TV Schedule, Sunday October 7

Golf:

PGA Tour:  Presidents Cup 11am on WHO
European PGA Tour:  Seve Trophy, find round 11am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPG Tour:  Reignwood Classic, final round 2pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

MLB Playoffs:

NLDS, game 3:  St. Louis @ Pittsburgh 3:30pm on TBS
NLDS, game 2:  Atlanta @ Los Angeles 7pm on TBS

Motor Sports:

Formula One:  Korean Grand Prix 12:30am on NBCSN
NHRA:  Auto-Plus Nationals qualifying 2:30am on ESPN2 (tape delayed from Saturday)
IRL:  Grand Prix of Houston, race 2 12pm on NBCSN
Sprint Cup:  Hollywood Casino 400 1pm on ESPN
NHRA:  Auto-Plus Nationals 7pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

NFL Football:

Kansas City @ Tennessee 12pm on KCCI
New Orleans @ Chicago 12pm on KDSM
Denver @ Dallas 3:25pm on KCCI
Houston @ San Francisco 7:30pm on WHO
San Diego @ Oakland 10:30pm on NFL Network

Soccer:

English Premiere League:  Chelsea @ Norwich 7:25pm on NBCSN
English Premiere League:  Arsenal @ West Bromwich Albion 9:55am on NBCSN
College:  Ohio St. @ Minnesota 11:30am on BTN
College:  Maryland @ North Carolina (women's) 12pm on FS Midwest+ (Mediacom)
College:  Kentucky @ Vanderbilt (women's) 1pm on  FS Midwest
College:  Penn St. @ Indiana 1:30pm on BTN
College:  Tulsa @ Rice (women's) 3pm on FS Midwest & FS North

WNBA Finals, game 1:  Atlanta vs Minnesota 7:30pm on ESPN

Disclaimer:  All times are Central.

ESPN & Turner Sports Want Out Of NASCAR In 2014

Read the details at this link.

TV Schedule, Saturday, October 5

Boxing:  2:30pm & 8:45pm on HBO

College Football

Big 10:

Illinois @ Nebraska 11am on ESPNU 
Michigan St. @ Iowa 11am on ESPN2
Penn St. @ Indiana 11am on BTN
Minnesota @ Michigan 2:30pm on ESPN2
Ohio St. @ Northwestern 7pm on WOI

Big 12:

Texas Tech @ Kansas 11am on Fox Sports 1 
Kansas St. @ Oklahoma St. 2:30pm on WOI
TCU @ Oklahoma  6pm on KDSM
West Virgina @ Baylor 7pm on on Fox Sports 1

Missouri Valley:  

Southern Illinois @ South Dakota 2pm on MC22 (Mediacom)
Northern Iowa @ North Dakota St. 2:30pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

National Games:

Air Force @ Navy 10:30am on CBS 
Ball St. @ Virgina 11am on FS Midwest & FS North+Georgia St. @ Alabama 11am on WOI-DT (5.2)
Lehigh @ Fordham 11am on CBS Sports Network 
Maryland @ Florida St. 11am on ESPN
Rutgers @ SMU 11am on ESPNews
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech 11:30am on WHO-DT (13.3)
Western Illinois @ Illinois St. 2pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
East Carolina @ Middle Tennessee 2:30pm on FS Midwest, FS North, & FS Wisconsin 
Georgia Tech @ Miami, FL 2:30pm on ESPNU
North Carolina St. @ Wake Forest 2:30pm on FS Midwest+
North Texas @ Tulane 2:30pm on Fox College Sports Central
Washington St. @ Cal 3pm on Fox Sports 1
Arkansas @ Florida 6pm on ESPN2
LSU @ Mississippi St. 6pm on ESPN 
Ole Miss @ Auburn 6pm on ESPNU
Arizona St. vs Notre Dame (Dallas) 6:30pm on WHO
Kentucky @ South Carolina 6:30pm on FS Midwest+ 
Louisana Tech @ UTEP 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Washington @ Stanford 9:30pm on ESPN

Golf:

PGA Tour:  Presidents Cup, third round 7am on WHO
European PGA Tour:  Seve Throphy, third round 7am on Golf Channel (same day tape)
LPGA:  Reignwood Classic, third round 2pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

MLB Playoffs:

