Rock Entertainment Sports Network

Last updated

Rock Entertainment Sports Network
TypeSports-focused broadcast television network
Country
United States
AvailabilityStatewide Ohio
TV stationsSee § Stations
Owner Gray Media
Launch date
May 7, 1990(34 years ago) (1990-05-07), with the launch of W50BE (now WOHZ-CD) in Mansfield, Ohio
Official website
 RESN website

The Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN) is a broadcast television network in Ohio, United States. Based in Cleveland, it is owned by Gray Media and co-managed by Rock Entertainment Group, headed by Dan Gilbert, and its programming consists primarily of local sporting events. RESN operates alongside CBS affiliate WOIO (channel 19), CW affiliate WUAB (channel 43) and Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD (channel 6). It is broadcast by Canton, Ohio–licensed low-power station WOHZ-CD (channel 22) from a transmitter located northeast of Canton; in Cleveland on a subchannel of WTCL-LD, with transmitter located in Parma; in Akron on W28FG-D, a translator for both WOHZ and WTCL; in Columbus on low-power station WDEM-CD (channel 17); and in Cincinnati as a subchannel of Gray-owned WXIX-TV.

Contents

WOHZ-CD, the low-power station Gray purchased to launch RESN, was on the air in 1990 in Mansfield, Ohio, originally on channel 50. Initally offering local community programming and newscasts, this programming largely migrated to co-owned full-power WMFD-TV when that station signed on. By the 2010s, the station aired programming from varied sources, including weather information and audio simulcasts of WVNO-FM. Gray purchased the station in late 2020 and operated it as a relay for the combined multiplex of WOIO and WUAB, then fully relaying WTCL's multiplex. RESN launched on August 23, 2024, with plans to carry Cleveland Charge basketball, Cleveland Monsters hockey, Lake Erie Crushers baseball and St. Edward High School football.

History of WOHZ-CD

Originally licensed to Mansfield, Ohio, this station took to the air on May 7, 1990, as W50BE. [1] [2] An extension of locally owned WVNO-FM and WRGM, W50BE was an independent station boasting a lineup of local newscasts and community programming for the Mansfield–Ashland–Bucyrus region, [1] [3] nearly equidistant from both the Cleveland and Columbus markets. [4] After W50BE owner Mid-State Television, Inc., headed by Robert Meisse, acquired the license to WCOM-TV, that station was relaunched as WMFD-TV "TV68/50" [5] on June 1, 1992, simulcasting W50BE's programming. [6]

By the beginning of 1996, W50BE changed call signs to WOHZ-LP and was relaunched as "Z-50", offering additional local programming as a WMFD-TV extension alongside America One fare. [7] Later upgraded to a Class A station as WOHZ-CA, it also began to offer weather information and an audio simulcast of WVNO-FM [8] from a combined studio facility in Ontario, Ohio. [6] The station was licensed for digital operation on February 26, 2015, assuming the call sign WOHZ-CD.

On October 8, 2020, Mid-State Television sold WOHZ-CD to Atlanta–based Gray Television, owner of WOIO and WUAB, for $450,000. [9] [10] The sale was completed on December 8, 2020. [11] Upon taking over WOHZ-CD, Gray Television changed the station's city of license to Canton, and began using it as a UHF repeater for WOIO and WUAB, increasing coverage for those stations in the southern part of the Cleveland television market. [8]

Launch of RESN

In partnership with Dan Gilbert's Rock Entertainment Group, Gray Television announced the launch of the Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN), an over-the-air regional sports network, on July 25, 2024. The idea for the channel was drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage and several Gray executives during an executive lunch. [12] RESN was slated to carry Cleveland Monsters hockey, Cleveland Charge basketball, Lake Erie Crushers minor league baseball, and St. Edward Eagles high school football, along with additional high school sports and college sports coverage. [13] (Both the Monsters and Charge are owned by Gilbert, while the Crushers are owned by former Gilbert associate Len Komoroski. [14] ) In addition to originating over both WOHZ-CD and WTCL-LD (channel 6), RESN was also included over a subchannel of co-owned WXIX-TV in Cincinnati, and promised additional play-by-play of local college and professional sports teams in the future. [15]

Despite also being owned by Gilbert, the Cavaliers were not included in the initial plans for RESN due to that team's existing contract with FanDuel Sports Ohio, whose parent company Diamond Sports was undergoing a prolonged Chapter 11 Bankruptcy reorganization; [13] the contract runs through the 2024–25 season. [16] FanDuel, then known as Bally Sports Ohio, previously offered five Cavaliers games to WUAB during the second half of the 2023–24 season [17] and the team expressed disappointment over the cable channel's lack of audience reach and financial issues. [12] Gray previously launched similar regional sports channels elsewhere including Arizona's Family Sports, [18] the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network [19] and Peachtree Sports Network, [20] but RESN represented the first such channel created as a joint venture with team ownership. [15] While the Cavaliers have not ruled out re-signing with FanDuel after the season, team officials have expressed a desire to reach viewers on multiple platforms, from linear television to over-the-top streaming to virtual reality headsets. [16]

RESN officially took to the air on August 23, 2024, with the inaugural broadcast being St. Edward's season opener against Pickerington North. [12] [21] On October 9, 2024, RESN agreed to carry John Carroll Blue Streaks men's basketball and football games. [22] Columbus Fury volleyball matches were also added on January 2, 2025. [23]

Following the announcement of WUAB's disaffiliation from The CW on September 1, 2025, [24] Gray concurrently announced WUAB's future relaunch as a sports-oriented independent heavily featuring RESN play-by-play; WUAB has since added over-the-air simulcasts of Monsters and Charge games, along with ancillary team-produced programming. [25] WDEM-CD, a low-power station in Columbus, Ohio, began carrying RESN on their primary feed on December 4, 2024. [26]

Stations

RESN is currently broadcast in the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati media markets. Since November 2024, it has also been available on Spectrum Cable throughout Greater Cleveland. [27] For further information on WDEM-CD and WXIX-TV, consult those pages.

