Posted: 4 p.m.
The Bengals announced Friday that Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium will not be blacked out and will air live in Cincinnati on CBS affiliate Local12 at 1 p.m.
In spite of the blackout being lifted, there are seats remaining for the game. They can be purchased by phone through the Bengals Ticket Hotline at 513-621-8383 (TDTD) until 8 p.m. today or between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday. Additionally, tickets may be ordered at any time today or Saturday by clicking here. Also, tickets may be purchased in person at the Bengals ticket office at Paul Brown Stadium until 5 p.m. Friday, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and on game day beginning at 9 a.m.
The Bengals, Local 12 (CBS affiliate WKRC-TV in Cincinnati) and Kroger worked together to ensure the blackout would be lifted. In honor of Veterans Day, Kroger will give away 500 tickets (250 pairs of tickets) to members of the Military. The tickets for the Military will be distributed at the following five Kroger stores tomorrow (Saturday), during the hours designated below:
*Kroger Lebanon – (11 a.m.-noon)
*Kroger Union (11 a.m.-noon
*Kroger Hyde Park (10-11 a.m.)
*Kroger Anderson Towne Center (1-2 p.m.)
*Kroger Fairborn (11 a.m.-noon)
At each of the five designated Kroger stores, the first 50 people who come to the promotional van outside the store and show a valid military ID will each get two tickets to the game.
"We are thrilled with the response from our fans, Kroger and Local12, and we are pleased that Bengals fans across the region can watch our game on Sunday," said Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice president. "We have great fans and their vocal support will give us a real home field advantage for this big AFC North game. We are especially pleased that we will have so many members of the Military on hand."
"Veterans' Day is a celebration of the brave men and women who have served and defended our country," said Geoff Covert, President of Kroger's Cincinnati/Dayton Marketing Division. "This game presented us with a wonderful opportunity to help the community by assisting in lifting the blackout but, more importantly, the chance to honor Veterans -- the courageous individuals who have laid their lives on the line for our freedom, our safety, and our great nation."
The lifting of the blackout means that the Bengals will extend to 49 their franchise-record streak of consecutive sellouts for regular and postseason games. The last Bengals home game not to be televised locally was on Nov. 9, 2003.
In addition to WKRC-TV (Local 12) in Cincinnati, the Baltimore game now is cleared to be broadcast live on the other two CBS affiliates in the Bengals home market -- WHIO-TV (Channel 7) in Dayton and WKYT-TV (Channel 27) in Lexington, Ky.
A NOTE ON WILL CALL
Due to the large amount of late ticket orders arranged via will call for Sunday's game, the Bengals ticket office urges fans picking up these tickets to do so early.
Will call tickets will be available for pickup tomorrow (Saturday) from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Bengals Ticket Office.
Fans who are unable to pick up tickets on Saturday are advised to arrive early on Sunday to avoid long lines. Will call will open on Sunday at 9 a.m.
BENGALS HAVE TOPPED CINCINNATI TV RATINGS FOR 75 STRAIGHT WEEKS
In each of the last 75 TV ratings weeks that have included a Bengals regular-season or postseason game — a period dating back to 2004 — the Bengals have ruled the Cincinnati airwaves. They have been the top-rated show among all programming in the Cincinnati market, and usually by a wide margin.
The streak hit 75 with the release of Cincinnati rankings for the week of Oct. 19-25. The Oct. 25 Bengals-Bears game led the way with a rating of 37.6.
The streak began on Dec. 5, 2004, when a wild Bengals win at Baltimore outpolled all other programs for the week.
The rating number indicates the percentage of market households tuned to the game — including those not watching TV at the time. The highest Bengals rating during the streak has been 45.5 for the Pittsburgh playoff game on Jan. 8, 2006.
The high rating of Bengals games has occurred despite the fact most games are played in the afternoon, when overall TV viewership is not as high as it is during the evening.
