The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Thursday the team's local television schedule for the 2008-09 NBA campaign. Five games have been added to this season's schedule for a total of 75 Timberwolves games to be televised locally in 2008-09. The Wolves' over-the-air television schedule will feature 35 games on KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 and 40 games on FSN North cable and satellite package. The schedule will include 35 Target Center dates and 40 telecasts from the road.
The Wolves' local television schedule begins with the season opener on Oct. 29 vs. the Sacramento Kings at Target Center on KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 starting at 7 p.m. The FSN North schedule tips off on Sunday, Nov. 2 with Minnesota's first road game of the year at Oklahoma City (6 p.m.). FSN North also will air Wolves Live before and after every telecast, as well as Wolves Weekly, a half-hour weekly show featuring news items and stories about Timberwolves players and coaches.
"Through our partnerships with KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 and FSN North, the 20th season of Timberwolves basketball will be available to our fans through the highest quality of broadcasts possible," said Timberwolves Sr. Vice President of Communications and Chief Marketing Officer Ted Johnson. "With an exciting core group of young players, we will be providing our fans with more content than ever about our players and team during our broadcasts. Both KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 and FSN North are leaders in local Minnesota sports coverage and we are extremely pleased with our partnerships with both outlets."
Highlights in the Wolves' local broadcast schedule include both games against the Boston Celtics and former Timberwolf Kevin Garnett on KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 and FSN North (Nov. 21 and Feb. 1, respectively); both contests against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (Dec. 17 on KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 and Mar. 27 on FSN North); both games against 2008 No. 1 overall draft pick Michael Beasley and the Miami Heat on FSN North (Jan. 13 and Feb 18); and all four games against Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers (Dec. 14, Jan. 30 and Feb.22 on KSTC-TV, Ch. 45 and March 6 on FSN North).
KSTC-TV, Channel 45, the Twin Cities only independent television station, begins its fourth season as the exclusive over-the-air broadcast partner of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Along with the excitement of the NBA's Timberwolves, KSTC-TV, Channel 45 sports broadcasts include the Emmy Award-winning Minnesota State High School League Championship Tournaments, the NHL's Minnesota Wild and Saint Paul Saints baseball. Part of the rich broadcasting heritage of Hubbard Broadcasting, one of the only family-owned television groups in the country, Channel 45 is the station to turn to for top rated network syndication and local sports action. Reaching more than 1.7 million television homes, KSTC-TV, Channel 45, is also available on cable channel 12 (on most metro cable stations) and is carried on DirecTV and Dish Network satellite systems.
FSN North reaches more than 2 million homes throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota and telecasts nearly 2,600 hours of locally produced programming per year. The Emmy Award-winning regional sports network provides comprehensive coverage of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, MLB's Minnesota Twins, the NHL's Minnesota Wild, the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx as well as the University of Minnesota athletic events.
The entire Timberwolves 2008-09 local broadcast schedule follows:Day, Date/Opponent, Time, Station
Wednesday, Oct. 29 vs. Sacramento, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, Nov. 1 vs. Dallas, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Sunday, Nov. 2 at Okla. City, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Nov. 5 vs. San Antonio, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, Nov. 7 at Sacramento, 9:00 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, Nov. 8 at Portland, 9:00 p.m., KSTC
Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Golden State, 9:30 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, Nov. 15 vs. Portland, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Sunday, Nov. 16 at Denver, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, Nov. 19 vs. Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, Nov. 21 vs. Boston, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Sunday, Nov. 23 at Detroit, 5:00 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, Nov. 26 vs. Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, Nov. 28 at Okla. City, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Monday, Dec. 1 at Charlotte, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Orlando, 6:00 p.m., KSTC
Friday, Dec. 5 at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m., FSN
Saturday, Dec. 6 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Tuesday, Dec. 9 vs. Utah, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Denver, 8:00 p.m., KSTC
Friday, Dec. 12 vs. San Antonio, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Sunday, Dec. 14 at L.A. Lakers, 8:30 p.m., KSTC
Monday, Dec. 15 at Sacramento, 9:00 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, Dec. 17 vs. Cleveland, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, Dec. 20 vs. Houston, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Tuesday, Dec. 23 at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., FSN
Friday, Dec. 26 at New York, 6:30 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, Dec. 27 vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Monday, Dec. 29 vs. Memphis, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, Dec. 30 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m., FSN
Friday, Jan. 2 vs. Golden State, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, Jan. 3 at Chicago, 7:30 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, Jan. 6 at Memphis, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, Jan. 7 vs. Okla. City, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, Jan. 13 vs. Miami, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, Jan. 16 at Phoenix, 8:00 p.m., KSTC
Monday, Jan. 19 at L.A. Clippers, 2:30 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, Jan. 20 at Utah, 8:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, Jan. 23 vs. New Orleans, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Sunday, Jan. 25 vs. Chicago, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Monday, Jan. 26 at Milwaukee, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Jan. 28 vs. Detroit, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, Jan. 30 vs. L.A. Lakers, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Sunday, Feb. 1 at Boston, 11:00 a.m., FSN
Tuesday, Feb. 3 at Indiana, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Feb. 4 vs. Atlanta, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Saturday, Feb. 7 at Houston, 7:30 p.m., KSTC
Sunday, Feb. 8 at New Orleans, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, Feb. 10 vs. Toronto, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Washington, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Miami, 6:30 p.m., FSN
Sunday, Feb. 22 vs. L.A. Lakers, 6:00 p.m., KSTC
Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Toronto, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, Feb. 25 vs. Utah, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Sunday, March 1 vs. Houston, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, March 3 vs. Golden State, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, March 6 at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m., FSN
Saturday, March 7 at Portland, 9:00 p.m., FSN
Monday, March 9 vs. Washington, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, March 11 vs. Memphis, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, March 17 at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, March 18 at New Orleans, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Sunday, March 22 vs. Okla. City, 2:30 p.m., KSTC
Monday, March 23 at Atlanta, 6:00 p.m., FSN
Wednesday, March 25 at Philadelphia, 6:00 p.m., KSTC
Friday, March 27 at Cleveland, 6:30 p.m., FSN
Sunday, March 29 vs. New Jersey, 2:30 p.m., FSN
Tuesday, March 31 vs. Dallas, 7:00 p.m., FSN
Friday, April 3 at Utah, 8:00 p.m., FSN
Sunday, April 5 vs. Denver, 6:00 p.m., KSTC
Tuesday, April 7 at L.A. Clippers, 9:30 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, April 8 at Golden State, 9:30 p.m., KSTC
Saturday, April 11 vs. Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., KSTC
Monday, April 13 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m., KSTC
Wednesday, April 15 vs. Sacramento, 7:00 p.m., KSTC