SportSouth
Encyclopedia
SportSouth is a regional sports network
in the United States
, with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia
. SportSouth, formerly Turner South
, relaunched on October 13, 2006. The first official event on the channel was a National Hockey League
game between the Atlanta Thrashers
and the Carolina Hurricanes
.
SportSouth reaches about 8.9 million cable and satellite subscribers in Georgia
, Tennessee
, Alabama
, Mississippi
, South Carolina
and parts of North Carolina
.
, looking to further expand its roster of sports teams and events, bought
the network for $375 million. After the deal was completed, FSN sought a new name. After about 60 different suggestions, network officials chose SportSouth, the original name of the other Southern US based network owned by News Corp, FSN South.
and St. Louis Cardinals
will also be distributed on SportSouth, subject to Major League Baseball territory restrictions.) However, conflicts with NBA and NHL playoff games could see the split between SportSouth and Fox Sports South differ from the planned 80/25 games per network. This ensures that both they and the Nashville Predators
have the maximum number of games televised that they wish to offer.
Sportsouth also has acquired the rights to University of Tennessee sporting events as of August 28, 2007, including 12 encore presentations of Tennessee football, four men’s basketball games, four women’s basketball games, six Olympic sporting events, 12 60-minute episodes of The Derek Dooley Show, nine 30-minute episodes of The Pat Summitt Show, and nine 30-minute episodes of The Bruce Pearl Show.
There are two major differences between Fox Sports South and SportSouth:
Promotional commercials for SportSouth have included sports figures such as Steve Spurrier
, Bob Hartley
, Bo Jackson
, and Heath Shuler
.
Regional sports network
In the United States of America and Canada, a regional sports network, or RSN, is a cable television station that presents sports programming to a local market. The most important programming on an RSN consists of live broadcasts of professional and college sporting events, as those games generate...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. SportSouth, formerly Turner South
Turner South
Turner South was an American cable television network launched on October 1, 1999 by Turner Broadcasting System as the first regional entertainment network developed especially for viewers in the southern United States...
, relaunched on October 13, 2006. The first official event on the channel was a National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
game between the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
and the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
.
SportSouth reaches about 8.9 million cable and satellite subscribers in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and parts of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Network histories
- Turner SouthTurner SouthTurner South was an American cable television network launched on October 1, 1999 by Turner Broadcasting System as the first regional entertainment network developed especially for viewers in the southern United States...
was launched in 1999 by Turner Broadcasting SystemTurner Broadcasting SystemTurner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
as the first regional entertainment network developed especially for viewers in the southern U.S. The regional cable TV networkTelevision networkA television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
offered movies, tv series, sitcoms, regional news updates, and unique original programming, plus professional sports coverage for Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
), Atlanta HawksAtlanta HawksThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
(National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
), and Atlanta ThrashersAtlanta ThrashersThe Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
(National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
), all of which were owned by Turner Broadcasting at network launch. Fox Cable Networks acquired Turner South in May 2006, and renamed the network "SportSouth" in October of the same year.
- The original SportSouth was founded by Turner Broadcasting SystemTurner Broadcasting SystemTurner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
in 1990. Programs included Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
games, Atlanta HawksAtlanta HawksThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
games, World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
events, Charlotte Hornets games, college sports, and some syndicated shows. This original SportSouth was acquired by Fox Cable Networks in 1996 and became what is now Fox Sports South.
Sale
In March 2006, FSN's parent company News CorporationNews Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, looking to further expand its roster of sports teams and events, bought
the network for $375 million. After the deal was completed, FSN sought a new name. After about 60 different suggestions, network officials chose SportSouth, the original name of the other Southern US based network owned by News Corp, FSN South.
Current operations
It shares local Braves broadcasting with WPCH-TV, the spun off local broadcast version of TBS, an arrangement which begun in 2008. (Select games of the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
will also be distributed on SportSouth, subject to Major League Baseball territory restrictions.) However, conflicts with NBA and NHL playoff games could see the split between SportSouth and Fox Sports South differ from the planned 80/25 games per network. This ensures that both they and the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
have the maximum number of games televised that they wish to offer.
Sportsouth also has acquired the rights to University of Tennessee sporting events as of August 28, 2007, including 12 encore presentations of Tennessee football, four men’s basketball games, four women’s basketball games, six Olympic sporting events, 12 60-minute episodes of The Derek Dooley Show, nine 30-minute episodes of The Pat Summitt Show, and nine 30-minute episodes of The Bruce Pearl Show.
