University of Oklahoma ATHLETICS, Griffin media announce NEW partnership; VOICE OF THE SOONERS, Toby Rowland joins Griffin Sports as Analyst

Rowland To Continue as Voice Of Sooners; GRiffin To feature more than 250 hours of ou athletics programming per year

Oklahoma City, July 16, 2024 – The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department and Griffin Media announced a new partnership today that will see OU Athletics programming distributed on Griffin’s stations statewide. The partnership will feature more than 250 hours of OU sports programming throughout the academic year.

Additionally, Toby Rowland, the voice of the Sooners, is joining Griffin Sports as an analyst. Rowland will continue as voice of the Sooners while contributing to the Sunday Oklahoma Ford Blitz and other Griffin programs. Rowland previously worked for News 9.

"Griffin Media is excited to partner with the University of Oklahoma to air original OU Athletics programming on our channels,” said David Griffin, Chairman and CEO of Oklahoma’s Own Griffin. “We are also thrilled to be welcoming Toby Rowland home to News 9. Toby’s passion, experience and unique storytelling ability will provide our viewers a unique perspective of the college sports landscape. Our mission is to keep Oklahomans safe, informed, and entertained, and partnering with OU just furthers our commitment to our state and fellow Oklahomans.”

Featured athletics programming will include football, basketball, softball, baseball and other sports. Among the many programs on the weekly schedule, additional content will feature coaches shows, pre- and postseason shows, week-in-review and event highlights.

“I’m very excited to be joining the Griffin Sports Team as an analyst this fall,” said Rowland. “But I could never leave my Sooners behind so I’m just as excited to have signed a long-term agreement to continue as the voice of the Sooners.”

“We’re energized by this strengthened and renewed partnership with the Griffin organization,” said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. “As we expand our horizons and enter the Southeastern Conference, this engagement will give us a platform to share endless moments of Sooner Magic with our local and regional audiences. As voice of the Sooners, Toby has built a tradition of Oklahoma sports coverage that’s unrivaled by other programs. We’re so fortunate that in addition to his reunion with the Griffin Sports team, he will continue to call our football, men’s basketball and baseball games. Even greater days are ahead for Sooners sports coverage.”

The Sooner Sports content will air each weeknight at 10:35 p.m. on Griffin stations KSBI 52 in Oklahoma City and KQCW in Tulsa. The Brent Venables Coaches Show will also air on KWTV News 9 and KOTV News On 6 at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday nights during the college football season.

OU Athletics programming will be exclusively televised via the following Griffin stations: 

KSBI-Ch. 52 Oklahoma City (Griffin Media)

COX Ch. 7, U-verse Ch. 52, DirecTV Satellite Ch. 52, DISH Network Ch. 52, Over-the-Air Antenna Channel 52

A full channel listing can be found at www.news9.com/ksbi.

KQCW Tulsa (Griffin Media)

COX Ch. 7, U-verse Ch. 7, DirecTV Satellite Ch. 19, DISH Network Ch. 1, Over-the-Air Antenna Channel 19

A full channel listing can be found at www.tulsacw.com.

About Griffin Media

Griffin Media, L.L.C. an Oklahoma-owned multimedia company, keeps Oklahomans safe, entertained and informed through the gathering, marketing and distribution of news, weather, entertainment and sports content through multiple channels & platforms. Holdings include KWTV/News 9 and KSBI/News 9 Plus in Oklahoma City and KOTV/News On 6 and KQCW/The Tulsa CW in Tulsa. Griffin’s holdings also include News9.com, NewsOn6.com, Griffin Outdoor, and Griffin Radio Tulsa – KHTT, KVOO, KXBL, KBEZ and KOTV-AM. Griffin Media also has developed several partnerships and strategic alliances throughout Oklahoma, including Oklahoma Community Television/Griffin Tower Company and News 9 Now/News On 6 Now. Griffin Media, L.L.C. is among a few privately held media companies in the country, owned by David and Kirsten Griffin of Oklahoma City, and John Griffin of Muskogee. Griffin Media, L.L.C. solely focuses its resources in the state of Oklahoma.

About OU Athletics

The University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 21 varsity sports programs (nearly 600 student-athletes) that compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Southeastern Conference. By developing leaders and inspiring champions, OU's mission is to create Sooner MAGIC; the department's core values are Masterful, Accountable, Gracious, Inclusive and Competitive. OU's athletics programs have combined for 44 all-time NCAA team championships, with 25 of those coming under 27th-year Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione and with 18 earned since the start of the 2012-13 academic year. Men's gymnastics paces the university's sports programs with 12 national team titles and is followed by softball (8), football (7), wrestling (7), women's gymnastics (6), baseball (2) and men's golf (2). OU's football program has produced seven Heisman Trophy winners and a nation-leading 50 all-time conference championships, and is tied for the all-time lead with five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks. Living up to its "Inspiring Champions Today, Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow" mantra, OU Athletics also boasts a track record of excellence outside of athletics competition. Student-athletes have registered a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher each of the last 25 semesters, including a department-record 3.27 figure during the spring 2024 term.