TV Schedule, Sunday, August 18

Beach Volleyball:  AVP Tour 3pm on CBS Sports Network

Cal Ripken World Series:  World Championship, Teams TBA 1pm on CBS Sports Network

Golf:

PGA:  Wyndham Championship, Final Round 12pm on Golf Channel & 2pm on KCCI
LPGA:  The Solheim Cup 1:30pm on Golf Channel
USGA:  U.S. Amateur 3pm on WHO
Champions Tour:  Dick's Sporting Goods Open, Final Round 8pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

Gymnastics:  U.S. Championships 12pm on WHO

Little League World Series:

U.S. Play:  Washington vs Connecticut 1pm on WOI
Teams TBA 4pm on ESPN & 6pm on ESPN2


MLB Baseball:

Kansas City @ Detroit 12pm on FS Kansas City & FS Midwest+ (Mediacom)
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia 12:30pm on TBS
Cincinnati @ Milwaukee 1pm on FS Wisconsin
Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & FS North
St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs 1pm on FS Midwest & WGN America
New York Yankees @ Boston 7pm on ESPN

 Motor Sports:

MotoGP:  10am, 11am, 1pm on Fox Sports 1
NASCAR Sprint Cup:  Pure Michigan 400 12pm on ESPN
NHRA:  Lucas Oil Nationals 8pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

NFL Preseason Football:  Indianapolis @ NY Giants 6pm on KDSM

Sailing:  Louis Vuitton Cup 5pm on NBCSN (same day tape)


Soccer:

English Premier League:  Crystal Palace FC vs Tottenham 7:30am on NBCSN
English Premier League:  Chelsea FC vs Hull City AFC 9:55 am on NBCSN
MLS:  Sporting Kansas City @ Fresno 9:30pm on MC22 (Mediacom)

Tennis:  Western and Southern Open 11:30am on KCCI & 3pm on ESPN2

Track and Field:  World Championships 1:30pm on WHO

WNBA:  Washington @ Atlanta 2pm on NBATV

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

Video: Speed Sign Off, Launch of Fox Sports 1

Early this morning, Mike Joy, the voice of NASCAR on Fox bid a farewell to Speed Channel fans and then Curt Menefee was the first to greet viewers to Fox Sports 1.  The folks at Awful Announcing captured the video and you can see it here.

TV Schedule, Saturday, August 17

Arena Football:  Arena Bowl XXVI Philadelphia vs Arizona 12pm on KCCI

Boxing:  Junior featherweights, light heavyweights, and middleweights 8:45pm on HBO

Bull Riding:  PBR Express Personnel Invitational 10pm on CBS Sports Network (same day tape)

Cal Ripken World Series:  

U.S. Championship 4pm on CBS Sports Network
International Championship 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network

Golf:

LPGA:  The Solheim Cup 8:30am on Golf Channel

PGA Tour:  Wyndham Championship, third round 2:30pm on KCCI

USGA:  U.S. Amateur Championship, semifinal matches 3pm on WHO

Champions Tour:  Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, second round 8pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

Gymnastics:  U.S. Championships 7pm on WHO

Horse Racing:  NTRA Alabama and Sword Dancer 4pm on NBCSN

Little League World Series:

International Pool Play, Teams TBA 11am and 5pm on ESPN

Senior League World Series:  Championship Game, Teams TBA 1pm on ESPNU

U.S. Pool Play, Teams TBA 2pm on ABC ; 9am and 7pm on ESPN

Little League Softball:  Girls Junior League World Series Championship 4pm on ESPN2

MLB Baseball:

St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs 3pm on KDSM

Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota 6pm on FS North & WGN America

Cincinnati @ Milwaukee 6pm on FS Wisconsin

Kansas City @ Detroit 6pm on FS Kansas City & FS Midwest+ (Mediacom)

LA Dodgers @ Philadelphia 6pm on MLB Network

Motor Sports:

NASCAR Sprint Cup:  Pure Michigan 400 Practice 7:30am on Fox Sports 1

NASCAR Nationwide:  Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 Qualifying 8:30am on ESPN2

