Time Warner Cable Deportes has begun lining up its on-air talent roster, hiring a quintet of veteran sports personalities ahead of the upcoming launch of the nation's first dedicated Spanish-language regional sports network.
Ricardo Celis joins Time Warner Cable Deportes -- which will debut in the Los Angeles area on Oct. 1, alongside an English-language RSN, also centering on the Los Angeles Lakers, Galaxy and Sparks -- as a sports anchor. With more than 20 years of experience in the sports television industry, the Emmy Award-winning reporter has covered every major sporting event in the world, including the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl and numerous boxing matches. Most recently, he served as the sports director and anchor for GLR Networks and Radio Grupo Prisa. Celis also spent 12 years at Telefutura calling boxing play-by-play and before that four at HBO Latinoámerica in the same role.
Martin Zúñiga joins as the RSN's primary soccer analyst. Nicknamed "El Pulpo" or "The Octopus" for his prowess as a goalie, he spent 14 years as a professional soccer player in Mexico and the United States. "El Pulpo" won a Mexican League Championship with Chivas de Guadalajara in 1997, was a goalie for the Mexican national team and concluded his playing career with Club Deportivo Chivas USA. Zúñiga has called soccer games around the world for Major League Soccer, Fox Deportes, KWHY-TV's Mundo Deportivo Polémico and Azteca America.
Elmur Souza will serve as a studio host for Time Warner Cable Deportes, alongside Zúñiga. Souza has spent the past seven years working for CNN México, Megacanal, Fox Sports, ESPN Deportes Radio, KWHY-TV's Mundo Deportivo Polémico, Televisa and other Mexican media outlets.
Enrique Gutierrez will work as senior producer/special correspondent after eight years at Univision's flagship station KMEX-TV as the anchor, producer and writer for the program "Accion Deportiva." He has covered sports for more than a decade, reporting on events in Los Angeles, Mexico and Europe.
Hipolita Gamboa is Time Warner Cable Deportes' new executive editor of content and will also have an on-camera role as a sports analyst. He has more than 20 years of experience producing and reporting on sports in the United States and Mexico, most recently calling play-by-play for Club Deportivo Chivas USA games. He has also worked for KWHY-TV in Los Angeles, Univision Radio KTNQ Los Angeles, Fox Sports en Espanol, Telemundo's KVEA-TV in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
"The talent we've assembled to help us launch the first-ever Spanish-language regional sports network will give our viewers exactly what they want - credible and authentic insight paired with more access to their teams than they've ever had before," said senior vice president and general manager, TWC Sports Regional Networks Mark Shuken in a statement. "We're excited to have this distinguished group of veteran announcers join us at Time Warner Cable Deportes."
Noted Pablo Urquiza, vice president, Time Warner Cable Deportes: "We've worked hard to assemble an on-air team specifically for the Hispanic Southern California sports fan. We feel that Ricardo Celis, Martin Zúñiga, Elmur Souza, Enrique Gutierrez and Hipolito Gamboa are the right fit to connect with our viewers and convey the passion that our fans have for Southern California sports."