ALDS, game 2:  Tampa Bay @ Boston 4:30pm on TBS
ALDS, game 2:  Detroit @ Oakland 8pm on TBS

Motor Sports:

Sprint Cup:  Hollywood Casino 400 practice 10am on Fox Sports 2
Nationwide Series:  Kansas Lottery 300 qualifying 11am on Fox Sports 2
Sprint Cup:  Hollywood Casino 400 practice 12:30pm on Fox Sports 2
IRL:  Grand Prix of Houston 2pm on NBCSN
Nationwide Series:  Kansas Lottery 300 2:30pm on ESPN

NHL Hockey:

Anaheim @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North
Detroit @ Boston 6pm on NHL Network
Florida @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Tampa Bay @ Chicago 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Soccer:

College:  Oklahoma St. vs Iowa St. 1:50pm on Cyclones.tv (Mediacom
English Premier League:  Everton @ Manchester City 6:40am on NBCSN
English Premier League:  West Ham @ Tottenham 8:55am on NBCSN
English Premier League:  Manchester United @ Sunderland 11:25am on NBCSN
MLS:  Seattle @ Colorado 9pm on NBCSN

Tennis:  Japan Open final 12am on Tennis Channel

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

TV Schedule, Friday, October 4

College Field Hockey:  Michigan St. @ Indiana 2pm on BTN

College Football:

BYU @ Utah St. 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Nevada @ San Diego St. 8pm on ESPN

College Volleyball:  Texas A&M @ Florida 6pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

Golf:

European PGA Tour:  Seve Trophy, second round 8am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour:  Presidents Cup, second round 12pm on Golf Channel

High School Football:  John Curtis (LA) vs St. Augustine (LA) 7pm on ESPN2

MLB Playoffs:

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis 12pm on MLB Network
Tampa Bay @ Boston 2pm on on TBS
Los Angeles @ Atlanta 5pm on TBS
Detroit @ Oakland 8:30pm on TBS

Motor Sports:

Sprint Cup:  Hollywood Casino 400 Practice 11:30am on Fox Sports 1
Nationwide Series:  Kansas Lottery 300 practice 1pm on Fox Sports 1
Sprint Cup:  Hollywood Casino 400 qualifying 4pm on ESPN2
ARCA:  Kansas Lottery 98.9 7:30pm on Fox Sports 1
Formula One:  Korean Grand Prix qualifying 12am on NBCSN

Rugby:  Sale vs Bath 1:30pm on Fox Sports 2

Soccer:

College:  Kansas vs Iowa St. 6:30pm on Cyclones.tv (Mediacom)
MLS:  Chicago @ D.C. United 7pm on NBCSN
College:  Missouri @ Vanderbilt (women's) 7pm on FS Midwest
College:  Minnesota @ Nebraska (women's) 7pm on BTN
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St. (women's) 7pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic

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
SVP & Russillo 12pm on ESPNews
#BTN Live 5pm on BTN
Friday Night Live 6pm on WHO-DT (13.2)

Tennis:  Japan Open 10pm on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer:  All times are Central.
 

CBS Sports Network To Televise 20 Regular Season College Hockey Games

The college hockey season is underway and CBS Sports Network will televise 20 regular season games throughout the 2013-14 season as well as postseason play from the NCHC tournament.

CBS Sports Network will begin their coverage October 16 with a double header featuring perennial college hockey powers.

For more information, including broadcast talent and a scheule of key match-ups, visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Thursday, October 3

College Football:

Texas @ Iowa St. 6:30pm on ESPN
Western Kentucky @ Louisiana-Monroe 6:30pm on ESPNU
Harding @ Southern Arkansas 7pm on CBS Sports Network
UCLA @ Utah 9pm on Fox Sports 1

College Volleyball:  Penn St. @ Indiana 6pm on  ESPN2

Golf:

European PGA Tour:  Seve Trophy, first round 8am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour:  Presidents Cup 11am on Golf Channel

MLB Playoffs:

Cincinnati @ St. Louis 4pm on TBS
Los  Angeles @ Atlanta 7:30pm on TBS

Motor Sports:  Korean Grand Prix practice 12am on NBCSN

NFL Football:  Buffalo @ Cleveland 7:30pm on NFL Network

NHL Hockey: 

