TV Schedule, Sunday October 9

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix 1am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400 1pm on ESPN
NHRA Drag Racing: Lucas Oil Seires 2pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

Bull Riding: 7pm on VERSUS

College Volleyball: San Diego St. @ New Mexico St. 1pm on CBS Sports Network

Golf:

European PGA Tour 7am on Golf Channel
LPGA Tour: HanaBank Championship 12pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
PGA Tour: Frys.com Open (Final Round) 3pm on Golf Channel
Champions Tour: Insperity Championship (Final Round) 7:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

Horse Racing: 4pm on VERSUS

MLB Baseball:

NLCS Game 1: Milwaukee vs St. Louis 3pm on TBS
ALCS Game 2: Detroit @ Texas 6:30pm on FOX

NFL Football:

Arizona @ Minnesota 12pm on FOX (Philadelphia @ Buffalo in Western Iowa)
Kansas City @ Indianapolis 12pm on CBS
NY Jets @ New England 3:15pm on CBS (San Diego @ Denver in Western Iowa)
Green Bay @ Atlanta 7:15pm on NBC

NHL Hockey: Montreal @ Winnipeg 4pm on NHL Network

Soccer:

College: Penn St. @ Michigan St. 11am on BTN
College: Alabama @ Florida (women's) 2pm on ESPNU

WNBA Basketball: Minnesota @ Atlanta 3pm on ESPN2 (if necessary)

Tennis:

ATP Tour: Rakuten Japan Open 12am on Tennis Channel
WTA Tour: China Open 6:30am on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

Ratings are up for the NFL on FOX

It's been a record setting year for sports TV ratings and that trend has carried over into the fall for FOX Sports coverage of the NFL.  According to a Press Release from FOX Sports, last week's singleheader on FOX generated 23.3 million viewers, making it the most watched single header on FOX since 1995.

Through the first 4 weeks of the NFL season, FOX Sports is averaging 20.4 million viewers, up 4% from last year, making the 2011 season the most-watched and highest-rated season ever for FOX Sports

TV Schedule, Saturday October 8

ATP Tennis:: Rakuten Japan Open 12:30am on Tennis Channel

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying 12am on Speed Channel
Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 Qualifying 9am on ESPN2
Sprint Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400 Practice 11:30am & 12:30pm .on Speed Channel
Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 2:30pm on ESPN2

Bull Riding: PBR Tour 10:30pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

College Football:

Big 10:

Minnesota @ Purdue 11am on ESPN
Illinois @ Indiana 1:30pm on BTN
Iowa @ Penn St. 2:30pm on ABC
Michigan @ Northwestern 6pm on BTN
Ohio St. @ Nebraska 7pm on ABC

Big 12:

Oklahoma vs Texas 11am on ABC
Iowa St. @ Baylor 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago+, FS Midwest (check your onscreen guide for channel number) & FS Wisconsin
Texas A&M @ Texas Tech 6pm on FX

Missouri Valley: Illinos St. @ Missouri St. 2pm on Mediacom Channel 22

National Games:

Louisville @ North Carolina 11am on ESPN2
Maryland @ Georgia Tech 11am on ESPNU
Mississippi St. @ UAB 11am on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS North, & FS Midwest
Kentucky @ South Carolina 11:20am on SEC Network (check local listings for channel availability)
Air Force @ Notre Dame 2:30pm on NBC
Arizona @ Oregon St. 2:30pm on Fox College Sports Pacific
Arizona St. @ Utah 2:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS North, & FS Midwest
Florida @ LSU 2:30pm on CBS
Miami @ Virginia Tech 2:30pm on ESPN
Pitt @ Rutgers 2:30pm on ESPNU
Southern Miss @ Navy 2:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Eastern Washington @ Northern Arizona 5pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Auburn @ Arkansas 6pm on ESPN
East Carolina @ Houston 6pm on CBS Sports Network
Georgia @ Tennessee 6pm on ESPN2
Vanderbilt @ Alabama 6pm on ESPNU
Colorado @ Stanford 6:30pm on VERSUS
San Jose St. @ BYU 9:15pm on ESPNU
TCU @ San Diego St. 9:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Washington St. @ UCLA 9:30pm on FS North & JIP on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & FS Midwest

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 7:30am on Golf Channel
LPGA Tour: HanaBank Championship (Second Round) 12pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
PGA Tour: Frys.com Open (Third Round) 3pm on Golf Channel
Champions Tour: Insperity Championship (Second Round) 7:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

Horse Racing: 4pm on VERSUS

MLB Baseball, ALCS Game 1: Detroit @ Texas 6:30pm on FOX

NHL Hockey:

Anaheim vs NY Rangers 12pm on VERSUS
Tampa Bay @ Boston 6pm on NHL Network
Columbus @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North
Nashville @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Dallas @ Chicago 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Soccer:

A-League: Melbourne vs Sydney FC 2:30am on FOX Soccer
United States vs Honduras 5pm on FOX Soccer

