Root Sports Pittsburgh is a 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...

 owned and operated by DirecTV Sports Networks. The channel first aired in the Pittsburgh metro area on April 24, 1986 as KBL with the season opener of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 vs. Mets from Three Rivers Stadium

Three Rivers Stadium

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...

 and expanded close to its modern day six-state broadcast area on May 9, 1986. It was initially owned by Prime Network

Prime Network

The Prime Network was a group of regional sports networks owned by Liberty Media that served several regionalized areas that was in operation between 1983 and late-1997. While Liberty owned many of these stations, some were affiliates and owned by other companies...

. It was a network of Prime SportsChannel America when Prime and SportsChannel America

SportsChannel America

SportsChannel America was a cable television network operated by Cablevision. It was the country's first regional sports network, and thus an important ancestor to many of the United States' regional sports outlets, especially Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. SportsChannel New York was the...

 merged. In 1996, News Corporation bought out Prime SportsChannel and changed KBL to Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh.

In 2006, News Corporation

News Corporation

News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...

 transitioned FSN Pittsburgh to Liberty Media

Liberty Media

Liberty Media Corporation is an American media conglomerate and the control is exercised by company Chairman John C. Malone, who owns a majority of the voting shares....

, in a stock swap between the two companies of the DirecTV

DirecTV

DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

 stock.

On May 4, 2009, The DirecTV Group Inc. said it would become a part of Liberty's entertainment unit, part of which would then be spun off as a separate company called DirecTV

DirecTV

DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

 which would own FSN Pittsburgh.

In December 2010, the name "Root Sports

Root Sports

Root Sports is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks owned by DirecTV Sports Networks, affiliated with the overall Fox Sports Net system...

" was chosen for three DirecTV Sports Networks, including FSN Pittsburgh. The rebranding was launched on April 1, 2011 with the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

Root Sports

Root Sports

Root Sports is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks owned by DirecTV Sports Networks, affiliated with the overall Fox Sports Net system...

 is the cable home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins. The network reaches more than 2.4 million viewers and delivers more than 350 live events each year - all of which are also available in high definition

On April 27, 2011, Root Sports Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins reached a 20-year contract extension that lasts until the end of the 2028-2029 NHL season.

Professional

• Pittsburgh Penguins
  Pittsburgh Penguins
  The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
  
   (NHL)
• Pittsburgh Pirates
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
  
   (MLB)
• Pittsburgh Steelers
  Pittsburgh Steelers
  The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
  
   (NFL)

College

• Big East Men's & Women's Basketball (via ESPN Plus
  ESPN Plus
  ESPN Plus, the popular name of ESPN Regional Television, is an American television program syndicator. ERT is based along with sister network ESPNU in Charlotte, North Carolina...
  
  )
• Northeast Conference
  Northeast Conference
  The Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro...
  
   Basketball
• ACC
  ACC
  ACC may refer to:-Business:* ACC Limited, Indian cement manufacturer* ACCBank, Ireland* American Campus Communities, private student housing provider* American Communications Corp, cabling company in San Diego...
  
   Men's & Women's Basketball
• Big 12 Women's Basketball
• Pac-10 Men's & Women's Basketball
• California University of Pennsylvania
  California University of Pennsylvania
  California University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in California, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1852, it is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Cal U's enrollment is approximately 9,400.The main campus consists of about 38 buildings situated on 92 acres...
  
   Football, Mens & Women's Basketball

Regions Served

Root Sports Pittsburgh serves Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, West Virginia, western Maryland, eastern and southeastern Ohio and New York.

National programming

• The Dan Patrick Show
  The Dan Patrick Show
  The Dan Patrick Show is a syndicated sports talk show hosted by former ESPN personality Dan Patrick. It is currently produced by DirecTV Sports Group and is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. The three-hour program broadcasts live every day beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern/6 a.m. Pacific time on Fox...
  
  
• Bellator Fighting Championships
• Final Score
• Top Rank Boxing
  Top Rank Boxing
  Top Rank, Inc. is a Las Vegas based boxing promotion company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973. Since its founding, the company has promoted several world class fighters, such as Muhammad Ali, JI Penalver, Oscar De La Hoya, Roberto Durán, Joe Frazier,...
  