Los Angeles @ Minnesota 7pm on NBCSN
Nashville @ St. Louis 7:30pm on NHL Network

Soccer:

UEFA Europa League:   Tottenham @ Anji 11am on Fox Sports 1
UEFA Europa League:  Valencia @ Kuban 11am on Fox Sports 2
UEFA Europa League:  St. Gallen @ Swansea City 2pm on Fox Sports 1
College:  Michigan @ Michigan St. (women's) 2pm on BTN
UEFA Europa League:  NK Maribor @ Wigan Athletic 2pm on Fox Sports 2

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
SVP & Russillo 12pm on ESPNews
#BTN Live 5pm on BTN

Tennis:  ATP Tour 9am on Tennis Channel

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

TBS Sports Coverage Of The MLB Wildcard Wins the Cable Ratings War

Last night's MLB Wild Card elimination game easily won the ratings war among cable networks.  The game between Cincinnati & Pittsburgh generated 4.6 million viewers, up 15% from last year's one game wildcard.

BTN To Televise 67 Conference Basketball Games

BTN today announced their schedule of televised men's conference basketball schedule and will televise over half of the conference basketball slate.

BTN will televise 67 conference games with the return of the Super Wednesday doubleheader as well as games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  In addition, Saturday & Sunday doubleheader's will be common as well.  BTN will also televise four games from the Big 10 tournament as well.

For a complete schedule of televised conference games as well as some the key non-conference games that BTN will televise as well as information on Seth Davis joining BTN, visit the Web Site linked above.

NFL Viewing Guide - Week 5

Below is a schedule of televised NFL games across Central Iowa for week 5.  Note that there is an additional game Sunday night on NFL Network due to Oakland hosting the MLB Playoffs that afternoon.  All times are Central:

Thursday:  Buffalo @ Cleveland 7:30pm on NFL Network

Sunday:

Kansas City @ Tennessee 12pm on KCCI
New Orleans @ Chicago 12pm on KDSM
Denver @ Dallas 3:25pm on KCCI
Houston @ San Francisco 7:30pm on WHO


San Diego @ Oakland 10:30pm on NFL Network

Monday:  New York Jets @ Atlanta 7:40pm on ESPN

College Football Viewing Guide - Week 6

Here is your viewing guide for week 6 of the college football season.  As usual, all times are Central.

Thursday:

Texas @ Iowa St. 6:30pm on ESPN
Western Kentucky @ Louisiana-Monroe 7:30pm on ESPNU
UCLA @ Utah 9pm on Fox Sports 1

Friday:

BYU @ Utah St 7pm on CBS Sports Network
Nevada @ San Diego St. 8pm on ESPN

Saturday:

Big 10:

Illinois @ Nebraska 11am on ESPNU
Michigan St. @ Iowa 11am on ESPN2
Penn St. @ Indiana 11am on BTN
Minnesota @ Michigan 2:30pm on ESPN2
Ohio St. @ Northwestern 7pm on WOI

Big 12:

Texas Tech @ Kansas 11am on Fox Sports 1
Kansas St. @ Oklahoma St. 2:30pm on WOI
TCU @ Oklahoma  6pm on KDSM
West Virgina @ Baylor 7pm on on Fox Sports 1

Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa @ North Dakota St. 2:30pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

National Games:

Air Force @ Navy 10:30am on CBS
Ball St. @ Virgina 11am on FS Midwest & FS North+Georgia St. @ Alabama 11am on WOI-DT (5.2)
Lehigh @ Fordham 11am on CBS Sports Network
Maryland @ Florida St. 11am on ESPN
Rutgers @ SMU 11am on ESPNews
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech 11:30am on WHO-DT (13.3)
Western Illinois @ Illinois St. 2pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
East Carolina @ Middle Tennessee 2:30pm on FS Midwest, FS North, & FS Wisconsin
Georgia Tech @ Miami, FL 2:30pm on ESPNU
North Carolina St. @ Wake Forest 2:30pm on FS Midwest+
North Texas @ Tulane 2:30pm on Fox College Sports Central
Washington St. @ Cal 3pm on Fox Sports 1
Arkansas @ Florida 6pm on ESPN2
LSU @ Mississippi St. 6pm on ESPN
Ole Miss @ Auburn 6pm on ESPNU
Arizona St. vs Notre Dame (Dallas) 6:30pm on WHO
Kentucky @ South Carolina 6:30pm on FS Midwest+
Louisana Tech @ UTEP 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network
Washington @ Stanford 9:30pm on ESPN

