JACK BUCK and HANK STRAM. My first job out of college was with the N.Y. Times, in circulation on the West Coast, and I spent an incredible amount of time in my car. I would listen to those guys call "Monday Night Football" on CBS Radio during drive time on the West Coast. I said to myself, “This is tremendous entertainment, and some day I want to be involved.” PAUL HARVEY did the same thing for me.

Q: If you have an hour of radio to fill, who would be your ideal host?
Keller: I have worked with many great people in the radio business. Paul Harvey, SEAN HANNITY, TOM JOYNER, and the great roster we have on ESPN Radio. But I must say that a meeting I had with BILL CLINTON, after he left the presidency when he was exploring radio, really struck me. He had all the tools to be an incredibly dynamic host, who really understood the one-on-one connection that is the medium's magic.

Q: How much have the local sites lived up to your expectations?
Keller: Our local sites have gone beyond expectations, out delivering the digital sports sites of local newspapers across the board. Now we’re seeing the connection between local radio and local sites really begin to kick in. We are only in the first inning here. Stay tuned.

Q: What aspect of the growth of the business has surprised you the most?
Keller: Alternative device consumption, which is something that just two years ago was not part of our conversations. Radio's experience with the World Cup this summer really brought that home for me. More than 40 percent of the listening came from new platforms, not the traditional tower. ESPN Networks and all the apps, the ESPN Radio app, the WatchESPN app. The speed of what’s happening is stunning.

Q: You have some experience with new technologies having worked on the development of ESPN Mobile. What is a new innovation that you believe will revolutionize sports coverage?
Keller: The continuing evolution of mobile devices. Approximately every 17 months current subscribers receive a new and improved device. Each new device is faster and better than the one before. Proliferation of smartphones and next generation cellular service will continue to enhance sports media consumption with new VOD options and the ability to allow fans to go deeper into the content.

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