SportsChannel Cincinnati was an American
regional sports network owned by the
Rainbow Media division of
Cablevision, and operated as an affiliate of
SportsChannel. Headquartered in
Cincinnati,
Ohio, the channel used to broadcast regional coverage of sports events throughout the
Miami Valley, focusing mainly on professional sports teams based in the Cincinnati area.
History
The network launched on April 1, 1990,[1] with coverage of
Major League Baseball games involving the
Cincinnati Reds as its flagship programming. The initial contract with the Reds gave SportsChannel 30 games in 1990, increasing to 35 and then 40 games in 1991 and 1992 respectively.[2] Other programming was provided from
SportsChannel Ohio including basketball games from the
Midwestern Collegiate Conference and
Mid-American Conference. The network also featured SportsChannel's
NHL package and
Notre Dame football. At launch, SportsChannel Cincinnati broadcast nightly from 5 PM to Midnight on weekdays and from 9 AM to Midnight on weekends.[2] This was expanded to a 24-hour schedule beginning on January 1, 1994.[3]
On June 30, 1997, Fox/Liberty Networks (owned as a
joint venture between
News Corporation and
Liberty Media) purchased a 40% interest in Cablevision's sports properties (including the SportsChannel networks,
Madison Square Garden, and the
New York Knicks and
New York Rangers) for $850 million.[4][5][6][7] In November 1997, SportsChannel was integrated into
Fox Sports Net, a group of regional sports networks created by Fox/Liberty in November 1996. On January 28, 1998, after legal delays, SportsChannel Cincinnati was folded into Fox Sports Ohio, now
Bally Sports Ohio (the former SportsChannel Ohio), serving as a regional subfeed of that network.[8][9]
^"Your Reds Are Moving". The Cincinnati Post. January 28, 1998. p. 5B. Retrieved June 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Fay, John (January 26, 1998).
"NBC's final Super Bowl a good show". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. D4. Retrieved June 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. (Date was incorrect)