Bill Riley, the longtime voice of the Utes, is taking over a new role within the Utah Athletics Department.
The university announced Tuesday that Riley will join the school’s athletics department full time in the role of director of broadcasting.
Riley will play a pivotal role as the University of Utah, which joins the Big 12 officially on Aug. 1, prepares to self-produce 50-plus live game broadcasts on ESPN+ as a part of the league’s media deal.
“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,” Charmelle Green, Utah’s deputy A.D. and chief operating officer, said in a statement.
“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 Utes’ play-by-play radio voice for Utah football and basketball games on ESPN 700 and 92.1 FM since 2010, will continue to announce Utes’ football and basketball games on radio broadcasts, as well as host coaches shows with Kyle Whittingham and Craig Smith on ESPN 700 and 92.1 FM, the Utes’ radio flagship.
He will also do play-by-play on select radio broadcasts for other sports, as well as continue to teach a sports media class at the university, which he began in 2022.
As he moves full time over to the university beginning at the end of June, Riley will leave his daily weekday afternoon talk show on ESPN 700, as well as his role as program director.
Riley, who was named Utah Sports Broadcaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association in 2012, 2015 and 2022, was the longest-tenured member of the ESPN 700 family and has been with the organization since 2004.
“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 said in a statement. “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.”
Among his other assignments as director of broadcasting, Riley will be responsible for scheduling all broadcast assignments and work with the department’s broadcast team — from production to digital and creative media — in planning, producing and distributing storytelling content for the university’s ESPN+ digital broadcasts.
“I am thrilled to join the amazing team at the University of Utah in this exciting new position,” Riley added. “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’s broadcast experience, after graduating from the University of Kansas in 1992, has taken him through Hastings, Nebraska, Moberly, Missouri, Wichita, Kansas, and Jacksonville, Florida, before he started working in Utah in 2001.
Now, it’s on to a new venture in a new conference.
The Big 12′s media deal includes working with television partners ESPN and Fox for linear broadcasts, as well as producing digital broadcasts and livestreams on the ESPN+ platform through the Big 12 Now channel. Utah fans can watch athletics events 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,” Paul Kirk, senior associate athletics director for Strategic Communications, said in a statement.
“... 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.”