Rock Entertainment Sports Network primary stations
Station City of license Channel FID ERP HAAT Transmitter
coordinates		First air dateFormer call signsPublic license
information
WOHZ-CD Canton 344189215  kW 252.9 m (830 ft) 40°53′24″N81°16′11″W / 40.89000°N 81.26972°W / 40.89000; -81.26972 (WOHZ-CD) May 7, 1990
  • W50BE (1989–1995)
  • WOHZ-LP (1995–2005)
  • WOHZ-CA (2005–2015)
WTCL-LD Cleveland 20669915 kW306.8 m (1,007 ft) 41°22′45″N81°43′11″W / 41.37917°N 81.71972°W / 41.37917; -81.71972 (WTCL-LD) November 30, 1989
  • W47BE (1989–1998)
  • W65DL (1998–2000)
  • WXOX-LP (2000–2012)
  • WLFM-LP (2012–2020)
  • WLFM-LD (2020–2021)
  • WTCL-LP (2021–2022)
 LMS
W28FG-D Akron 2818464215 kW564.2 m (1,851 ft) 41°3′52.7″N81°34′58.3″W / 41.064639°N 81.582861°W / 41.064639; -81.582861 (W28FG-D) c. 2011 (2011)— LMS

Subchannels

WOHZ-CD, WTCL-LD and W28FG-D carry the same subchannel lineup, with the stations operating as translators of each other:

Subchannels of WTCL-LD, WOHZ-CD, and W28FG-D [28]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
6.1 1080i 16:9 TLMD Telemundo
19.10 1080iWOIOHD CBS (WOIO)
22.1720pRESNRock Entertainment Sports Network
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Network map

Rock Entertainment Sports Network
Grade A signal contours for stations affiliated with Rock Entertainment Sports Network.

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References

  1. 1 2 Porter, Bart (May 6, 1990). "TV 50: New Mansfield station to enter homes Monday". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. p. 1-D. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "The LPTV Report, September 1991 issue; retrieved June 26, 2022" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  3. ↑ Redelson, Mike (August 15, 1990). "Crawford County represented on Mansfield TV station's staff". Telegraph-Forum. Bucyrus, Ohio. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Redelson, Mike (August 15, 1990). "Mansfield TV station offers news, features". Telegraph-Forum. Bucyrus, Ohio. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "TV68/50 moving to new site". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. August 15, 1992. p. 3A. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (June 2, 2017). "Site of the Week 6/2/17: Mansfield, Ohio". Fybush.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via RadioBB.
  7. ↑ Kopp, Dan (March 6, 1996). "New TV channel broadcasting". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. p. 1D. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Jacobson, Adam (October 13, 2020). "Gray Grows In the Buckeye State". Radio & Television Business Report. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  10. ↑ Miller, Mark (October 20, 2020). "Station Trading Roundup: 2 Deals, $45,450,000". TV News Check. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ "CDBS Print". licensing.fcc.gov. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 Scalzo, Joe (July 25, 2024). "24-7 Rock Entertainment Sports Network to air live Monsters, Charge, Crushers games" . Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Morona, Joey (July 25, 2024). "Rock Entertainment, Gray Media team up on new Ohio sports network". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  14. ↑ Bona, Marc (March 7, 2024). "Lake Erie Crushers sold to local investors including former Cavaliers CEO". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  15. 1 2 Thomas, George M. (July 25, 2024). "Rock Entertainment, Gray Media partner for Charge, Monsters TV home". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Scalzo, Joe (January 10, 2025). "With TV ratings surging, Cavaliers weigh next move in broadcast deals" . Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Cavs Partner with Gray Television to Broadcast Select Games for Free Across Ohio". Cavs.com. Cleveland Cavaliers. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  18. ↑ Rankin, Duane (April 28, 2023). "Diamond Sports Group accuses Phoenix Suns of breach of contract in leaving Bally Sports Arizona". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  19. ↑ Clark, Christian (September 17, 2024). "The Pelicans officially have a new TV broadcast home. Here's how you can watch it". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  20. ↑ Ho, Rodney (September 26, 2023). "Gray TV launching Peachtree Sports Network on Oct. 1". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  21. ↑ DeRoos, Dan (August 22, 2024). "RESN: How to tune in ROCK Entertainment Sports Network for high school football". WOIO. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  22. ↑ "John Carroll Athletics Announces Partnership with Rock Entertainment Sports Network" (Press release). John Carroll University Athletics. October 9, 2024. Archived from the original on November 24, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Columbus Fury Matches to Be Broadcast on Rock Entertainment Sports Network" (Press release). Pro Volleyball Federation. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  24. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (October 28, 2024). "Nexstar Media Group Buys WBNX Cleveland". TV News Check. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  25. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (October 28, 2024). "More Live, Local Sports & My Network Programming On WUAB Cleveland Next Fall". TV News Check. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Rock Entertainment Sports Network available in Columbus: How to watch". WOIO. December 4, 2024. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  27. ↑ Morona, Joey (November 12, 2024). "Monsters, Charge games coming to Spectrum cable on Rock Entertainment Sports Network". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  28. ↑
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