Big Changes for TV in 2007

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Some big changes are coming in 2007 and you will need this handy guide to keep track of where you can watch your favorite sports.

Let’s begin with the PGA Tour all early rounds and some major early tournament events are now on The Golf Channel. TGC is now the cable home to almost every PGA/LPGA/Nationwide and European Tournament. They will be the cable home to ALL early round PGA events except for two – the British Open and the US Open, both have a couple of years left on their ESPN/ABC contract.

The PGA network partners will be NBC and CBS who will split up the season, gone is ESPN/ABC who will have only the British open left along with a few LPGA events in 2007.

Baseball on the local level see’s both the Nationals and Orioles now on the Mid Atlantic Sports Network, on the national side of things Sunday’s will offer 26 weeks of double headers. The Sunday Afternoon Game of the Week will on TBS with Sunday Night Baseball at its normal home on ESPN. The Monday and Wednesday Night Games of the Week also will return to ESPN. The folks at FOX have expanded their roll to have a complete season of Saturday Game of the Week telecasts.

The post season will see on TBS and FOX with early round games and the NLCS on Turner while FOX will have the ALCS and the World Series.

NASCAR has the Craftsman Truck Series on Speed, The Busch Series now belongs to ESPN and the NEXTEL big boys will air on FOX for the first part of the year, TNT takes over with a summer package and ESPN/ABC will bring The Chase for the Cup home in the late summer and the fall.

Tennis remains on ESPN2 as the home for most of the year with NBC keeping the French and Wimbledon and CBS will airs the US Open with USA keeping the early rounds.

The NBA will stay put on ESPN/ABC, TNT and the NBA -TV, while the NHL will continue on VERSUS and NBC. Locally the Caps and the Wiz are on CSN.

MLS is now on ESPN2/ABC and FOX Soccer Channel exclusively. DC United will be on CSN.