1989-90 NBA Season
As originally posted by Tony Miller:
1989-1990 is the first of a dozen years or so where we already have nearly complete data on the boards. That season saw Turner’s national coverage shift from TBS to TNT with Doug Collins joining the fold. TBS still had the Hawks local package, which we do not track in these threads; their announcers, Ron Thulin and Kevin Loughery, also worked TNT games during the playoffs.
No existing teams moved. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic brought NBA membership to 27 playing in the Metrodome and Orlando Arena respectively; the former joined the Midwest Division while the latter played in the Central.
In CBS’s final season, the Finals crew remained the same; with Musburger fired and Raftery assigned (almost) exclusively to college, Verne Lundquist and Len Elmore handled the conference finals. Gumbel, Buckner, and Heinsohn returned; James Brown replaced Tim Brant as the fourth PBP announcer. After 17 years and about 800 games, the NBA left CBS on June 14, 1990.
Data transcribed from ”’NBA on CBS’ Regular Season Schedules” and ”NBA on CBS Playoff Games”. Additional listings and significant clarifications on which games have been confirmed came from jtgrace1 and Jeff79.
For the numerous games that are not confirmed, the initials of jtgrace1's guesses are given in parentheses. These are, for the sake of emphasis, GUESSES.
National Television
PRESEASON
10/20
Nuggets-Barcelona, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry (in Rome)
McDonald's Open Semifinal
10/22
Nuggets-Jugoplastika Split, 2:30, ABC. Gary Bender, Dick Vitale, Cheryl Miller (in Rome)
McDonald's Open Championship Game
REGULAR SEASON
NOVEMBER
Friday 11/3:
Knicks-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Warriors-Blazers, 10:30, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
Tuesday 11/7:
Pistons-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
Friday 11/10:
Hawks-Celtics, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Kings-Suns, 10:30, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Rick Barry
Tuesday 11/14:
Spurs-Bucks, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
Friday 11/17:
Hawks-Cavaliers, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Tuesday 11/21:
Rockets-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Announcers unknown (bn-dc)
Friday 11/24:
Cavaliers-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Saturday 11/25:
Bulls-Warriors, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Tuesday 11/28:
Heat-Magic, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins; guest appearances by Harry and Chip Caray
DECEMBER
Friday 12/1:
Jazz-Hawks, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Rick Barry
Pistons-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Tuesday 12/5:
Nuggets-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Friday 12/8:
Bulls-Pacers, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
Tuesday 12/12:
76ers-Nets, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Steve Jones
Friday 12/15:
Lakers-Celtics, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Tuesday 12/19:
Lakers-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Friday 12/22:
Knicks-Bullets, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Rick Barry
Monday 12/25:
Cavaliers-Hawks, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Tuesday 12/26:
Celtics-Clippers, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
JANUARY
Tuesday 1/2:
Suns-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Friday 1/5:
76ers-Mavericks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Tuesday 1/9:
Lakers-Suns, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
Friday 1/12:
Bulls-Hornets, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Wednesday 1/17:
Knicks-Spurs, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Friday 1/19:
Warriors-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Steve Jones
Sunday 1/21:
Lakers-Pistons, 12:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown
Knicks-Bulls, 2:30, CBS. Greg Gumbel, Quinn Buckner
Tuesday 1/23:
Lakers-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Friday 1/26:
Sonics-Warriors, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Steve Jones
Sunday 1/28:
Suns-Celtics, 12:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown
Wednesday 1/31:
Knicks-Celtics, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
FEBRUARY
Friday 2/2:
Celtics-Timberwolves, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Steve Jones
Hawks-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
The above games are not in jtgrace1's listing, but do appear in that day's Pittsburgh Press.
Sunday 2/4:
Jazz-Pistons, 1:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown
Tuesday 2/6:
Cavaliers-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Rick Barry
Wednesday 2/7:
Warriors-76ers, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Rick Barry
Bulls-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
CHI-LAL is not in jtgrace1's listing, but does appear in that day's Pittsburgh Press.
