Portland Timbers announce broadcast details for 2017 MLS season

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today unveiled their complete broadcast schedule for the 2017 Major League Soccer season. Additionally, the club announced that it has signed television and radio broadcasters Jake Zivin and Ross Smith to multi-year contract extensions.

Including at least 14 nationally televised matches, all 34 of the Timbers’ regular-season matches will be broadcast live both on television and radio for a seventh consecutive season in 2017. Additionally, previously unannounced kickoff times for the Timbers’ fixtures against their Canadian opponents and Portland’s game against New York City FC on Sept. 9 are now are included in the schedule.

Zivin and Smith will call the action for the Timbers as the play-by-play announcer and color analyst, respectively, as Portland’s broadcast partners ROOT SPORTS and KPTV FOX 12 will again air the club’s regional television broadcasts this season.

Zivin and Smith will continue to work alongside team reporter Samantha Yarock, who returns to the broadcast team for her third season with the club, while the club welcomes the addition of recently retired defender Nat Borchers, who will provide on-field analysis during Timbers home games on ROOT SPORTS and KPTV FOX 12.

In 2017, ROOT SPORTS will deliver 11 matches across the Northwest region to cable and satellite homes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Nine matches will be featured over the air on FOX 12 (KPTV) or sister-station PDX TV (KPDX). ROOT SPORTS will also re-air completed Timbers matches throughout the season.

FOX 12 is the home of the Timbers’ weekly program, “Timbers in 30,” which airs each Friday during the season at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific), with subsequent airings each week on ROOT SPORTS. Hosted by Zivin and Smith with contributing segments from Yarock, the show features exclusive, inside access to the team, while also providing team and game analysis with in-studio appearances from Timbers coaches and players each week.

Portland’s 14 games on national television include broadcasts on FOX, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2 and Unimás.

On the radio side, 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game (KXTG) and La GranD (KGDD) will continue to serve as the flagship stations for the club’s English and Spanish radio broadcasts, respectively. Play-by-play announcer Keith Bleyer will be paired with analyst and former MLS assistant coach Brett Jacobs on KXTG, while Fletcher Johnson returns for his seventh season as host of the radio pregame, halftime and postgame radio shows.

In addition to match broadcasts, 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game airs the Timbers’ weekly program, “Talk Timbers,” each Wednesday night from 6-8 p.m. (Pacific). “Talk Timbers” features interviews with coaches, players and club representatives and covers both Timbers and MLS news.

2017 Portland Timbers Schedule (home matches in bold, CAPS)