The NBA Radio Network was the official national radio broadcaster, distributed by Public Interest Affiliates [1] (PIA [2] ), a Chicago radio syndication company, of National Basketball Association games (more specifically, a regular season game of the week, [3] the All-Star Game, [4] as many as 31 playoff contests, including all of the conference finals and Finals, and even the draft and lottery) from the 1990–91 [5] through the 1994–95 season. NBA Radio was ultimately supplanted by ESPN Radio.
Thomas E. Mees was an American sportscaster best known for his role in hosting and in the play-by-play role of professional and collegiate ice hockey and for being a prominent personality on ESPN during that network's early years.
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports. The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, he became the first African-American announcer to call play-by-play of a major sports championship in the United States when he announced Super Bowl XXXV for the CBS network in 2001. Gumbel is currently the studio host for CBS' men's college basketball coverage and was a play-by-play broadcaster for the NFL on CBS until 2023.
William H. Clement is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who became an author, speaker, actor, entrepreneur, and hockey broadcaster.
Darren Robert Pang is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.
Randall Laureat Cross is an American football analyst and former player. He played as a guard and center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Major League Baseball on CBS is the branding used for broadcasts of Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States.
Chuck Swirsky is an American–Canadian radio sports announcer. He is the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Swirsky's association with Chicago sports started in 1979 with his WCFL AM 1000 talk show, which debuted on August 27 of that year. Outside Chicago, Swirsky called play-by-play for both University of Michigan basketball and football and was formerly the play-by-play voice of the Toronto Raptors.
Scott Christopher Williams is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6' 10", he was capable of playing as a power forward or a center. Early in his professional career, Williams earned three NBA Finals rings as he contributed off the bench during the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat championships from 1991–1993. He developed into a front-court reserve during his fifteen seasons in the NBA, where he was known for his hustle and strong defense. Since his retirement, Williams has coached in the NBA Development League and NBA as well as commentating for a variety of NBA teams. Williams is currently the color analyst for the Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team.
The NHL on ABC is an American presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC in the United States.
Jim Durham was an American sportscaster. Durham was born in Chicago, IL, and graduated from Donovan High School in Donovan, Illinois, and later attended Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.
Chet W. Coppock was an American radio broadcaster, television broadcaster, sports talk personality and author based in Chicago. His fifth book “Chet Coppock: In Pursuit of Chet Coppock” was released in July 2018. Coppock hosted the Chicago Blackhawks Heritage Series, and emceed corporate sponsorship events for the Blackhawks featuring former NHL stars such as Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito and Denis Savard.
WGN Sports was the programming division of WGN-TV, an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois, United States—which is owned by the Nexstar Media Group—that was responsible for all sports broadcasts on the station, some of which were previously also broadcast on its former national superstation feed, WGN America.
On December 14, 1988, CBS paid approximately $1.8 billion for exclusive television rights for over four years. CBS paid about $265 million each year for the World Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the Saturday Game of the Week. It was one of the largest agreements between the sport of baseball and the business of broadcasting.
After Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, CBC began showing occasional double-headers when Canadian teams visited Los Angeles to showcase the sport's most popular player. These games were often joined in progress, as the regular start time for Hockey Night in Canada was still 8 p.m. Eastern Time and the Kings home games began at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Beginning in the 1995 season, weekly double-headers became permanent, with games starting at 7:30 Eastern and 7:30 Pacific, respectively. In 1998, the start times were moved ahead to 7 p.m. ET and PT.