TV Schedule, Wednesday December 7

Remembering those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on this day 70 years ago today and celebrating those who survived.

College Basketball:

Big 10:

Central Connecticut St. @ Michigan St. 6pm on ESPNU
Western Carolina @ Purdue 6:30pm on BTN
St. Bonaventure @ Illinois 8pm on ESPN2

Big 12: Iowa @ Iowa St. (women's) 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22

Missouri Valley:

Illinois St. @ Morehead St. 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Western Kentucky @ Southern Illinois 7pm on FOX College Sports Atlantic
Oklahoma St. @ Missouri St. 8pm on ESPNU

National Games:

Arizona @ Florida 6pm on ESPN
Colorado St. @ Duke 6pm on ESPN2
Georgia Tech @ Georgia 6pm on FS North
Vermont @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Pepperdine @ Norther Arizona 7:30pm on FOX College Sports Pacific
Iona @ Denver 8pm on FOX College Sports Central
Weber St. @ BYU 8pm on BYUtv
Xavier @ Butler 8pm on ESPN
San Diego St. @ San Diego 9pm on The Mnt.

NHL Hockey: Philadelphia @ Buffalo 6:30pm on VERSUS

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League: Ajax vs Real Madrid 1:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
UEFA Champions League: FC Basel vs Manchester United 1:30pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Tuesday December 6

College Basketball:

Big 10: Appalachian St. @ Minnesota 7pm on BTN

Big 12:

Missouri vs Villanova 6pm on ESPN
Texas A&M vs UCONN (women's) 6pm on ESPN2
Texas Tech @ TCU 6pm on CBS Sports Network
Prarie View A&M @ Iowa St. 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22
Long Beach St. @ Kansas 8pm on ESPNU

Missour Valley: Iowa St. @ Northern Iowa 7pm on KWWL & WOi 5.2

National Games:

Evansville @ North Carolina 6pm on ESPNU
Marquette vs Washington 8pm on ESPN
Memphis @ Miami, FL 8pm on ESPN2

NHL Hockey:

Detroit @ St. Louis 6:30pm on VERSUS
Minnesota @ San Jose 9:30pm on FS North

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League: Porto vs Zenit 1:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

NFL to renew their broadcast TV contracts

The Sports Business Journal is reporting that the NFL will will renew their broadcast TV contracts with CBS, FOX, and NBC for just over a whopping one billion dollars per year per network.  That's an increase of 60% from the previous TV contracts and the new deal is worth a combined $24 billion over the next 8 years.

In the past, the broadcast networks have asked local affilates to share the expense of televising NFL games and that's part of the reason why you see the local affiliates asking cable companies for money to to be carried on cable and that's why we often see carriage disputes and in some instances, local stations being removed from cable lineups.

TV Schedule, Monday December 5

College Basketball:

Charleston Southern @ Florida St. 6pm on ESPNU
St. John's @ Detroit Mercy 6pm on ESPNU

English Premier Leauge Soccer: Fulham vs Liverpool 1:55pm on ESPN2

NFL Football: San Diego @ Jacksonville 7:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey: Phoenix @ Chicago 7pm on VERSUS (subject to blackout across Iowa)

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Sunday December 4

College Basketball:

Big 12: Kansas St. @ Virginia Tech 4:30pm on ESPNU

Big 10:

Texas A&M @ Purdue (women's) 11am on BTN
Baylor @ Minnesota (women's) 1pm on BTN
Baylor @ Northwestern 3pm on BTN
Ole Miss @ Penn St. 5pm on BTN

Missouri Valley: Nebraska @ Creighton 4pm on KMTV (Omaha)

National Games:

George Washington vs Virginia Commonwealth 1pm on VERSUS
Bowling Green @ Western Kentucky 2pm on FOX College Sports Atlantic
South Carolina @ Clemson 2:30pm on ESPNU
North Carolina St. @ Stanford 3pm on FS Midwest & FS North
Maryland vs Notre Dame 3;30pm on VERSUS
Cal @ San Diego St. 4pm on The Mtn.
Montana @ Oregon St. 7pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

College Wrestling: Iowa vs Iowa St. 2pm on Mediacom Channel 22

Davis Cup Tennis: Argentina vs Spain 6am & 9am on Tennis Channel

Golf:

European PGA Tour: UBS Hong Kong Open (Final Round) 5am on Golf Channel
Chevron World Challenge: Final Round 12pm on Golf Channel & 2pm on NBC
PGA Tour: Q-School (Fifth Round) 2pm on Golf Channel

NFL Football:

Denver @ Minnesota 12pm on FOX
Kansas City @ Chicago 12pm on CBS
Green Bay @ NY Giants 3:15pm on FOX
Detroit @ New Orleans 7:15pm on NBC

NHL Hockey: Minnesota @ Anaheim 7pm on FS North

Soccer:

Italian Serie A: Juventus vs Cesna 8am on FOX Soccer
English Premier League 10am on FOX Soccer
NCAA College Cup (women's) 12pm on ESPN2
Italian Serie A: Parma vs Palermo 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
U-17: United States vs Brazil 4pm on FOX Soccer

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

NBA tips off the season Christmas Day with a quadruple header on ESPN & ABC

After a NBA-imposed lockout that wiped out nearly the first two months of the 2011-12 NBA season, with the lockout over and the NBA season tipping off Christmas Day, ABC & ESPN will team up for a quadruple header.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, ABC will begin the day with a rematch from the 2011 NBA Finals with Miami traveling to Dallas, that game will begin at 1:30pm (CT), followed by the Bulls traveling to Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

The prime time doubleheader on ESPN will have Orlando traveling to Oklahoma City at 7pm (CT) followed by the Golden State Warriors hosting the LA Clippers at 9:30pm (CT).

The 2010-11 NBA season saw their national TV partners enjoy some of their highest NBA television ratings ever, will basketball fans be able to forget about the lockout and carry over the ratings momentum for the 2011-12 season?  With the NFL putting up big TV ratings this year, sports fans were quick to forget about the NFL lockout, will the NBA enjoy the same success?  Time will tell.

TV Schedule, Saturday December 3

College Basketball:

Big 10:

Iowa St. @ Michigan 11am on BTN
USC @ Minnesota 1:15pm on BTN
Purdue @ Xavier 2pm on ESPNU
Gonzaga @ Illinois 2:15pm on ESPN2
Marquette @ Wisconsin 3:30pm on BTN

Big 12:

Texas @ UCLA 3:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
South Florida @ Kansas 4:15pm on ESPN2

Missouri Valley:

Air Force @ Drake 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22
Missouri St. @ New Mexico 9pm on The Mtn.

National Games:

UMASS @ Miami, FL 12pm on ESPNU
North Carolina @ Kentucky 11am on CBS
Georgia Tech @ Tulan 1pm on CBS Sports Network
Arkansas @ UCONN 2:15pm on ESPN
Arizona St. @ Tulsa 3pm on CBS Sports Network
BYU vs Oregon 4pm on ESPNU
Pitt @ Tennessee 4:15pm on ESPN
Eastern Washington @ Washington 5:30pm on FOX College Sports Atlantic
Northern Arizona @ Arizona 5:30pm on FOX College Sports Pacific
LSU @ Rutgers 6pm on ESPNU
West Virginia @ Mississippi St. 8pm on ESPNU

College Football:

UCONN @ Cincinnati 11am on ESPN
Conference USA Championship: Southern Miss @ Houston 11am on ABC
Iowa St. @ Kansas St. 11:30am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
Syracuse @ Pitt 11am on ESPN2
UNLV @ TCU 1:30pm on VERSUS
Texas @ Baylor 2:30pm on ABC
SEC Championship: Georgia vs LSU 3pm on CBS
BYU @ Hawaii 6:30pm on ESPN2
ACC Championship: Clemson vs Virginia Tech 7pm on ESPN
Bedlam: Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St. 7pm on ABC
Big 10 Championship: Michigan St. vs Wisconsin 7pm on FOX
Fresno St. @ San Diego St. 7pm on CBS Sports Network

College Hockey:

Minnesota @ North Dakota (women's) 7pm on FOX College Sports Central
Minnesota St. @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North

College Volleyball: Teams TBA 6:30pm on BTN

Davis Cup Tennis: Argentina vs Spain 9am on Tennis Channel

Figure Skating: ISU Grand Prix, Cup of Russia 12pm on NBC

Golf:

European PGA Tour: UBS Hong Kong Open (Third Round) 5am on Golf Channel
Nedbank Golf Challenge: Third Round 8am on Golf Channel
Chevron World Challenge: Third Round 12pm on Golf Channel & 2pm on NBC
PGA Tour: Q-School (Fourth Round) 2:30pm on Golf Channel

NHL Hockey:

Montreal @ Los Angeles 2:30pm on NHL Network
Toronto @ Boston 6pm on NHL Network
Chicago @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest

