PR Newswire
ATLANTA , May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In its second season broadcasting WNBA games on ION, Scripps Sports is adding weekly studio shows to supplement the State Farm ® WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION. ION will air 43 regular-season games, the most of any broadcast partner, including eight Indiana Fever games with 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark . The first of those is May 24 against the Los Angeles Sparks and Cameron Brink , the No. 2 overall draft pick.
ION is the first broadcast network to air a weekly studio show for the WNBA. Owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), ION is available for free over the air, on cable and through connected TV platforms.
Viewers can find access to ION in their areas or via streaming platforms by visiting https://iontelevision.com/find-us .
Scripps Sports' studio shows will include:
- 30-minute pre-game shows, which will review highlights from the week's games, spotlight upcoming matchups on ION and feature in-depth stories from around the league.
- Halftime shows to break down games and provide insights from the studio host and analysts.
- Wrap-up/preview shows in between games.
The regular season tips off Tuesday, May 14 , with the first studio shows and games on ION on Friday, May 17 . The studio show will start most weeks at 7 p.m. ET .
Other highlights
- On Aug. 30 , Clark and the Fever meet the Chicago Sky, led by the rookie tandem of Angel Reese , a 2023 college national champion, and Kamilla Cardoso , a 2024 college national champion.
- Defending champion Las Vegas, led by two-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and two-time All-Star Kelsey Plum , will be on ION nine times, including Sept. 13 against Clark and 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston .
- Reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart, two-time All-WNBA Second-Team selection Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty, who reached the WNBA Finals in 2023, will be on ION twice ( May 31 and Aug. 30 ).
- Diana Taurasi , the league's career scoring leader, and Brittney Griner , a nine-time All-Star, will be on ION seven times with the Phoenix Mercury, including two games against Clark and the Fever ( July 12 , Aug. 16 ).
- The Connecticut Sun, led by Alyssa Thomas , who set WNBA records for triple-doubles and double-doubles last season, will be on ION eight times.
The talent
WNBA on ION Studio Shows will originate from Atlanta. The team:
- Larry Smith , host – The award-winning news and sports anchor, host and correspondent is the lead evening anchor for the No. 1-rated newscast at LEX18 in Lexington, Kentucky . He spent 16 years at CNN Sports and more than a decade with Turner Sports as host for NBATV's "Gametime" program and Major League Baseball playoff coverage. Smith has covered more than 60 world and major championship events during his career, including 12 Final Fours, seven NBA Finals, six Super Bowls and four Olympics.
- Autumn Johnson , analyst – Johnson is the NCAA's lead personality covering women's basketball and NBA 2K League's studio host. In 2024, she has contributed to ESPN and Big Ten Network. Johnson was a three-sport athlete growing up playing basketball, softball and running cross country. In 2023, she created the AJTV Summit and Scholarship with a goal of mentoring a community of young women in media while providing resources, learning opportunities and financial aid.
- Meghan McKeown , analyst – She is a basketball analyst for the Sun, NBC/Peacock, Big Ten Network, ESPN and FOX. McKeown has called multiple NCAA women's tournament games and conference championships. Prior to this season, she spent four WNBA seasons as the color commentator for the Sky and also spent time as an analyst for the Indiana Fever. She played college basketball at Northwestern University .
- Nicole Denne , executive producer – She is the senior director of content for Scripps Sports and executive producer of the studio shows. Previously, Denne was senior director of national news for Scripps . She is a former executive producer at KNBC in Los Angeles , and she worked for NBC Sports at the Torino Winter Olympics.
"We are dedicated to showcasing the players who are driving the popularity of the WNBA, not just in our game coverage but with the features we will produce for our studio shows," said
Quinn Pacini
, vice president of broadcast operations for Scripps Sports. "There are so many great stories to tell."
Full ION schedule
Scripps Sports will primarily broadcast Friday night doubleheaders. The WNBA and Scripps Sports together determine which games will be aired nationally and which regionally. The games:
May 17
:
Washington
at
Connecticut
(
7:30 p.m. ET
),
Seattle
at
Minnesota
(
9:30 p.m. ET
)
May 24
:
Indiana
at Los Angeles (
10 p.m. ET
)
May 31
: Las Vegas at Atlanta,
Dallas
at
Connecticut
,
Washington
at New York (
7:30 p.m.
),
Phoenix
at
Minnesota
(
9:30 p.m. ET
)
June 7
:
Indiana
at
Washington
(
7:30 p.m. ET
),
Seattle
at Las Vegas,
Dallas
at Los Angeles,
Minnesota
at
Phoenix
(
10 p.m. ET
)
June 14
:
Chicago
at
Washington
, Los Angeles at
Minnesota
(
7:30 p.m. ET
)
June 21
:
Indiana
at Atlanta (
7:30 p.m. ET
),
Connecticut
at Las Vegas (
10 p.m. ET
)
June 28
: Atlanta at
Connecticut
(
7:30 p.m. ET
), Los Angeles at
Phoenix
(
10 p.m. ET
)
July 5
: Atlanta at
Dallas
(
7:30 p.m. ET
), Las Vegas at Los Angeles,
Chicago
at
Seattle
(
10 p.m. ET
)
July 12
: Las Vegas at Atlanta,
Phoenix
at
Indiana
(
7:30 p.m. ET
),
Minnesota
at
Seattle
(
10 p.m. ET
)
Aug. 16
:
Seattle
at Atlanta,
Phoenix
at
Indiana
(
7:30 p.m. ET
),
Connecticut
at
Dallas
(
9:30 p.m. ET
)
Aug. 23
:
Phoenix
at Atlanta,
Chicago
at
Connecticut
, Los Angeles at
Washington
(
7:30 p.m. ET
), Las Vegas at
Minnesota
(
9:30 p.m.
)
Aug. 30
:
Indiana
at
Chicago
,
Minnesota
at
Dallas
(
7:30 p.m. ET
), Atlanta at Las Vegas, New York at
Seattle
(
10 p.m. ET
)
Sept. 6
:
Dallas
at Atlanta, Las Vegas at
Connecticut
,
Minnesota
at
Indiana
(
7:30 p.m. ET
), Los Angeles at
Chicago
(
9:30 p.m. ET
)
Sept. 13
:
Washington
at Atlanta, Las Vegas at
Indiana
,
Seattle
at
Dallas
,
Chicago
at
Minnesota
(
7:30 p.m. ET
),
Connecticut
at
Phoenix
(
10 p.m. ET
)
Media contacts: |
Scripps – Michael Perry, (513) 259-4718, michael.perry@scripps.com |
|
WNBA – Ron Howard, (212) 407-8641, RHoward@nba.com |
About Scripps Sports
Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach of up to 100% of TV households. Scripps Sports currently has partnerships with the Women's National Basketball Association, the National Women's Soccer League, the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and NHL's Arizona Coyotes, and the NCAA's Big Sky Conference in college football. Scripps Sports is a division of
The E.W. Scripps Company
(NASDAQ: SSP), a Fortune 1000 American media company focused on creating a better-informed world.
About the WNBA
Tipping off its 28
th
season in
May 2024
, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it. For more information, visit WNBA.com.
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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company