CSN Chicago
Encyclopedia
Comcast SportsNet Chicago (CSN Chicago) is a member of the Comcast SportsNet
network of regional sports network
s that covers local sports teams in the Chicago area.
(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%). The channel airs a majority of games for those four teams. It also carries games for the AFL Chicago Rush
, Chicago Fire S.C., and the NIU
Huskies football. Although WCIU
and WGN-TV
carry many Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls games, Comcast SportsNet Chicago was created so the teams mentioned could have editorial control over their broadcasts, unlike the past 'produced by' arrangements with the now-defunct FSN Chicago
. 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
will be selling both their shares in CSN Chicago and the Chicago Cubs
at the end of 2007.
On March 30, 2008, the Blackhawks announced that all of their games, both home and away, 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 exclusively local however, and is not seen on the national WGN America superstation
.
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 radio host of WSCR
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. The program then continued until the start of 2010, with North moving on to host the Monsters and Money in the Morning program for 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-10 basketball on various nights, plus Big 12
and Pac-10 football on Saturdays during their respective seasons.
Comcast SportsNet Chicago Plus typically airs in the cable slot of CLTV
on Comcast systems in the Chicagoland area. Its HD channel is used as a help channel on Comcast systems when there is no sports event on CSN +.
Comcast SportsNet Plus 2 is an additional, SD-only alternate channel.
.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.
The 2011 awards were
The awards were:
and the new CSN Chicago slogan is "Fans Best Friend".
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.
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
network of regional sports network
Regional sports network
In the United States of America and Canada, a regional sports network, or RSN, is a cable television station that presents sports programming to a local market. The most important programming on an RSN consists of live broadcasts of professional and college sporting events, as those games generate...
s that covers local sports teams in the Chicago area.
Background
CSN Chicago is jointly owned by NBCUniversal (20%), the family of J. Joseph RickettsJ. Joseph Ricketts
J. Joseph Ricketts is the founder, former CEO and former chairman of TD Ameritrade, one of the largest online discount brokerages in the world, based in Omaha, Nebraska...
(owner of the Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, 20%), Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry M. Reinsdorf is a CPA, lawyer and an owner of the MLB's Chicago White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He started his professional life as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has been the head of the White Sox and Bulls for over 20 years.He made his initial fortune in real...
(owner of the both the Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and the White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, giving him a 40% stake), and Rocky Wirtz
Rocky Wirtz
William Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz is the principal owner and chairman of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. He is also president of the Blackhawks' parent company, Wirtz Corporation, a diversified conglomerate headquartered in Chicago....
(owner of the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, 20%). The channel airs a majority of games for those four teams. It also carries games for the AFL Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
, Chicago Fire S.C., and the NIU
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
Huskies football. Although WCIU
WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV is an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois. It operates on UHF digital channel 27 and is Chicago's oldest UHF station, signing on the air in 1964. WCIU-TV is the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting, a locally-based broadcaster which has owned the station since...
and WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
carry many Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls games, Comcast SportsNet Chicago was created so the teams mentioned could have editorial control over their broadcasts, unlike the past 'produced by' arrangements with the now-defunct FSN Chicago
FSN Chicago
Fox Sports Net Chicago was a regional sports network based in Chicago, Illinois. The network carried the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Fire, the Arena Football League's Chicago Rush, local and national collegiate sports, including those...
. All games of the major Chicago sports teams on CSN Chicago are broadcast in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
.
In the Chicago area, Comcast operates an unrelated separate Comcast Network
Comcast Network
Comcast Network is a cable television station that is shown mostly in parts of Comcast Cable services in the Eastern part of the US. Viewed in four states and 20 television markets from New Jersey to Virginia on Comcast cable systems. The main focus of the network is Philadelphia although they...
, a general entertainment channel that also airs the entire schedule of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
's Chicago Wolves
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois...
.
On April 2, 2007, it was announced that the Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
will be selling both their shares in CSN Chicago and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
at the end of 2007.
On March 30, 2008, the Blackhawks announced that all of their games, both home and away, would be televised, in high definition, with the bulk of the games going to CSN Chicago, and others being broadcast on WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
. The Blackhawks package is exclusively local however, and is not seen on the national WGN America superstation
Superstation
Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
.
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 radio host of WSCR
WSCR
WSCR is a sports radio station in the Chicago, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by CBS Radio and transmits on 670 kHz on the AM dial. Its transmitter is located just off Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale, which is a western suburb of Chicago. It is known as "The Score," and has been on...