NASCAR Camping World:  Michigan National Guard 200 Qualifying 8:30am on Fox Sports 1

NASCAR Sprint Cup:  Pure Michigan 400 Happy Hour 10am on Fox Sports 1

NASCAR Camping World:  Michigan National Guard 200 11:30am on Fox Sports 1

NASCAR Nationwide:  Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 1:30pm on ESPN

AMA Motorcross:  Utah National 2pm on NBCSN

Motorcycles:  Lucas Oil Pro Championship 4pm on Fox Sports 2

Rolex Series 7pm on Fox Sports 2
NHRA:  Lucas Oil Nationals Qualifying 10pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

NFL Preseason:

Dallas @ Arizona 3:30pm on NFL Network

Jacksonville @ NY Jets 6:30pm on NFL Network

Green Bay @ St. Louis 7pm on KCWI

Denver @ Seattle 9:30pm on NFL Network

Sailing:  Louis Vuitton Cup Finals 5pm on NBCSN (same day tape)

Soccer:

English Premier League:  Stoke City @ Liverpool 6:30am on NBCSN

English Premier League:  Teams TBA 8:55am on NBCSN

English Premier League:  Manchester United @ Swanesa City 11;30am on WHO

MLS:  Philadelphia @ New York 7pm on NBCSN

National Women's Soccer League:  Boston @ Western New York 7pm on Fox Soccer Channel

Tennis:  Western & Southern Open 12pm and 6pm on ESPN2

Track & Field:  World Championships 11am on WHO

Disclaimer:  All times are Central and blackouts will apply for regional MLB telecasts outside of Iowa.

BTN announces 2013 volleyball coverage

Football isn't the only fall sport gearing up for the upcoming season.  Volleyball teams all around the country  are warming up as well and BTN has announced it's television plans for the upcoming season.  BTN plans to utilize TV, web streaming and BTN2Go for it's broadcast plans.  Close to twenty matches will be televised with several more streamed online on the Big 10's website.

For a complete schedule, visit the website linked above.

CBS Sports Network on DirecTV is on the move

You soon will have Fox Sports 1, CBS Sports Network and NBCSN all positioned in a row on DirecTV.  CBS Sports has announced that on Wednesday, August 21, CBS Sports Network will move out of the dreaded 600's to channel 221.

For those keeping score at home, FS1 will reside at channel 219, NBCSN on channel 220 and the soon to be new home of CBS Sports Network channel 221.

CBS Sports Network is available to more than 99 million homes.

TV Schedule, Friday, August 16

Boxing:  Friday Night Fights 8:30 pm on ESPN2

Golf:

LPGA Tour:  The Solheim Cup, first round 8:30am and 4pm on Golf Channel
PGA Tour:  Wyndham Championship, 2nd round  2pm on Golf Channel
US Amateur Championship:  8pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)
Champions Tour:  Dick's Sporting Goods Open, first round 10pm on Golf channel (same day tape)

Gymnastics:  U.S. Championships 7pm on NBC Sports Network

Little League World Series:

International play:  Asia-Pacific vs Canada 12pm on ESPN
U.S. Play:  West vs Great Lakes 2pm on ESPN
International Play:  Japan vs Europe-Africa 4pm on ESPN2
U.S. Play Mid-Atlantic vs Midwest (Urbandale, IA) 7pm on ESPN

MLB Baseball:

St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs 3pm on FS Midwest & Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Kansas City @ Detroit 6pm on FS Kansas City & FS Midwest+ (Mediacom)
NY Yankees @ Boston 6pm on MLB Network
Cincinnati @ Milwaukee 7pm on FS Wisconsin
Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota 7pm on WHO 13.3 & FS North

NASCAR:

Sprint Cup:   Practice for Pure Michigan 400 11am on Speed Channel
Camping World Truck Series:   Final practice for Michigan National Guard 200 1pm on on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup:  Pole qualifying for Pure Michigan 400 2:30 pm on Speed Channel

