FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“24/7 Chicago” Celebrates Cinco de Mayo with
Chicago Fire Star Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Episode to Air Saturday, May 3, at Midnight on NBC5
CHICAGO – May 1, 2008 – “24/7 Chicago: Secrets of the City, ” NBC5’s new entertainment show, is turning up the heat and celebrating Cinco de Mayo with the Chicago Fire’s soccer sensation Cuauhtémoc Blanco. “24/7 Chicago” will reveal five authentically Mexican things to do for the best Cinco de Mayo in Chicago on the Saturday, May 3, episode, airing at midnight on NBC5.
“24/7 Chicago” Host Billy Dec will join Blanco at the Chicago Fire’s home base, Toyota Park in Bridgeview, as he shares his story of growing up in Mexico. Blanco will also reveal his best secrets to truly make Cinco de Mayo in Chicago an occasion to remember.
On April 3, 2007, the Chicago Fire signed Blanco as their first-ever designated player. After the news was first announced, over 6, 000 fans attended a ceremony at Toyota Park on April 2 to welcome the renowned attacker to Chicago. Blanco then finished his commitments with former team Club América through the Clausura season, and served duty with the Mexican National Team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the CONMEBOL Copa America.
Blanco has made his presence known in just one season, bringing in several goals and assists to take the Chicago Fire to victory after victory. Now available for his first full season of service with the “Men in Red, ” Blanco could be an even brighter spark for the Fire as a key playmaker in 2008.
Inventive on the pitch, Blanco is well-known for his unique Cuauhtémiña (CWAU-te-MEEN-YA) or “Blanco Bounce” move, in which he jumps with the ball held between his feet to escape defenders. Blanco is equally creative with his goal celebrations. To honor Mexican tradition and history, Blanco strikes the iconic pose of prehispanic ruler Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc, who attempted to save the Aztecs from Spanish Conquistadors.
“24/7 Chicago” brings this unique segment to viewers this Saturday, May 3, as a way to prepare for a fun and authentic Cinco de Mayo celebration—with a Chicago twist, of course, as Blanco and Dec show viewers exciting ways to celebrate the Mexican heritage that abounds within the Chicagoland area.
“24/7 Chicago: Secrets of the City” is the newest, the hottest and the most honest look at the city of Chicago and the people that keep it running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “24/7 Chicago” Hosts Catie Keogh and Billy Dec interview celebrities and local Chicagoans alike, providing a fun, fresh approach to Chicago’s unique blend of urban liveliness and Midwest charm. Keogh and Dec are joined on-air by reality TV personality and author Jamie Blyth as correspondent. “24/7 Chicago” appears weekly on NBC5 on Saturdays at midnight, immediately following “Saturday Night Live.”
24/7 Productions, LLC is a production company that specializes in content creation and development for digital and broadcast television. For more information, visit www.247chicago.tv .
NBC5 (WMAQ-TV) is the owned and operated NBC station in Chicago. On October 8, 1948, the station, then called WNBQ-TV, transmitted its first telecast from the Merchandise Mart—the third game of the Indians-Braves World Series in Cleveland, Ohio. The station’s current call letters, WMAQ-TV, were established in 1964. During NBC5 Chicago’s rich history, the station pioneered a number of television “firsts.” On April 15, 1956, NBC5 became the world’s first all-color station. In September of 1986, NBC5 became the first Chicago commercial station to broadcast in stereo. In 1989, NBC5 was the first Chicago station to present closed captioning of all local newscasts and in 2004 was the first television station to launch a street side studio at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Studio 5. NBC5 started broadcasting in HD in January 2008. Currently, NBC5 airs 30 hours of local news per week. NBC5 News has over 30 reporters and anchors covering the Chicago area. NBC5 News covers local news on-air and online at nbc5.com.
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