Soccer:

English Premier League: Newcastle vs Chelsea 6:30am on ESPN2
English Premier League: Manchester City vs Norwich City 9am on FOX Soccer
English Premier League: Aston Villa vs Manchester United 11:30am on FOX Soccer
Italian Serie A: inter Millan vs Udnesa 1:30pm on FOX Soccer

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Friday December 2

College Basketball:

Florida @ Syracuse 6pm on ESPN
Vanderbilt @ Louisville 8pm on ESPN
Cincinnati @ Georgia 6pm on ESPNU
Auburn @ Seton Hall 8pm on ESPNU
Washington St. @ Nevada 10pm on ESPNU

College Football:

MAC Championship: Northern Illinois vs Ohio 6pm on ESPN2
Pac 12 Championship: UCLA @ Oregon 7pm on FOX

College Hockey:

Boston University @ Boston College 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Minnesota @ North Dakota (women's) 7pm on Fox College Sports Central
Denver @ Colorado College 9pm on CBS Sports Network

Golf:

Nedbank Golf Challenge: Second Round 8am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
European PGA Tour: UBS Hong Kong Open (Second Round) 11:30am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
Chevron World Challenge (Second Round) 2pm on Golf Channel

NASCAR Awards Ceremony:

Nationwide & Camping World Series: 6pm on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: 8pm on Speed Channel

NBA D-League Basketball: Los Angeles @ Sioux Falls 7pm on NBATV

NHL Hockey:

Detroit @ Buffalo 6:30pm on NHL Network
New Jersey @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North
NY Islanders @ Chicago 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
St. Louis @ Colorado 8pm on FS Midwest

Soccer:

Italian Serie A: Genoa vs AC Millan 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
U-17 Friendly: United States vs Turkey 4pm on FOX Soccer
Women's College Cup, First Semi-final: Florida St. vs Stanford 4pm on ESPNU

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

The NFL dominates Thanksgiving weekend ratings

With families gathering all across the United States for Thanksgiving last weekend, one thing was evident, there was one thing that families could agree on watching and that was NFL football.

According to a Press Release from the NFL, the 3pm (CT) NFL matchup of Miami @ Dallas was the most-watched TV show this fall on TV, regardless if it's broadcast or cable and the Thanksgiving night "Harbowl" on NFL Network was cable TV's all-time most-watched primetime Thanksgiving telecast.  That's all in addition to the Green Bay/Detroit showdown being the most-watched Thanksgiving game since 1996 as well as NBC's Sunday Night telecast winning the night ratings.

For a full breakdown of the ratings, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Thursday December 1

College Basketball:

Big 10: Miami, FL @ Michigan St. (women's) 7pm on BTN

Missouri Valley: Creighton @ Wyoming (women's) 8pm on The Mtn.

National Games:

Providence @ South Carolina 6pm on ESPNU
St. Johns @ Kentucky 6:30pm on ESPN2
Illinois-Chicago @ Wisconsin-Green Bay 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
LSU @ Houston 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Ole Miss @ DePaul 8pm on ESPNU
Georgetown @ Alabama 8:30pm on ESPN2

College Football: West Virginia @ South Florida 7pm on ESPN

Golf:

Nedbank Golf Challenge (First Round) 8am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
European PGA Tour: UBS Hong Kong Open (First Round) 11:30am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
Chevron World Challenge: First Round, 2pm on Golf Channel

NFL Football: Philadelphia @ Seattle 7pm on NFL Network

NHL Hockey: Pittsburgh @ Washington 6pm on NHL Network

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Wednesday November 30

College Basketball:

Big 10:

North Carolina @ Penn St. (women's) 5:30pm on BTN
Florida St. @ Michigan St. 6:30pm on ESPN
Indiana @ North Carolina St. 6:15pm on ESPN2
Penn St. @ Boston College 6:15pm on ESPNU
Florida St. @ Ohio St. (women's) 7:30pm on BTN
Virginia Tech @ Minnesota 8:15pm on ESPN2
Wake Forest @ Nebraska 8:15pm on ESPNU
Wisconsin @ North Carolina 8:30pm on ESPN

Big 12: Northern Iowa @ Iowa St. 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22

Missouri Valley:

Missouri St. @ Oral Roberts 7pm on Fox College Sports Central
Creighton @ San Diego St. 9:30pm on The Mtn.

National Games:

Duquesne vs Pitt 6pm on CBS Sports Network
BYU vs Northern Arizona 8pm on BYUtv
Notre Dame @ Gonzaga 10:15pm on ESPN2

NHL Hockey:

Tampa Bay @ Detroit 6:30pm on VERSUS
Colorado @ Colorado St. 7pm on The Mtn.
Minnesota @ Edmonton 8:30pm on FS North

Soccer:

International Friendly: Newcastle vs Los Angeles 6am on FOX Soccer
U-17 Friendly: United States vs France 4pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

ESPN wraps up the college football regular season this week

The 2011 college football regular season comes to an end this weekend with several conference championship and key regular season games being broadcast across multiple ESPN platforms.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, the following are the marquee games, all times are Central:

Thursday:  West Virigina @ South Florida 7pm on ESPN

Friday:


MAC Championship Game:  Northern Illinois vs Ohio 6pm on ESPN2
Pac 12 Championship Game:  UCLA @ Oregon 7pm on ESPN Radio

Saturday:


Conference USA Championship Game:  Southern Miss @ Houston 11am on ABC
Texas @ Baylor 2:30pm on ABC
ACC Championship:  Clemson vs Virginia Tech 7pm on ESPN
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St. 7pm on ABC

CSN Chicago to air a weekly Hot Stove League show

It's been a busy start to the start of the Hot Stove League for both Cubs & White Sox fans and now, they have a weekly show on Comcast SportsNet Chicago ("CSN Chicago").

According to a Press Release from CSN Chicago, Chicago Baseball Hot Stove will air every Tuesday afternoon at 5pm (CT) and will be dedicated to the off-season moves of both the Cubs & White Sox.  Chicago Baseball Hot Stove will be hosted by and will be hosted by several Cubs & White Sox CSN Chicago analysts.

CSN  Chicago is available across Iowa in the basic programing packages of both Dish Network & DirecTV and also available on cable in Eastern Iowa.

TV Schedule, Tuesday November 29

College Basketball:

Northwestern @ Georgia Tech 6:15pm on ESPNU
Michigan @ Virginia 6pm on ESPN2
Illinois @ Maryland 6:30pm on ESPN
LSU @ Houston 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Miami, FL @ Purdue 8pm on ESPN2
Clemson @ Iowa 8:15ppm on ESPNU
Duke @ Ohio St. 8:30pm on ESPN

Italian Serie A Soccer: Napoli vs Juventus 1:30pm on FOX Soccer

NHL Hockey:

St. Louis @ Washington 6pm on FS Midwest
Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers 6:30pm on VERSUS
Phoenix @ Chicgo 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Last night's Sunday Night Football was a ratings winner

As expected, last night's Sunday Night Football telecast on NBC between Kansas City & Pittsburgh easily won the Sunday night ratings competition.

According to a Press Release from NBC, last night's game generated an overnight rating of 12.5 and a 19 share.  Even though last night's rating were down from last year's week 12, last night marked the 39th time out of the last 40 telecasts that NFL football on NBC won the ratings for it's respective night (either Thursday or Sunday).

Too much of a good thing for ESPN?

This past September, the NFL & ESPN announced a contract extension valued at just under two billion dollars per year that will keep Monday Night Football on ESPN through the 2021 season.  Included in the contract extension was the right for ESPN to televise several NFL-themed studio shows throughout the week.

As the 2011 NFL regular season enters the stretch drive, The Sports Business Daily came out with an article last week that those NFL-themed studio shows are not bringing in the viewers, with October viewership in the 3pm (CT) window dropping 38% from the same time last year while on ESPN2, NFL-themed studio shows in the 5pm (CT) window saw a decrease of 45% in October in the same 5pm (CT) window last year.

You can read the entire article at the link above, but several staff writers for The Sports Business Daily all agree that the NFL-themed studio programming on ESPN has hit the saturation point.

Back from a hiatus

After taking a nearly two week hiatus, i've decided to start up the blog again. The sickening situation at Penn St. and Joe Paterno's downfall as a coaching legend really zapped all interest I had for sports and to be honest, other than live games, i've been tuned out to what's been going on. I've always treated this blog as a hobby and resuming the blog will give me something to do. So enjoy and Merry Christmas to one and all!