Sunday 2/11:
NBA All-Star Game at Miami
West-East, 3:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Billy Cunningham, Pat O'Brien, Lesley Visser
Tuesday 2/13:
Celtics-Rockets, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Steve Jones
Friday 2/16:
Hawks-Cavaliers, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Celtics-Blazers, 10:30, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Rick Barry
Sunday 2/18:
Celtics-Lakers, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Monday 2/19:
Rockets-Bulls, 1:30, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Tom Heinsohn, Andrea Joyce
Tuesday 2/20:
Lakers-Spurs, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Steve Jones
Friday 2/23:
Pistons-Hawks, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Sunday 2/25:
Pistons-Knicks, 12:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Tuesday 2/27:
Mavericks-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Steve Jones
MARCH
Friday 3/2:
76ers-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
Sunday 3/4:
Bulls-Celtics, 2:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Tuesday 3/6:
Bulls-Bucks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Sunday 3/11:
Lakers-Hawks, 12:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Tuesday 3/13:
Celtics-Hawks, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Wednesday 3/21:
Cavaliers-Celtics, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
Wednesday 3/28:
Bulls-Cavaliers, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Friday 3/30:
Knicks-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Lakers-Blazers, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, John MacLeod
APRIL
Sunday 4/1:
Jazz-Lakers, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Bill Raftery, Pat O'Brien
Thursday 4/5:
Pistons-Hawks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Sunday 4/8:
Pistons-Cavaliers, 12:00, CBS. James Brown, Bill Raftery
Tuesday 4/10:
Pistons-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Thursday 4/12:
Lakers-Jazz, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Sunday 4/15:
Knicks-Celtics, 1:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Tuesday 4/17:
Lakers-Sonics, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins, Steve Jones
Friday 4/20:
Bulls-Celtics, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
Sunday 4/22:
Celtics-76ers, 1:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien
Thursday 4/26:
East quarters, g1: Knicks-Celtics, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
West quarters, g1: Mavericks-Blazers, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
Friday 4/27:
East quarters, g1: Bucks-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
West quarters, g1: Rockets-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Ron Thulin, Steve Jones
Saturday 4/28:
East quarters, g2: Knicks-Celtics, 1:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Billy Cunningham, Lesley Visser
East quarters, g2: Pacers-Pistons, 3:30, CBS. James Brown, Tom Heinsohn, Jim Gray
West quarters, g2: Nuggets-Spurs, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
West quarters, g2: Mavericks-Blazers, 10:30, TNT. Ron Thulin, Kevin Loughery
Sunday 4/29:
East quarters, g2: Bucks-Bulls, 1:00, CBS. Greg Gumbel, Quinn Buckner, Andrea Joyce
West quarters, g2: Rockets-Lakers, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Tim Brant
East quarters, g2: Cavaliers-76ers, 7:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
(Note: Raftery subbed for an ill Hubie Brown on 4/1 and 4/8. Lundquist subbed for Stockton on 4/15 and 4/22 because Dick was calling baseball – when CBS fired Brent Musburger, who was slated to lead their MLB coverage, they elevated Jack Buck from the B-team to the A-team and replaced him with Stockton.)
(More notes: False quadrupleheader April 28. False tripleheader April 29. Seven of the eight games 2 were seen nationally; Suns-Jazz was played at 8:00.)
MAY
Tuesday 5/1:
East quarters, g3: Bulls-Bucks, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
West quarters, g3: Spurs-Nuggets, 10:30, TNT. Skip Caray, Kevin Loughery
Wednesday 5/2:
East quarters, g3: Celtics-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
West quarters, g3: Jazz-Suns, 10:30, TNT. Skip Caray, Steve Jones
Thursday 5/3:
West quarters, g4: Lakers-Rockets, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
Friday 5/4:
East quarters, g4: Celtics-Knicks, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins
West quarters, g4: Jazz-Suns, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Steve Jones
Saturday 5/5:
East quarters, g5: Cavaliers-76ers, 1:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Lesley Visser
West semis, g1: Spurs-Blazers, 3:30, CBS. Greg Gumbel, Quinn Buckner, Andrea Joyce
Sunday 5/6:
East quarters, g5: Knicks-Celtics, 1:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Tim Brant
West quarters, g5: Suns-Jazz, 3:30, CBS. James Brown, Tom Heinsohn, Jim Gray
Monday 5/7:
East semis, g1: 76ers-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Tuesday 5/8:
East semis, g1: Knicks-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
West semis, g1: Suns-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Kevin Loughery
Wednesday 5/9:
East semis, g2: 76ers-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Doug Collins
Thursday 5/10:
East semis, g2: Knicks-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
West semis, g2: Suns-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins
Friday 5/11:
East semis, g3: Bulls-76ers, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry
Saturday 5/12:
East semis, g3: Pistons-Knicks, 1:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Tim Brant
West semis, g3: Lakers-Suns, 3:30, CBS regional. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Lesley Visser
West semis, g4: Blazers-Spurs, 3:30, CBS regional. Greg Gumbel, Quinn Buckner, Andrea Joyce
Sunday 5/13:
East semis, g4: Bulls-76ers, 1:00, CBS. James Brown, Tom Heinsohn, Jim Gray
East semis, g4: Pistons-Knicks, 3:30, CBS regional. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Tim Brant
