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==Background==
==Background==
CSN Chicago was launched on October 1, 2004. The channel airs a majority of games for the four teams whose owners make up the majority of the channel's ownership. It also carries games from the [[Arena Football League (2010)|AFL]]'s [[Chicago Rush]], [[Major League Soccer]]'s [[Chicago Fire S.C.]], [[Northern Illinois University]] Huskies football and [[Illinois State University]] Redbirds basketball. Although [[WGN-TV]] (channel 9) and [[WCIU-TV]] (channel 26) carry many Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls games, CSN Chicago was created in order for those teams to have editorial control over their broadcasts. The teams' cable television game telecasts were previously produced by [[FSN Chicago]]. However, with the creation of CSN Chicago, all of Chicago's major professional teams dropped their agreements with FSN Chicago, though that channel still aired national programming beginning October 1, 2004 until affiliating with the new network Comcast SportsNet Chicago until it shut down on June 23, 2006. All games of the major Chicago sports teams on CSN Chicago are broadcast in [[High-definition television|high definition]].
CSN Chicago was launched on October 1, 2004. The channel airs a majority of games for the four teams whose owners make up the majority of the channel's ownership. It also has carried games from the [[Arena Football League (2010)|AFL]]'s [[Chicago Rush]], [[Major League Soccer]]'s [[Chicago Fire S.C.]], [[Northern Illinois University]] Huskies football and [[Illinois State University]] Redbirds basketball. Although [[WGN-TV]] (channel 9) and [[WCIU-TV]] (channel 26) carry many Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls games, CSN Chicago was created in order for those teams to have editorial control over their broadcasts. The teams' cable television game telecasts were previously produced by [[FSN Chicago]]. However, with the creation of CSN Chicago, all of Chicago's major professional teams dropped their agreements with FSN Chicago, though that channel still aired national programming beginning October 1, 2004 until affiliating with the new network Comcast SportsNet Chicago until it shut down on June 23, 2006. All games of the major Chicago sports teams on CSN Chicago are broadcast in [[High-definition television|high definition]].


In the Chicago area, Comcast operates an unrelated separate [[Comcast Network]], a general entertainment channel that also airs the entire schedule of the [[American Hockey League|AHL]]'s [[Chicago Wolves]]. On April 2, 2007, it was announced that the [[Tribune Company]] (owners of WGN-TV) would be selling its shares of both CSN Chicago and the [[Chicago Cubs]] at the end of 2007.
In the Chicago area, Comcast operates an unrelated separate [[Comcast Network]], a general entertainment channel that also airs the entire schedule of the [[American Hockey League|AHL]]'s [[Chicago Wolves]]. On April 2, 2007, it was announced that the [[Tribune Company]] (owners of WGN-TV) would be selling its shares of both CSN Chicago and the [[Chicago Cubs]] at the end of 2007.

Revision as of 19:30, 3 March 2014

Comcast SportsNet Chicago
CountryUnited States
NetworkComcast SportsNet
HeadquartersChicago
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
OwnerNBCUniversal (20%)
J. Joseph Ricketts Family (20%)
Jerry Reinsdorf (40%)
Rocky Wirtz (20%)

Comcast SportsNet Chicago (CSN Chicago) is an American regional sports network that operates as an affiliate of Comcast SportsNet and covers local sports teams in the Chicago area. The channel is jointly owned by Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal (20%), the family of J. Joseph Ricketts (owner of the Cubs, 20%), Jerry Reinsdorf (owner of the both the Bulls and the White Sox, giving him a 40% stake), and Rocky Wirtz (owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, 20%).

Background

CSN Chicago was launched on October 1, 2004. The channel airs a majority of games for the four teams whose owners make up the majority of the channel's ownership. It also has carried games from the AFL's Chicago Rush, Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire S.C., Northern Illinois University Huskies football and Illinois State University Redbirds basketball. Although WGN-TV (channel 9) and WCIU-TV (channel 26) carry many Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls games, CSN Chicago was created in order for those teams to have editorial control over their broadcasts. The teams' cable television game telecasts were previously produced by FSN Chicago. However, with the creation of CSN Chicago, all of Chicago's major professional teams dropped their agreements with FSN Chicago, though that channel still aired national programming beginning October 1, 2004 until affiliating with the new network Comcast SportsNet Chicago until it shut down on June 23, 2006. All games of the major Chicago sports teams on CSN Chicago are broadcast in high definition.

In the Chicago area, Comcast operates an unrelated separate Comcast Network, a general entertainment channel that also airs the entire schedule of the AHL's Chicago Wolves. On April 2, 2007, it was announced that the Tribune Company (owners of WGN-TV) would be selling its shares of both CSN Chicago and the Chicago Cubs at the end of 2007.

