FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 24th, 2015

COMCAST SPORTSNET & CSNCHICAGO.COM TO PROVIDE EXTENSIVE, WEEK-LONG COVERAGE OF THE 2015 NFL DRAFT

Draft coverage begins with the “SportsNet Central: AT&T Road to the Draft” preview show, airing this Sunday, April 26 at 10:30 PM CT!

Chicago, IL (April 24, 2015) – Comcast SportsNet, the television and online home for the most in-depth Chicago Bears coverage all year long, is ready to deliver extensive coverage of next week’s 2015 NFL Draft (to be held in Chicago for the first time since 1964), highlighted by a pair of half-hour SportsNet Central NFL Draft specials, nightly reports on SportsNet Central, extensive Round 1 draft night coverage (including a remote edition of SportsTalk Live from Tavern at the Park in downtown Chicago & a 90-minute Bears Draft Special to air on CSN+), along with 24/7 NFL Draft coverage on CSNChicago.com.  Please note Comcast SportsNet and CSNChicago.com’s 2015 NFL Draft coverage schedule beginning this Sunday, April 26:

SUNDAY, APRIL 26

10:30 PM – SportsNet Central: AT&T U-verse Road to the DraftThis half-hour NFL Draft preview show, hosted by Chris Boden (@CSNBoden), along with Bears Pre/Postgame Live analyst Jim Miller (@15miller) and SportsNet Central NFL expert Dave Wannstedt, will provide a detailed recap of the Bears off-season, which included the hiring of new Bears GM Ryan Pace and new Head Coach John Fox, interviews with Bears players/coaches/front office execs, along Miller and Wannstedt providing their expert thoughts on which areas the team needs to improve upon and which potentially available players can fill those spots with on-field success.

MONDAY, APRIL 27 – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29

10:30 PM – GMC SportsNet Central Chris Boden, Jim Miller, and Dave Wannstedt will continue to provide nightly reports on the latest NFL Draft news and rumors leading up to Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 – NFL DRAFT DAY COVERAGE presented by MILLER LITE

5:30 PM – SportsTalk Live presented by The Chevy Silverado – Host David Kaplan (@thekapman) and a panel of Bears/NFL experts will set the table for a full night of comprehensive NFL Draft coverage with a special remote edition of SportsTalk Live to be held at Tavern in the Park in downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park.

6:30 PM – SportsNet Central presented by Comcast Business – Kip Lewis (@csnkiplewis), along with Dave Wannstedt and former Bears director of college scouting/current National Football Post columnist Greg Gabriel (@greggabe), will provide the latest draft updates, player analysis, and preview all Bears potential first round (#7 overall) candidates.  In addition, SportsNet Central’s Bears beat reporter Jen Lada (@JenLada) will provide live updates from the Draft (being held at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University), along with additional reports from Halas Hall via Chris Boden and CSNChicago.com’s Bears “Insider” John ‘Moon’ Mullin (@CSNMoonMullin).

7:30 PM – BEARS DRAFT CENTRAL brought to you by Miller Lite  (NOTE: This Chicago Bears-produced special will air on CSN+; viewers are urged to visit CSNChicago.com’s CHANNEL FINDER  for the exact CSN+ channel location in their area) (TO ALSO BE STREAMED LIVE ON CSNChicago.com and ChicagoBears.com) – Chris Boden, along with “Bears Pre/Postgame Live” analyst Dan Jiggetts and ChicagoBears.com’s Larry Mayer, will host a 90-minute, comprehensive Bears/NFL Draft night special LIVE FROM HALAS HALL featuring detailed pick-by-pick analysis, live press conference coverage featuring Bears GM Ryan Pace and Head Coach John Fox, a live interview with the Bears #1 pick from the Bears Draft Party in Millennium Park, and much more.

10:30 PM – GMC SportsNet CentralComplete Round 1 NFL Draft recap featuring up-to-the-minute player and team news, interviews, and analysis via Kip Lewis, Dave Wannstedt, Greg Gabriel, Jen Lada, Chris Boden and John ‘Moon’ Mullin, along with a look ahead at the potential Bears picks on Friday (Rounds 2-3) and Saturday (Rounds 4-7).

FRIDAY, MAY 1 – SATURDAY, MAY 2

10:30 PM – GMC SportsNet Central Complete coverage of Rounds 2-7 over the weekend featuring detailed analysis of every Bears draft pick, along player highlights, interviews, and more.

SUNDAY, MAY 3

10:30 PM – SportsNet Central: Draft Special Chris Boden, along with Bears Pre/Postgame Live analyst Jim Miller and SportsNet Central NFL expert Dave Wannstedt, will assess the entire draft from both a Bears and overall league perspective.  The show will also feature interviews with Bears management with their reflections on the draft.

In addition to the extensive coverage on Comcast SportsNet, viewers are urged to visit CSNChicago.com for even more comprehensive 24/7 NFL Draft coverage (presented by AT&T U-verse), including the following highlights:

  • For a deeper look at potential NFL draftees, fans need to check out CSNChicago.com’s comprehensive “Road to the Draft”  section (presented by AT&T U-verse), featuring over 200 extensive player draft profiles, including video analysis for players projected to go in the first two rounds provided by NBC Sports and Rotoworld NFL Draft analyst Josh Norris.
  • In addition, CSNChicago.com’s “Road to the Draft” section will be the home for everything NFL Draft-related throughout the week, including instant reaction and analysis during the draft with updated profiles, an up-close look on how the draft affects the Bears rivals in the NFC North, along with a detailed draft overview of the entire NFL.
  • Bears “Insider” John ‘Moon’ Mullin (@CSNMoonMullin) will file daily reports leading up to and throughout the 2015 NFL Draft from Halas Hall, featuring the latest news and on-camera reports.  Plus, CSNChicago.com Bears digital reporter Scott Krinch (@scottiekrinch) will be covering the Draft from Roosevelt University and will provide a number of “digital exclusives,” including coverage of the “NFL Draft Gold Carpet” event on Thursday night.
  • Fans can chat NFL Draft and potential Bears moves by utilizing the Twitter hashtag #BearsTalk and by visiting the “Bears Pulse” page at CSNChicago.com.  For 24/7 Bears/NFL Draft updates on Twitter, fans are urged to follow @CSNBears.
  • CSNChicago.com will profile numerous mock drafts from a number of CSN anchors and reporters.
  • CSNChicago.com will work closely with NBC Sports and “Pro Football Talk” throughout the week for additional nationally-based NFL Draft content.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year.  In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with Emmy Award-winning regional sports news and analysis via SportsNet Central and SportsTalk Live.  Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, blogs and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.”  Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.

NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of the NBC Sports Group, consist of 11 regional networks that deliver more than 2,400 live sporting events annually, along with award-winning breaking news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and original programming to more than 43 million homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, which serves Baltimore and Washington D.C., Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and SportsNet New York. For more information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information about NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

 ####