West semis, g4: Lakers-Suns, 3:30, CBS regional. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Lesley Visser
Tuesday 5/15:
East semis, g5: Knicks-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry
West semis, g5: Suns-Lakers, 10:30, TNT. Ron Thulin, Doug Collins
Wednesday 5/16:
East semis, g5: 76ers-Bulls, 8:00, TNT. Pete Van Wieren, Steve Jones
Thursday 5/17:
West semis, g6: Blazers-Spurs, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry, Scotty Robertson
Saturday 5/19:
West semis, g7: Spurs-Blazers, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Tim Brant
Sunday 5/20:
East finals, g1: Bulls-Pistons, 1:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Lesley Visser
Monday 5/21:
West finals, g1: Suns-Blazers, 10:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry, Ron Thulin
Tuesday 5/22:
East finals, g2: Bulls-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Doug Collins, Ernie Johnson
Wednesday 5/23:
West finals, g2: Suns-Blazers, 10:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Rick Barry, Ron Thulin
Friday 5/25:
West finals, g3: Blazers-Suns, 10:00, TNT. Skip Caray, Rick Barry, Ron Thulin
Saturday 5/26:
East finals, g3: Pistons-Bulls, 2:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, James Brown
Sunday 5/27:
West finals, g4: Blazers-Suns, 3:30, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Lesley Visser
Monday 5/28:
East finals, g4: Pistons-Bulls, 3:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, James Brown
Tuesday 5/29:
West finals, g5: Suns-Blazers, 9:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Lesley Visser, James Brown
Wednesday 5/30:
East finals, g5: Bulls-Pistons, 8:00, TNT. Bob Neal, Doug Collins, Craig Sager
Thursday 5/31:
West finals, g6: Blazers-Suns, 9:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, James Brown, Tim Brant
Friday 6/1:
East finals, g6: Pistons-Bulls, 9:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Pat O'Brien, Lesley Visser
Sunday 6/3:
East finals, g7: Bulls-Pistons, 1:00, CBS. Verne Lundquist, Len Elmore, Pat O'Brien, Lesley Visser
Tuesday 6/5:
NBA Finals, g1: Blazers-Pistons, 9:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien, James Brown
Thursday 6/7:
NBA Finals, g2: Blazers-Pistons, 9:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien, James Brown
Sunday 6/10:
NBA Finals, g3: Pistons-Blazers, 3:30, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien, James Brown
Tuesday 6/12:
NBA Finals, g4: Pistons-Blazers, 9:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien, James Brown
Thursday 6/14:
NBA Finals, g5: Pistons-Blazers, 9:00, CBS. Dick Stockton, Hubie Brown, Pat O'Brien, James Brown
Local Radio Info
Originally written by garretta
Let's begin our look at 1989-90 with radio in the Midwest Division:
Mavericks: WBAP-AM will broadcast the games until the Texas Rangers begin their baseball season, At that point, KRLD-AM will take over. Ted Davis calls the games.
Hornets: WBT-AM leads a thirty-six-station network that will carry every game, including pre- and postseason. Steve Martin and Gil McGregor return as your announcers. Major sponsors include Anheuser-Busch and First Union Bank.
Nuggets: KOA-AM will broadcast all eighty-two regular season games and four preseason games as the head of a twenty-station network in Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming. Jeff Kingery and Bob Martin will call the action.
Rockets: KTRH-AM is the flagship of a nineteen-station network. It will carry games until the start of Houston Astros baseball season, At this time, it hasn't decided whether to put individual conflicting games on another station or offer the rest of the schedule to another station in its entirety. Last year's "other station" was KKZR-AM. Gene Peterson will call the play-by-play, with Rockets director of communications Jim Foley handling color.
Spanish-language broadcasts will be available on KXYZ-AM. Rolando Becerra and Alex Lopez-Magrete will describe the action.
Spurs: WOAI-AM is the flagship of a four-station network. The station will broadcast all games; it's a 50,000-watt clear channel that reaches thirty-eight states. Jay Howard will call the action; Andy Everett is the studio host.
(Broadcasting makes two major mistakes here. First, it refers to Jay Howard as both the play-by-play man and the color commentator. If he's calling games by himself, he's the play-by-play guy and there js no color commentator.
Second, it refers to WOAI-FM as a 50,000-watt, clear-channel station when there's no such thing on the FM band. That's why I have the station listed as an AM. If the Spurs really were on FM in 1989, let me know and I'll make the change.
Timberwolves: WDGY-AM will broadcast all regular season games plus five exhibition games. The station has a three-year contract which can be extended for one, two, or three additional years at the team's option. One of the major radio sponsors is a sports medicine clinic. WDGY is using the start of the Y-Wolves' season to launch its new sports talk show, Sports Line, which will air the day after the team's first game. Kevin Harlan will call the action on both radio and TV (presumably through a simulcast).
Jazz: KISN-AM is the head of a network that numbers between ten and twelve stations. This is the final year of their contract, but they hope to renew. All eight preseason games will be carried, along with all regular season and postseason games. Rod Hundley apparently calls radio-only games by himself; his partner from last season, Dave Blackwell, has been demoted to co-hosting the pre- and postgame shows, both of which will be an hour long.
Clippers: KRTH-AM will broadcast the team's entire schedule. Ralph Lawler will call the games alone after working with Hubie Brown last year. All of last year's major advertisers will return this year, including Subaru, Goodyear, Arco, and American Airlines.
Lakers: KLAC-AM is in the last year of a five-year contract. Negotiations are underway for a new contract. Major advertisers on one or more media include Toyota. Miller Beer, Coors Beer, Great Western Bank, and the California Lottery.