TV Schedule, Monday November 28

College Basketball:

Long Beach St. @ Louisville 6pm on ESPNU
Xavier @ Vanderbilt 6pm on ESPN2
Georgia @ Colorado 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
Tennessee @ Oakland 8pm on ESPNU
Pepperdine @ UCLA 10pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

NFL Football: NY Giants @ New Orleans 7:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey: Tampa Bay @ Minnesota 6:30pm on VERSUS

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Monday November 14

College Basketball:

Manhattan @ Syracuse 6pm on ESPNU
High Point @ Purdue 6:30pm on BTN
Detroit Mercy @ Notre Dame 8pm on ESPNU
Nevada @ UNLV 9pm on CBS Sports Network
Portland @ Washington 9pm on Fox College Sports Pacific
Nebraska @ USC 9:30pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Fresno St. @ Stanford 10pm on ESPNU
Washington St. @ Gonzaga 11pm on ESPN

NFL Football: Minnesota @ Green Bay 7:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey:

Buffalo @ Montreal 6pm on VERSUS
Philadelphia @ Carolina 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All Times are Central.

TV Schedule, Sunday November 13

ATP Tennis: BNP Paribas Masters 8am on Tennis Channel

Auto Racing:

GP1 Championship Series: 5am on Speed Channel
Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 6:30am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Kobalt Tools 500 2pm on ESPN
NHRA Drag Racing: Automobile Club of Southern California 6pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

College Basketball:

North Carolina @ UNC-Asheville 3pm on ESPNU
Lehigh @ Iowa St. 3:30pm on Mediacom Channel 22
UT-Chattanooga @ Indiana 4pm on BTN
Bowling Green @ Georgia 5pm on ESPNU
Texas-Pan America @ Northwestern 6pm on BTN
George Washington @ Cal 8:30pm on ESPNU

College Hockey: Boston University @ Boston College 3pm on CBS Sports Network

Figure Skating: 2011 ISU Grand Prix 1pm on NBC

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 12am on Golf Channel
Australian Open: 8am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA Tour: Lorena Ochoa Invitiational (Final Round) 3pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

NFL Football:

Denver @ Kansas City 12pm on KCCI (outside of Des Moines, check local listings)
New Orleans @ Atlanta 12pm on KDSM (outside of Des Moines, check local listings)
Detroit @ Chicago 3pm on KDSM (outside of Des Moines, check local listings)
New England @ NY Jets 7:15pm on NBC

NHL Hockey:

Minnesota @ Anaheim 7pm on FS North

Soccer:

A League: Brisbane vs Wellington 12am on FOX Soccer
FA Cup: Morecambe vs Sheffeld 9am on FOX Soccer
College: Big 10 Tournament Championship, Teams TBA 11am on BTN
College: Big East Tournament Championship, Teams TBA 11am on CBS Sports Network
College: ACC Championship, Teams TBA 11am on ESPNU
College: Conference USA Championship, Teams TBA 1pm on CBS Sports Network
College: Missouri Valley Championship, Teams TBA 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Saturday November 12

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying 7am on Speed Channel
Nationwide Series: Wypall 200 Qualifying 11am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Kobalt Tools 500 Qualifying 12:30pm on Speed Channel
Nationwide Series: Wypall 200 2:30pm on ESPN2

College Basketball:

Presbyterian @ Duke 3:30pm on ESPNU
Southern Illinois @ Illinois 7pm on BTN
Texas Southern @ Drake 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22

College Football:

Big 10:

Michigan St. @ Iowa 11am on ESPN2
Nebraska @ Penn St. 11am on ESPN
Ohio St. @ Purdue 11am on BTN*
Rice @ Northwestern 11am on BTN*
Michigan @ Illinois 2:30pm on ABC in SW Iowa & Eastern Iowa and ESPN the rest of the state
Wisconsin @ Minnestoa 2:30pm on BTN

*Check local listings for channel number.

Big 12:

Oklahoma St. @ Texas Tech 11am on ABC
Texas @ Missouri 11am on FX
Texas A&M @ Kansas St. 2:30pm on ABC in Central & NW Iowa

National Games:

Florida @ South Carolina 11am on CBS
Marshall @ Tulsa 11am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
Penn @ Harvard 11am on VERSUS
Pitt @ Louisville 11am on Altitude, MASN, & SNY
Wake Forest @ Clemson 11am on ESPNU
Kentucky @ Vanderbilt 11:21am on SEC Network (check local listings)
Kent St. @ Akron 1pm on STO
Wyoming @ Air Force 1pm on The Mtn.
Arizona @ Colorado 1:30pm on Fox College Sports Pacific
Army vs Rutgers (Yankee Stadium) 2:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Auburn @ Georiga 2:30pm on CBS
Miami @ Florida St. 2:30pm on KETV (Council Bluffs/Omaha)
Washington @ USC 2:30pm on FX
San Diego St. @ Colorado St. 5pm on The Mtn.
Tennessee @ Arkansas 5pm on ESPN
Oregon St. @ Cal 5:30pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
UCLA @ Utah 5:30pm on Fox College Sports Central
Western Kentucky @ LSU 6pm on ESPNU
Maryland vs Notre Dame (Washington DC) 6:30pm on NBC
Alabama @ Mississippi 6:45pm on ESPN
Fresno St. @ New Mexico St. 7pm on FS Arizona
Oregon @ Stanford 7pm on ABC
Central Florida @ Southern Miss 7pm on CBS Sports North
Idaho @ BYU 8:15pm on ESPN2
UNLV @ New Mexico 9pm on The Mtn.
Hawaii @ Nevada 9:15pm on ESPNU
Arizona St. @ Washington St. 9:30pm on VERSUS

College Hockey: Minnesota @ Wisconsin 7pm on BTN

Golf:

LPGA Tour: Lorena Ochoa Invitational (Third Round) 3pm on Golf Channel
Australian Open 7pm on Golf Channel

Iowa High School Volleyball Championships:

Class 4A at 11am on IHSNN*
Class 3A at 1pm on IHSNN*
Class 2A at 3pm on IHSNN*
Class 1A at 5pm on IHSNN*

*IHSNN: Iowa High School Sports Network, check local listings for channel number.

NHL Hockey:

New Jersey @ Washington 6pm on NHL Network
Tampa Bay @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Minnesota @ Los Angeles 9:30pm on FS North

Soccer:

FA Cup: Alfreton v Carlisle 9am on FOX Soccer
England vs Spain 11am on FOX Soccer

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Friday November 11

Happy Veterans Day to all the Veterans and THANK YOU for your service.

ATP Tennis: BNP Paribas Masters 7am, 9am, 12:30pm, & 2:30pm on Tennis Channel

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice 7am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Kobalt Tools 500 Practice 12:30pm on ESPN2
Sprint Cup Series: Kobalt Tools 500 Final Practice 4:30pm on ESPN2

Boxing: 9pm on FS Midwest & FS North

College Basketball:

Columbia @ UCONN 6pm on ESPNU
Quicken Loans Carrier Classic: Michigan St. vs North Carolina 6pm on ESPN
Stony Brook @ Indiana 6pm on BTN
St. Joseph's @ Western Kentucky 7pm on Fox College Sports Central
Maui Invitational: Belmont @ Duke 8pm on ESPNU
Wright St. @ Ohio St. 8pm on BTN
Army @ Air Force 8:30pm on CBS Sports Network
The Citadel vs VMI 11pm on CBS Sports Network

College Football: South Florida @ Syracuse 7pm on ESPN2

College Hockey: Minnesota @ Wisconsin 7pm on FS North

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 12am on Golf Channel
Australian Open 8am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA Tour: Lorena Ochoa Invitational (Second Round) 3pm on Golf Channel

NHL Hockey:

Washington @ New Jersey 6pm on NHL Network
Calgary @ Chicago 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Soccer:

France vs United States 1:55pm on ESPN2
Big Ten Tournament, Semi-final: Teams TBA 12pm on BTN
FA Cup: Cambridge vs Wrexham 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
Big Ten Tournament, Semi-final: Teams TBA 2:30pm on BTN
Big East Tournament, Semi-final: UCONN vs Louisville 4pm on CBS Sports Network
Big East Tournament, Semi-final: St. John's vs Villanova 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Bob Costas to host a monthly show on NBC Sports Network

In what continues to be the further transformation of VERSUS to the NBC Sports Network, it was announced today that Bob Costas will take on a role with the soon to be re-branded sports network.

According to a Press Release from NBC Sports, Costas will host a quarterly town hall discussion called Costas Tonight Live from. . . that will tackle the  latest sports topics which will debut this February at The Super Bowl on NBC Sports Network.  In addition, Costas will host a monthly interview show called Costas Tonight that will debut in Spring of 2012 on NBC Sports Network.

For more information on the new shows, please visit the Web Site linked above.

ESPN's 24 hour college basketball marathon is next week

In what has become a yearly tradition on the ESPN family of networks, the 24-hour marathon of college basketball action is November 15.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, 21 games, 19 men's and 2 women's telecasts will be shown over a 24 hour period beginning at 11pm (CT) on Monday, November 16 and this year, the marathon will have an Iowa feel to it as Northern Iowa will travel to Saint Marys for a game that will tip at 1am (CT) on ESPN.