Mike North
Mike North
Mike North is an American radio sports personality working for Clear Channel Communications as a weekend host on their Fox Sports Radio subsidiary. He was the co-host of the Monsters in the Morning with Dan Jiggetts on Comcast SportsNet Chicago in 2009 and was a sports talk radio show host at WSCR...
and Comcast SportsNet Chicago reporter and former Chicago Bear Dan Jiggetts
Dan Jiggetts
Dan Jiggetts is a retired American football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1976 NFL Draft-Early life:...
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
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
scheme in mid-2009. The program then continued until the start of 2010, with North moving on to host the Monsters and Money in the Morning program for WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
(Channel 2).
On April 13, 2010, CSN Chicago announced a deal with the Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
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
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
men's and women's basketball on Sundays, Pac-10 basketball on various nights, plus Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
and Pac-10 football on Saturdays during their respective seasons.
Alternate channels
The channel has several conflicting sports events, so it uses alternate channels when more than one team plays simultaneously also some time used to show FSN and other college sports:Comcast SportsNet Chicago Plus typically airs in the cable slot of CLTV
CLTV
CLTV can mean:* In Finance, the combined loan to value ratio* In Marketing, the Customer lifetime value of a customer.* An acronym for Chicagoland Television, a Chicago-area local news channel...
on Comcast systems in the Chicagoland area. Its HD channel is used as a help channel on Comcast systems when there is no sports event on CSN +.
Comcast SportsNet Plus 2 is an additional, SD-only alternate channel.
Current
- Chris Boden
- Pat Boyle
- Gail Fischer
- Chuck Garfien
- David KaplanDavid Kaplan (radio)David Kaplan is an American columnist, radio and television personality who hosted the radio program Sports Central on WGN Radio in Chicago. He is also the host of Chicago Tribune Live: a daily sports roundtable discussion show on Comcast SportsNet in Chicago...
- Sarah Kustok
- Kip Lewis
- Mark SchanowskiMark SchanowskiMark Schanowski is an American sportscaster. He currently works for Comcast Sportsnet in Chicago, appearing in the Chicago Bulls' pre- and post-game shows as well as the SportsNite program. He had worked as a sports anchor at WMAQ-TV until 2005....
- Luke Stuckmeyer
White Sox
- Ken HarrelsonKen HarrelsonKenneth Smith Harrelson , nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former All-Star first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball...
(play-by-play) - Steve Stone (game analyst)
- Bill MeltonBill MeltonWilliam Edwin Melton , nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" or "Beltin' Melton", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians...
(studio analyst) - Frank Thomas (studio analyst/fill-in game analyst)
Bulls
- Neil FunkNeil FunkNeil Funk is the current television play-by-play announcer for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls.A 1969 graduate of Syracuse University, Funk's first broadcasting job was covering high school sports for a small radio station in Danville, Illinois. He quickly moved up the ranks to...
(play-by-play) - Stacey King (game analyst)
- Kendall GillKendall GillKendall Cedric Gill is a retired American professional basketball player, now a sports analyst for Comcast Sports Net and the Big Ten Network.-Early life:...
(studio analyst) - Mark SchanowskiMark SchanowskiMark Schanowski is an American sportscaster. He currently works for Comcast Sportsnet in Chicago, appearing in the Chicago Bulls' pre- and post-game shows as well as the SportsNite program. He had worked as a sports anchor at WMAQ-TV until 2005....
(studio analyst) - Gail Fischer (sideline reporter)
Blackhawks
- Pat FoleyPat FoleyPat Foley is the television play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.A native of Chicago's North Shore, Foley graduated from Loyola Academy and received a degree in telecommunications from Michigan State University...
(play-by-play) - Eddie Olczyk (game analyst)
- Steve KonroydSteve KonroydStephen Mark Konroyd is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman. He currently is a co-host of intermission and post-game segments on WGN-TV and Comcast SportsNet broadcasts of Chicago Blackhawks' games.-Playing career:...
(studio/fill-in game analyst) - Chris Boden (studio analyst)
Bears
- Howard GriffithHoward GriffithHoward Griffith is a retired American football fullback who spent 11 seasons in the NFL . While at the University of Illinois, Howard set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a game with eight. It occurred on September 8, 1990 against Southern Illinois University...
(studio analyst) - Dan JiggettsDan JiggettsDan Jiggetts is a retired American football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1976 NFL Draft-Early life:...