Kings: KFBK-AM will air four preseason games, all eighty-two regular season games, and all postseason games. They will also produce pre- and postgame shows. Gary Gerould will call the play-by-play; no color commentator was mentioned in the article. Makor sponsors include BMW. Suburban Ford, and Foster Farms Chicken.
SuperSonics: KJR-AM, which is owned by the team, will carry all eighty-two regular season games. Thirty simulcasts will feature the television call of Kevin Calabro and Rick Barry; for the fifty-two radio-only games, Calabro will be joined by Jim Marsh.
Warriors: The team has signed a three-year contract to buy time for all eighty-two regular season games on KNBR-AM San Francisco. Steve Physioc will call the play-by-play; no color commentator was mentioned in the article. Major sponsors are Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Chevron, Farmers Insurance, Frito-Lay, Foot Locker, the local Acura Dealers, the California Lottery, and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Suns: KTAR-AM heads an eight-station Arizona network that will carry all preseason and regular season games. Director of broadcasting Al McCoy will work radio-only games alone; for games televised on KUTP-TV, his call with Dick Van Arsdale will be simulcast. Major sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, Dial Corporation, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona.
Trail Blazers: The team has a new five-year contract with KEX-AM to broadcast all games. KEX will head a twenty-eight-station, thirty-market network. The team also owns its own satellite downlink with which it controls distribution of the games. Bill Schonley and Geoff Petrie will call the action. Major sponsors include the Oregon Lottery, Jeep-Eagle, Texaco, Anheuser-Busch. and Farmers Insurance.
Now let's look at radio in the Atlantic:
Celtics: WEEI-AM will head a fifty-five-station network; this is the third year of a seven-year contract. Longtime play-by-play man Johnny Most is out indefinitely due to triple-bypass heart surgery, so last year's color commentator, Glenn Ordway, will call the action until Most returns. Doug Brown will provide color commentary.
The Celtics reached an agreement to purchase WEEI last month (September 1989), but the deal had yet to be approved by the FCC at press time.
Bullets: WWDC-AM is the flagship of a six-station network. One or two more stations may join as the season progresses. This is the final year of the station's contract. Seventy-eight games will air, including two exhibition games (forty-one home, thirty-seven road). Charlie Slowes will call the play-by-play.
(If you take away the two exhibition games, that leaves seventy-six regular season games on WWDC. What happened to the other six? Were there conflicts with Georgetown basketball or the Capitals? If so, where did the Bullets end up, since they obviously got the short end of the stick?)
Nets: The team has bought time on WNEW-AM to broadcast eighty-five games (presumably, three exhibition games plus all eighty-two regular season games. Howard David, Jim Spanarkel, and Mike O'Koren will call the action. O'Koren will also provide features at various times throughout the broadcasts.
Heat: WQAM-AM is the head of a five-station Florida network that will carry all but the first preseason game (a total of seven) and every regular season and playoff game as well as the All-Star Game. The regular season games will also be broadcast in Spanish on WAQI-AM. Announcers have noy been named for either broadcast team at press time.
Knicks: WFAN-AM is in the third year of a ten-year contract. It will broadcast a total of eighty-three games. There is only one conflict with the Rangers this year; on that day. the Knicks will be carried by WPAT-AM. Jim Karvellas and Walt "Clyde" Frazier are your announcers.
76ers: WIP-AM is the head of an eighteen-station network in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware. and Maryland. Jon Gurevitch will call the play-by-play; TV play-by-play man Neil Funk will provide color commentary for home games. A road color commentator had not been named at press time. Major sponsors are Meridian Bank, Gatorade, and American Airlines.
There are seventeen dates when 76ers basketball games and Philadelphia Flyers hockey games conflict. Since the Flyers own WIP, they take priority. On those days, the 76ers will be heard on WHAT-AM.
Now let's look at radio in the Central for 1989-90:
Magic: WWNZ-AM will broadcast every scheduled exhibition and regular season game. David Steele will call the action. Major sponsors include Pepsi, Oldsmobile, Anheuser-Busch, and Olive Garden Restaurants.
Hawks: WGST-AM has signed a new three-year contract to broadcast all scheduled games, including playoff games. Steve Holman is your announcer. Sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, Chevron, McDonalds. and Goodyear Auto Service.
Bulls: WLUP-AM will broadcast all scheduled games, including playoff games. Jim Durham and Johnny "Red" Kerr will call radio-only games; when they're on television, John Rooney and former Milwaukee Buck Junior Bridgeman will fill in on radio.
Cavaliers: WRMR-AM heads a forty-station network that will carry all scheduled games. Joe Tait will call radio-only games; when he's on television, Jim Johnson will take his place on radio.
Pistons: WWJ-AM leads an eighteen-station network that will carry all regular season games. George Blaha, who has been the voice of the Pistons for the last fourteen years, will call radio-only games; what happens when he's on television isn't revealed in the article/ (I seem to remember that they used a simulcast in previous years.)
