Raycom Sports
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports television production |
| Founded | July 1979 |
| Founder | Rick Ray, Dee Ray |
| Fate | Acquired by Gray Television |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Hunter Nickell (CEO) |
| Products | Sports broadcasting and production, including college basketball and football games, NFL preseason games |
| Owner | Gray Television |
| Parent | Gray Television |
Raycom Sports is a sports television production company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operates under the ownership of Gray Media. Established in 1979 by Rick and Dee Ray, the firm quickly became a prominent player in college sports broadcasting, particularly through its collaboration with Jefferson-Pilot Communications for Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball coverage. The company was acquired by Ellis Communications in 1994 and subsequently integrated into Raycom Media under the guidance of the Retirement Systems of Alabama. In 2019, Gray Media finalized the purchase of Raycom.
Raycom Sports expanded its influence by forming alliances with conferences such as the ACC, Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Eight, Big Ten, and Southwest Conference. During the 2010s, it lost broadcasting rights for ACC and SEC games to ESPN, which transitioned these broadcasts to cable platforms. Nevertheless, Raycom continued to produce syndicated ACC games for Bally Sports and various regional outlets until The CW secured the rights following Bally Sports' contract termination. Additionally, through Raycom or its affiliate Tupelo Raycom, Gray Media produces NFL preseason contests for franchises including the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints.
Founding
Raycom Sports was launched in July 1979 by Rick and Dee Ray in Charlotte. Rick Ray had previously served as a program manager at WCCB, a station that had recently become independent, and recognized an opportunity to tap into North Carolina’s passionate college basketball audience.
The company’s inaugural event was the Great Alaska Shootout. Early team members included Ken Haines. Within its first year, Raycom acquired rights to Atlantic Coast Conference basketball games, syndicating some contests to ESPN shortly after its debut. In 1988, after acquiring Rasmussen Communications, Raycom broadened its portfolio to include Big Ten Conference games and extended its agreement through 1995 to cover all conference games not broadcast on networks. The following year saw the creation of a radio division that secured broadcast rights for University of Illinois and Purdue University networks.
Partnership with Jefferson-Pilot Communications
In 1980, Raycom made a significant breakthrough by partnering with Jefferson-Pilot Communications to produce ACC basketball telecasts. This package originated in 1957 when Greensboro entrepreneur C. D. Chesley established a network to air North Carolina's national championship run; it evolved into a full-time basketball package the next season. A landmark moment was the January 14, 1973 NC State versus Maryland game—the first nationally televised college basketball game on Super Bowl Sunday—with subsequent ACC games also syndicated nationwide.
Chesley’s announcing team featured Jim Thacker, Ray Scott, Billy Packer, and Dick Enberg. After disagreements with NBC regarding game selections in 1978, Chesley sold ACC tournament final rights to ABC but maintained ACC rights until 1981 when the conference bought out his contract and sold those rights to Metrosports. In 1980, Raycom independently aired some ACC games on select North Carolina stations.
For the 1981–82 season, Raycom joined forces with Jefferson-Pilot to create Raycom/JP Sports, securing the ACC package after Metrosports’ bid was declined. Raycom also played a role in establishing ESPN2's credibility by selling a 1995 Duke-Carolina game broadcast. In 1983, it launched ACC Ticket—a cable service focused on ACC content. By the 1990s, Raycom held broadcast rights across several conferences including the ACC, SEC, Pac-10, Big Eight, Big 12, and Southwest Conference but began losing some rights due to competition from cable channels and regional sports networks.
In 1987, Raycom introduced Raycom Entertainment with projects such as Elvis' Graceland, overseen by Peter G. Lenz who previously worked at Coca-Cola Telecommunications.
Raycom’s business approach involved controlling nearly all advertising sales while paying stations for airtime—a high-risk yet profitable strategy given that ACC games attracted ratings between 20 and 30 percent. The ACC’s regional reach covered rapidly growing markets like Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, Research Triangle, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., bolstering Raycom’s market presence and revenue opportunities.
Raycom Media
In 1994, Ellis Communications purchased Raycom Sports, which maintained its independence and continued operating from its Charlotte headquarters. That same year, Dee Ray departed, followed by Rick Ray in 1995. When an investment consortium led by the Retirement Systems of Alabama took over Ellis in 1996, the entire broadcast division adopted the well-regarded Raycom name, becoming Raycom Media.
During that year, Raycom introduced the Great Eight, a preseason college basketball tournament broadcast by ESPN that featured top NCAA regional finalists. The first participating teams included Boston College, Duke, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Purdue, Villanova, and UConn. In 1996, the event relocated to Chicago's United Center under a five-year agreement.
By 1997, Raycom had lost the advertising sales rights for Pac-10 and Big 12 college football to Fox Sports Networks amid leadership changes. In 2002, the company established the Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte—later renamed the Belk Bowl—which it continues to oversee.