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

TV Schedule, Friday October 7

Auto Racing:

Sprint Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400 Practice 11:30am on ESPN2
Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 Practice 1pm on ESPN2
Nationwide Series: Kansas Lottery 300 Practice 3pm on ESPN2
Sprint Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400 Qualifying 4pm on ESPN2
ARCA RE/MAX Series: Kansas Lottery 98.9 7:30pm on Speed Channel

Boxing: Junior middleweights & lightweights 10pm on Showtime

College Football: Boise St. @ Fresno St. 8pm on ESPN

College Hockey:

Boston College vs Michigan St. 4pm on FOX College Sports Central
Northern Michigan @ Wisconsin 7pm on FS Wisconsin & Fox College Sports Pacific
Sacred Heart @ Minnesota 7pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic & FS North
Air Force @ North Dakota 7:30pm on Fox College Sports Central

College Soccer: San Diego @ Portland 9pm on FOX Soccer

Golf:

European PGA Tour 8am on Golf Channel
LPGA Tour: HanaBank Championship (First Round) 12pmon Golf Channel (same day tape)
PGA Tour: Frys.com Open (Second Round) 3pm on Golf Channel
Champions Tour: Insperity Championship (First Round) 7:30pm on Golf Channel

High School Football:

Valdosta (GA) vs Lowndes (GA) 7pm on ESPNU
MFL Mar-Mac @ Dyersville-Beckman 7:30pm on KCRG-DT 9.2/Mediacom channel 109/ImOn channel 709 (Cedar Rapids)

Horse Racing: 4pm on VERSUS

MLB Divisional Playoffs:

Arizona @ Milwaukee 4:30pm on TBS
Game 5: St. Louis @ Philadelphia 7:30pm on TBS

NHL Hockey:

Los Angeles vs New York 12pm on VERSUS
Chicago @ Dallas 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

Tennis:

ATP Tour: Rakuten Japan Open 12am & 10pm on Tennis Channel
WTA Tour: China Open 2am & 6:30am on Tennis Channel

WNBA Basketball: Minnesota @ Atlanta 7pm on ESPN2

News & Notes from the Fox Sports Group

It's another busy weekend of NFL action on FOX and a full schedule of college football action across various FOX Sports platforms and the American League Championship Series  gets underway this Saturday with Game 1 at 7pm (CT).

According to a Press Release from FOX Sports, former Boston Red Sox manager, Terry Francona will sit in for Tim McCarver for games 1 & 2 of the ALCS who is having a medical procedure done late this week.

For a complete schedule of the ALCS as well as a weekend schedule of NFL & college football action across the FOX Sports Group, please visit the Web Site linked above.

NBC Sports Group drops the puck on the 2011-12 NHL season tonight

One of the shortest off season in professional sports comes to an end tonight when the 2011-12 NHL season lifts the curtain for another season tonight with a doubleheader on VERSUS.

According to a Press Release from NBC, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins will kick of the season by hosting Philadelphia tonight at 6pm (CT) followed by Vancouver hosting Pittsburgh.

For a preview of the upcoming NHL season from various NBC Sports Group talent, please  visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Thursday October 6

College Football:

Western Kentucky @ Middle Tennessee St. 6:30pm on ESPNU
Colorado School of Mines @ Colorado St.-Pueblo 7m on CBS Sports Network
Cal @ Oregon 8pm on ESPN

College Soccer: Portland @ BYU (women's) 8pm on FOX Soccer

College Volleyball: New Jersey Tech @ North Dakota 7pm on Fox College Sports Central

Golf:

European PGA Tour 8am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Frys.com Open (Firts Round) 4pm on Golf Channel

High School Football

Allen (TX) @ Plano East (TX) 7pm on ESPN2
Iowa City High @ Cedar Rapids Kennedy KCRG-DT 9.2/Mediacom channel 109/ImOn channel 709 (Cedar Rapids)
Oaks Christian (CA) @ Westlake Village (CA) 9:30pm on FS Midwest & FS North

MLB Divisonal Playoffs: Detroit @ NY Yankees 7pm on TBS

NHL Hockey:

Philadelphia @ Boston 6pm on VERSUS
Pittsburgh @ Vancouver 9pm on VERSUS

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 October 5

College Soccer: Akron @ UC Santa Barbara 9pm on FOX Soccer

College Volleyball:

Auburn @ Georgia 6pm on ESPNU
Texas @ Texas A&M 6:30pm on FS Midwest & 8pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (same day tape)
Northwestern @ Penn St. 7pm on BTN
Pepperdine @ Loyola Marymount 8pm on ESPNU

MLB Divisional Playoffs:

Game 4:  Philadelphia @ St. Louis 5pm on TBS
Game 4:  Milwaukee @ Arizona 8:30pm on TBS

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

WNBA Basketball: Atlanta @ Minnesota 7pm on ESPN2

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

A.J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox joins FOX Sports for the playoffs

FOX Sports has announced that Chicago White Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski has joined FOX sports for the upcoming American League Championship Series as well as the World Series and will serve as a pre-game & post-game analyst.

