Chicago, IL (September 5, 2023) –NBC Sports Chicago has announced NBCU Local Chicago’s multi-platform coverage lineup for the upcoming 2023 Chicago Bears/NFL season featuring the return of Football Aftershow following every Bears game with new host Ruthie Polinsky, along with the return of popular analysts/Bears legends Lance Briggs, Alex Brown, and Dave Wannstedt. In addition, fans can look forward to a brand-new season of its weeknight Bears news and analysis program, Football Night in Chicago, along with dedicated daily Bears coverage on NBC 5 News and Noticiero Telemundo Chicago, expanded 24/7 digital coverage via NBCSportsChicago.com and the NBC Sports Chicago app, new episodes of the “Under Center” podcast, season-long social media coverage, and much more.
“We’re looking forward to delivering our most comprehensive season of football coverage to date, as our team of experts and analysts will deliver expanded highlights, postgame reaction, and breakdowns of the biggest plays each week through the year,” said John Schippman, VP of Sports Content, NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “The lineup at NBCUniversal Chicago is second to none with the experience and knowledge of former all-pro players, championship coaches, and veteran sportscasters who have been covering this sport for decades.”
Please note NBC Sports Chicago’s line-up of Bears and additional pro football-related programming/coverage for the upcoming 2023 NFL season:
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GAME DAY PROGRAMMING…
FOOTBALL AFTERSHOW presented by Saint Xavier University – Immediately following the Chicago Bears home/season opener against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday, September 10, NBC Sports Chicago will deliver the season debut of its popular LIVE Bears game day wrap-up program Football Aftershow presented by Saint Xavier University (6:30 PM CT, time approx.). The 90-minute show, which will immediately follow EVERY Bears game this season, will be hosted by NBC 5 News sports anchor/reporter Ruthie Polinsky and will featurea panel of Bears/NFL experts including former Bears linebacker/seven-time Pro Bowler Lance Briggs,former Bears defensive end standout Alex Brown, and NFL expert/former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt. In addition to the spirited banter from the stars of the show, Football Aftershow also showcases post-game press conferences with coaches and players from both teams.
SPORTS SUNDAY – Immediately following “Sunday Night Football” and the “NBC 5 News at 10pm,” Bears fans can look forward to a complete Bears gameday recap, along with the entire day’s action in the NFL on Sports Sunday (11:00 PM). Featuring host Leila Rahimi, along with co-hosts/reporters Mike Berman and Ruthie Polinsky, Sports Sunday will deliver extensive Bears gameday highlights, interviews with players and coaches, detailed analysis, a preview of the team’s next match-up and more. NOTE: Sports Sunday can also be viewed on the NBC Chicago News 24/7 live streaming channel on Roku, Peacock, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play and Amazon Fire TV. Link on how to find each here: http://nbcchi.com/SCIhuKM.
NBC 5 NEWS / NOTICIERO TELEMUNDO CHICAGO – Throughout the entire 2023 Bears/NFL season, every edition of NBC 5 News (featuring Leila Rahimi, Mike Berman, Ruthie Polinsky,and Jeff Blanzy) and Noticiero Telemundo Chicago (featuring Héctor Lozano and Raúl Delgado) will provide viewers with extensive coverage featuring the very latest team/league news, game highlights, interviews with players and coaches, feature stories, and much more. NOTE: NBC 5 News can also be seen on the NBC Chicago News 24/7 live streaming channel.
Bears News
WEEKNIGHT BEARS/NFL PROGRAMMING…
FOOTBALL NIGHT IN CHICAGO presented by PointsBet – Airing Monday-Friday at LIVE 6:00 PM throughout the entire year, Football Night in Chicago presented by PointsBetprovides die-hard Bears/NFL fans with the very latest news coming out of Halas Hall and throughout the entire league. Each weeknight, athletes, coaches, and insiders from across the NFL join the show for candid conversations and debate on the hottest topics happening in Chicago and around the NFL. Plus, FNIC also includes nightly best bets and gambling strategies via PointsBet. FNIC’s deep roster of talent and contributors includes Leila Rahimi, Mike Berman, Ruthie Polinsky, David Haugh, Laurence Holmes, Mark Carmen, Josh Schrock, Ken Davis, Alex Shapiro, and Dave Wannstedt among others. NOTE: Due to conflicts with White Sox baseball on the main NBC Sports Chicago channel, Football Night in Chicago will air live on NBC Sports Chicago Plus (+) on the following dates: Sept. 11-15, 18 & 25.