Beginning in 2004, Raycom entered into a partnership with Jefferson-Pilot to distribute syndicated ACC football games and started broadcasting ACC men’s basketball tournaments in high definition by 2007. After Lincoln National Corporation acquired Jefferson-Pilot in 2006, the collaboration was rebranded as Raycom/LF Sports.
In November 2007, Raycom Media declared its intention to purchase Lincoln Financial Media’s television stations and sports division for $583 million. This acquisition granted Raycom complete control over ACC and SEC basketball and football broadcasting rights. Nonetheless, in 2008, ESPN secured SEC rights through a 15-year agreement alongside CBS and launched its own SEC cable network in 2014.
ESPN also obtained ACC football and basketball rights in 2010 but arranged a sub-licensing deal with Raycom. This enabled Raycom to continue producing a syndicated ACC package under the new ACC Network branding and handle digital media operations along with sponsorship sales. Furthermore, Raycom produced broadcasts for ACC Regional Sports Networks (RSN), which were distributed mainly across Fox Sports channels in the eastern United States. Wes Durham served as the lead play-by-play announcer from 2013 until 2019.
Raycom grew through acquisitions by purchasing Tupelo-Honey in 2012 and WebStream Sports in 2015; these companies were consolidated into the subsidiary Tupelo Raycom by late 2016 to strengthen its sports and entertainment production capabilities.
Following president Haines’ retirement at the close of 2015, Hunter Nickell—previously with Speed Channel—was appointed CEO in May 2016. In January 2018, Raycom Sports collaborated with Blizzard Entertainment to create a weekly television show for Heroes of the Dorm, Blizzard’s official collegiate tournament for its Heroes of the Storm video game.
End of ACC syndication
On July 21, 2016, ESPN renewed its contract with the ACC for an additional twenty years and launched the ACC Network cable channel in 2019, acquiring secondary ACC rights formerly held by Raycom. Despite this shift, Raycom Sports remained as the ACC's RSN and digital partner, contracted by ESPN to produce event coverage for the new channel. During the 2018–19 academic year, Raycom rebranded its ACC programming to prevent confusion with ESPN's ACC Network. The final syndicated ACC broadcast produced by Raycom was the men's basketball tournament championship game in 2019.
Acquisition by Gray Television
On June 25, 2018, Gray Television, headquartered in Albany, revealed its intention to acquire Raycom Media—the parent company of Raycom Sports—for $3.65 billion. The Federal Communications Commission granted approval for this transaction on December 20, 2018, and the acquisition was finalized on January 2, 2019. Consequently, Raycom Sports became a fully owned subsidiary under Gray Television.
In July 2021, Raycom introduced the Origin Sports Network, a streaming-exclusive platform that rebroadcasts games featuring prominent athletes alongside select original content.
On July 13, 2023, a partnership was announced between CW Sports and Raycom extending through 2027. This agreement grants CW Sports rights to air 13 college football games and 37 basketball contests each season—previously held by Bally Sports. Raycom is responsible for producing all broadcasts for CW, with the inaugural game airing on September 9, 2023. Several CW affiliates had prior associations with Raycom or the ACC Network, reinstating ACC coverage that began in 2019. This arrangement follows CW’s earlier sports collaboration with LIV Golf earlier in the same year.
Additionally, Raycom collaborates with Dome Productions to manage production duties for home matches of U.S.-based Professional Women's Hockey League teams.
College Basketball
- Mike Gminski – Analyst (2003–2019)
- Dan Bonner – Analyst (1983–2019)
- Tim Brando – Play-by-play announcer (1990–2019)
- Steve Martin – Play-by-play announcer (1991–2019)
College Football
- Dave Archer – Analyst (2010–2019)
- Tommy Bowden – Analyst (2011–2019)
- Tim Brant – Play-by-play announcer (2008–2016)
- Steve Martin – Play-by-play announcer (1991–2019)
College Baseball
- Tommy Hutton – Analyst (2012–2019)
Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards
Between 2009 and 2020, Raycom Sports' production team earned a total of 34 Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards from 73 nominations. Highlights include a streak of six consecutive victories in the "Sports Segment" category from 2014 to 2019, seven awards in "Sports/Live Event" over eight years, and five wins in "Sports Program" over six years.