(studio analyst) - Jim MillerJim Miller (quarterback)James Donald Miller is a former NFL quarterback, last under contract with the New York Giants. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 178th overall. Miller attended Waterford Kettering High School and graduated in 1989...
(studio analyst)
Cubs
- Len KasperLen KasperLen Kasper is a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs , teaming with Bob Brenly on WGN-TV, WCIU-TV, and Comcast SportsNet.- Personal life :Kasper grew up in Michigan...
(play-by-play) - Bob BrenlyBob BrenlyRobert Earl Brenly is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. He played the majority of his career as a catcher with the San Francisco Giants and played half a season for the Toronto Blue Jays...
(game analyst) - Todd HollandsworthTodd HollandsworthTodd Mathew Hollandsworth is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played with the Los Angeles Dodgers , Colorado Rockies , Texas Rangers , Florida Marlins , Chicago Cubs , Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , and Cincinnati Reds...
(studio analyst/ fill-in game analyst) - Keith MorelandKeith MorelandBobby Keith "Zonk" Moreland is a former outfielder, catcher and infield in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres. In , the final year of his career, he played for the Detroit Tigers, then the Baltimore Orioles...
(fill-in game analyst)
Rush
- Doug BuffoneDoug BuffoneDouglas John Buffone is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. Buffone, the son of a coal miner , attended high school at Shannock Valley High School in Rural Valley, Pennsylvania.-College career:Buffone played...
(analysis) - Ed O'BradovichEd O'BradovichEdward O'Bradovich is a former American football defensive end in the NFL. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 1962 NFL Draft, he spent his entire ten-year career with the Bears...
(analysis) - Mike AdamleMike AdamleMichael David "Mike" Adamle is a sports personality and former National Football League player. He is best known as the co-host of American Gladiators series for seven years....
(play-by-play)
CSN Chicago Sports Awards benefiting the March of Dimes
Every Year since 1987, CSN Chicago (and FSN Chicago/Sports Channel Chicago before them) Hosts an award show to raise money for the March of DimesMarch of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
.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.
The 2011 awards were
- Date: February 14, 2011
- Location: Hilton Chicago (720 S. Michigan Ave.)
- Time: 5:00-9:00pm
The awards were:
- Chicago Bears player of the year (Israel IdonijeIsrael IdonijeIsrael Idonije is a Nigerian-Canadian defensive end for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Manitoba...
) - Chicago Blackhawks player of the year (Duncan KeithDuncan KeithDuncan Keith is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is an alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
) - Chicago Bulls player of the year (Taj GibsonTaj GibsonTaj Jami Gibson is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association . Following the 2010 signing of Carlos Boozer, he has played as the second string power forward...
) - Chicago Cubs player of the year (Marlon ByrdMarlon ByrdMarlon Jerrard Byrd , popularly known as The Position or The Possish or Sish, is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs...
) - Chicago Fire player of the year (Sean JohnsonSean Johnson (soccer)Sean Johnson is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...
) - Chicago White Sox player of the year (Gordon BeckhamGordon BeckhamJames Gordon Beckham III is a baseball infielder, who plays for the Chicago White Sox.-Personal life:...
) - Lifetime Achievement Award (Ozzie GuillénOzzie GuillénOswaldo José "Ozzie" Guillén Barrios is a Venezuelan-American former Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Miami Marlins. He managed the Chicago White Sox from 2004 to 2011 before asking for his release at the end of the 2011 season....
) - Inspirational Athlete Award (Jonathan Ruiz)
SportsNet Central Segments
CSN Chicago has many segments during SportsNite including- Luke-A-Likes:Is a popular segment on sportsnight whenever Luke Stuckmeyer hosts. 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 has something to do with Chicago Sports; the answer is given after the commercial break.
- Anchor Chuck Garfien enthralls Sox fans with his Sox Drawer Blog. The Blog keeps fans up-to-date with behind the scenes information, as well as giving fans a chance to email questions to Chuck and have them answered. It is unparalleled access for Sox fans, courtesy of Chuck Garfien.
Deep Dish
CSN Chicago had fans e-mail in suggestions on what their new mascot's name should be. Fans then had to vote for the top names and "Deep Dish" won. The name "Deep Dish" is a Chicago style pizza that is very popular. Deep Dish is a white and brown BulldogBulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
and the new CSN Chicago slogan is "Fans Best Friend".
CSN Chicago HD
Comcast SportsNet Chicago HD is a 1080i1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
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.