Grand Rapids Griffins announce new TV deal with Michigan Entertainment Sports
By Michael Caples –
The Grand Rapids Griffins announced today that starting next season, fans will be able to see them on TV a whole lot more often.
In a press conference that was said to announce “the most extensive TV broadcast package in franchise history”, the Griffins and Michigan Entertainment Sports revealed a new three-year TV deal.
With the new agreement, at least 40 Griffins games will be on TV for the next three seasons. A minimum of ten home games will be broadcasted.
It is the first TV deal for the Griffins since the 2008-09 season, and with it, they will trail only the Chicago Wolves for most TV broadcasted games of any AHL squad.
The schedule will be determined following the release of the AHL schedule in August. All TV broadcasts will be simulcast on the team’s radio flagship, Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM, and Bob Kaser will remain as play-by-play voice of the Griffins.
“We are thrilled to return Griffins Hockey to television, especially given the tremendous success of the organization both on and off the ice these last two years,” said Kaser in a press release. “Grand Rapids and the Griffins received a great deal of recognition throughout North America this season for developing so many Red Wings prospects who helped Detroit extend its remarkable Stanley Cup Playoff streak to 23 consecutive seasons. Now, thanks to this partnership with MES, we’ll get to showcase those young players and their progress in Grand Rapids to a regional audience on a frequent basis.”
The Griffins are the first major sports team to partner with the new MES, a Wixom-based company that launches this fall on cable providers across three states. MES “aims to be the Midwest’s complete sports network, covering minor league, collegiate and high school sports, plus delivering its own high-quality original content,” according to the release.
From the MES official website:
Michigan Entertainment Sports aims to be something new and different in this age of sports television. We will be Michigan’s ultra-local sports network, broadcasting in HD from Monroe to Marquette, starting in August of 2014. Our coverage will also be a little different, although we spend a little time bringing you news on the big boys of pro sports and Division I athletics, our focus is on the other sports teams that make Michigan such a great state for athletics. We’ll focus on the minor league teams, with athletes striving to make the “Big Leagues”. We’ll cover the smaller colleges and great high school athletics, bringing you exciting games year-round!
Along with live, game action, MES will bring you our own original content, talking about the big sports stories of the day and how they affect your favorite Michigan teams.