REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

PROFILES RING ANNOUNCERS MICHAEL AND BRUCE BUFFER

WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS MAY 20, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, TV’s most honored sports journalism series, continues its 20th season with more enterprising features and reporting when the show’s 206th edition debuts TUESDAY, MAY 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: May 20 (3:45 a.m.), 23 (12:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m.), 24 (9:45 a.m., 1:45 a.m.), 27 (8:15 a.m., 6:00 p.m.) and 29 (3:45 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), and June 1 (7:30 a.m.) and 5 (1:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: May 22 (11:15 p.m.), 25 (11:45 a.m., 2:00 a.m.) and 28 (9:30 p.m.), and June 4 (7:00 p.m.), 12 (11:05 a.m.), 16 (1:40 p.m.) and 21 (5:10 p.m.)

HBO On Demand^® availability: May 21-June 16

Segments include:

*The Buffer Brothers. Michael and Bruce Buffer are two of the most recognizable personalities in combat sports. Michael has bellowed his legendary catchphrase “Let’s get ready to rumble!” at nearly all of the most notable boxing matches of the last 30 years, while brother Bruce is the “Veteran Voice of the Octagon” as the announcer for the UFC. Michael was born to a young couple during World War II and entered foster care in Philadelphia at 11 months old. Never formally adopted, he grew up with the surname Huber, but reassumed his legal last name, Buffer, when he joined the Army at age 20.

When Michael became a fixture on the fight scene, Bruce noticed his own striking resemblance to the well-dressed ring announcer, not to mention sharing the same last name. Working up the courage to ask his father if they were related, Bruce was stunned to learn they were indeed brothers. REAL SPORTS correspondent Soledad O’Brien sits down with the enterprising duo to learn more about this unexpected and inspiring story, and how it led to the birth of the Buffer Partnership.

Producer: Maggie Burbank.

REAL SPORTS was the sole sports program recognized by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a 2012 George F. Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. In addition, it is the only sports program ever honored with two duPont Awards, first in 2005 and again in 2012.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL debuted April 2, 1995 and has gone on to win the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times, receiving 26 Sports Emmy^® Awards overall. On May 6, Real Sports captured the Sports Emmy^® Award for Outstanding Sports News Anthology for 2013.

Follow REAL SPORTS updates on HBO.com/realsports and facebook.com/realsports. Join the conversation on Twitter using #RealSports or by following @RealSportsHBO. Immediately following the debut of this month’s show on May 20, viewers can log on to hbo.com/realsports for a special overtime session hosted by Bryant Gumbel.

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.

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