Justin Spears of The Arizona Daily Star is joining ESPN Tucson , 1490-AM and 104.9 FM as host of The Sports Exchange, the station’s local afternoon drive show, beginning Monday August 6th.
The afternoon show at ESPN Tucson has undergone multiple transitions this summer after longtime host Zach Clark left to move back to his hometown of Detroit a little over a month ago. Taking over for Clark was Tom Lapadat, who began hosting The Sports Exchange from 3-6pm on July 2nd, but his afternoon drive tenure was short lived. No reason was given for Lapadat only lasting one month as host of The Sports Exchange, but now it’s Spears’ turn.
“This is a dream come true, honestly. I’m really excited about this new opportunity,” Spears told Mike Christy also of The Star. “It’s not only a way to get myself out there as a young journalist, but a way to promote what we do here at the Arizona Daily Star and The Wildcaster.”
A Tucson native and graduate from the University of Arizona, Spears spent time at the local ESPN affiliate early in his career as an intern, assisting producer Stacey Wampler on the popular Zach Clark Show.
Spears has been with The Star for the last year as a podcast host, website contributor, high school and college sports reporter, as well as directing social media pages for the Star’s free app, The Wildcaster. Spears will continue his work at the Star while taking over the afternoon show at ESPN Tucson.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.