TV Schedule, Wednesday, October 2

College Volleyball:

Missouri @ Arkansas 6pm on ESPNU
Iowa St. @ Texas Tech 6pm on Fox College Sports Pacific & FS North
West Virgina @ TCU 6:30pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Wisconsin @ Iowa 6:30pm on BTN
Kansas @ Kansas St. 7pm on FS Midwest
Texas @ Baylor 8pm on ESPNU

MLB Playoffs:  Tampa Bay @ Cleveland 7pm on TBS

NHL Hockey:  Buffalo @ Detroit 7pm on NBCSN

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League:  Juventus vs Galatasaray 1:30pm on FS Midwest & FS North
UEFA Champions League:  Manchester United @ Shakhtar Donetsk 1;30pm on Fox Sports 1
UEFA Champions League:  Bayern Munich @ Manchester city 1:30pm on Fox Sports 2

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
SVP & Russillo 12pm on ESPNews
#BTN Live 5pm on BTN

Disclaimer:  All times are Central. 

ESPN2 Celebrates 20 Years On The Air Today

From the were does the time go department, 20 years ago today, ESPN2 signed on the air for the first time.  Anyone was around this time back in 1993, ESPN2 was supposed to be the "hip little brother" to ESPN with unconventional sets, graphics, and programming aimed at then 20 somethings.

ESPN2 launched in roughly 10 million homes and today is available in 99 million homes.

You can see the original press release announcing the birth of what was then called "The Deuce" at the Web Site linked above.

The NFL Today To Travel Out Of Studio

On Sunday, October 13, NFL Today analysts will take to the road and join the studio crew to provide commentary.  Bill Cowher will head to Pittsburgh, Boomer Esiason will be in the Cincinnati booth, and Shannon Sharpe will travel to the Mile City.

In their absence, talent from CBS Sports Network's, That Other Pregame Show will fill the void.

Dish Network & Disney Reach A Short Term Extension

A positive development in the carriage dispute between Dish Network & Disney, the two sides have announced a short term extension to keep the Disney owned networks on Dish Network.

The Disney owned networks include the ESPN family of networks, ABC Family, and the Disney channels.  Dish Network is notorious for yanking channels that are involved in carriage disputes, so i'm guessing that this is just a one-time short term extension.

Speculation on my part, but as carriage agreements with Disney and other providers come due for renewal, the ever controversial Longhorn Network has been included in new carriage agreements.

Chicago Bulls Basketball Returns to Comcast SportsNet Chicago

With the calendar turning to October, the days are getting shorter, cooler weather has arrived, and the winter sports season is starting to get into gear.

The 2013-14 NBA season is right around the corner and the Chicago Bulls return to Comcast SportsNet Chicago on October 7 with a preseason game.

The Chicago-based RSN will televise 42 regular season and 6 preseason games this fall and winter.  For a complete schedule of televised games, visit the Web Site linked above.

TV Schedule, Tuesday, October 1

MLB Playoffs:  Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh 7pm on TBS

NHL Hockey:  Washington @ Chicago 7pm on NBCSN

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League:  AC Milan @ Ajax Amsterdam 1:30pm on FS Midwest & FS North
UEFA Champions League: Barcelona @ Glasgow Celtic 1:30pm on Fox Sports 1
UEFA Champions League: Steaua vs Chelsea 1:30pm on Fox Sports 2

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
SVP & Russillo 1pm on ESPNews
#BTN Live 5pm on BTN

Disclaimer:  All times are Central.

ESPN/Dish Network Agreement Expires Tonight

Dish Network's carriage agreement to carry the ESPN family of networks, the various Disney Channel's, and ABC Family expire at 11pm (CT).  As of right now, from searching the internet, there are no extensions in place to carry the channels into October.

Dish Network has a long history of dropping channels in carriage disputes.  AMC (hello Breaking Bad) was off Dish Network for several years and no New York City regional sports networks are carried on Dish Network.  The clock is ticking for ESPN & Dish Network (this is a sports media blog as hobby, could care less about what's going on in DC).

