I stumbled across a replay of Palmetto Sports Daily on the Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network (Channel 21.2 in Greenville). The episode featured sportscasters Kevin Bilodeau of Channel 5 in Charleston, Rick Henry of Channel 10 in Columbia and Beth Hoole of Channel 21 in Greenville.
Think of it as a talking heads show, but focused on sports in South Carolina. Rick's the only one of the group who was working in the state when I was back in days of yore.
Research indicates it airs live at 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, with several repeat airings late night and early morning. I'm writing this around 6 p.m. Thursday and may update this if warranted.
I don't know if there will be a similar program on weekends.
All three stations are owned by Gray Media, which formed Palmetto Sports & Entertainment and similar networks in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama/Louisiana/Mississippi and possibly more. There are also PS&E outlets in Florence-Myrtle Beach and Augusta. Teagan Brown of WMBF in Florence was part of Thursday's program.
I've seen nothing to indicate a similar network is planned in North Carolina. There are Gray-owned stations in the Charlotte, Greenville-New Bern-Washington and Wilmington markets, but not Raleigh-Durham and the Piedmont Triad.
Based on TV listings I saw, Peachtree Sports Network in Georgia had a weekly high school football game and a daily show about sports in the state. Much of the non-live programs appear identical on all the networks.
Viewers can watch Palmetto Sports & Entertainment for free with a suitable antenna and proximity to the broadcast towers. I'm all for anything that allows sports fans to watch events for free, even though I do subscribe to a streaming service (I need ESPN+ for college baseball!). Some cable systems may have PS&E as well.
Much of the channel's programming is replays of old ACC/SEC football games, poker tournaments, motorsports, and national talking heads programs similar to what is carried by some free ad supported streaming services. I know some people love that stuff, but that's not my thing. Maybe if I'd checked in on the channel more often I'd have discovered Palmetto Sports Daily sooner. Thursday's program featured the four participants sharing their background, so it may be that this is the first week for the show.
Palmetto Sports & Entertainment has had some live game coverage, such as Carolina Hurricanes hockey, a Wofford football game and the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. The channel also will air 10 Atlanta Braves spring training games and 15 Braves regular-season games in 2025. I know Channel 3 in Charlotte will air some of the Braves games.
When the channel was announced last year, it was reported that coverage would include soccer from the Greenville Triumph, Greenville Liberty and Charleston Battery, hockey from the South Carolina Stingrays and baseball from the Charleston RiverDogs and Columbia Fireflies. It also touts an association with Clemson's athletic department.
I don't know what - if any - blackout restrictions there will be regarding different minor league markets. For instance, will Stingrays hockey be blacked out in Greenville to avoid competing with Swamp Rabbits games, or will the Fireflies or RiverDogs be blacked out in Greenville avoid impacting the Drive market?
I may find out as soon as Saturday night. A Stingrays telecast is listed on the schedule. I'll check in Greenville to see if it's blacked out.
My hope is Gray Media can wrest an occasional ACC or SEC event out of ESPN's clutches and offer it for free. Gray owns many TV stations nationwide. Perhaps it can one day parlay all of its regional networks into an outlet viable as a national force in free sports broadcasts. I just saw a Gray Sports Network logo, so maybe it will happen.
For now, I'll take what I can get - FOR FREE.
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