For a complete schedule, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Thursday November 10

College Football:

Ohio @ Central Michigan 6:30pm on ESPNU

Houston @ Tulane 7pm on CBS Sports Network

Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech 7pm on ESPN

Golf:

LPGA Tour:  Lorena Ochoa Invitational (1st round) 3pm on Golf Channel
PGA Tour:  Australian Open (2nd round) 7pm on Golf Channel

NFL Football:  Oakland @ San Diego 7pm on NFL Network

NHL Hockey:

Chicago @ Columbus 6pm on Comcast Sports Net Chicago

Toronto @ St. Louis 7pm FS Midwest

Minnesota @ San Jose 9:30pm on FS North

Disclaimer:  All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Wednesday November 9

ATP Tennis: BNP Paribas Masters 3:30am on Tennis Channel

College Basketball:

Akron @ Mississippi St. 6pm on ESPNU
Lehigh @ St. Johns 6pm on ESPN2
Duquense @ Arizona 8pm on ESPN2

College Football: Miami, OH @ Temple 7pm on ESPN

College Volleyball:

Michigan St. @ Minnesota 7pm on BTN
Oklahoma @ Kansas St. 7pm on FS Midwest

NHL Hockey: Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay 6:30pm on NHL Network

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

Thursday Night Football returns this week on NFL Network

The NFL Network kicks off it’s 8 week schedule of live NFL action this Thursday night with San Diego hosting Oakland in a key AFC west showdown with kickoff scheduled for just after 7pm (CT).  Calling the action on NFL Network this year are Brad Nessler &  Mike Mayock with Alex Flanagan on the sideline.  Rich Eissen will host pregame coverage and will be joined by several former NFL players including Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner, and others.

Here’s a  complete schedule for Thursday Night football on NFL Network:

November 10:  Oakland @ San Diego 7pm (CT)

November 17:  New York Jets @ Denver 7pm (CT)

November 24:  San Franciso @ Baltimore 7pm (CT)

December 1:  Philadelphia @ Seattle 7pm (CT)

December 8:  Cleveland @ Pittsburgh 7pm (CT)

December 15:  Jacksonville @ Atlanta 7pm (CT)

December 17:  Dallas @ Tampa Bay 7pm (CT)

December 22:  Houston @ Indianapolis 7pm (CT).

A sneak peek of ESPN's college football schedule this week

ESPN kicks off the college football season this week with a pair of games to be televised on ESPN2 and ESPNU with both games kicking off at 7pm (CT).

According to a Press Release from ESPN, this week's batch of televised games across multiple ESPN platforms is highlighted by an ACC showdown Thursday night with Georgia Tech hosting Virginia Tech as well as a showcase game of 7th ranked Oregon traveling to 4th ranked Stanford Saturday night at 7pm (CT).

For a complete schedule of college football games this week that will be televised across the ESPN family of networks, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Tuesday November 8

ATP Tennis: BNP Paribas Masters 4am on Tennis Channel

College Football:

Northern Illinois @ Bowling Green 7pm on ESPN2
Western Michigan @ Toledo 7pm on ESPNU

NHL Hockey:

Carolina @ New Jersey 6:30pm on VERSUS
Chicago @ St. Louis 7:00pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & FS Midwest
Minnesota @ Calgary 8:30pm on FS North

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Saturday night's LSU/Alabama game sets a ratings record

It's not very often that college football fans get to enjoy a regular season matchup of the nation's top-two ranked teams and Saturday's LSU/Alabama matchup sets a ratings precedent.

According to a Press Release from CBS Sports, Saturday's thrilling game was the most watched regular-season game on CBS Sports since Notre Dame vs Miami in 1989.  Saturday's telecast generated a rating/share of 11.5/20 with viewership peaking at over 24 million during the 10pm (CT) hour.

For more information, please visit the Web Site linked above.

Sunday Night Football is another ratings winner for NBC

Last night's Sunday Night Football telecast on NBC bought the "peacock network" another ratings win, this time, in during the important November Sweeps ratings month.

According to a Press Release from NBC Sports, last night's thrilling Baltimore @ Pittsburgh game generated a 14.2 overnight rating and a 23 share, up 15% from last year's week 9 game and is the 4th-highest rated Sunday Night Football telecast of the season.

For more information, including the top 10 highest rated markets, please visit the Web Site linked above.

College Basketball Season tips off tonight on ESPNU

The 2011-12 men's college basketball season tips off tonight with a doubleheader from the 2K Sports Benefiting Coaches vs Cancer.  All total, 26 games will be showcased across multiple ESPN platforms, including exclusive telecasts on ESPN3.com

The highlight game of the week is the Carrier Classic on Veterans Day of  Michigan St. against pre-season #1 North Carolina from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson.  For a complete schedule of action this week, please visit this Web Site.

TV Schedule,. Monday November 7

College Basketball:

William & Mary @ St. John’s 6pm on ESPNU

Valparaiso @ Arizona 8pm on ESPNU

NFL Football:  Chicago @ Philadelphia 7:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey:  NY Islanders @ Boston 6pm on VERSUS

Disclaimer:  All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Saturday November 5

ATP Tennis: Swiss Indoors Basel 8:30am & 11am on Tennis Channel

Auto Racing:

NASCAR Sprint Cup: AAA Texas 500 Practice 8:30am on Speed Channel
NASCAR Sprint Cup: AAA Texas 500 Happy Hour 10am on ESPN2
NASCAR Nationwide: O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge 11:55am on ESPN2
World of Outlaws: From Charlotte, NC 7pm on Speed Channel

College Football:

Big 10:

Indiana @ Ohio St. 11am on BTN*
Michigan @ Iowa 11am on ESPN
Minnesota @ Michigan St. 11am on BTN*
Northwestern @ Nebraska 2:30pm on BTN
Purdue @ Wisconsin 2:30pm on ABC

*Check local listings for game availability

Big 12:

Texas Tech @ Texas 11am on FX
Kansas @ Iowa St. 11:30sm on Fox College Sports Central
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma 2:30pm on ESPN2
Missouri @ Baylor 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest+, & FS Wisconsin
Kansas St. @ Oklahoma St. 7pm on ABC

Missouri Valley: Youngstown St. @ Northern Iowa 4pm on KWWL & WOI-DT 5.2

National Games:

Louisville @ West Virginia 11am on MASN & SNY
Syracuse @ UCONN 11am on ESPNU
Vanderbilt @ Florida 11:21am on SEC Network (check local listings)
TCU @ Wyoming 1pm on The MTN.
Ole Miss @ Kentucky 2:30pm on ESPNU
Army @ Air Force 2:30pm on CBS
Troy @ Navy 2:30pm on CBS Sports Network
UTEP @ Rice 2:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
Northern Colorado @ Northern Arizona 5pm on Fox College Sports Pacific
Washington St. @ Cal 5:30pm on Comcast SportsNet California @ Root Sports Northwest
Cincinnati @ Pitt 6pm on CBS Sports Network
Utah @ Arizona 6pm on FS Arizona+ & Fox College Sports Central
South Carolina @ Arkansas 6:15pm on ESPN
Arizona St. @ UCLA 6:30pm on VERSUS
LSU @ Alabama 7pm on CBS
Notre Dame @ Wake Forest 7pm on ESPN2
Boise St. @ UNLV 9:30pm on CBS Sports Netowrk
Louisiana Tech @ Fresno St. 9:30pm on ESPNU
Oregon @ Washington 9:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest+, & FS North

College Hockey: North Dakota @ Minnesota 7:30pm on BTN

Figure Skating: Skate Canada International 2pm on NBC

Golf:

Champions Tour: Charles Schwab Cup Championship (Third Round) 3:30pm on Golf Channel
European PGA Tour: 10pm on Goilf Channel

Horse Racing: Breeders' Cup 1pm on ABC & 2:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey:

Montreal @ NY Rangers 6pm on NHL Network
St. Louis @ Minnesota 7pm on FS Midwest & FS North

Soccer:

English Premier League: Newcastle United vs Everton 7:30am on ESPN2
English Premier League: Blackburn vs Chelsea 10am on FOX Soccer
English Premier League: Queens Park Rangers vs Manchester City 12:30pm on FOX Soccer
Italian Serie A: Novara vs Roma 2:30pm on FOX Soccer

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

News & Notes from the Fox Sports Group

It's another big weekend of football action across the FOX family of networks highlighed by a NFL doubleheader on Sunday.