Bucks: WTMJ-AM has covered the Bucks for twenty-one years and is currently in the second year of a three-year contract. It's the flagship of a thirty-station network that will carry five preseason games, all eighty-two regular season games, and any possible playoff games. Jim Irwin will call the play-by-play. Jon McGlocklin will provide color when he's not on television; whether there will be a replacement for him when he is, and who that replacement may be, was unknown at press time. Major sponsors include Budweiser, Hardees, and Midwest Express Airlines.
Pacers: WNDE-AM acquired the team's radio rights after last year's rightsholder, WIBC-AM, declined to bid due to a combination of low ratings, low revenues, and the team's losing record. It will carry eighty-five games (all regular season games plus three preseason games) and head a twenty-station network. Sponsors include Budweiser, Pontiac, Coca-Cola, and Marsh Supermarkets. No announcers were mentioned in the article.
Local Cable TV Info
Originally written by garretta
Here's the breakdown on cable TV in the Midwest:
Hornets: None. Turner Broadcasting is expected to launch an RSN in the Southeast next year (which became SportSouth, I believe), and Washington's Home Team Sports reaches the Charlotte area.
Nuggets: Prime Sports Network (PSN) will air twenty-seven home games. No announcers have been named.
Timberwolves: None.
Jazz: Twenty-five games will be carried by the Jazz Cable Network, a joint venture between the team and TCI. Sponsors include Anheuser-Buch, Coca-Cola, Chevron, Allstate, and Toyota. Jazz director of broadcasting Carl Arky will join Rod Hundley in the booth. Former Laker Ron Boone will also appear, but the article didn't make his role clear.
Mavericks: HSE (Home Sports Entertainment) will televise thirty-five home games. It has also handled pay-per-view distribution of playoff games in the past, but there's no word on if they'll do so this season. Allen Stone handles the play-by-play.
Spurs: HSE will televise thirty games (fifteen home, fifteen road). It will also produce ten pay-per-view games for CableCon, Dave Barnett and Greg Simmons will call the action,
(For those of you who may know, exactly what was CableCon? I know it had something to do with pay-per-view, but I couldn't find any further information.)
Rockets: HSE has the rights to all home games, but will only televise thirty-five in order to clear time for Mavericks and Spurs telecasts. Bill Worrell will call the play-by-play, with Mike Newlin providing color and former player Calvin Murphy conducting interviews.
Here's the cable TV outlook in the Pacific. Announcers are the same as on broadcast tv unless otherwise noted:
Clippers: SportsChannel has taken over the team's cable contract after last year's carrier, The Z Channel, went out of business, SportsChannel, which has just moved into the Los Angeles area, can be seen in about 100,000 homes. Twenty-eight home games will be televised. Several local advertisers have already signed on, and Budweiser will be the key national sponsor. No announcers were named at press time.
Lakers: Prime Ticket, which had a long-term contract with the team, will televise two preseason games and thirty-five regular season games.
SuperSonics: Prime Sports Northwest will televise twenty games. Sixteen have been confirmed at press time, all road games. The other four have yet to be determined. This is the first year of a five-year contract. Sponsors include Rainier Beer, Coca-Cola, Cellular One, Gord, Jeep, Alaska Airlines, and Pac West (bank).
Warriors: The Pacific Sports Network was launched on September 2. It will carry twenty regular season games, plus the team's first home playoff game in each of the early rounds. (I'm guessing that this means the first two.) The team will produce all broadcasts themselves. Under the terms of their new four-year contract, PSN will televise thirty games next year, then thirty-five in each of the two after that.
Suns: ASPN (Arizona Sports Programming Network), which is found on Dimension Cable in the Phoenix area, will televise fifteen home games and five road games. ASPN sports coordinator George Allen will do play-by-play; Dick Van Arsdale and Joe Gilmartin will split the color commentating duties.
Kings: Pacific West Cable has signed a five-year contract with the team. This year, it will produce twenty home games for viewing by about 3.500 subscribers. No announcers have been named for these games at press time.
Trail Blazers: The team is producing fifteen games that will be seen on a pay-per-view basis. Customers can either buy individual games or the entire package. The games will be available on cable systems covering about eighty percent if the state (presumably, of Oregon; the article doesn't specify which state it's talking about). Major sponsors include Miller Beer, Toyota, Coca-Cola, Pay Less Drugstores and Alaska Airlines.
Let's begin our examination of the Atlantic Division with a look at cable TV:
Heat: SportsChannel Florida will carry forty-one games: one preseason, thirty home games and ten road games. Budweiser is the main sponsor,
Bullets: Home Team Sports (HTS) will carry thirty games, twenty-nine home and one road. Mel Proctor, Phil Chenier, and Kevin Grevey will call the action. Chenier and Grevey will also co-host a half-hour pregame show called Bullets Report. Sponsors include All-Star Automotive, Trak Auto, Giant Foods, Kodak, and Subaru.
