Gray has announced its television stations in Rockford, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana, will carry the Chicago Sports Network starting in November. The Chicago Sports Network is a new RSN owned by Standard Media, Chicago Blackhawks owner Wirtz Corp. and Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls and White Sox franchises.
The teams—which were on cable network NBC Sports Chicago—left the RSN to launch Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) earlier this year. NBC Sports Chicago shut down on Sept. 30, 2024; multicast-delivered CHSN launched Tuesday, Oct. 1.
This arrangement will deliver games from the NBA’s Bulls, NHL’s Blackhawks and Major League Baseball’s White Sox and other related content free, over-the-air to more than 500,000 households in the two markets, Gray said.
In Rockford, CHSN will air on WSLN channel 19.3, with overflow on channel 19.4. In South Bend, CHSN will air on WNDU channel 16.2, with overflow on channel 16.4. The overflow channels will allow the stations to air two games simultaneously in the event of schedule conflicts.
CHSN’s broadcast schedule will include locally broadcast regular-season games, select preseason games and, for the Blackhawks and Bulls, select coverage of playoff matchups. In addition to live games, the network will provide first-class pre- and postgame shows, in-depth commentary from seasoned sports analysts, and 24/7 multisport programming.
CHSN will broadcast from state-of-the-art studios in Chicago’s United Center and at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“Gray is committed to bringing local sports to our over-the-air viewers,” Gray Chief Operating Officer Sandy Breland said. “We look forward to working with CHSN to provide the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox to fans in Rockford and South Bend.”
Added CHSN President Jason Coyle: “We’re committed to reaching our fans wherever they are, including areas outside of Chicago proper that may have not had the opportunity to watch games in the past. This partnership with Gray allows us to provide more options for our Chicago fans so they can cheer on their favorite players and teams.”
The announcement is the latest in Gray's campaign to return live sports to free over-the-air TV. It recently launched the “Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network" with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Rock Entertainment Sports Network, featuring local (non-major league) sports teams in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Last month it signed a deal with the Missouri Valley Conference to air its games in 22 Gray Media markets in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee and via third-party broadcast partners in markets outside of the Gray footprint.
Gray’s Raycom Sports division recently launched “Big 12 Studios,” a new venture to deliver original programming and content to fans as a FAST (free ad-supported television) channel across multiple major platforms.
