Columbus Fury to Join Cleveland Monsters, Cleveland Charge, Original Cleveland Cavaliers Programming, Ohio High School Sports and More on Channel 17.1 WDEM in Columbus, Ohio
CLEVELAND, OH – Rock Entertainment Sports Network, a joint venture between Rock Entertainment Group and Gray Media (“Gray”) (NYSE: GTN), owner of WOIO and WUAB in Cleveland and WXIX in Cincinnati, have reached an agreement with WDEM to broadcast the network in Columbus. The network will be found on channel 17.1 WDEM.
The introduction of Rock Entertainment Sports Network to Columbus will expand the reach of the network by over 1 million additional households. The network is already available over the air in Cleveland on channel 22.1, over the air in Cincinnati on channel 19.3, as well as carried on Spectrum cable across Northeast Ohio on channel 979.
“It’s perfect timing for the launch of the network in Columbus,” said David Hughes, Vice President and General Manager of WOIO and WUAB in Cleveland. “We have more than 75 games scheduled to air on Rock Entertainment Sports Network in the coming months including several in the Columbus area. We are excited to give viewers access to free sports content that has not been available before.”
Rock Entertainment Sports Network’s expansion into Columbus includes the addition of the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Columbus Fury to the network’s roster of Ohio-based professional teams. The indoor volleyball team are the only major women’s professional sports team in Ohio and play their games at Nationwide Arena.
In addition to the Fury, Rock Entertainment Sports Network serves as the home for the American Hockey League 2015-2016 Calder Cup Champion Cleveland Monsters, the NBA G League Cleveland Charge, original programming for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Monsters and Charge, the Frontier League Lake Erie Crushers, college football and Ohio high school sports. The network debuted its first live sports program in August 2024 and has since produced more than 65 broadcasts featuring high school, college and professional sports.
“The expansion of Rock Entertainment Sports Network to Columbus is a huge step in our effort to provide access statewide to Ohio’s new home for local professional, collegiate and high school sports,” said Mike Conley, Rock Entertainment Group and Cleveland Cavaliers, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “We look forward to being accessible in more homes across the state and delivering free access to the live sports and original programming Ohioans are passionate about.”
Rock Entertainment Group and Gray Media continue to explore additional major cable, satellite and virtual pay-TV platforms throughout Ohio to carry Rock Entertainment Sports Network.
About Rock Entertainment Group:
Rock Entertainment Group, formed in 2021 under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies, oversees a diverse portfolio of sports and entertainment properties. These include the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL's Cleveland Monsters, NBA G League's Cleveland Charge and Cavs Legion of the NBA 2K League. They operate and manage Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio. In partnership with Gray Media, they also own and operate Rock Entertainment Sports Network, providing 24/7 local Ohio sports and entertainment programming. Rock Entertainment Group unifies multiple sports, venues, music, and content properties, fostering collaboration, growth and new opportunities while delivering exceptional experiences for fans, teams, partners and staff.
About Gray:
Gray Media, or Gray, is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, formally known as Gray Television, Inc. The company is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. The portfolio includes 77 markets with the top-rated television station and 100 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station, as well as the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 43 markets totaling nearly 1.5 million Hispanic TV Households. The company also owns Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Gray’s additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. Gray owns a majority interest in Swirl Films. For more information, please visit www.graymedia.com.