The Browns’ preseason home opener against the Detroit Lions on Saturday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium will be on TV locally as planned.
Although there are still between 4,000 and 5,000 seats still unsold, with no chance of the game being a sellout by the deadline of Wednesday night at 7: 30, it has been learned the Browns have decided to televise the game anyway. It will be shown on Cleveland’s WKYC (Channel 3).
It is not clear what the Browns plan to do with the remaining tickets. Some have suggested giving them away to local children’s group. We’ll see what happens.
The Browns were facing their first local TV blackout of the expansion era, and their first since Nov. 19, 1995 in the original franchise’s last season in Cleveland for a 31-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Since then, 102 straight home games have been televised locally. That includes the final two contests of that 1995 season, plus 100 games – 80 in the regular season and 20 in the preseason – in the 10-year expansion era.
As was the case for last Saturday night’s 17-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers, WKYC sports director Jim Donovan will once again move over from the same job in the radio booth to handle the play-by-play, with former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar serving as color analyst.
WTAM Radio sports director Mike Snyder will step in to fill Donovan’s chair on the Browns Radio Network, while former Browns left tackle Doug Dieken, in his 21st season, will be the color analyst.
The Browns’ next game after this one will come in about a week and a half when they host the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 22. That preseason home finale is not a sellout, either, but it is believed to be close to such.