The home of “First Alert 4” and sibling sports-oriented offering “Matrix Midwest” may have just adopted “Gloria” by Laura Branigan as its new favorite song.
The track from 1981 helped inspire the St. Louis Blues to propel themselves to an improbable 2019 Stanley Cup Championship. Now, thanks to Gray Media, Blues games are heading to over-the-air television in a host of markets where the National Hockey League team’s fan base is the biggest.
A freshly inked deal has been reached that will bring select games to KMOV-4 in St. Louis, KCTV-5 and KSMO-62 in Kansas City, and other stations across Missouri.
The games airing on the Gray stations include the Blues’ February 22 match versus the Winnipeg Jets, March 8 at the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, and March 25 at home versus the Montreal Canadiens.
“This arrangement creates an opportunity for new groups of viewers in the Midwest to watch their favorite hockey team via antenna as well as popular cable, satellite, and streaming providers,” Gray said in a media release distributed early Tuesday.
“Considering our long-standing relationship with Gray Media and their presence across the Midwest, they are a perfect partner to help us explore our broadcasting options as part of our ongoing efforts to grow our reach among existing and future Blues fans,” Chris Zimmerman, Blues President and CEO of Business Operations, commented. “The opportunity to deliver a package of local Blues broadcasts through over-the-air television was a valuable addition to our latest broadcast agreement with FanDuel Sports Network that we look forward to leveraging with these games on KMOV, Matrix Midwest, and the Gray Media multi-state affiliate network.”
The games airing on KMOV-TV and Matrix Midwest, a newly created broadcast network using KDTL-LD 32 as its home in St. Louis, mark the first time since the 2008-09 season that Blues games will be available free to fans on local broadcast television.
“As a life-long St. Louisan and Blues fan, it’s truly exciting to bring these games to our local platforms once again for our viewers,” said JD Sosnoff, VP/GM of KMOV-TV & Matrix Midwest.
Gray Media Sr. Managing VP and Chief Marketing Officer Mike King added, “Partnerships like this with major sports franchises locally and across the country show Gray Media’s dedication to our community. What a win for St. Louis and the entire region.”
The Jets and Kings games will air on KMOV-4 and KDTL-32; KDTL is found on Charter Spectrum systems in the prominent position of Channel 6.
The Canadiens match will only air on KDTL-32 in St. Louis.
The on-air talent and production crew behind the Blues’ coverage on MVPD FanDuel Sports Network will produce the games that will air across Gray Media’s network of over-the-air stations.
Outside of Kansas City and St. Louis, the three games will air on the following stations:
- Gray Media’s KYCW-LD 24 in Branson-Springfield, Mo.
- Gray Media’s KFVS-12 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
- Gray Media’s WGEM-10 in Quincy, Ill.-Hannibal, Mo., a former Quincy Media Inc. flagship property
- Gray Media’s WEEK-25 in Peoria, Ill. — far enough away from Chicago to be considered a Blues market
- Gray Media’s WIBW-13 in Topeka, Ks.
- Gray Media’s KCRG-9 in Cedar Rapids-Iowa City
- Gray Media’s KWQC-6 in Davenport (Quad Cities), Iowa — far enough away from Chicago to be considered a Blues market
- Gray Media’s WFIE-14 in Evansville, Ind. — far enough away from Chicago to be considered a Blues market
- Gray Media’s KYOU-15 in Kirksville, Mo.-Ottumwa, Iowa
- News-Press & Gazette Co.-owned KMIZ-17 in Columbia, Mo.