According to a Press Release from FOX Sports, a rematch of Super Bowl XLII with the NY Giants traveling to Foxboro, MA to take on the New England Patriots.  For a complete schedule of college & NFL football action across the FOX family of networks, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Friday November 4

ATP Tour Tennis: Swiss Indoors basel 8am, 10am, 12pm, & 2pm on Tennis Channel

College Field Hockey: Big 10 Semi-finals at 9am & 11am on BTN

College Football:

Central Michigan @ Kent St. 7pm on ESPN2
USC @ Colorado 8pm on ESPN

College Hockey:

Cornell @ Yale 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network
North Dakota @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North

College Volleyball: Penn St. @ Minnesota 8pm on BTN

Golf:

Champions Tour: Charles Schwab Cup Championship 3:30pm on Golf Channel
European PGA Tour: 10pm on Golf Channel

High School Football: Servite, CA vs Master Del (CA) 9:30pm on FS Wisconsin & JIP 10pm on FS Midwest

Horse Racing: Breeders' Cup 3pm on ESPN2

NASCAR:

Nationwide Series: O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Practice 10:30am on ESPN2
Sprint Cup Series: AAA Texas 500 Practice 12pm on ESPN2
Sprint Cup Series: AAA Texas 500 Qualifying 3:30pm on Speed Channel
Nationwide Series: O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Qualifying 5:30pm on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: WinStar World Casino 350K 7pm on Speed Channel

NHL Hockey:

Chicago @ Tampa Bay 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & NHL Network (subject to blackout across Iowa on NHL Network)
Vancouver @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest

Soccer:

College: Illinois vs Michigan St. (women's) 1:15pm on BTN
College: Big East Tournament Semi-final Teams TBA (women's) 2pm & 4:30pm on CBS Sports Network
College: Minnesota vs Penn St. (women's) 3:45pm on BTN
College: Santa Clara @ San Diego (women's) 8pm on ESPNU
College: Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo @ UC Santa Barbara 9pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

ESPN announces it's roster of college basketball talent

With the 2011-12 college basketball season tipping off next week, ESPN has announced it's roster of broadcast talent for the upcoming season.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, familiar faces of Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps, and Jay Bilas among others return.  With the NBA in lockout mode, new to college basketball this year on ESPN include Mike Trico, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mike Breen.

You can get a complete roster of broadcast talent as well as studio hosts for this upcoming season at the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Thursday November 3

ATP Tennis: Swiss Indoors Basel 10am, 12pm, & 2pm on Tennis Channel

College Football:

Akron @ Miami (OH) 6:30pm on ESPNU
Florida St. @ Boston College 7pm on ESPN
Tulsa @ Central Florida 7pm on CBS Sports Network

Golf:

European PGA Tour 10am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
Champions Tour: Charles Schwab Cup Championship 3:30pm on on Golf Channel
European PGA Tour: 10pm on Golf Channel

NHL Hockey:

Anaheim @ NY Rangers 6pm on NHL Network
Chicago @ Florida 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Vancouver @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North

Soccer:

MLS Playoffs: Teams TBA 7:30pm & 10pm on ESPN2
College: Washington St. @ Washington (women's) 9pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

ESPN to offer a week long salute to our Veterans

Veterans Day is right around the corner and ESPN kicks off a week long salute to our Veterans starting  this Sunday and continuing through November 11.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, numerous ESPN programs will originate from military institutions over the coming week with highlights and feature stories that will have a military feel to it.

The week concludes on Veterans Day with the first ever college basketball game between North Carolina & Michigan St. taking place from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson on ESPN with tip off at 6pm (CT).

For a more detailed look at ESPN's week long salute to our Veterans, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Wednesday November 2

ATP Tour Tennis: Swiss Indoors Basel 10am, 12pm, & 2pm on Tennis Channel

College Football: Temple @ Ohio 7pm on ESPN

College Volleyball:

Illinois @ Purdue 7pm on BTN
Iowa St. @ Oklahoma 7pm on ESPNU

NHL Hockey: Philadelphia @ Buffalo 6:0pm on VERSUS

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League: Olympique Lyonnais vs Real Madrid 2:30pm on FS Midwest & FS North
UEFA Champions League: Manchester United vs Otelul 2:30pm on FOX Soccer
MLS Playoffs: TBA @ Sporting Kansas City 7pm on FOX Soccer
MLS Playoffs: Teams TBA 9pm on ESPN2

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

Monday Night Football scores a ratings win

Last night's overtime thrilling Monday Night Football telecast between San Diego & Kansas City helped lift ESPN to a ratings win.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, a 7.9 U.S rating generated over 12 million viewers helped ESPN win the night across broadcast & cable TV and easily won the ratings in the key male 18-34 & 18-49 advertising demographic.

For more information, including a rating breakdown for the Kansas City & San Diego DMA's, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Tuesday November 1

ATP tennis: Swiss Indoors Basel 2:30pm on Tennis Channel

College Football: Northern Illinois @ Toledo 6pm on ESPN2

NHL Hockey:

Anaheim @ Washington 6:30pm on VERSUS
Minnesota @ Detroit 6:30pm on FS North

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League: Genk vs Chelsea 2:30pm on FOX Soccer
UEFA Champions League: Valencia vs Leverkusen 2:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest & FS North

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

DirecTV and Fox reach a carriage agreement

With DirecTV & FOX nearing a drop dead deadline in their carriage dispute, DirecTV has announced that the two sides have reached a carriage agreement.

According to DirecTV's Facebook page, the two sides have reached an agreement that will keep the regional FSN's, FX, Speed Channel, Fox Movie, NatGeo, and other Fox-owned networks "live and active" on DirecTV some time to come.  As usual with these carriage disputes, specific terms were not disclosed.

A first for ESPN, first ever live coverage of the Gold Gloves awards show

ESPN has announced that for the first time ever, the announcement of the Gold Glove winners in MLB  will be televised live on ESPN2.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, the Gold Glove winners will be announced from ESPN's Baseball Tonight studios which will take place November 1 at 9p (CT) with Karl Ravech doing the hosting and will be joined by analysts John Kruk and Barry Larkin.

For a full listing of those players up for a Gold Glove at their respective position, please visit the Web Site linked above.

A sneak peek at college football across the ESPN platforms this weekend

It's another big week of college football action across the ESPN family of networks that gets underway tomorrow night Toledo hosting Northern Illinois at 6pm (CT) on ESPN2 and continues with games every night the rest of the week.

According to a Press Release from ESPN #14 Kansas St. entertaining #3 Oklahoma St. at 7pm (CT) on ABC or ESPN2 and a top 10 battle between #9 South Carolina traveling to #7 Arkansas at 6:15pm (CT).  In addition, highly ranked Stanford & Oklahoma will be in the 2:30pm (CT) showcase, which depending on your location, will be available on either ABC & ESPN2

For a complete schedule of college football action across the ESPN family of networks this week, please visit the Web Site linked above.

Sunday Night Football on NBC generates a 14.7 overnight rating

Despite another blowout on the field, last night's Sunday Night Football matchup of Dallas vs Philadelphia was still able to generate a strong TV rating.

According to a Press Release from NBC Sports, last night's telecast generated an overnight rating of 14.7 with a 23 share, up 25% from last year when Sunday Night Football went head-to-head with the World Series.  In addition, last night's game the third-highest rated game of the 2011 season (Sunday's only).

For more information, including a ranking of the highest-rated markets, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Monday October 31

NFL Football: San Diego @ Kansas City 7:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey:

San Jose @ NY Rangers 6pm on VERSUS
Nashville @ Chicago 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNewd

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Bill Cowher to remain with CBS Sports

Don't look for former Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Bill Cowher to be roaming the NFL sidelines anytime soon.  Cowher today on The NFL Today, announced he has no intentions of returning to coaching.

For more information on Cowher's announcement, please visit the press release from CBS Sports linked above.

MLB Network to televise three games from the Arizona Fall League

With the 2011 MLB season in the rear view mirror and time to turn our attention to off-season activity and one part of the off-season is the Arizona Fall League, known throughout baseball as a finishing spot for some of the games best prospect's.

According to a Press Release from the MLB Network, the 24/7 cable TV network devoted to all things MLB will be on hand next month in Arizona to televise three games from the Arizona Fall League.

Included on the MLB Network schedule is the Rising Stars Game that will showcase the top three draft picks from this Summer's amateur draft.  The Rising Stars Game will be played Saturday, November 5th with first pitch shortly after 6pm (CT).