Nets: SportsChannel New York will televise thirty-eight home games and twenty-two away games to approximately 1.3 million subscribers. Steve Albert and Bill Raftery will call the action. Anheuser-Busch is the club's major advertiser.
Knicks: All seventy-eight televised Knicks games this year will be on MSG Network. Marv Albert and John Andariese will again call the games. Both MSG Network and the Knicks are owned by Madison Square Garden Network Corporation, a subsidiary of parent company Paramount Communications.
Celtics: SportsChannel New England is in the third year of a ten-year contract to televise Celtics home games. Mike Crispino and Mike Gorman will split the play-by-play duties, with Tom Heinsohn providing color.
76ers: PRISM will carry all forty-one regular season home games and has a revenue sharing agreement with the team. Jim Barniak will call the play-by-play, with Dr. Jack Ramsay supplying color. The team's major advertiser is Anheuser-Busch.
Let's begin our look at the Central in 1989-90 with cable TV:
Pacers: The new Prime Sports Network Midwest (owned by TCI and cable executive Bill Daniels). which is debuting in November. will show twenty-five home games. No announcers were named at press time.
Pistons: Pro-Am Sports Service (PASS) will televise forty-three games: three preseason, twenty-five home games, and fifteen road games. Fred McLeod and Tom Wilson will call the action. PASS will replay its telecasts between midnight and 2AM Eastern for swing shift viewers.
Hawks: None
Bulls: SportsChannel Chicago, which is carried in 1.5 million homes, will televise fifty-two games: one preseason, twenty-seven home, and twenty-five road. No announcers were confirmed at press time.
Bucks: The team is in preliminary discussions with Prime Network and SportsChannel, but nothing was final at press time,
Cavaliers: After acquiring the team's cable rights midway through last season and televising ten games, SportsChannel Ohio will televise thirty-five games this season: sixteen home, nineteen road. Denny Schreiner and Jim Chomes will call the action.
Magic: The Sunshine Network will televise thirty-one home games and nine road games. Chip Caray and Jack Givens are your announcers.
Local Broadcast TV Info
Originally written by garretta
Now let's look at OTA television in the Midwest. Announcers are the same as in other media unless otherwise noted:
Mavericks: KTVT-TV will televise twenty-two road games plus three "wild card" games. The team was working on putting together a network of stations in neighboring states, but nothing was official at press time. KTVT is a so-called "passive superstation" that serves about 3.5 million homes.
Timberwolves: Twenty-five games will be televised: seventeen by independent KITN-TV and eight by its sister station, ABC affiliate KSTP-TV Minneapolis. Most of the team's advertising time will be sold to one of the team's twenty "corporate partners", each of which have exclusive advertising rights in their product category. These include Miller Beer, Coca-Cola, Super America (convenience store chain). First Bank, Northwest Airlines, and Ask Mr. Foster Travel.
Spurs: ABC affiliate KSAT-TV will televise fifteen games, all of them in prime time to provide the financially struggling team with maximum exposure. This is the first year of a three-year contract. Paul Alexander will join play-by-play man Dave Barnett in the booth.
Nuggets: KTVD-TV Denver will carry thirty road games, and KMGH-TV Denver will carry nine road games plus one home game. KXRM-TV Colorado Springs will carry the entirety of both Denver packages in their market. Al Albert and Dan Issel are your announcers.
Jazz: KSTU-TV is in the second year of a five-year contract and will carry twenty-six games, eight home and eighteen road.
Hornets: WCCB-TV is in the second year of a five-year contract. It will head a twelve-station network in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia that will carry thirty-one road games. Creative Sports Marketing will assist in the production and distribution of games. Gary Sparver and Mike Pratt will once again call the action, Major sponsors include USAir (referred to in the article as "U,S, Airlines"), Anheuser-Busch, Allstate Insurance, and Nissan.
Rockets: KTXH-TV will carry all but two of the team's road games: three preseason, thirty-nine regular season, and all postseason, The remaining two games are in CBS broadcast windows, and CBS has already picked one of them up. Bill Worrell will call the play-by-play, with Tom Nissalke handling color commentary and Bruce Gietzen hosting the studio show. Major sponsors are Randalls Supermarkets, Jack in the Box Restaurants, Budweiser, Toyota, and Exxon.
Let's begin our look at the Pacific with OTA television:
Clippers: KTLA-TV will broadcast twenty-five games: four home, twenty-one road. No announcers were named in the article,
Lakers: There are still two years remaining on the team's contract with KHJ-TV (which would be renamed KCAL-TV effective December 2 as part of a larger overhaul of the station by new owner Disney). Chick Hearn and Stu Lantz will call the games. The article doesn't say how games will be televised.
Kings: KRBK-TV will televise thirty games (six home, twenty-four away). Grant Napear and Ted Green are your announcers. Major sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, Toyota, and Suburban Ford.
