Tennessee Athletics, Gray Media partner in game-changing agreement featuring state-wide Vols shows

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - University of Tennessee Athletics, the Vol Network and Gray Media announced Friday a first-of-its-kind agreement with WVLT in Knoxville, WSMV in Nashville and WMC in Memphis, naming all three the Official TV Stations of the Tennessee Volunteers. The game-changing partnership will put Tennessee sports content on the air not seen anywhere else.

Exclusive Tennessee shows will air on the Tennessee Valley Sports Entertainment Network (TVSEN) in each of the three cities, with plans to expand into Chattanooga and Jackson. Viewers can expect plenty of content, including an exclusive show that will air two hours before each Tennessee game: Volunteer Gameday.

Volunteer Gameday will feature the “Voice of the Vols” Mike Keith, WVLT award-winning anchor Brittany Tarwater, along with former Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler.

“This has been a vision for several years and seeing it come together for Vol fans across the state is gratifying! We are excited to broadcast Tennessee Sports and Gameday content throughout the week to better serve one of the largest fan bases in college sports. We are thrilled to further our relationship with the Vol Network and Volquest and look forward to being the new standard in college sports media partnerships,” said Gray’s Regional Vice President and WSMV General Manager Jasmine Hardin.

With WVLT, WSMV and WMC all named Official Stations of the Vols, the partnership will bring Tennessee Athletics content across all three parts of the state – East, Middle and West Tennessee.

“Gray’s ability to broadcast and feature UT Athletics statewide, by developing the Tennessee Valley Sports and Entertainment Network, has enhanced our longstanding relationship with the University of Tennessee and the Vol Network,” WVLT General Manager Bruce Austin said. “In addition to Volunteer Gameday, Tennessee Athletics and TVSEN will deliver more television content to Tennessee fans than ever before, with additional programming announcements coming this fall. Viewers can also expect regular exclusive analysis and insights about the school’s athletics programs from Volquest personalities Brent Hubbs, Austin Price, Rob Lewis and Grant Ramey.”

For Tennessee Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Longworth, the project is especially exciting because it will put Vol sports in front of the entire state.

“We are proud to announce our partnership with Gray Media to launch a game-changing network for Tennessee Athletics,” Longworth said. “This initiative will seamlessly connect the entire Volunteer State, providing our dedicated fan base with an exceptional platform to access unique content year-round. Fans can look forward to exclusive programming featuring the ‘Voice of the Vols’ Mike Keith, among many other highlights.”

It marks the biggest change to WVLT’s longtime partnership with the University of Tennessee ever, and is something Vol Network Vice President and General Manager Brandon Parks said he’s looking forward to.

“The Vol Network has pioneered sports television programming for decades, and we are pleased to take another bold and exciting step with the introduction of Volunteer Gameday,” said Parks. “With the show originating from the game site, we have an opportunity to show viewers a live look at how special the UT campus is before kickoff. In addition to the Saturday show, we are eager to introduce other new and first-of-its-kind programming, together with our long-term partner, WVLT. Being a cornerstone of the Tennessee Valley Sports Network gives us valuable multi-market visibility and a fresh platform to better serve fans across the state. It is an exciting new chapter for Tennessee sports television.”

The agreement, overseen by the multimedia rights holder for Tennessee Athletics, Learfield, runs through June 2028.

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