NFL Preseason Football:

Minnesota @ Buffalo 7pm on KCCI 8.2
San Francisco @ Kansas City 7pm on KDSM
Tampa Bay @ New England 11pm on KDSM (same day tape)

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike 5am on ESPN2
Dan Patrick 8am on NBCSN
Tim Brando 8am on CBS Sports Network
The Herd 9am on ESPNU

Tennis:  Western & Southern Open 10am & 6pm on ESPN2

WNBA:
 
Connecticut @ Atlanta 6:30pm on NBATV
Indiana @ Los Angeles 10pm on NBATV

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

A look at the Iowa Sports Spotlight Friday HS Football Show

High school football is something else here in Iowa and the 2013 season kicks off for CIML teams 2 weeks from tomorrow tonight.  Friday Night Live put on by the folks at the Sports Spotlight Magazine, formerly known as the Iowa Sports Connection will return for another year of coverage.

Radio stations from all corners of Iowa will broadcast all or some of Friday Night Live, whether it be whip-around coverage of games in action from 6pm-10pm or the scoreboard show from 10pm-12am as you make your way home from the games.  In addition, WHO 13.2 in Des Moines will present a live simulcast of all 6 hours.

For a complete list of affiliates for Friday Night Live, check out the link above.

A look at college football 2013 for CBS Sports Network

I'm sick of writing about Fox Sports 1 and with college football right around the corner, little known CBS Sports Network has announced it's broadcast plans for the upcoming season. In a press release but out by CBS Sports Network that I can't provide a direct link to, CBS Sports Network will put primary coverage on the Mountain West and C-USA conferences, the Service Academies, and Division II schools.

In 2013, over 50 games will be televised and will feature USC Stanford, Kansas, Oregon St. and Notre Dame as well as Mountain West member Boise St.

For a complete schedule of featured games as well as broadcast crew for CBS Sports Network's coverage college football, visit the link above.

A look at Programming on Fox Sports 1

With distribution issues of Fox Sports 1 out of the way (for now) and the channel ready for a national launch on Friday, Fox Sports 1 has issued a Press Release detailing first day programming and a look at some of the daily studio shows that will be part of the network.

On day 1, NASCAR fans can breath a sigh of relief knowing that the country's most popular motor sport will be a major role of programming on the network with 6 1/2 hours of NASCAR programming on Saturday. Opening day concludes with Fox Sports Live, a 3 hour news and highlight show.

For a complete schedule of programing on Saturday as well as a description of weekday studio shows like Crowd Goes Wild (to me, it comes across as a clone of Best Damn Sports Show Period), Fox Football Daily, and Speed Channel hold over NASCAR Race Hub, check out the link above.

No Price hike for video providers late into signing on for Fox Sports 1

About this time yesterday, news broke that Dish Network, DirecTV, and Time Warner had signed on with Fox for Fox Sports 1 and today, Sports Business Daily is reporting that these late arrivals to the Fox Sports 1 party can sign on with rates they are currently paying for Speed Channel.  The aforementioned providers will be paying $0.23 per subscriber, assuming until when their carriage agreements with Fox comes up for renewal.  Rumors were Fox was asking roughly $0.90 per subscriber for Fox Sports 1.

Fox Sports 2 Arrives Saturday As Well

Lost in all of the hype of Fox Sports 1, is that on Saturday, FUEL TV becomes Fox Sports 2.  What will we exactly see on Fox Sports 2?  Here's the broadcast schedule that is on the FUEL TV's website.  For the first couple of weeks, the schedule is UFC heavy with some motorsports and studio shows mixed in.

For Mediacom subscribers in Central Iowa, Fox Sports 2 is in the Sports & Information Digital package on channel 179 .and the HD feed on channel 765.  On Dish Network, Fox Sports 2 is in the America's Top 250 package on channel 398.  For DirecTV subscribers, Fox Sports 2 will be on channel 618 and is available in the Xtra package and higher.  At this time, I have no idea if Fox Sports 2 will be moved into more mainstream packages.