For more information, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Sunday October 30

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Indian Grand Prix 4am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Tums Fast Relief 500 12:30pm on ESPN
NHRA Drag Racing: Big O Tires Nationals 6pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

Bull Riding: PBR World Finals 3pm on NBC

College Basketball: Missouri @ Missouri Southern 5:30pm on ESPNU

Golf:

Asia Pacific Classic 12am on Golf Channel
European PGA Tour: 7am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Tour Championship (Final Round) 1:30pm on Golf Channel

NFL Football:

Miami @ NY Giants 12pm on CBS
Minnesota @ Carolina 12pm on KDSM (check local listings outside of Des Moines)
New England @ Pittsburgh 3:15pm on CBS
Dallas @ Philadelphia 7:15pm on NBC

NHL Hockey: St. Louis @ Edmonton 7pm on FS Midwest

Soccer:

A-League: Gold Coast United vs Newcastle Jets 1am on FOX Soccer
Italian Serie A: Udinese vs Palermo 9am on FOX Soccer
College: Michigan @ Michigan St. 11am on BTN
English Premier League: Tottenham vs Queens Park 11am on BTN
College: Indiana @ Ohio St. (women's) 1pm on BTN
MLS: Teams TBA 2pm on ESPN2
Italian Serie A: Cagllari vs Lazio 2:30pm on FOX Soccer
MLS: Teams TBA 4pm on ESPN2
MLS: Sporting Kansas City @ Colorado 6pm on FOX Soccer

WTA Tennis: TEB-BNP Paribas Championships 12pm on ESPN2

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Deadline looms for DirecTV and Fox

Tuesday's deadline for DirecTV's carriage of FX, Speed Channel, NatGeo, Fox Movie Channel and several regional sports network's looms with no deal in sight.

According to a report in this morning's Los Angeles Times, the two sides remain far apart on reaching a carriage agreement and that both sides are running propaganda ads as was evident during the FOX's coverage of the World Series.

I think in the end, both parties will reach an agreement and kiss and make up, especially with DirecTV being known as the sports leader in the industry.  Then again, Dish Network subscribers went through the same situation last year with the regional sports networks being dark for nearly a month and DirecTV subscribers went  through almost an entire NHL season 2 years ago when DirecTV and Comcast was locked in a heated carriage dispute.

TV Schedule, Saturday October 29

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Indian Grand Prix Qualifying 3:30am on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: Kroger 200 Qualifying 9:30am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Tums Fast Relief 500 Qualifying 11am on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: Kroger 200 1pm on Speed Channel
NHRA Drag Racing: Nevada Nationals Qualifying 9:30pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

Bull Riding: PBR World Finals 8pm on VERSUS

CFL Football:

Toronto @ Winnipeg 2am on NFL Network (same day tape)
Edmonton @ BC 9pm on NFL Network

College Football:

Big 10:

Michigan St. @ Nebraska 11am on ESPN
Northwestern @ Indiana 11am on BTN
Purdue @ Michigan 11am on ESPN2
Illinois @ Penn St. 2:30pm on ABC or ESPN2
Iowa @ Minnesota 2:30pm on BTN
Wisconsin @ Ohio St. 7pm on ESPN

Big 12:

Missouri @ Texas AM 11am on FX
Baylor @ Oklahoma St. 2:30pm on ABC or ESPN2
Oklahoma @ Kansas St. 2:30pm on ESPN
Iowa St. @ Texas Tech 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest & FS Wisconsin

Missouri Valley:

South Dakota St. @ Missouri St. 2pm on Mediacom channel 22
Illinois St. @ Southern Illinois 2:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Northern Iowa @ North Dakota St. 3pm on Fox College Sports Central

National Games:

Albany St. @ Wagner 11am on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Syracuse @ Louisville 11am on SNY & MASN
UAB @ Marshall 11am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Arkansas @ Vanderbilt 11:20am on SEC Network
Lehigh @ Colgate 11am on CBS Sports Network
North Carolina St. @ Florida St. 11:30am on ESPNU
Air Force @ New Mexico 1pm on The Mtn.
Washington St. @ Oregon 2pm on FS Midwest & FS North
Buffalo @ Miami, OH 2:30pm on STO
Florida vs Georgia (Jacksonville, FL) 2:30pm on CBS
Fordham @ Army 2:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Navy @ Notre Dame 2:30pm on NBC
Wake Forest @ North Carolina 2:30pm on ESPNU
Colorado St. @ UNLV 5pm on The MTN.
Colorado @ Arizona St. 5:30pm on FS Arizona & Root Sports Rocky Mountain
Cal @ UCLA 6pm on FS Prime Ticket & Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
Mississippi St. @ Kentucky 6pm on FS South
Ole Miss @ Auburn 6pm on ESPNU
Oregon St. @ Utah 6pm on Root Sports Northwest & Root Sports Rocky Mountain+
South Carolina @ Tennessee 6:15pm on ESPN2
Southern Miss @ UTEP 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Stanford @ USC 7pm on ABC
Wyoming @ San Diego St. 9pm on The MTN.
Alabama St. @ Alabama A&M 9:30pm on ESPNU (same day tape)
Arizona @ Washington 9:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North

College Hockey: St. Cloud St. @ North Dakota 7pm on Fox College Sports Central

College Volleyball: Nebraska @ Penn St. 7pm on BTN

Golf:

Asia Pacific Classic (Third Round) 12am on Golf Channel
European PGA Tour: 7am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Tour Championship (Third Round) 1:30pm on Golf Channel

NHL Hockey:

Ottawa @ NY Rangers 2pm on NHL Network
Boston @ Montreal 6pm on NHL Network
Detroit @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North

Soccer:

English Premier League: Chelsea vs Arsenal 6:30am on ESPN2
English Premier League: Manchester City vs Wolverhampton 9am on FOX Soccer
English Premier League: West Brom vs Liverpool 11:30am on FOX Soccer
Italian Serie A: Inter Millan vs Juventus 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
MLS Playoffs: Teams TBA 6:30pm on FOX Soccer
MLS Playoffs: Sounders FC @ Real Salt Lake 9pm on FOX Soccer

WTA Tennis: TEB-BNP Paribas Championships 7am & 9am on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

ESPN's coverage of the MLS Cup playoffs gets under way this weekend

ESPN's 16th year of televising the MLS Cup playoffs gets underway this weekend with a double-header this Sunday on ESPN2.  According to a Press Release from ESPN, coverage begins this Sunday at 2pm (CT) with New York & Los Angeles squaring off followed by the Philadelphia/Houston match-up at 4pm (CT).  In total, the ESPN family of networks will televise 5 MLS Cup playoff matches.

For more information, including a complete MLS Cup schedule as well as a schedule of additional upcoming soccer matches across multiple ESPN platforms, please visit the Web Site linked above.

Game 6 of the World Series puts up big ratings

Last night's Game 6 of the World Series was the most watched World Series game since 2009 and was the highest rated game of the 2011 Fall Classic.

According to a Press Release from Fox Sports, last night's Game 6 generated a 12.7/21 household rating/share with an average viewership of over 21 million.  In addition, it was the highest rated World Series game not involving the New York Yankees since 2005.

For more information, including an hour by hour breakdown of the ratings, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Friday October 28

Auto Racing:

Indian Grand Prix: Practice 3:30am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Tums Fast Relief 500 Practice 11:30am on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: Kroger 200 Final Practice 1pm on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Tums Fast Relief 500 Final Practice 2:30pm on Speed Channel

Bull Riding: PBR World Finals 8pm on VERSUS

College Football: BYU vs TCU (Arlington, TX) 7pm on ESPN

College Hockey:

Nebraska-Omaha @ Wisconsin 7pm on FS North
St. Cloud St. @ North Dakota 7:30pm on Fox College Sports Central

College Soccer: Virginia Commonwealth @ High Point 6pm on FOX Soccer

Golf:

Asia Pacific Classic 12am on Golf Channel
European PGA Tour: 8am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Tour Championship (Second Round) 1:30pm on Golf Channel

High School Football: Bethany (OK) @ Heritage Hall (OK) 7pm on ESPNU

MLB Baseball, World Series Game 7: Texas @ St. Louis 7pm on FOX

NHL Hockey:

Chicago @ Carolina 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
San Jose @ Detroit 6:30pm on NHL Network
St. Louis @ Calgary 8pm on FS Midwest

Pan American Games: 7pm on ESPN2

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNewd

WTA Tennis: TEB-BNP Paribas Championships 9am on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

News & Notes from the Fox Sports Group

With the World Series poised for a dramatic finish either today or tomorrow night, the Fox Sports Media Group will take the momentum from the final game(s) of the World Series and head right into another weekend packed full of NFL & college football action across multiple Fox platforms.

For insights from the Fox baseball announcing team on Tony LaRussa's 8th inning blunder in Game 5 as well as a complete weekend preview of football action across the Fox family of networks, please visit this Web Site.

ESPN networks to have live coverage of the Breeders' Cup

With the mid-fall tradition that is The Breeders' Cup just a week away, multiple ESPN networks will team up to provide live coverage of the 28th Breeders' Cup.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN 2 will be all over the Breeders' Cup on Friday,  November 4 & Saturday, November 5.  Coverage will be on ESPN2 Friday beginning at 3pm (CT) with ABC offering coverage Saturday beginning at 1pm (CT) moving over to ESPN at 2:20pm (CT).