  
• Sports Science
• UEFA Champions League Soccer
• Barclays Premeir League Soccer
• Oscar DeLa Hoya’s Fight Night Club
• Pokerstars.net Million Dollar Challenge
• World Team Poker
• World Poker Tour: Seasons 1, 7 & 8
• XTERRA Eco Adventures
• Jay Glazer’s Training Camp Party
• The After Party with Jay Glazer
• Profiles
  Profiles
  Profiles is an album by Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason and 10cc's guitarist Rick Fenn, released in 1985. It is almost entirely instrumental, save for two songs: "Lie for a Lie," featuring Pink Floyd singer and guitarist David Gilmour and Mike Oldfield's early 80s singer Maggie Reilly; and...
  
  
• Baseball’s Golden Age
• Women’s Professional Soccer
• Red Bull Air Race World Championships
• Atlantic Coast Conference
  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 College Basketball - Sunday nights
• 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...
  
   College Football
• Pac-10 College Football
• Pac-10 Men's College Basketball - Thursdays, Saturdays, Sunday nights, and Pac-10 Conference Tournament
• Women's College Basketball from the Big 12, Pac-10 and ACC

Exclusive programming

• Pittsburgh Pirates
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
  
   live broadcasts - Over 150 Regular Season Games
  • Pregame and Postgame shows
  • Pirates Instant Replay - replayed broadcasts
  • Inside Pirates Baseball
  • Spring Training Games

• Pittsburgh Penguins
  Pittsburgh Penguins
  The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
  
   live broadcasts
  • Pregame and Postgame shows
  • Penguins Rewind - replayed broadcasts
  • Penguins Instant Replay - replayed broadcasts
  • Inside Penguins Hockey
  • Stanley Cup Playoffs - Live Coverage

• Pittsburgh Steelers
  Pittsburgh Steelers
  The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
  
   news
  • Mike Tomlin
    Mike Tomlin
    Michael Tomlin is the current head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history...
    
     Press Conferences - Hosted by Stan Savran
    Stan Savran
    Stan Savran is an American sports media personality based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Current work:...
    
    
  • The Mike Tomlin Show - Hosted by Stan Savran

• College football
  • Pittsburgh Panthers
    Pittsburgh Panthers football
    Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
    
     - Tuesday press conference
  • West Virginia Mountaineers
    West Virginia Mountaineers football
    The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
    
     - Tuesday press conference
  • Penn State Nittany Lions
    Penn State Nittany Lions football
    The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
    
     - Penn State Story
  • Notre Dame - Inside Notre Dame Football
  • Marshall University - Marshall Football Today

• College basketball
  • Pittsburgh Panthers
    Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
    Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...
    
     - live broadcasts
  • West Virginia Mountaineers
    West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball
    The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by...
    
     - live broadcasts
  • Robert Morris
    Robert Morris Colonials
    The Robert Morris' Colonials are the athletic teams for Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Colonials use the school colors of blue, white and red and compete in NCAA Division I . Most of the school's sports participate in Northeast Conference...
    
     - live broadcasts
  • Duquesne University - Live Broadcasts
  • Notre Dame - Inside Notre Dame Basketball
  • Marshall University - Marshall Basketball Today

• High School Sports
  • McDonald’s High School Football - Thursday and Friday night live broadcasts
  • WPIAL Football Championships
  • Trib Total Media High School Edition

• PIHL Hockey
  • PIHL Penguins Cup
    Penguins Cup
    The Penguins Cup is a high school ice hockey tournament of over 70 high school ice hockey teams from western Pennsylvania. The tournament is run by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League with the finals administered by the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins franchise...
    
    

Pittsburgh Penguins

• Paul Steigerwald
  Paul Steigerwald
  Paul Steigerwald is an American sports announcer.-Minor leagues:Steigerwald became a hockey fan growing up in Pittsburgh's South Hills. One of his neighbors was Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jack Riley, who would provide tickets for the poorly-attended games...
  
   (Play-by-play)
• Bob Errey
  Bob Errey
  Robert Errey is a retired former professional ice hockey left wing who was drafted 15th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft and played 895 NHL games over the course of his career...
  
   (Color-commentator)
• Dan Potash
  Dan Potash
  Dan Potash is a TV reporter for Root Sports Pittsburgh . He covers both the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the MLB. He joined the Roots Sports Pittsburgh team in 2000. Prior to joining Root Sports Pittsburgh, he worked for three years as weekend sports reporter for...
  