Fox Sports 1 Will Indeed Launch With Full National Coverage

You just never know how these negotiations will play out between cable networks and video providers, but now it's official, Dish Network and DirecTV and previously announced Mediacom are all on board for Fox Sports 1.  For DirecTV subscribers, on Saturday, you will find Fox Sports 1 on channel 219.  I"m not surprised a relocation wwould take place as networks often pay a premium price to be located higher up "on the dial".

Fox Sports Expands Its College Football Coverage For 2013

With the launch of Fox Sports 1, it means more college football coverage across multiple Fox outlets including Fox, Fox Sports 1, the regional Fox Sports networks, and Fox College Sports, all told, 165 games will be televised either on a national or regional basis.

Gus Johnson and Charles Davis returns as the top broadcast crew calling the Saturday night prime time games on KDSM.  The college football weekend for the Fox family begins with a Thursday night telecast on Fox Sports 1, going head to head with ESPN and the NFL Network. In addition, you can will find  a  2 hour pregame show Saturday mornings on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 9am (CT) and will be hosted by Erin Andrews.

You can find a full set of broadcast crews for the Fox family of networks at the link above.

TV Schedule, Thursday, August 15

Golf:

US Amateur 11am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour:  Wyndham Championship, first round 1pm on Golf Channel

Gymnastics:  US Championships 7pm on NBC Sports Network

Little League World Series:

International Pool Play:  Latin America vs Caribbean 12pm on ESPN
US Pool Play:  Southwest vs Northwest 2pm on ESPN
International Pool Play:  Austrailia vs Mexico 4pm on ESPN2
US Pool Play:  Southeast vs New England 6pm on ESPN2 

MLB:

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis 12:30pm on Fox Sports Midwest 
Anaheim @ NY Yankees 1pm on MLB Network
Kansas City @ Detroit 6pm on FS Kansas City & FS Midwest+ (Mediacom)
Boston @ Toronto 6pm on MLB Network
Cincinnati @ Milwaukee 7pm on FS Wisconsin
Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & FS North

NFL Preseason Football:
  
Whiparound coverage of several games 6:30pm on NFL Network
San Diego @ Chicago 7pm on ESPN 

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike 5am on ESPN2

Dan Patrick 8am on NBC Sports Network

Tim Brando 8am on CBS Sports Network
The Herd 9am on ESPNU

SVP & Russillo 1pm on ESPNews

Tennis (ATP Tour):  Western & Southern Open 12pm & 8pm on ESPN2

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

An Update on Fox Sports 1 Distribution

Some breaking news this evening, the Sports Business Daily is reporting that DirecTV and other national providers (no offical word on Dish Network) are nearing a deal with Fox Sports to include Fox Sports 1 when the channel replaces Speed Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that carriage agreements with DirecTV, Dish Network, and Time Warner to air the launch of Fox Sports 1 is a done deal.

If this happens, it will be good news for DirecTV who's taken a beating online for not picking up the Pac 12 Networks and Comcast SportsNet Houston.

Jason Whitlock Returns To ESPN

ESPN has been doing little things this Summer to counter Saturday's launch of Fox Sports 1.  Little things like adding Keith Olbermann, expanding College GameDay to three hours on ESPN and today, Jason Whitlock has announced he's returning to ESPN.

Fox Sports is dead serious about taking on ESPN and the World Wide Leader In Sports has acknowledged what Fox is doing by bring back Olbermann and Whitlock.  Who would've thought we would see the day that Olbermann returns to Bristol?

This is going to be a battle of two heavy weights in the coming months and years and viewers are the winners.

NBC Sports Network to rebrand as NBCSN

To coincide with NBC Sports Network's debut of the English Premiere League, according to the industry website Broadcast & Cable, beginning this weekend, NBC Sports Network will rebrand itself as NBCSN.  You can get all the information in the link above.

BTN Announces Football Broadcast Crews

With the first games in two weeks, the 2013 college football season is upon us.  Last month, BTN announced their broadcast teams for the upcoming season. 

