(SUNRISE, FL) – FOX Sports Net Florida today announced the hiring of Joe Zagacki as the South Florida reporter for the REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT, the live local half-hour sports news show that debuts July 17th at 11:00PM. The announcement was made by Rod Mickler, FOX Sports Net Florida’s Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Zagacki has been a part of the South Florida sports market for over twenty-one years. Most recently, he has served as a local sports anchor and reporter for WFOR-TV (CBS) since 1994. Prior to joining WFOR, he was the program director at all sports radio station WQAM (560 AM) from 1992-1994. During that same time, Zagacki was co-anchor of a weekend sports show and served as host for Miami Heat pre-game and half-time shows and Florida Marlins pre-game shows on WBFS-TV 33. He began his sports broadcasting career in 1979 at WIOD (610 AM) doing play-by-play and color commentary for local teams including the University of Miami. Zagacki was also born and raised in South Florida and attended Florida International University and Hollywood Chaminade High School.
“Joe is undoubtedly the most experienced sports reporter in South Florida. He has spent his entire broadcasting career covering South Florida sports. He is very familiar and well respected among local sports fans and the teams he’ll be covering for the REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT,” said Mickler. “Joe’s knowledge and expertise will be instrumental in bringing viewers in-depth stories and breaking sports news from the area every night. We are thrilled to have him join our REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT staff.”
“I am excited to be going into an all sports environment and to become a full-time member of the FOX Sports Net team. There has been a demand for this type of regional, nightly in-depth sports coverage and now with the REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT, FOX Sports Net will deliver it to viewers every night,” added Zagacki.
Zagacki has been a part of the FOX Sports Net family over the past 4 years as the Miami Dolphins correspondent for Sunday Morning nFL, bringing Dolphins fans throughout the state insight and comprehensive coverage of the Dolphins. He has served as host of Dolphins Magazine and contributes to Panthers Weekly. He is also currently the color analyst for University of Miami Hurricanes football, baseball and basketball broadcasts on WQAM. Throughout the past two decades, Zagacki has been a part of 5 Hurricanes Football National Championship seasons and 1 Hurricanes Baseball National Championship season. In addition, he has covered a total of 8 NCAA National Championship games, 10 Super Bowls, the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Conference Finals and the Marlins World Series Championship in 1997.
Zagacki joins recently announced Lead Anchor Ned Smith as a part of the 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT news team. Covering South Florida sports with Zagacki will be videographer Paul Boron who has been covering Florida sports for nearly ten years. Most recently, Boron has worked for the Florida News Channel and Sunshine Network. A graduate of the University of Florida, he has worked for Florida television stations in Tampa (WTOG-UPN) and Gainesville (WCJB-ABC and WUFT-TV).
All the reporting and news gathering for the 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT will be done locally, with teams of full-time reporters, correspondents and videographers located throughout the state, dedicated 24-hours a day, 7-days a week to covering Florida sports news.
The 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT will debut in Florida on July 17th at 11:00 PM and will be the place Florida sports fans turn every night for the most comprehensive look at the world of sports from a Florida perspective. The format provides for heavy emphasis on key local stories and will also include important national sports stories that impact Florida sports fans. The 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT will follow FOX Sports Net’s 10:00 PM NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT.
The show will be telecast live from FOX Sports Net’s 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT news center in Dallas, Texas, where Smith, as FOX Sports Net Florida’s anchor, will interact daily with Zagacki and additional local sports news teams located throughout Florida. The vast resources within the state-of-the-art FOX Sports Net news center will allow FOX Sports Net Florida to bring Florida sports fans the most comprehensive coverage of national stories and highlights from around the country, in addition to the in-depth local coverage every night.
The new 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT initiative strengthens FOX Sports Net’s commitment to being the ultimate source for regional sports. The 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT will be immediately followed at 11:30 PM by The Last Word with Jim Rome.
More news and information regarding the July 17th launch of FOX Sports Net Florida’s 11PM REGIONAL SPORTS REPORT will be released in the coming weeks.
FOX Sports Net Florida currently reaches over 3.8 million homes throughout Florida, including the home satellite dish market. FOX Sports Net’s programming includes Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays; the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers; the University of Miami, the University of South Florida and the University of North Florida; the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars; “Saturday Morning College Kickoff;” and much more.
FOX Sports Net Florida is a service of Rainbow Sports, a division of Cablevision’s Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. Rainbow Sports has been dedicated to “Home Team” fans for nearly 20 years. Rainbow Sports incorporates all of Rainbow’s sports assets, including its 50 percent ownership of FOX Sports Net and FOX Sports National Advertising, the Madison Square Garden Properties, and the ownership and management of seven regional sports networks in six of the nation’s largest markets — Chicago, Florida, New England, New York, Ohio and San Francisco.
FOX Sports Net reaches more than 70 million households nationwide. FOX Sports Net is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Cablevision’s Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., and FOX Entertainment Group.
Contact:
Michelle Stevens
954-845-9994
mfstevens@rainbow-media.com