Suns: KUTP-TV is in the second year of a five-year contract and will televise twenty-five regular season games. Al McCoy and Dick Van Arsdale will call the action on a YV-radio simulcast. Major sponsors include Smitty's Grocery Stores and the Phoenix Metropolitan Area Dodge Dealers Association.
Warriors: This is a split package, with each half entering the second year of a two-year contract. KICU-TV will carry twenty-three games but may add more if the team is in a tight division race, as they were last year. Hertz Rent-A-Cat is the major national sponsor that has been signed so far; many local and national advertisers have also signed on. The station and the team are in discussions for a contract extension beyond this year, which is expected to happen.
The other half of the package is owned by Group W's KPIX-TV, which is a CBS affiliate. They will televise eighteen games, two at home and sixteen on the road. Several import automakers have agreed to sponsor the telecasts. Greg Papa and Jim Barnett will call the action for both halves of the package.
Trail Blazers: KOIN-TV will air twenty road games. Pat Lafferty and Steve "Snapper" Jones are your announcers.
SuperSonics: KIRO-TV has a one-year contract to televise ten road games, which will also be seen on Prime Sports Northwest (cable) via tape delay. Kevin Calabro and Rick Barry will call the action.
Here's a look at OTA television in the Atlantic:
Knicks: None. The team's contract with WWOR-TV expired, and the station's new management (MCA) chose not to renew. The team is pursuing a new OTA television contract for next season.
Nets: Beginning December 30, six road games (all on weekends) will be broadcast by WWOR. This is the first time in four seasons that the team has had games on over-the-air television. Announcers for the package have not been chosen as of press time.
Heat: WBFS-TV is the head of an eight-station network in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. Twenty-five away games will be televised, including four preseason games, Major sponsors are Miller Beer, Nissan, and Texaco.
76ers: WPHL-TV is in the fifth year of a six-year contract. It will televise four preseason games and forty of the team's forty-one regular season road games. (CBS may pick up the other one.) Neil Funk and Steve Mix will call the games, while Neil Hartman will host the halftime and postgame shows as well as fifteen half-hour pregame shows. Major sponsors are Miller Beer and Midway Airlines.
Bullets: WDCA-TV is in the second year of a two-year contract and will televise at least twenty-eight road games. Mel Proctor and Phil Chenier will call the action. WDCA expects to renew their contract next year. Advertising is mostly sold on a spot basis; major advertisers include Anheuser-Busch, Giant Foods, and Roy Rogers Restaurants.
Celtics: WLVI-TV is in the final year of a five-year contract. Mike Crispino replaces Gil Santos on play-by-play, with Bob Cousy continuing as color commentator. The number of games televised wasn't specified in the article.
In September 1989, the Celtics reached an agreement to purchase WFXT-TV from Fox Television Stations. The deal had not been approved by the FCC as of press time, but WFXT is expected to take over the team's TV rights in 1990-91 (which they did).
Here's a look at OTA television in the Central. Announcers are the same as above unless otherwise noted:
Pistons: WKBD-TV is beginning a new three-year contract. George Blaha and Dick Motta will call the action, The number of games televised is unknown at press time.
Magic: WKCF-TV Clermont (Channel 68) will televise twenty-five road games.
Bucks: WCGV-TV heads a four-station network that will carry thirty road games and an undetermined number of playoff games. Major sponsors are Miller Beer, Hardees Restaurants, and Toyota. Jim Paschke will call the play-by-play, with Jon McGlocklin providing color.
Bulls: Superstation WGN-TV will televise twenty-five games on both their local and national feeds beginning November 3. There will be sixteen road telecasts and nine home telecasts. Jim Durham (referred to in the article as "John Dunham") and Johnny "Red" Kerr are tour announcers. This is the first year of a five-year contract for WGN.
Cavaliers: WOIO-TV Shaker Heights will air twenty road games. Joe Tait and Jim Chomes will be on the call.
Pacers: WXIN-TV Indianapolis is the flagship of a six-station network that will carry twenty-three road games. This is the second year of a three-year contract. No announcers were named at press time.
Hawks: Superstation WTBS-TV will air Hawks games for the first time since 1987. It will carry twenty-five road games and up to five playoff games on both its national and local feeds. Ron Thulin and Kevin Loughery will call the action. (WGNX-TV held the rights last year.) TBS' national feed currently has 50, 562,000 subscribers, according to A,C, Nielsen. Sponsors include Nissan, Pizza Hut, General Motors, and Delta Airlines.
National TV/Radio Info
Originally written by garretta
Here's the national TV situation in 1989-90:
TNT: TNT takes over Turner Broadcasting's portion of the national television package, with TBS focusing on the Hawks' local package. Coverage begins with a doubleheader on Friday, November 3: Knicks-Pistons at 8PM Eastern, followed by Warriors-Blazers at 10:30 PM Eastern.
Games are shown mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays; Tuesday coverage moves to Wednesday on January 17 and 31 and March 28, while Friday coverage moves to Wednesday on February 7 (doubleheader) and March 21 and to Thursday on April 5 and April 12. In addition to the Opening Night doubleheader and the Wednesday doubleheader on February 7, there will also be doubleheaders on November 10, December 1, February 2, February 16. and March 30, a total of seven for the year.
