WPIAL football title games are not on television for the 2022 season, marking the first time in over three decade that there is no broadcast.
KDKA-TV’s contract with the WPIAL ended last year and the station decided to not renew the contract. They chose to do this because the costs for the broadcast were too high and the sponsors for high school football don’t cover the expenses. KDKA-TV also paid a fee to the WPIAL for the broadcasting rights.
KDKA-TV put the games on their sister station WPCW, starting in 2018 with some simulcast on KDKA.
Prior to KDKA, AT&T Sportsnet and the variations of its name, which included Root Sports, FSN, Fox Sports Net broadcasted the title games for 27 years. KBL, which became Fox Sports Pittsburgh, began televising all four WPIAL title games in 1991 at Three Rivers Stadium. Fox Sports itself took control of the production of the title games in the late 1990s.
AT&T Sports Net decided to stop broadcasting the WPIAL title games in 2017 for the same reason as KDKA-TV, which were the rising costs. These costs ran more than six figures and for KDKA-TV, they dealt with other external issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This included people that used to broadcast the games leaving the industry for other jobs, forcing the station to pay people from out of town to do it, which costs more money.
The Tribune-Review holds the rights to internet streaming for all WPIAL playoff games, which includes this year as well.
Acrisure Stadium plays hosts to four WPIAL Championship games this season from Class 1A to Class 4A on Friday, Nov. 25. Norwin High School is the site for the Class 5A and Class 6A title games on Saturday, Nov. 19.