    (Sideline reporter for Pirates, Penguins, University of Pittsburgh)
• Jay Caufield
  Jay Caufield
  John Jay Caufield is a former NHL right winger. Jay was raised in the Towamencin Township, Pennsylvania, area about a mile outside of Lansdale borough. He graduated from North Penn High School.-Playing career:...
  
   (Studio analyst)

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Tim Neverett (Play-by-play)
• Greg Brown
  Greg Brown (broadcaster)
  Greg Brown is a sports announcer, born in Washington, D.C., who currently works for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Root Sports Pittsburgh and 93.7 the fan . He has worked in the booth for the Pirates since 1994. He works with Steve Blass, Bob Walk, John Wehner, and Tim Neverett...
  
   (Play-by-play)
• Bob Walk
  Bob Walk
  Robert Vernon Walk is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "The Whirly Bird," Walk spent his career pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies , Atlanta Braves , and Pittsburgh Pirates .During his rookie season in Philadelphia, he recorded 11 regular season wins and a victory in Game One...
  
   (Color-commentator)
• John Wehner
  John Wehner
  John Paul Wehner is a former Utility player in Major League Baseball and a current broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
  
   (Color-commentator for road games only)
• Steve Blass
  Steve Blass
  Stephen Robert "Steve" Blass is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher and a current broadcast announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Playing career:Blass was born in Canaan, Connecticut...
  
   (Color-commentator for home games only)
• Lacee Collins (Field reporter)
• Kent Tekulve
  Kent Tekulve
  Kenton Charles Tekulve is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched for three different teams, but spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
  
   (Studio analyst)

Anchors/Reporters

• Stan Savran
  Stan Savran
  Stan Savran is an American sports media personality based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Current work:...
  
  
• Rob King
• Dan Potash
  Dan Potash
  Dan Potash is a TV reporter for Root Sports Pittsburgh . He covers both the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the MLB. He joined the Roots Sports Pittsburgh team in 2000. Prior to joining Root Sports Pittsburgh, he worked for three years as weekend sports reporter for...
  
  
• Paul Alexander
• Lacee Collins

Former Personalities

• Lanny Frattare
  Lanny Frattare
  Lanny Lawrence Frattare is a former American sportscaster. For 33 years he was a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, the longest such tenure in the team's history...
  
   (Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play; Retired)
• Trenni Kusnierek
  Trenni Kusnierek
  Trenni Kusnierek is a sports anchor for WTMJ_ since April 4, 2011.She is a graduate of Muskego High School and Marquette University...
  
   (now with WTMJ Radio
  WTMJ (AM)
  WTMJ is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting at 620 AM. It is a 50,000-watt station airing a format of news, talk and sports. WTMJ is owned by Journal Broadcast Group, which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and sister station WLWK-FM....
  
   in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
  
  )
• Ryan Burr
  Ryan Burr
  Ryan Burr is a sports television journalist for ESPN. Burr works as an anchor on SportsCenter, and is a host for College Football Live & College Basketball Final.-Early life and career:...
  
   (now with ESPN
  ESPN
  Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
  
  )
• Brent Stover (now with Big Ten Network)
• Pat Parris (now with Fox Sports Midwest)
• Guy Junker (now with WTAE-TV
  WTAE-TV
  WTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
  
   and WBGG (AM)
  WBGG (AM)
  WBGG is a sports radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts at 970 kHz with 5,000 watts day and night.- History :...
  
  )
• Marshall Harris (now with Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia)
• Mike Lange
  Mike Lange
  Mike Lange is the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2001, he received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster....
  
   (Pittsburgh Penguins play-by-play, now with Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network
  Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network
  The Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network is a radio network operated by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League that provides broadcasts for all the team's games. Mike Lange is the play-by-play announcer, while former Penguin Phil Bourque is the color commentator. Bob Grove hosts pre-...
  
  )
• Rob Nikoleski
• Stephanie Gabos
• Keith Wilson
  Keith Wilson
  Keith Wilson may refer to:*Keith Wilson , English writer, performance poet, musician and broadcaster*Keith Wilson , American mixed martial artist...
  
  

External links

• Root Sports Pittsburgh