WEEKLY BEARS/NFL PROGRAMMING…
PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY – Now in its third decade on television, Pro Football Weeklyis a half-hour program hosted by NBC Sports Chicago’sPat Boyle and features an expert panel led by Bears legend/Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, NFL expert/former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt and PFW founder Hub Arkush. The program’s in-depth preview analysis and unique format make the show a preferred vehicle for football fans desiring the most thorough coverage of the NFL. This hard-hitting program features the latest NFL news reports, opinions and insider information, along with game-by-game predictions. New episodes of Pro Football Weekly regularly debut on Friday afternoons at varied times depending on the network’s live pro event schedule, while replays can be seen on Saturday afternoons/evenings at varied times, along with every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC 5 Chicago) – NBC 5 Chicago is the local home for America’s #1 primetime television show for the past 12-straight years, Sunday Night Football. On Thursday, September 7, NBC Chicago will provide live coverage of “NFL Kickoff 2023,” SNF’s annual first game of the season featuring the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Bears’ NFC North rival Detroit Lions (coverage begins at 6:00 PM with the NFL Kickoff pre-game show; kick-off scheduled for 7:20 PM). Then, on Sunday, September 10, fans can look forward to the season opener of Sunday Night Football featuring a battle between last year’s NFC East playoff teams, the Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (coverage begins with Football Night in America 6:00 p.m.; kickoff at 7:20 p.m.). NOTES: Telemundo Chicago will also carry the “SNF” season opener in Spanish on Sept. 10. The Bears will be featured on “SNF” on Sunday, October 29, as they’ll travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers. For full list of this year’s SNF telecasts, please note the following link: www.nbcsports.com/nfl/snf.
BENNY VS. THE PENNY – The NBC Sports Regional Networks (including NBC Sports Chicago) are launching a new football preview show led by sports radio personality Ben Maller, Benny vs. The Penny, beginning Friday, September 8 immediately following White Sox Postgame Live (9:00 PM, time approx.). The half-hour program, featuring veteran sportscaster Tomm Looney as Maller’s sidekick, will provide entertaining and informative analysis and insightful perspectives covering the week’s matchups. As part of the program, Maller will also expand his popular radio show segment in which he analyzes games and selects who he thinks will win, then goes head-to-head against a coin flip to see whose picks are correct – the host or the ‘penny.’ Debut episodes of Benny vs. The Penny will air every Friday night on NBC Sports Chicago following the network’s live pro event postgame programming.
FANTASY FOOTBALL HAPPY HOUR WITH MATTHEW BERRY – On Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM and at varied times on Thursday evenings, NBC Sports Chicago will carry new episodes of NBC Sports’ Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry. Regarded as one of the nation’s top fantasy experts, Berry takes a deep dive on player rankings, waiver wire advice, who to start, who to sit, along with his popular love/hate analysis. For the latest clips, please visit the following link: Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry Podcast - NBC Sports.
EXPANDED DIGITAL COVERAGE…
NBCSportsChicago.com / NBC Sports Chicago app – NBCSportsChicago.com’s dedicated Bears section– NBCSportsChicago.com/NFL/Chicago-Bears AND the NBC Sports Chicago app will deliver comprehensive 24/7 Bears and NFL coverage all season long featuring original commentary, video interviews, feature reports, along with the latest Bears news and daily insight from NBC Sports Chicago’s roster of in-house Bears/NFL experts highlighted by in-depth reporting from Bears “Insider” Josh Schrock. Fans can also visit nbcchicago.com and telemundochicago.com for supplementary Bears digital coverage all season long. In addition, fans can look forward to the following additional audio/social highlights this season:
- Under Center podcast presented by Saint Xavier University: Throughout the Bears/NFL season, fans can look forward to even more entertaining and informative episodes of the popular Under Center podcast featuring host Ken Davis,who is joined by NBC Sports Chicago’s roster of football experts including Josh Schrock, Alex Shapiro, Glynn Morgan and an array of special guests. Fans can download all of NBC Sports Chicago’s podcasts at NBCSportsChicago.com/podcasts and simply subscribe to them via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Art19, and YouTube. The podcasts can be played on any mobile device, laptop, or desktop computer. NOTE: Viewers can also “watch” new episodes of the Under Center podcast every Wednesday at 5:30 PM on NBC Sports Chicago.
- SOCIAL MEDIA – @NBCSBearsis THE Twitter source for up-to-the-second Bears in-game updates, including reactions to the action via the Football Aftershow crew, along with breaking news, interactive questions, polls, and much more 24/7. In addition, a multitude of in-house “Sights & Sounds” moments, along with game day facts and metrics, and score updates will be provided throughout the season on Instagram and Instagram Live (@NBCSChicago).