There are two major differences between Fox Sports South and SportSouth:
- SportSouth plans to air only programs of interest to the region, much as Prime Ticket does in Southern California. Jeff Genthner, vice president and general manager of Fox Sports South and SportSouth, cited a program currently in the works on HawksAtlanta HawksThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
rookie Shelden WilliamsShelden WilliamsShelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...
' first year in the NBA as one example. Thus, only Fox Sports South will carry national FSN games, such as those from the Big 12 and Pac-10 Conferences. The two channels also try to put virtually all Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
or Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
games on one channel or the other, again often targeted to regional vs. national interests. - SportSouth is blacked outBlackout (broadcasting)Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
in areas not covered by the ZIP codes in the regional coverage area. For example, viewers of DirecTVDirecTVDirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
's "Sports Pack" in other parts of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
will not receive the channel. The blackout policy dates back to the days of Turner/Time Warner ownership. However, as of August 2007, it appears the restrictions have been lifted on DirecTVDirecTVDirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
and "Sports Pack" subscribers are now receiving the channel without blackouts (except during major league sporting events). - Fox Sports South also covers a somewhat wider broadcast area, and offers a variety of different MLB, NBA, and NHL teams, depending on location.
Promotional commercials for SportSouth have included sports figures such as Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
, Bob Hartley
Bob Hartley
Robert Hartley is a former head coach in the National Hockey League. He coached the Colorado Avalanche from 1998–2002, period during which he won the Stanley Cup . He also coached the Atlanta Thrashers from the 2003 up until the beginning of the 2007, when he was fired after the Thrashers got off...
, Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....
, and Heath Shuler
Heath Shuler
Joseph Heath Shuler is a businessman, a former NFL quarterback, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
.
Atlanta Hawks
- Bob RathbunBob RathbunBob Rathbun is a sports television announcer. He has been the announcer for the Atlanta Hawks basketball games on FSN South since 1996. He is currently partnered with Dominique Wilkins...
: play-by-play - Dominique WilkinsDominique WilkinsJacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA...
: analyst - James Verette: sideline reporter
- Vince CelliniVince CelliniVincent Robert Cellini is a long-time sports broadcaster for radio and television. Most recently, he was an anchor and program host for The Golf Channel. It was reported that his contract was not renewed for 2010.-Early life and career:...
: Hawks Live host - Mike GlennMike GlennMike Theodore "Stinger" Glenn is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'2" guard, Glenn graduated in 1973 from Rome's Coosa High School, where he was an all-state standout, still holding the school points record at over 2,400 points for his high school career...
: Hawks Live analyst
Atlanta Braves
- Chip Caray: play-by-play
- Joe SimpsonJoe Simpson (broadcaster)Joe Allen Simpson has been a radio and television broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves since 1992 and is a former Major League Baseball player.-Playing career:...
: analyst - Fred HickmanFred HickmanFred Hickman is an American sports broadcaster who has had stints with CNN, TBS, YES Network, and ESPN. Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, he graduated Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1978, joining as an original co-host of the CNN show Sports Tonight in 1980...
Braves Live pre and post game host - Jerome Jurenovich: Braves Live field reporter
- Ron GantRon GantRonald Edwin "Ron" Gant is a former American Major League outfielder and second baseman earlier on who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds , St...
: Braves Live analyst - Brian JordanBrian JordanBrian O'Neal Jordan is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety. In the NFL, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, while he played in the MLB for the St...
: Braves Live analyst
Charlotte Bobcats
- Steve MartinSteve Martin (sportscaster)Steve Martin is a sportscaster, calling primarily college football and both pro and college basketball. He has called Atlantic Coast Conference football and football. On the professional side, he has served as a broadcaster for the Charlotte Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats.-External links:*...
: play-by-play - Dell CurryDell CurryWardell Stephen "Dell" Curry is a retired American professional basketball player at the shooting guard and the small forward positions who received his education from Fort Defiance High School in Virginia and Virginia Tech. He then played in the National Basketball Association from 1986 until 2002...
: analyst - Stephanie Ready: sideline reporter
Memphis Grizzlies
- Pete Pranica: play-by-play
- Sean TuohySean TuohySean Tuohy is an American sports commentator and restaurateur. He played college basketball at the University of Mississippi in the early 1980s, and is known for being the all-time assists leader in the Southeastern Conference ....
: analyst - Rob Fischer: sideline reporter