In preparation for one of the most highly anticipated seasons in franchise history, the Miami Heat and Sun Sports have announced the Florida sports network’s 2010-11 broadcast schedule.

A total of 70 regular season games will air on the Heat’s exclusive regional television partner throughout the South Florida region this season. All 82 regular season games will once again be available for Heat fans to view as part of either local or national broadcast coverage. 


In addition, Sun Sports will carry four of the team’s eight preseason games, including its preseason opener on Oct. 5 against Detroit – where fans will get their first glimpse of the new Heat with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. 

Additional preseason coverage will be provided by TNT when it televises the Heat against Atlanta on Oct. 21; and ESPN when it broadcasts the Heat against Orlando on Oct. 22. The six televised exhibition games comprise the most extensive coverage since the 2001-02 season, when six of the team’s seven preseason contests were broadcast.

For the first time in franchise history, the entire regular season and each of the six preseason broadcasts will be delivered to fans in high definition. Sun Sports HD games will be available to fans in South Florida with HD service from cable and satellite systems offering Sun Sports HD. 

HEAT Live, a half hour pre-game show hosted by Jason Jackson, will air before each of the 37 regular season home games covered by Sun Sports this season, and premieres with a special edition prior to the Oct. 5th preseason opener against the Pistons.    

Spanish-language audio for the games on Sun Sports will be available via secondary audio programming (SAP). 

Sun Sports will continue to provide its younger viewers with an opportunity to participate in its production during its third annual “Kids’ Day Broadcast.” The telecast, which coincides with a celebration of Heat mascot Burnie’s Birthday, will take place as part of the Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 noon contest against the Los Angeles Clippers.

In addition to game coverage, Sun Sports will also continue to offer fans extensive live post-game content with expert analysis, news conferences, player interviews and more with its HEAT Live post-game shows immediately following each game broadcast.      

The Heat’s veteran broadcast team, led by Heat originals Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino, returns for their seventh consecutive season.  Reid, who began his career as the team’s color analyst, begins his 23rd season as an announcer with the club, making him the longest tenured sports broadcaster in the South Florida market. 

Jason Jackson, who has been honored with Emmy nominations in each of the last five seasons, returns as host and courtside reporter. This season fans can also learn more about the team and its broadcasts by logging on to FOXSportsFlorida.com, where former HEAT beat writer Chris Perkins will provide exclusive insight and analysis.

Sun Sports will also continue to bring HEAT fans closer to their hometown team with its commitment to feature programming produced by the network.  Plans call for eleven new episodes of the Emmy Award-winning Inside the HEAT series with numerous player profiles and shows focusing on other aspects of the team and its operations.  

All eight of the team’s 2010 preseason games can be heard on WINZ 940 AM.   Mike Inglis will handle play by play responsibilities for a 13th consecutive season, with former Heat point guard John Crotty once again joining as the color analyst on more than 50 radio broadcasts. 

Heat fans can also tune in for the games in Spanish on WQBA, 1140 AM where Heat original José Pañeda and broadcast partner Joe Pujala return to call the action for each of the three home preseason games at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Oct. 5, 12 and 18. 

Complete radio coverage of the regular season on both WINZ and WQBA begins on Oct. 26 with the season opener in Boston against the Eastern Conference Champion Celtics.