For more information, including a complete schedule as well as information on the Breeders' Cup teaming up with The V Foundation, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Thursday October 27

Boxing: Junior Middleweights 10:30pm on FS Midwest & FS Wisconsin

Bull Riding: PBR World Finals 8pm on VERSUS

College Basketball Exhibition: Seattle Pacific @ Arizona 8:30pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

College Football:

Augustana (SD) @ Minnesota St-Mankato. 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Rice @ Houston 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS Wisconsin
Virginia @ Miami 7pm on ESPN

High School Football: Aledo (TX) @ Birdville (TX) 7pm on ESPNU

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 8am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Tour Championship (First Round) 1:30pm on Golf Channel
Asia Pacific Classic: 4pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

MLB Baseball, World Series Game 7: Texas @ St. Louis 7pm on FOX (If Necessary)

NHL Hockey:

Montreal @ Boston 6pm on NHL Network
Anaheim @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North

Pan American Games: 7:55pm on ESPN2

Soccer:

English Premier League: Teams TBA 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
College: Texas Tech @ Oklahoma (women's) 7pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

WTA Tennis: TEB-BNP Paribas Championship 9am on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

A look at MLB Network's off-season programming

With a potential series-clinching win by the Rangers tonight, weather permitting, MLB Network's  programming plans for the off-season has been announced.

According to a Press Release from the MLB Network, the network's signature off-season studio show Hot Stove will return this off-season with all of the free agent player movements as well as the latest news from around the league.  In addition, former ESPN host Brian Kenny has joined the MLB Network and will host a new first-ever analytical-based studio show called  Clubhouse Confidential as well as the debate-themed show Intentional Talk will continue in the off-season as well. With these new additions, MLB Network will offer 5 more additional hours per week of studio programming during the off-season.

For more information, including a daily off-season programming schedule, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Wednesday October 26

Bull Riding: PBR World Finals 8pm on VERSUS

College Football: UCONN @ Pitt 7pm on ESPN

College Volleyball:

Indiana @ Michigan St. 7pm on BTN
LSU @ Arkansas 7pm on ESPNU
St. Mary's @ San Diego 9pm on ESPNU

NHL Hockey:

Philadelphia @ Montreal 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
St. Louis @ Vancouver 9pm on FS Midwest

Pan American Games: 7pm on ESPN2

Soccer:

Italian Serie A: AC Millian vs Parma 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
MLS: Teams TBA 7pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Gus Johnson to call nearly 30 games on BTN this winter

Gus Johnson's popularity has soared in recent years and this coming basketball season, Johnson will be anchor the #1 basketball announcing team for the BTN calling nearly 30 games this coming winter.

According to a Press Release from the BTN, Johnson will be the primary announcer on the BTN's "Super Wednesday" double header coverage, in addition, Johnson will be the voice of the four Big 10 Tournament telecasts that the BTN will present this coming March.

All total this winter, BTN will televise over 100 men's basketball games, including 68 conference games as well as the aforementioned 4 games from the Big 10 Tournament.

For more information, including days that BTN will have live college basketball on it's schedule, please visit the Web Site linked above. 

Ratings for Game 5 of the World Series is flat when compared to Game 5 last year

The rating numbers are in for Game 5 of the 2011 World Series and according to a Press Release from Fox Sports, ratings for last night's telecast are on par with Game 5 from the 2010 World Series.

Game 5 last night generated an 8.8/14 household rating/share, good enough for 14.3 million viewers and Series to date, ratings are down just 1% from last year.

After a day off for travel today, the World Series resumes tomorrow night in St. Louis with Texas looking for a possible series clinching win with first pitch scheduled for just after 7pm (CT).

A sneak peek at college football across the ESPN platforms this weekend

It's another big week of college football action across the ESPN family of networks that gets underway tonight with a Sun Belt Conference match-up of of Troy at Florida International.

According to a Press Release from ESPN the weekend schedule of games is highlighted by a key Legends division game in the Big 10 with #14 Nebraska hosting #11 Michigan St. at 11am (CT) on ESPN and a top 10 battle between 9th ranked Oklahoma traveling to 8th ranked Kansas St. with kickoff scheduled for 2:30pm (CT).

For a complete schedule of college football action this week across the ESPN family of networks, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Tuesday October 25

College Football: Troy @ Florida International 7pm on ESPN2

Italian Serie A Soccer: Fiorentina @ Juventus 1:30pm on FOX Soccer

NHL Hockey:

Tampa Bay @ Buffalo 6:30pm on VERSUS
Anaheim @ Chicago 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

WTA Tennis: TEB-BNP Paribas Championships 9am on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Missouri Valley & ESPN reach a 5 year agreement

ESPN & The Missouri Valley Conference today announced that the two parties have reached a 5 year agreement that will see the men's basketball championship game at "Arch Madness" will move from CBS to ESPN.

In addition, according to a Press Release from The Missouri Valley Conference, the new agreement that runs through the 2015-16 academic year, the conference will get a minimum of 40 appearances per year across multiple ESPN platforms as well as ESPN3.com having a strong presence in presenting conference athletic events.

For more information, please visit the Web Site linked above.

ESPN steps up coverage of the WTA

ESPN has recently announced that an agreement has been reached with the Women's Tennis Association ("WTA") that solidifies ESPN's online platform, ESPN3.com as the top destination for WTA events.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, the new deal with the WTA runs through 2016 and will see an increase of 150 hours per year of WTA coverage on ESPN3.com as well as coverage of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships that gets underway today and live coverage of 70 matches from 11 WTA Premier events.

For more information, please visit the Web Site linked above.

Sunday Night Football generates an 8.2 overnight rating

Last night's New Orleans blowout of the Colts on NBC's Sunday Night Football generated an overnight rating of 8.2/13 share.

According to a Press Release from NBC Sports, to the surprise of no one, Sunday Night Football lost the ratings battle to Game 4 of the World Series that turned in an overnight rating of 10.1 and a 16 share.

For more information, including the highest rated markets for last night's Colts vs Saints game, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Monday October 24

MLB Baseball, World Series Game 5: St. Louis @ Texas 7pm on FOX

NFL Football: Baltimore @ Jacksonville 7:30pm on ESPN

Pan America Games: 8pm on ESPN2

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Sunday October 23

College Hockey: Vermont @ Minnesota 1pm on FS North

Bull Riding: PBR Tour 8pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

Golf:

European PGA Tour 6:30am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Children's Wish Miracle Network Hospitals Classic (Final Round) 1pm on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open (Final Round) 4pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA Tour: Tawian Championship (Final Round) 6:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

MLB Baseball, World Series Game 4: St. Louis @ Teas 7pm on FOX

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Talladega 500 1pm on ESPN

NFL Football:

Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay 12p on KDSM (outside of Des Moines, check local listings)
San Diego @ NY Jets 12pm on KCCI (outside of Des Moines, check local listings)
Green Bay @ Minnesota 3:15pm on FOX
Indianapolis @ New Orleans 7:15pm on NBC

Pan American Games: 8pm on ESPNU

Rugby: IRB World Cup, France vs New Zeland 2pm on NBC

Soccer:

College: Purdue @ Michigan (women's) 11am on BTN
College: LSU @ Florida (women's) 1pm on ESPNU
Italian Serie A: Bologna vs Lazio 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
College: Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M (women's) 3pm on ESPNU

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

TV Schedule, Saturday October 22

Auto Racing:

Sprint Cup Series: Good Sam Club 500 Qualifying 11am on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: Coca-Cola 250 3pm on Speed Channel
Australian V8 Supercars 10pm on Speed Channel

CFL Football: Montreal @ Winnipeg 2pm on NFL Network

College Football:

Big 10:

Illinois @ Purdue 11am on ESPN2
Indiana @ Iowa 11am on BTN
Nebraksa @ Minnesota 2:30pm on ESPN2 (on ABC in North Central & SW Iowa
Penn St. @ Northwestern 6pm on BTN
Wisconsin @ Michigan St. 7pm on ESPN

Big 12:

Kansas St. @ Kansas 11am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
Oklahoma St. @ Missouri 11am on FX
Texas A&M @ Iowa St. 2:30pm on ABC (on ESPN2 in North Central & SW Iowa)
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma 7pm on ABC

Missouri Valley:

Cal Poly @ North Dakota 11am on Fox College Sports Pacific
Southern Illinois @ Northern Iowa 3pm on KWWL (Waterloo) & WOI 5.2 (Des Moines)
Missouri St. vs Western Illinois 6pm on Mediacom Channel 22

National Games:

Cincinnati @ South Florida 11am on SNY & MASN
Jacksonville St. @ Kentucky 11am on ESPNU
North Carolina @ Clemson 11am on ESPN
Yale @ Penn 11am on VERSUS
Arkansas @ Ole Miss 11:20am on SEC Network
New Mexico @ TCU 1pm on The MTN
Idaho St. @ BYU 2pm on BYUtv
Air Force @ Boise St. 2:30pm on VERSUS
Auburn @ LSU 2:30pm on CBS
East Carolina @ Navy 2:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Georgia Tech @ Miami 2:30pm on ESPN
Memphis @ Tulane 2:30pm on Fox College Sports Central
North Carolina St. @ Virgina 2:30pm on ESPNU
Oregon @ Colorado 2:30pm Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS Wisconsin
Army @ Vanderbilt 6pm on ESPNU
Tulsa @ Rice 6pm on FS North
Tennessee @ Alabama 6:15pm on ESPN2
USC @ Notre Dame 6:30pm on NBC
SMU @ Southern Miss 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Oregon St. @ Washington St. 9:30pm on FS Midwest & FS North

