Locked On Brings Local Sports Podcast Coverage To 13 TV Markets.

The Locked On Podcast Network is expanding the distribution of its shows under a partnership with the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network (GCSEN). Under the deal, television stations in 13 markets across the Gulf Coast region will air podcasts each weekday between 10am and 12 noon.

Locked On’s local focus to sports podcasting with hyper-local voices, often long associated with the teams they cover, has created an opening for such a partnership. Shows that will get picked up for coverage on GCSEN include Locked On Saints, Locked On Pelicans, Locked On LSU, and Locked On SEC.

“With GCSEN, we are building a must-watch network for sports-hungry fans and we believe the Locked On podcasts will satisfy those who want important information and analysis on their favorite teams, the Saints, Pelicans, LSU and on the mighty SEC,” said Mikel Schaefer, General Manager of WVUE-TV and the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network.

The Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network was launched in October by local television station operator Gray Media. It airs in TV markets across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with coverage of 10 million homes.

“Our hosts go beyond the headlines to provide expert analysis and deeper insights that connect true fans with their favorite teams,” Locked On COO Carl Weinstein said in the announcement. “We’re excited to work with Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network and honored to partner with the Pelicans and Saints to deliver in-depth local coverage that their regional sports fans demand.”

Gray Media launched GCSEN after it signed several sports rights deals in the region, and the plan to bring the Locked On podcasts to the digital TV network has the backing of the owners of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.

“With the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network just launching last year, we worked closely with Gray to promote and educate fans to when and where to find Pelicans basketball games on the network,” said Senior VP Greg Bensel. “A year later, we are thrilled to see the network adding topical, fresh sports programming like Locked On podcasts.”

The deal marks the latest leap into television for Locked On. The Tegna-owned podcast network says that its growth plans including “moving aggressively” into OTT and FAST TV channels, and it has debuted more than a half-dozen, making several of its shows available via streaming services including Amazon Fire TV Channels on Fire TV, Fire tablet, and Echo Show devices. The company said in November that its video streaming channels reached more than 1.5 million sports fans a month. 

The GCSEN deal now moves them from streaming television to broadcast, with a network that consists of 13 regional television markets. They include:

• WVUE Ch-7.1 - New Orleans, LA

• WAFB Ch-9.3 - Baton Rouge, LA

• KGCH Ch-32.1 - Lake Charles, LA

• KSLA Ch-12.2 - Shreveport, LA

• KLGC Ch-25.2 – Alexandria, LA

• KCWL Ch-24.1 – Monroe, LA

• K36QM, Ch-36.1 - Lafayette, LA

• WLBT Ch-3.3 - Jackson, MS

• WLHA Ch-18.2 – Hattiesburg, MS

• WOOK Ch-15.5 – Meridian, MS

• WTBL Ch-51.3 - Biloxi-Gulfport, MS

• WBRC Ch-6.3 - Birmingham, AL

• WALA Ch-10.5 – Mobile, AL

• WSFA Ch-12.3 - Montgomery, AL