NORTHVILLE, MICH. — As RBR+TVBR first announced on May 13, the Detroit Pistons selected The E.W. Scripps Co.‘s WMYD-20 as the National Basketball Association team’s official television partner for the 2026-2027 season. On Monday, the team revealed the local broadcast schedule for both TV and radio. In doing so, the Pistons confirmed that Scripps Sports will bring visual play-by-play to six outlying DMAs in the team’s territory.
With WMYD-20 and Audacy’s WXYT “97.1 FM The Ticket” as the home market partners with DAZN in the mix for streaming rights, the schedule shows the radio network will air every game on the schedule, as is to be expected. For WMYD-20, DAZN and affiliate stations, some 71 regular season games and four pre-season contests will air, given national contests that involve the Pistons.
For fans outside of Detroit, Pistons games will appear on the following properties:
- WXMI-TV 17.2 in Grand Rapids, branded as “The Spot” (as are most digital multicast offerings owned by The E.W. Scripps Co. tied to its Scripps Sports initiative)
- WNEM-TV 5.2 in Flint-Saginaw-Bay City
- WSYM-TV 47.2 in Lansing
- WBKB-TV 11.4 in Alpena
- WWTV-TV 9.3/10.3/45.3 in Traverse City-Petoskey-Holland
- WJMN-TV 3.3/5.3/10.3 across the Marquette DMA
Pistons President of Business Operations Melanie Harris was elated about the over-the-air availability of the team, which is, like much of the Motor City, in a resurgent phase. “For the first time in more than two decades, Pistons fans across Detroit and throughout Michigan will have more ways than ever to watch and listen to Detroit Basketball, including free, over-the-air television and radio, along with streaming. This is an exciting moment for our organization and, most importantly, for our fans.”
For Scripps Regional GM Mike Murri, “Detroit has an incredible basketball tradition, and we’re committed to delivering the high-quality local sports coverage that Pistons fans deserve. This is exactly the kind of meaningful community partnership that drives everything we do at Scripps.”
Returning for his 51st season as play-by-play master is George Blaha, and he’s joined by Greg Kelser, who begins his 40th season as a broadcaster for the Pistons.
On TV, Johnny Kane and Natalie Kerwin return as pre-game/post-game hosts and reporters along with former Pistons forward Grant Long and former head coach Dwane Casey, who will serve as analysts. Kara Liles begins her first season as a reporter.
While WXYT-FM is the Pistons flagship, Audacy siblings WWJ-AM 950 and WDZH “ALT 98.7” are also partners, the team shared.
Mark Champion handles the audio play-by-play while and Rick Mahorn will join as a radio analyst.
