Comcast Hometown Network to Televise 25 Northern California Prep and College Basketball Games in 2011

LIVERMORE, Calif., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Hometown Network (www.comcasthometown.com), Comcast's regional cable network covering Northern and Central California, today announced that it will kick off its 2011 sports coverage with 25 high school and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) basketball telecasts as part of its ever-expanding local sports programming (see complete schedule below or at http://comcastcalifornia.mediaroom.com).  The games, which will be available on Channel 104 to all Comcast digital cable customers throughout Northern and Central California, will feature LIVE men's basketball from San Jose State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Boise State, Idaho and Utah State, as well as 14 local high school contests featuring both boys and girls teams.  The telecasts will begin on Saturday, January 8th at 1:00 p.m. with the San Ramon Valley at De La Salle High School game.

Comcast Hometown Network's basketball schedule will feature a number of highly ranked prep programs throughout Northern and Central California, including Bishop O' Dowd and Clovis East. The network will also televise the CIF San Francisco Section Finals for both boys and girls on March 5th.

"Comcast Hometown Network has once again put together an exciting and compelling regional basketball line up for the new year," said Jeff Giles, Director of Comcast Hometown Network. "Sports fans throughout Northern and Central California continue to schedule time with Channel 104, even though our local programming is more than just sports."

Play-by-play duties for CHN's high school games will be handled by Dan Dibley, of sports radio station KNBR 680-AM, and University of the Pacific announcer Zack Bayrouty.  Color commentary for the majority of the prep contests will be provided by Cal Bears announcer and KCBS 740-AM sports anchor Dave Lewis.  Additional commentary for high school games will be handled by Stanford radio analyst Drew Shiller and UC Davis announcer Bill Herenda.

The five-member broadcast team for the live WAC men's basketball games comprises Rich Cellini, Guy Haberman and Dave Harbison as play-by-play announcers, with Dave Bollwinkel and Bob Donewald serving as color commentators.

All of the high school telecasts will also be available via Comcast's popular On Demand platform, which is free to Comcast digital customers and allows viewers to pause, rewind and fast forward the games.  To view the games via On Demand, Comcast digital customers should tune to Channel 1 (On Demand) and select Get Local > Local Sports > High School Basketball.

About Comcast Hometown Network

Comcast Hometown Network (CHN) (www.comcasthometown.com) is a regional cable network produced by Comcast and available in the San Francisco Bay Area and Central California on Digital Channel 104.  Available to almost 2 million homes in Northern and Central California, Comcast Hometown Network is a 24/7 channel that includes Comcast Hometown Sports (CHS), original regional programming, and unique local content that can't be found anywhere else.

A key programming ingredient for Comcast Hometown Network is local sports coverage.  The network produces and televises LIVE minor league baseball games from the Class A Advanced California League, featuring the San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Modesto Nuts and the Visalia Rawhide.  CHN also produces and televises coverage of prep football and basketball throughout Northern and Central California.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.  With 22.9 million video customers, 16.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 8.4 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net).  Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Center, and, through Global Spectrum, manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

SOURCE Comcast Hometown Network