The Minnesota Vikings had a conference call with some season ticket holders this afternoon. I was not on the call, obviously, but per Vikings' public relations guru Jeff Anderson, I've gotten some of the details about what was talked about, mainly as it pertains to Minnesota Vikings broadcasting.
The first thing, and one that I find a slight bit disappointing, is that the Vikings' pre-season games will be simulcast on both television and radio using the broadcast team of Paul Allen and Pete Bercich. Now, while I'm a huge fan of PA (as I've said on numerous occasions), this announcement means that there will be no Mike Mayock in the booth during Vikings' pre-season games this year. Yeah, Mayock might not be much of an "analyst," per se, but I always liked hearing him talk about the more obscure players on the Vikings' roster in the second halves of games.
Greg Coleman will be on the sidelines for the Vikings' pre-season games, just as he is in the regular season. For the pre-season, he will be joined on the sidelines by recently retired former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who will be conducting sideline interviews during the games.
The Vikings' pre-season games will all be aired on KARE-11, with the exception of the pre-season opener at San Francisco, which will be broadcast on WUCW.
Also, the show Vikings Weekly, hosted by Ann Carroll, is no more. In its place will be a show entitled Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron. According to the press release, Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron will "feature a documentary-style format and will focus on the rare inside access that a team network can provide." The show will air Saturdays on KARE-11 and Sundays on Fox Sports North.
Vikings Gameplan will return as the team's pre-game show, and will air on Sundays on both Fox Sports North and KARE-11.