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Published on Wednesday, 14 April 2010 00:07
The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced its most expansive (and complicated) broadcast effort to date. The club is teaming up with Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Univision Radio as the club's official broadcast partners for the 2010 MLS season.
Comcast SportsNet will televise nine Fire matches on the regional sports network, the most of any network, with all games broadcast in HD. Another television station, which will be named at a later date (that deal has not yet been finalized), will broadcast around eight matches. The remaining Fire matches will be nationally shown: five on an ESPN channel, six matches on Fox Soccer Channel, and four on TeleFutura.
In addition to game broadcasts, the Fire will work with Comcast SportsNet to provide soccer related content for a number of other multi-platform programs.
The Fire is also pleased to announce the addition of the club's first-ever post game show. Dan Kelly and Chris Doran will provide insight, analysis and a behind the scenes look following 14 Fire matches over the course of the 2010 season. The Fire and CSN will provide additional online soccer content for fans at
CSNChicago.com.
In their first year together, the broadcasting duo of Kelly (play-by-play) and Doran (analyst) will call the action for Fire games. Kelly and Doran will call all network TV broadcasts as "part of the home town team" and air those matches live as audio webcasts on the Fire's website. Kelly and Doran will play an integral part of the Fire's television and online presence, providing content for all Chicago Fire media platforms.
All Chicago Fire 2010 matches will be produced and made available via audio webcast in both English and Spanish on the Fire's revamped website,
Chicago-Fire.com.
As part of its multi-cultural efforts, the Fire will once again join forces with Univision Radio, as WRTO-AM 1200, aka "La Tremenda," will carry 25 of the 30 Chicago Fire matches in 2010. The remaining will air on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes. The Fire's Spanish-language broadcasts on "La Tremenda" will be anchored by veteran play-by-play broadcaster Oscar Guzman, his sixth season doing so. Nilton "Batata" DaSilva returns as color analyst for his fourth season.
"Univision Radio Chicago and WRTO Radio is looking forward to another great season with the Chicago Fire," said Univision Senior Vice President Jerry Ryan. "Univision Radio and the Chicago Fire have had a long time partnership, broadcasting games and promoting soccer in the Hispanic Community. Chicago, being the second largest Mexican city in the United States, is home to a rabid Hispanic soccer fan base. 2010 should be a banner year for the Fire and the Spanish broadcast on WRTO."
Chicago Fire President Dave Greeley said, "These unique and highly integrated broadcast partnerships for the Chicago Fire expand our reach to unprecedented heights and across multiple platforms in both English and Spanish. Fire games will reach millions of viewers in the Chicagoland and Midwest region, allowing more soccer fans than ever access to the World's Game across cable, TV, radio and the web. We are combining with leaders in sports broadcasting to bring soccer to Chicago. Comcast SportsNet and Univision are such high-profile brands and great businesses. We are thrilled to have them as partners."
It may be hard to to keep track as to which network to tune to to catch the current game, so here is the Chicago Fire's television schedule:
March 27 - at New York - 6:00pm - ESPN
April 3 - at Colorado - 3:00pm - TeleFutura
April 10 vs San Jose - 7:30pm - CSN
April 17 - at D.C. United - 6:30pm - CSN
April 24 - vs Houston - 7:30pm - TBA
May 1 - vs Chivas USA - 7:30pm - CSN
May 8 - at Toronto FC - 3:00pm - TBA
May 15 - at Kansas City - 7:30pm - FSC
May 27 - vs Dallas - 7:00pm - ESPN2
June 5 - vs Philadelphia - 7:30pm - TBA
June 9 - vs Colorado - 8:00pm - TBA
June 27 - at New England - 6:00pm - CSN
July 3 - at Columbus - 7:00pm - FSC
July 8 - vs Real Salt Lake - 8:30pm - ESPN2
July 24 - vs Kansas City - 7:30pm - CSN
August 1 - at LA Galaxy - 6:30pm - FSC
August 8 - vs New York - 8:00pm - ESPN2
August 18 - vs New England - 7:30pm - TBA
August 21 - at Houston - 7:30pm - CSN
August 28 - at Seattle - 9:30pm - CSN
September 4 - vs LA Galaxy - 3:00pm - CSN/TeleFutura
September 8 - vs Toronto FC - 7:30pm - TBA
September 11 - at Philadelphia - 5:00pm - FSC
September 18 - at Real Salt Lake - 3:00pm - TeleFutura
September 25 - vs Seattle - 7:00pm - TBA
September 29 - at San Jose - 10:00pm - ESPN2
October 2 - at Dallas - 7:30pm - FSC
October 8 - vs Columbus - 8:00pm - CSN
October 16 - vs D.C. United - 3:00pm - TBA/TeleFutura
October 23 - at Chivas USA - 10:00pm - FSC
