NBC Sports Chicago to debut new “Unfiltered With David Kaplan” Monday
Live, daily sports talk programming returns to NBC Sports Chicago
For the first time since the cancellation of Sports Talk Live, NBC Sports Chicago is launching new local half-hour nightly sports program Unfiltered With David Kaplan beginning Monday, coinciding with the start of baseball season later in the week. According to a press release, Kaplan “will bring the entertainment to sports talk with his honest take on all teams. Kaplan will dive into trending sports topics, pop culture and candid conversations with players, coaches and insiders.”
Kaplan was the longtime host of Sports Talk Live at NBC Sports Chicago, until its cancellation in August 2020 as budget cuts swept through parent NBCUniversal’s local stations and regional sports networks due to the pandemic. Kaplan was retained, hosting The Football Aftershow airing on NBC Sports Chicago after Chicago Bears games.
“I am so excited to be back doing a daily TV show and having such a great opportunity to highlight all of the stories that make Chicago the best sports city in America,” Kaplan told Robert Feder on Monday.
The show also will have a betting segment, courtesy of PointsBet who is the show’s primary sponsor. Kaplan also will have his daily betting pick in his Tip Of The Kap, appearing with PointsBet experts who share their tips and strategies.
Kaplan continues in his role as co-host of ESPN 1000’s Kap and J Hood with co-host Jonathan Hood, weekday mornings from 7 to 10.
Unfiltered premieres Monday at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago and on the RSN’s website. However on nights when the 6 p.m. slot is occupied by a pre-game show or by a game, Unfiltered will be available only via stream. Unfiltered is also being made available on-demand on YouTube and NBCSportsChicago.com and also streaming on NBC 5’s (WMAQ) Chicago channel on Peacock and other over-the-top platforms.
Unfiltered joins other nightly sports talk/wrap-up shows in the Chicago market: Nexstar’s WGN-TV has GN Sports, stripped seven nights a week at 10:30 p.m., and Marquee’s The Stadium, which generally airs at 5:30 p.m. on the Cubs/Sinclair-owned RSN.