2009 (23rd Annual Awards)
Sports Program/Series – "Football Saturdays in the South" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams, Lance Stewart, Beverly Rumley) Sports Segment – "Skipper" (Alex Farmartino) Editor/Short Form – "ACC football open featuring Chris Daughtry" (Dave Barringer) Photography/Short Form – "ACC football open featuring Chris Daughtry" (Dave Barringer & Jeremy Williams)
2010 (24th Annual Awards)
Sports Program/Series – "Football Saturdays in the South" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams, Lance Stewart, Beverly Rumley) Sports Segment – "Cameron Crazies" (Jeremy Williams) Editor/Short Form – "SEC football open featuring Rascal Flatts" (Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams, Chris Stevens) Director/Short Form – "SEC football open featuring Rascal Flatts" (Dave Barringer)
2011 (25th Annual Awards)
Magazine Special – "ACC Road Trip" (Tommy Kane, Alex Farmartino, Jeremy Williams, Dave Barringer)
2012 (26th Annual Awards)
Sports Program/Series – "Football Saturdays in the South" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams) Sports Segment – "Big Dawg" (Alex Farmartino) Magazine Special – "ACC Road Trip" (Tommy Kane, Alex Farmartino, Jeremy Williams)
2013 (27th Annual Awards)
Sports Program/Series – "Football Saturdays in the South" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams, Chris Duzan) Sports Live Event Game – "ACC Basketball: Duke vs North Carolina" (Rob Reichley, Billy McCoy)
2014 (28th Annual Awards)
Sports Program/Series – "Football Saturdays in the South" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams, Chris Duzan, Maxwell Brooke, Richard Brooke) Sports Live Event Game – "ACC Football: NC State vs North Carolina" (Rob Reichley, Roy Alfers) Sports Segment – "Rodney Rogers: The Durham Bull" (Jeremy Williams, Rob Reichley, Maxwell Brooke)
2015 (29th Annual Awards)
Sports Live Event Game – "ACC Basketball: NC State vs North Carolina" (Dave Barringer, Billy McCoy) Documentary/Topical – "Head Impact Research in the ACC" (Alex Farmartino) Sports Segment – "Toomer's Corner: The Final Roll" (Richard Brooke) Sports Promo Spot – "Duke/North Carolina: Making of a Masterpiece" (Jeremy Williams, Boris Rogers, Josh Hairston, Richard Brooke)
2016 (30th Annual Awards)
Documentary/Historical – "Charles Scott" (Jeremy Williams, Rob Reichley, David Daly, Maxwell Brooke, Richard Brooke) Sports Segment – "Brian Stann" (Dave Barringer) Sports Promo Spot – "Numbers of a Rivalry: Duke/North Carolina 2015 Tease" (Richard Brooke & Maxwell Brooke)
2017 (31st Annual Awards)
Sports Live Event Game – "2016 ACC Tournament Championship" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Billy McCoy, Jeremy Williams, Chris Duzan, Jonathan Robbins, Josh Vinson) Documentary/Historical – "The Red Bandanna" (Alex Farmartino, Chris Duzan, Maxwell Brooke) Sports Segment – "Ever Faithful: The Resurrection of UAB Football" (Richard Brooke, Maxwell Brooke, Timothy Alexander, Jordan Smith, Kortney Cowart, Michael Shikany)
2018 (32nd Annual Awards)
Sports Live Event Game – "2017 ACC Tournament Championship" (Rob Reichley, Lonnie Dale, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jeremy Williams, Jonathan Robbins, Josh Vinson) Sports Segment – "James Conner – Conner Strong" (Alex Farmartino)
2019 (33rd Annual Awards)
Sports Live Event Game – "2018 ACC Tournament Championship" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Dave Barringer, Jonathan Robbins, Josh Vinson, Jordan Smith) Documentary/Topical – "Ramah" (Alex Farmartino, Maxwell Brooke, Josh Vinson, Jonathan Robbins) Sports Segment – "Rory Coleman" (Josh Vinson)
2020 (34th Annual Awards)
Sports Live Event Game – "2019 ACC Tournament" (Rob Reichley, Alex Farmartino, Lonnie Dale, Billy McCoy, Maxwell Brooke, Jordan Smith, Stone Hill) Sports Promo Spot – "Battle of the Blues" (Jordan Smith, Richard Brooke & Maxwell Brooke)
Additional Programming
In 2003, Raycom intended to develop Team Racing Auto Circuit broadcasts for ESPN, but the league ceased operations before any events could take place.
Outside of collegiate athletics, Raycom and its affiliate Tupelo Raycom have been responsible for producing NFL preseason matchups for franchises such as the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants (starting in 2010), New Orleans Saints (beginning in 2015), and Atlanta Falcons (from 2017 onward). A significant move in this area included Raycom's acquisition of the flagship station WVUE-DT from a consortium led by Saints owner Tom Benson. This venture into NFL programming highlights Raycom's deliberate expansion within sports media and its efforts to broaden its portfolio of offerings.
Currently Recorded Shows
- Havoline Football Saturdays in the South
- Kings of the Court
Distribution
Raycom Sports broadcasts were commonly part of out-of-market sports packages such as ESPN GamePlan and ESPN Full Court, which were available through ESPN3.