According to a Press Release from BTN, the studio crew of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo, and Howard Griffith all return for a 7th straight season to handle all of the studio shows including the pregame and post game show as well as various studio shows throughout the week.  It doesn't seem possible that BTN has been on the air for 7 seasons.

BTN will televise 47 games this Fall.  Three former Iowa players are part of various broadcast crews and they include Chuck Long, Paul Burmeister, and Danan Hughes.  You can get the full roster of broadcast teams at the link above.

NBC Wins TV Rights to NASCAR and Fox Expands It's NASCAR Relationship

TNT & ESPN are out of the NASCAR game and NBC and NBC Sports Network are in.  NASCAR announced last month that the NBC family of Networks will be the new home for several NASCAR series starting in 2015.

According to NASCAR, it's a 10 year deal that will have the 20 final Sprint Cup races on the NBC family of networks, 7 on NBC and 13 on the NBC Sports Network.  In addition, the deal also includes the final 19 Nationwide Series races, 5 races on NBC and 14 on NBC Sports Network.

With TNT & ESPN out of the NASCAR game, Fox Sports has expanded it's relationship with NASCAR.  In a seperate announcment, NASCAR announced that Fox Sports will air the first 16 races of the Sprint Cup season, 9 races on KDSM and 7 on Fox Sports 1 as well as the first 14 Nationwide Series races, all on Fox Sports 1.  The Camping World Truck series will have all races televised on Fox Sports 1.

With ESPN getting out of the NASCAR business, will they give the sport kid glove coverage similar to coverage or lack thereof of the NHL on SportsCenter? 

Fox Sports Wins The TV Rights To USGA Events

In a move that rivals Fox Sports acquiring the broadcast TV rights to the NFC, last week it was announced that Fox Sports has won the TV rights to USGA events, including The US Open.

According to a report from the Sports Business Daily, the deal includes broadcast rights to The US Open, US Women's Open, and the US Senior Open.  The contract begins in 2015 and runs for 12 years.  The 2014 US Open on NBC will be the Peacock Network's 20th and final US Open.

Fox has been very aggressive in securing inventory for Fox Sports 1 and you can almost be assured that early round play will be televised on the upstart sports network.

Since this is Fox Sports first dip into televising golf, how will the network package it's broadcast?  Will we see a glowing golf ball similar to the ill fated attempt at the glowing puck?  Who will Fox bring aboard to anchor it's coverage?  Die hard Golf fans would cringe if the screaming Gus Johnson is in any way associated with the coverage, yet at the same time, it may draw a younger demographic.

TV Schedule, Wednesday, August 14

Golf:  U.S. Amateur Day 1 3pm on Golf Channel

Little League World Series (Softball):  Teams TBA 10pm on ESPN2

MLB Baseball:

Cincinnati @ Chicago Cubs 1pm on WGN
Detroit @ Chicago White Sox 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Baltimore @ Arizona (2:30pm) or San Diego @ Colorado (3pm) on MLB Network
Milwaukee @ Texas 7pm on FS Wisconsin

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis 7pm on ESPN & FS Midwest (subject to blackout on ESPN across Iowa)

Soccer:  

United States @ Bosnia-Herzegovina 1:25pm on ESPN
Scotland vs England 1:55pm on Fox Soccer Channel
Mexico vs Ivory Coast 8pm on ESPN2

Sports Radio on TV:

Mike & Mike 5am on ESPN2

Dan Patrick 8am on NBC Sports Network

Tim Brando 8am on CBS Sports Network

SVP & Russillo 12pm on ESPNews

Tennis:  ATP World Tour/WTA Western & Southern Open 10am on Tennis Channel

WNBA:  Indiana @ Phoenix 9pm on NBATV 

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

Mediacom Appears To Be On Board For Fox Sports One

Mediacom has posted an updated channel lineup for the Des Moines Metro that is effective September 1 and included in the channel lineup is Fox Sports 1 on channel 74, channel 861 for the HD feed and for digital ready TV's on channel 52.9

I've done a google for Mediacom and I wasn't able to locate a direct news link to support this.  Like with most CSR's, if you were to call Mediacom directly for confirmation, I would take what they say with a grain of salt.