Breaking: Raiders Game This Weekend Moved To Late Sunday Night

Due to the Oakland A's & Raiders sharing the same facility, the Oakland Raiders have pushed back the start time of their home game against San Diego to late primetime.  Kickoff is scheduled for 10:35pm (CT) and will air nationally on NFL Network.

With such a late start in the Central & Eastern time zone, this maybe the lowest rated NFL game in history.

A Map Of Local NHL TV Markets

The NHL drops the puck on the 2013-14 NHL season tomorrow night and their blackouts for online and Center Ice viewing are identical to that of MLB.  All of Iowa is claimed by three NHL teams:  St. Louis, Minnesota, and Chicago.

This means games invovling these three teams will be blacked out on Center Ice and online.  The Chicago Blackouts, whose games are televised by Comcast SportsNet Chicago is the primary RSN for Eastern Iowa on cable TV and can be seen across the state on DirecTV and Dish Network.

For St. Louis Blues, their games are televised on FS Midwest and is the primary RSN for Central, Southern, and Western Iowa.  In Nothern & Eastern Iowa, their games can be seen on DirecTV and Dish Network with a subscription to the respective satellite provider sports pack.

The Minnesota Wild, whose games are televised on FS North is the primary RSN for Northern Iowa.  In other parts of the state, their games can be seen on DirecTV and Dish Network with a subscription to the respective satellite provider sports pack.

Some local Teleco's across the state have all three RSN"s included in their basic programming lineup.  For sports media geeks like myself, to see how local TV markets shake out for other NHL teams, visit the website linked above.  In terms of geography, the Colorado Avanlache may have the biggest local TV market in the country.

TBS Broadcast Teams For The MLB Playoffs

TBS Sports begins it's coverage of the 2013 MLB playoffs this evening with a winner take call, wildcard clinching match-up between Texas and Tampa at 7pm this evening and the cable network recently released it's broadcast teams for the hunt for the World Series.  Here's a look at the top broadcast crew.

Ernie Johnson will provide play by play with Ron Darling and Hall of Famer Cal Ripkin providing commentary. Tom Verducci and Craig Sager will join the crew as field announcers.

For a complete roster of the broadcast crews, visit the Web Site linked above.

NBC Regional Sports Networks To Launch A Football Roundtable

In a first for the NBC owned regional sports networks ("RSN's"),  a weekly football roundtable show titled 3 and Out will debut tomorrow night, October 1 at 7pm (CT) on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.  The show will air in many top football markets and will debate the three biggest NFL storylines.

NBC will use top of the line technology to bring debate and opinion from all of the NBC owned RSN's throughout the country.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago is Eastern Iowa's main RSN and can be seen elsewhere across the state on Dish Network, DirecTV, and select locally owned teleco's.

Fox America's Game Of The Week Generates Huge Ratings.

Yesterday's America's Game of the Week, Philadelphia @ Denver, generated huge ratings.  The telecast received an overnight rating of 18.5/36, it was the highest overnight rating for any NFL game on a broadcast network this year.

TV Schedule, Monday, September 30

Boxing:  Welterweights 8pm on Fox Sports 1

English Preimer League Soccer:  Newcastle @ Everton 1:55pm on NBCSN

MLB Baseball:  Tampa Bay @ Texas 7pm on TBS

NFL Football:  Miami @ New Orleans 7:25pm on ESPN

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
SVP & Russillo 1pm on ESPNews
#BTN Live 5pm on BTN

Disclaimer:  All times are Central.

TBS Introduces "Truss Cam" Technology For MLB Playoffs

When TBS begins it's exclusive coverage of the MLB Wildcard Playoffs on October 1, TBS will introduce a new technology called Truss Cam.

Truss Cam is a a camera that will be mounted on a trolley which will on a 360 foot track outside of the outfield wall.  For more information on the Truss Cam as well as additional enhancements for TBS Sports of the MLB playoffs, visit the Web Site linked above.

Yesterday's Georgia/LSU Game Generates Big TV Ratings

Yesterday's thrilling matchup between Georgia & LSU generated some pretty big ratings.  The ratings were 75% higher than last year, putting up an overnight rating of 4.9/12 peaking at 7.1/15 between 6 & 6:30pm