KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s NFL team continues its involvement in the state’s largest media market, with the Kansas City Chiefs renewing is contract with CBS affiliate KMOV to carry the team’s games and programming for the second consecutive year.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin checks in with the sideline during the team’s 27-21 win over the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 23, 2016. (Nick Tre. Smith/Special to The Topeka Capital-Journal)
“We are excited to reach a renewal agreement with KMOV in St. Louis,” team president Mark Donovan said in a statement. “KMOV was an integral piece of the success that we saw in our first year broadcasting in the St. Louis market. We look forward to our programming being on-air in St. Louis again, so Chiefs fans there will have our content in their homes.”
KMOV general manager Mike Murphy said the combination of the team’s winning record and rabid fan base built a strong relationship between the Chiefs and the station.
“The Chiefs have a big following here in St. Louis,” Murphy said. “Channel 4 is excited to bring these games to our area for the second year in a row.”
Chiefs fans in St. Louis get additional opportunities to watch the Chiefs thanks to six scheduled prime time games. But the agreement does not cover regular season games broadcast on CBS. Whether those games air in St. Louis, however, remains subject to NFL blackout rules.
For example, during week six of the 2016 season, the Chiefs at Oakland in the only CBS game in the late window on Sunday afternoon. The game aired on most CBS stations in Missouri, but the St. Louis market received the New England-Cincinnati game at noon.
“We wanted it,” Murphy said about the Chiefs-Raiders game. “But the NFL didn’t make it available.”
The deal does include Chiefs preseason games allow with programming provided by the team’s 65 Toss Power Trap Productions. That includes “Chiefs Insider,” “Chiefs Rewind” and “Chiefs Kingdom.”
Murphy said his goal for the station is to air as many exciting, competitive games that entertain viewers. Chiefs games did that last year, but he said if there are other compelling games or the Chiefs record falters, KMOV might air other games.
“Our goal is to air as many (Chiefs games) as we can, but given the competitive landscape, we do look at that,” Murphy explained.
He added the station received relatively few complaints about the station airing all the Chiefs games it can. He said viewer and support proved overwhelmingly positive.
“A lot of the Chiefs fans have came forward and they’ve spoken up,” Murphy said. “They appreciated it.”
The Chiefs have maintained a measured strategy regarding entry into the St. Louis market following the relocation of the Rams to Los Angeles. Team chairman/CEO Clark Hunt said last November the early results prove positive.
“I think it’s been well received,” Hunt said. “I know that we have a lot of fans in St. Louis just going back generations, and certainly not having a home team to cheer for, I think some of those fans have become Chiefs fans.”
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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