Iowa St. is scheduled to have at least 2 games televised this fall on Fox Sports 1 and it would serve Mediacom well to get on board with Fox Sports 1 from the get go, we all remember the first year of BTN that was not available on Mediacom.  Now to get Dish Network & DirecTV on board for Fox Sports 1.

ESPN's College Basketball Tip-Off Marathon Set

Seems like yesterday the nets were being cut down at the championship game of the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament, but it won't be long before schools take to the hardwood to prepare for the 2013-14 college basketball season and ESPN has announced telecast plans for the annual tip-off marathon.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, multiple ESPN platforms will offer more than 24 hours worth of college basketball action beginning on Monday, November 11 and ending with the Champions Classic showcasing some of the games most winning est program.  Several programs from the Big 10, Big 12, and Missouri Valley will be showcased during the Tip-off Marathon.  You can view the complete schedule at the link above.

ABC/ESPN College Football Announcers

With the first night of college football action two weeks from Thursday night, ABC/ESPN has announced their teams of college football announcers for the 2013 college football season.

According to a Press Release from ESPN, Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit return to anchor the Saturday night primetime telecast's on ABC.  Reece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack return to call the marquee Thursday night game with Samantha Ponder reporting from the sideline.

You can get the complete roster of announcing talent across all ESPN platforms at the link above.

Unbundling ESPN would be costly

I've always been opposed to an ala-carte cable TV world because I feel that in the end, you will pay more and receive less channels and an executive at Mediacom agrees with me.  Now comes word from The Sports Business Daily website that ESPN on an ala-carte basis would be expensive, quite expensive.

According to an article last month on The Sports Business Daily website, ESPN ala-carte would cost consumers $30.00 a month and would result in billions of dollars in lost advertising revenue.

Live sports programming is "DVR-proof", meaning that the majority aren't going to DVR a football game and watch it days after it's played.  The networks know that and more importantly, advertisers know that.  The only way you will see the bubble burst on the programming rights fees is if people stop watching sports.

FOX Sports 1 adds star power to it's NFL coverage

It's no secret on the popularity of the NFL, just asked NBC what happened to their ratings when their run of Sunday Night Football concluded last year, the ratings tanked. With FOx Sports 1 to launch this weekend, expect to see plenty of NFL coverage.

 According to a Press Release from Fox Sports, Fox Sports 1 will include a year-round daily NFL focused show called Fox Football Daily and during the NFL season, a one hour pregame show called  Fox NFL Kickoff. 

Recently retired NFL stars including Randy Moss and Brian Urlacher among others will be providing commentary and Fox Sports NFL beat writer Jay Glazer will provide news from around the NFL and Curt Menefee will be your host.  For more information, including a complete roster of talent who will contribute to Fox Sports 1 coverage of the NFL, please visit the website linked above.

Some tidbits on Fox Sports 1

Fox Sports 1 will offically launch this Saturday and will replace Speed Channel.  Since the introduction of Fox Sports 1 as a competitor to ESPN, Fox has been hyping that come this Saturday, Fox Sports 1 will be available in nearly 90 million homes.

Over the last couple of weeks, word has leaked that this may not be the case and today, Sports Business Daily is reporting that several major cable & satellite providers have yet to sign on to carry Fox Sports 1 and those who don't, will receive a stripped down version of Speed Channel.

These things always go down to the last minute and with NCAA Football and Basketball, along with MLB Baseball, increased coverage of NASCAR, and with Fox winning the TV rights to the US Open, those providers who aren't on board with Fox Sports 1 from the beginning, will soon be on board.

The blog is back!

I've decided to get this blog back up and running.  Hopefully in the coming days, weeks, and months, you will see a daily listing of sports on TV in Iowa as well as news regarding sports media.  Up first, will be a post on Fox Sports 1 which will launch this Saturday.