MLB Baseball, World Series Game 3: St. Louis @ Texas 7pm on FOX

NHL Hockey:

Minnesota @ Vancouver 3pm on FS North & NHL Network (subject to blackout across Iowa on NHL Network)
Detroit @ Washington 6pm on NHL Network
St. Louis @ Philadelphia 6pm on FS Midwest

Figure Skating: Skate America 2pm on NBC

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 6:30am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Children's Miracle Network Classic (Third Round) 1pm on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Jacksonville Open (Third Round) 4pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA Tour: Taiwan Champsionship (Third Round) 6:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

Soccer:

English Premier League: Swansea City @ Wolverhampton 6:30am on ESPN2
English Premier League:  Newcastle United @ Wigan Athletic 9am on FOX Soccer
English Premier League:  Liverpool vs Norwich City 11:30am on FOX Soccer
Italian Serie A:  Juventus vs Genoa 1:30pm on FOX Soccer
MLS: Columbus @ Chicago 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likley for regional MLB & MLS telecasts outside of Iowa.

News & Notes from the Fox Sports Group

It's another busy weekend for the Fox Sports Media Group with Games 3-4 of the World Series on the schedule for Saturday & Sunday night as well as a full slate of College & NFL football action across several Fox Sports platforms.

For a complete weekend schedule, as well as announcing teams for all of the College & NFL action, please visit this Web Site.

Game 2 viewership of the World Series is up from 2010

The ratings are in for Game 2 of the 2011 World Series and good news for Fox and it's advertisers, the TV ratings for Game 2 is up from Game 2 of the 2010 World Series.

According to a Press Release from Fox Sports, Game 2 of the 2011 World Series generated a 8.9/14 household rating/share, good enough to bring in 14.1 million viewers to tie for the most-watched program from last night.  Through the first two games of the World Series, viewership is up 1% from the 2010 Fall Classic.

After an off day for travel, the World Series resumes tomorrow night in Arlington, TX with first pitch of Game 3 scheduled for shortly after 7pm (CT).

Regional FSN's & FX may go dark on DirecTV

Another carriage dispute is on the horizon and this may effect DirecTV subscribers.  John Ourand of the Sports Business Daily has tweeted that the regional FSN's, FX, and Speed Channel along with other Fox owned & operated networks may go dark on DirecTV November 1 due to a carriage dispute.

This dispute would not impact the Fox owned & operated over-the-air stations and Fox News Channel, but the regional FSN's like FS Midwest, FS North, and FS Wisconsin and other Fox owned & operated cable networks are very much in danger of going dark on November 1.  However, other regional sports network's like Comcast SportsNet Chicago, YES Network, etc. are not impacted.

TV Schedule, Friday October 21

CFL Football: Edmonton @ Toronto 10pm on NFL Network (same day tape)

College Football:

Rutgers @ Louisville 7pm on ESPN2
West Virgina @ Syracuse 7pm on ESPN

College Hockey:

Vermont @ Minnesota 6pm on FS North
North Dakota @ Wisconsin 7pm on FS Wisconsin
Vermont @ North Dakota (women's) 7pm on Fox College Sports Central

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 8am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic (Second Round) 1pm on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open (Second Round) 4pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA Tour: Taiwan Championship (Second Round) 6:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)


High School Football:

Bradley (TN) @ Cleveland (TN) 7pm on ESPNU
Solon @ Grinnell 7pm on KCRG-DT 9.2/Mediacom channel 109/ImOn channel 709 (Cedar Rapids)

NASCAR:

Sprint Cup Series: Talladega 500 Practice 1:30pm on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Talladega 500 Final Practice 3pm on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: Talladega 250 Qualifying 4pm on Speed Channel

NHL Hockey:

San Jose @ New Jersey 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Carolina @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest

Soccer:

College: Maryland @ North Carolina 4:30pm on ESPNU
College: Providence @ West Virginia 6pm on FOX Soccer
College: Santa Clara @ Portland (women's) 10pm on ESPNU

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

WTA Tennis: Kremlin Cup 4am & 6am on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

No NBA games to start the season is no problem for CSN Chicago

While the NBA and the NBA players union are meeting to end the ongoing NBA lockout that has already wiped out the first two weeks of the 2011-12 NBA Season, Comcast SportsNet Chicago ("CSN Chicago") is filling the void of NB hoops by presenting Chicago Bulls Classics, 15 greatest games in the history of the franchise.

According to a Press Release from CSN Chicago, beginning Wednesday November 2, CSN Chicago will start a series that showcases the greatest Bulls games from the Michael Jordan era that will be hosted by the Bulls CSN Chicago broadcast team of Neil Funk & Stacy King.

For more information, including a complete schedule of Chicago Bulls Classics, check out the Web Site linked above.  CSN Chicago is available state wide across Iowa in the basic programming packages of both Dish Network & DirecTV as well as Mediacom in Eastern Iowa.

Game 1 of the World Series lifts Fox Sports to a ratings win

No big surprise to see that Fox Sports coverage of Game 1 of the World Series lifted the Fox Broadcast Network to a ratings win last night.

According to a Press Release from the Fox Sports Media Group, Game 1 of the 2011 Fall Classic generated a 8.7/14 household rating/share, good enough for 14.2 million viewers, which is down 2% from last year's Game 1 of the World Series.

For more information, including a demographic and region breakdown of the ratings, please visit the Web Site linked above.  The World Series continues tonight with Game 2, first pitch is slated for just after 7pm (CT).

Tom Dienhart joins the BTN

A little breaking news this late morning as the BTN has announced that Tom Dienhart, one of the nation's better college football writers, has joined the BTN.

According to a Press Release from BTN, Dienhart will be the senior college football & basketball writer for BTN.com and is expected to start this coming Monday and will contribute to the BTN's on-air studio programming and social media platforms.

TV Schedule, Thursday October 20

College Foosball:

Bethune-Cookman @ Norfolk St. 6:30pm on ESPNU
Ashland @ Saginaw Valley St. 7pm on CBS Sports Network
UCLA @ Arizona 8pm on ESPN

Golf;

European PGA Tour 8am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic (First Round) 1pm on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open (First Round) 4pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA Tour: Taiwan Championship (First Round) 6:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

High School Football:

Louisville (MS) @ Noxubee County (MS) 7pm on FS Midwest
Waterloo West @ Cedar Rapids Washington on KCRG-DT 9.2/Mediacom channel 109/ImOn channel 709 (Cedar Rapids)

MLB Baseball, World Series Game 2: Texas @ St. Louis 7pm on FOX

NHL Hockey:

Washington @ Philadelphia 6pm on NHL Network
Chicago @ Colorado 8pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Minnesota @ Edmonton 8:30pm on FS North

Soccer:

College: Virginia Tech @ Virginia (women's) 6pm on FOX Soccer
MLS: Philadelphia @ New York 7pm on ESPN2
CONCACAF Champions League: Motagua vs LA Galaxy 9pm on FOX Soccer

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike in the Morning: 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick: 8am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & FS North
The Herd: 9am on ESPNews
Tim Brando: 9am on CBS Sports Network
Scott Van Pelt Show: 12pm on ESPNews

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Unique radio coverage of the World Series on Des Moines radio

Des Moines has two sports radio stations, 1460 KXNO and 1700 The Champ.  KXNO is a Fox Sports Radio affiliate and an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardnails radio network.  1700 The Champ is an ESPN Radio affiliate.  Guess who will have coverage from ESPN of the World Series in Des Moines?  It's not 1700 The Champ.

I was listening to the local afternoon drive show on KXNO,  thanks to KXNO being an affiliate of the Cardnail Radio Network, ESPN Radio's coverage of the World Series in Des Moines will be heard on KXNO.  For the World Series, only the flagship stations in St. Louis & Dallas will get to provide the local broadcasts, affiliates of both teams will get the ESPN radio feed, regardless if the affiliate stations carry ESPN radio or not..

Viewership is growing for ABC's college football telecasts

With the college football season now into the second half of the season, ABC is seeing an uptick in viewership for it's signature Saturday night primetime telecasts.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, ABC is averaging just under 7 million viewers for it's Saturday night telecasts, that's a 28% increase from this time last last year.  In addition, the ratings for ABC's Saturday afternoon coverage of college football is up as well, averaging over 5.7 million viewers, which is up 12% from this time last year.