According to a Press Release from FOX Sports, Pierzynski will make his debut on FOX Sports this Saturday at 6:30pm (CT) when FOX Sports kicks off their coverage of post-season baseball with Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

For more information, including a complete schedule of the ALCS & World Series, please visit the Web Site linked above.

Sunday Night Football ratings update

Despite the week 4 edition of NBC's Sunday Night Football being a blow out, it still put up big enough ratings to be the most watched program on TV this past Sunday night, making it the 4th consecutive week of earning that honor.

According to a Press Release from NBC Sports, this past Sunday's Jets/Ravens match-up attracted just under 19 million viewers, which surprisingly is 10% lower than week 4 in the 2010 season which featured  a Bears/Giants match-up, but up 3% from 2009.

For more information, including a week 4 ratings comparison going back to when Sunday Night Football on NBC debuted in 2006, please visit the Web Site linked above.

ESPNU tips off the college basketball season with Midnight Madness

The college basketball season is right around the corner and ESPN's coverage of Midnight Madness returns Friday, October 14 with coverage across multiple ESPN platforms.


According to a Press Release from ESPN, whip-around coverage from 11 different tip-off events begins at 6pm (CT) on October 14 with bonus coverage from additional sites on ESPN3.com.


Some of the highlights include:


*In-studio coverage and analysis provided by ESPNU host Dari Nowkhah, college basketball analysts Hubert Davis, Doug Gottlieb and Katz, as well as contributions from Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas


*No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Connecticut, No. 9 Louisville and No. 20 Texas A&M will be featured live on ESPN3


*Additional team spotlights with coach interviews from No.3 Ohio State, No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 8 Memphis, No. 10 Arizona, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 12 Florida from Katz’s Preseason Top 25, as well as New Mexico and UCLA.


For more information, including a complete broadcast schedule for Midnight Madness, please visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Tuesday October 4

MLB Divisional Playoffs

Game 4: Texas @ Tampa Bay 1pm on TBS
Game 3: Philadelphia @ St. Louis 4pm on TBS
Game 4: NY Yankees @ Detroit 7:30pm on TNT
Game 3: Milwaukee @ Arizona 8:30pm on TNT

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

Soccer:

MLS: Los Angeles @ New York 7pm on ESPN2
U.S. Open Cup: Seattle vs Chicago 9pm on FOX Soccer

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

There will be no Hank Williams Jr. doing "Are You Ready for Some Football?" tonight

The Twitter world, at least my Twitter feed anyway, is abuzz with news that the traditional Hank Williams, JR. Monday Night Football opening on ESPN won't be seen tonight.  Williams appeared on Fox News this morning and compared President Obama to Hitler,....oops.  Regardless of one's political views, comparing the sitting United States President to Hitler on national TV isn't a smart thing to do, so for at least tonight, there will be no "Are you ready for some football?".

73 St. Louis Blues games to air on FS Midwest, other 8 on VERSUS

The St. Louis Blues have announced that for the first time ever, all 82 Blues games will be televised with 73 games on FS Midwest & the remaining 8 games on VERSUS.  According to FS Midwest, the cable regional sports network will begin it's 16th year of televising Blues games on Saturday, October 8th when the Blues host Nashville.

Across Iowa, FS Midwest is available on Mediacom in Central & Western Iowa and depending on location, FS Midwest is available in the basic programming packages or the sports pack on both Dish Network & DirecTV.

ESPN continues to establish record ratings

ESPN's fiscal year came to an end on September 30 and the "World Wide Leader In Sports" continues to establish record ratings.  According to a Press Release from ESPN, for the 2010-11 fiscal year, ESPN averaged  just over 1,067,000 viewers for a 24-hour basis, making it the 4th straight fiscal year ESPN has established record ratings for viewership.


Some of the highlights include:

• telecast (BCS Championship, Auburn defeating Oregon, cable’s biggest audience in history),
• day (January 1, with the Rose and Fiesta Bowls),
• week (the week ending January 2),
• month (November 2010),
• and quarter (Q1, Oct. – Dec. 2010).

In addition, when you include all of the ESPN platforms, average viewership on a 24-hour basis was 1.535 million viewers.  Non-sports fans can complain until they are blue in the face about subsidzing ESPN, but as long as ratings continue to be strong and ESPN generates the advertising money, there's no end in sight to the mega-million broadcast agreements that ESPN is reaching with various sports leagues and college conference's.

TV Schedule, Monday October 3

MLB Divisonal Playoffs:

Game 3: Texas @ Tampa Bay 4pm on TBS
Game 3: NY Yankees @ Detroit 7:30pm on TBS

NFL Football: Indianapolis @ Tampa Bay 7:30pm on ESPN

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.