On March 30, 2008, the Blackhawks announced that all of the team's home and away games would be televised, in high definition, with the bulk of the games going to CSN Chicago, and others being broadcast on WGN-TV. The Blackhawks package is available to CSN and WGN, however, and is not seen on WGN-TV's national superstation feed WGN America (Blackhawks games broadcast by WGN-TV are available in Canada, as most cable and satellite providers in that country carry the WGN-TV Chicago signal instead of WGN America).

CSN Chicago, along with the other Comcast SportsNet branded networks, was revamped with a new network logo and graphics package on October 1, 2008, the fourth anniversary of its launch.

On January 5, 2009, Comcast SportsNet Chicago launched a morning talk show with former WSCR radio host Mike North and Comcast SportsNet Chicago reporter and former Chicago Bear Dan Jiggetts called Monsters in the Morning. However the program ended at the start of 2010 due to the problems involving the show, including the program's main sponsor being implicated in defrauding North, Jiggetts and others in a money laundering scheme in mid-2009.[1] The program then continued until the start of 2010, with North moving on to host the Monsters and Money in the Morning program for CBS owned-and-operated station WBBM-TV (channel 2). On April 13, 2010, CSN Chicago announced a deal with the Major League Soccer franchise Chicago Fire S.C. to broadcast a minimum of eight matches in the 2010 season.

As a result of the displacement of FSN Chicago by the network, CSN Chicago additionally broadcasts FSN's national programming, notably including the network's coverage of collegiate sports, such as ACC men's and women's basketball on Sundays, Pac-12 basketball on various nights, plus Big 12 and Pac-12 football on Saturdays during their respective seasons.

With Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, Comcast SportsNet was also integrated into the new NBC Sports Group, culminating with the addition of the peacock logo and an updated graphics package to mirror that of its parent network.

Alternate channels

The channel has several conflicting sports events, so it uses alternate channels when more than one team plays simultaneously, and are also sometimes used to show FSN and other college sports:

  • CSN Chicago Plus typically airs in the cable slot of CLTV on Comcast systems in the Chicago market. Its HD channel is used as a help channel on Comcast systems when there is no sports event on CSN+.
  • CSN Plus 2 is an additional, SD-only alternate channel.

Anchors

SportsNet Central

Current

  • Chris Boden
  • Pat Boyle
  • Chuck Garfien
  • David Kaplan
  • Kip Lewis
  • Tracey Myers
  • Mark Schanowski
  • Luke Stuckmeyer
  • Jen Lada
  • Aiyana Cristal
  • Kelly Crull

Former

  • Susannah Collins (2012–2013)
  • Nicole Darin (2012; now with Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic)
  • Gail Fischer (2004–2013; now a self-employed freelance journalist/media professional)
  • William Jackson (2004-2009; now president of Mind Over Matter Media Inc.)
  • Sarah Kustok (2009–2012; now with YES Network)
  • Josh Mora (2005–2010; now with Full Sail University as a Program Director of Sports Marketing and Media))[2]
  • Mitch Robinson (2004–2009; no longer active in the television industry))
  • Kerry Sayers (2004–2009; now with 670 The Score)

Broadcast teams

Chicago White Sox

Chicago Bulls

Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Bears

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Rush

Chicago Fire

CSN Chicago Sports Awards benefiting the March of Dimes

Every year since 1987, CSN Chicago (and FSN Chicago/SportsChannel Chicago before them) hosts an award show to raise money for the March of Dimes. The honorees included top athletes from Chicago's professional teams, who were chosen based on their contributions to their teams and the Chicago community. To date, the "Sports Awards" has raised over $6 million for the charity.

SportsNet Central segments

CSN Chicago has many segments during SportsNet Central including:

  • Luke-A-Likes: A popular segment seen whenever Luke Stuckmeyer hosts SportsNet Central, in which fans get to vote on sports figures and pick out someone else who looks like them.
  • Chicago Sports Trivia Question: A (usually difficult) trivia question right before a commercial break which is related to Chicago sports; the answer is given after the commercial break.

Deep Dish

CSN Chicago had fans e-mail in suggestions on what the name of the channel's new mascot should be. Fans then had to vote for the top names, the name "Deep Dish" – taken from the popular Chicago-style pizza – was chosen as the winner. The Deep Dish mascot is a white and brown Bulldog, which owes to the slogan since adopted by CSN Chicago, "Fan's Best Friend".

CSN Chicago HD

Comcast SportsNet Chicago HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of Comcast SportsNet Chicago. It shows all Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Bulls games in HD, as well as all studio shows.

References

  1. ^ http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=34500
  2. ^ "Josh Mora's LinkedIn profile". Retrieved 10 January 2013.
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