Bears and FOX43 Announce Broadcast Partnership Extension and All-New TV Show

The Hershey Bears and WPMT FOX43 have announced a multi-year broadcast partnership agreement, continuing FOX43 as the official television home of select Hershey Bears games for a seventh consecutive season while expanding coverage with the launch of an all-new, weekly 30-minute show, "Inside The Bears Den."

The first broadcast of the 2026-27 season is Hershey’s home opener this Saturday, Oct. 3 vs. the Charlotte Checkers at 6 p.m. The club’s first road trip of the year to Rochester on Oct. 28 and Toronto on Oct. 30 will also be televised. All three games will air on FOX43’s digital channel, Antenna TV, which can be found on WPMT 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88. Select games during the season will be broadcast on FOX43’s main channel, available over the air, via digital tuner, cable, or streaming services with local channels. 

A broadcast schedule for the remainder of the year will be shared at a later date as FOX43 plans to air approximately 30 games this season.

The longtime Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, will provide play-by-play for all telecasts, joined by former Hershey Bears captain Garrett Mitchell as color commentator for home games and select road contests. FOX43 Sports Director Todd Sadowski will serve as iceside reporter and fill-in color commentator, with additional broadcast contributions from FOX43's Ryan Ye and Lauren Bradford, and Hershey Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman. FOX43's Ed Albert will produce game broadcasts, collaborating with Hershey's Great Save Productions on home telecasts. 

The expanded partnership also introduces "Inside The Bears Den," a brand-new weekly 30-minute program featuring player profiles, exclusive interviews, feature stories, and behind-the-scenes content. The show will air Sundays at 11 p.m. on FOX43 in Central Pennsylvania, as well as Mondays at 4:30 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network in the DMV region, allowing fans of Hershey’s NHL parent club, the Washington Capitals, to follow the AHL’s most historic franchise. The show will also air on-demand on FOX43's app, FOX43+.

"We are proud to extend our successful partnership with FOX43," said Hershey Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer. "Their commitment to cover the team both home and away is second-to-none. With the launch of 'Inside the Bears Den,' that coverage is expanding even further, giving our fans more access to the team than ever before."

Owned by TEGNA Inc., WPMT FOX43 serves Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Lebanon, and surrounding areas as Central Pennsylvania’s leader for local and national sports coverage, including the NFL, MLB, and NASCAR on FOX, local high school football, and official Philadelphia Eagles coverage. FOX43's broadcast coverage of the Hershey Bears has earned three Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters awards for "Outstanding Television Coverage of a Local Sporting Event." In 2023, the broadcast team received the AHL's prestigious James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding media coverage.

All game telecasts will continue to be simulcast on the GIANT Bears Radio Network and via the Bears Mobile App. Games will also be available on the AHL's streaming video platform, AHLTV on FloHockey.