Bear fans, "U" might need a scorecard to find your team this fall. In addition to the bulk of the games on the team's official broadcast partner FOX32, including all 4 preseason games & another season of the team-produced "GameDay/GameNight Live" with host Lou Canellis Sundays, 5 other local stations will carry Bears' football this fall.

In addition to the Bears' 2 regular appearances vs. AFC teams on CBS2, the Bears/Giants' game October 3rd on NBC5 as part of NBC Sports' "Sunday Night Football", feast your eyes on this.

A few weeks ago, it was learned that the Bears' "Thursday Night Football" game at what's now called SunLife Stadium vs. the Dolphins in Miami November 18th on NFL Network will be broadcast locally on WGN's CW9 in Chicago. The NFL recently cut a deal with Tribune Broadcasting, WGN's parent company, that allows Tribune-owned outlets such as WGN here, WPIX in New York, and other stations to carry NFLN games on Thursday and/or Saturday night. The "Thursday/Saturday Night Football" games on NFLN start in November.

"But wait...there's more." That's not the only unusual outlet carrying a Bears' game this season. WCIU 26, the Weigel Broadcasting-owned independent known as The U, will broadcast the Bears' first appearance on ESPN's "Monday Night Football", rather than ABC7. WCIU will carry the Bears' home game September 27th vs. the Packers at Soldier Field, instead of WLS due to a programming conflict. According to the Trib's Phil Rosenthal, The U will carry the Bear game to allow ABC7 to air a live episode of one of the network's most popular shows, "Dancing with the Stars", that night. ABC7 will carry the Bears' second "MNF" game, December 20th vs. the Vikings in Minnesota, also on ESPN.

No matter where the games are on TV, Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer & Zach Zaidman paint the picture on WBBM Newsradio 780 & the Chicago Bears' Radio Network again this season.

But now I'm going to miss my Bernie Mac, Tyler Perry, and Frasier reruns...

The 'U' is now on my list.

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