After losing the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks, WGN-TV added a pro sports team to their network. A multi-year partnership with the Chicago Fire Football Club was announced, making WGN their home for all locally broadcast matches.
“In this transformational year for our Club, we want to provide our fans with as many ways as possible to experience the Fire, both live at Soldier Field and on the broadcast,” said Fire Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto. “We know WGN-TV’s powerful place on the City’s sports scene and we’re excited to be their new flagship sports property.”
Of the Fire’s 34 matches this season, all 24 local broadcasts will be carried on WGN, with their other 10 games airing nationally on ABC, ESPN, FS1, Univision and UniMás.
“WGN-TV has a rich history of broadcasting live sports and we look forward to continuing and building on that tradition with Chicago Fire FC,” commented WGN-TV Vice President, General Manager Paul Rennie. “The Fire have found a new home at Soldier Field and now a new broadcast home at WGN-TV. We’re thrilled to bring the exciting action of Chicago Fire FC to our viewers and all of Chicago.”
The length of partnership wasn’t announced, but it likely doesn’t extend beyond 2022. According to a previous report by Paul Tenorio and Pablo Maurer of The Athletic, the MLS instructed teams not to sign local TV rights deals beyond the 2022 season. The edict signals a potential change in how teams’ media rights are handled in the future.
The first WGN broadcast for the Chicago Fire kicks off March 7th, but who will be calling the game remains a question. Last October, longtime Fire play-by-play Fire play-by-play voice Dan Kelly announced he wouldn’t be returning to the booth and analyst Frank Klopas joined the club’s coaching staff as an assistant.