Play-by-play announcers are Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, and Bob Neal, Analysts are Rick Barry, Doug Collins, and Steve "Snapper" Jones. john McLeod called Lakers-Blazers alongside Neal on March 30. Jones served as a sideline reporter for Lakers-Sonics April 17. On November 28, Skip Caray was joined by his son Chip and his father Harry for portions of Heat-Magic. (Chip was also the television voice of the Magic, so he may have been working that game locally as well. Were Turner's telecasts exclusive in those days?)
Playoff coverage begins with a doubleheader on Thursday, April 26. There will be doubleheaders almost every night during the quarterfinals and semifinal doubleheaders on May 8, 10, and 15. The voice of the Hawks on TBS, Ron Thulin, joins TNT as an extra play-by-play man for the playoffs. His partner Kevin Loughery joins as an extra analyst, Thulin will also serve as a sideline reporter for the first three games of the Western Conference Finals. Other sideline reporters include Scotty Robertson (Blazers-Spurs on May 17), Ernie Johnson (Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 on May 22), and Craig Sager (Eastern Conference Fonals Game 5 on May 30 between the Bulls and the Pistons, which finishes TNT's coverage for the year.
Other NBA telecasts on TNT this season include the McDonalds Open from Rome, Italy on October 20, this year featuring the Nuggets. They'll take on Barcelona (Spain) in the semifinals with tip time scheduled for 8:05 PM Eastern. Skip Caray and Rick Barry will call the action. and the Hall of Fame Game from Springfield, Massachusetts on October 31, where the Knicks will face the Bucks. Pete Van Wieren will join Barry in the booth.
(I didn't see any mention of All-Star Weekend in the article. Was that a big deal yet outside of the game itself?)
CBS: Coverage begins on November 25 with a special Saturday telecast, as the Warriors host Michael Jordan and the Bulls. There will also be a special Christmas Day telecast on Monday, December 25 as Dominique Wilkins and the Hawks welcome the Cavaliers. Both of these games will begin at 3:30 PM Eastern. Sunday coverage begins with a doubleheader on Sunday, January 21 at Noon Eastern (Lakers-Pistons, followed by Knicks-Bulls). Regular season Sunday coverage continues with a game a week through April 22. There will be a special President's Day telecast on Monday, February 19 (Rockets-Bullls) beginning at 1L30 PM Eastern,
Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown are CBS' main announce team. Pat O'Brien will act as a sideline reporter for select telecasts. Billy Cunningham will join Stockton and Brown for the All-Star Game in Miami on February 11; coverage begins at 3PM Eastern. Greg Gumbel and Quinn Buckner will call Knicks-Bulls on January 21; Verne Lundquist and Tom Heinsohn will call Rockets-Bulls on February 19, with Andrea Joyce serving as sideline reporter.
On April 1, Bill Raftery took Hubie's place on Jazz-Lakers due to illness; the following week, Hubie was still sick, and Stockton was busy elsewhere (not calling an MLB game, as our research says; CBS didn't debut baseball until the following week), so James Brown called Pistons-Cacs with Raft. Dick made his MLB on CBS debut on April 14 with Dodgers-Astros in Houston, so Verne took his place with Hubie on Knicks-Celtics. He did the same the following week on Celtics-76ers (Dick was busy with Angels-Twins in Minneapolis the day before).
Playoff coverage begins with back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. There will be doubleheaders every Saturday and Sunday during the first two rounds, with the second game on May 12 and 13 bring a two-way regional split. Prime time exclusive coverage begins Tuesday, May 29 with Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Suns and the Blazers in Portland. The NBA Finals begin Tuesday, June 5 at The Palace at Auburn Hills, with the Pistons hosting the Blazers. Tipoff is at 9PM Eastern. Four of the five Finals games will be in prime time, with the exception being Game 3 at the Rose Garden in Portland on Sunday, June 9, which will tip off at 3:30 PM Eastern. Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown will call the Finals, with Pat O'Brien and James Brown serving as sideline reporters.
In addition to the announcers already named (all of whom have playoff duty of some sort), Len Elmore will join CBS as an analyst, while Tim Brant and Jim Gray will serve as sideline reporters.
ABC: ABC will once again air the finals of the McDonalds Open on Sunday, October 22, as the Nuggets take on Jugoplastika Split (Yugoslavia). Coverage from Rome begins at 2:30 PM Eastern, with Gary Bender and Dick Vitale calling the action and Cheryl Miller acting as a sideline reporter.
ABC Radio will air the All-Star Game and the NBA Finals. This is the fourth time that ABC Radio has carried the All-Star Game and the sixth time it has carried the Finals. Fred Manfra, Dick Vitale, and Earl Monroe will call the Finals for the second consecutive year. Steve Jones will take Vitale's place for the All-Star Game.