The Cowboy Channel and sister station RFD-TV are dedicating their telecast of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this weekend to Don Imus, the broadcaster and radio personality who died last year.

Also See: Cowboy Channel Sets Broadcast, Stream from National Finals Rodeo

Imus was a National Finals Rodeo Fan, a rancher and supporter of the western lifestyle, the network said.

“For the past 10 years, no one was more supportive than Don Imus for the Cowboy Channel broadcasting the National Finals Rodeo,” said Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV founder Patrick Gottsch. “Many of the innovations are a result of Don's "strong" input and suggestions. Unfortunately, Mr. Imus passed away last Christmas so we thought it appropriate to dedicate these final broadcasts of the 2020 NFR to Don Imus. Don and I became great friends, and I miss him so much." 

Gottsch hired Imus to appear on RFD to boost distribution in 2007. He left the network in 2009 to do a show on Fox Business Network.

When the Imus ranch went up for sale in 2018, Gottsch bought it.

The dedicated broadcast will include a special commemorative video highlighting Don Imus’ life and his passion for the NFR and being a rancher.

Cowboy Channel is the official network of ProRodeo and will be covering the 10 days of the National Final Rodeo.

In addition to The Cowboy Channel’s television network, the coverage is also available for live streaming  and on demand viewing  in three languages – English, Spanish and Portuguese – on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app for $74.99 for the 10 days at www.cowboychannelplus.com. The mobile app offers up-to-the minute scoring, news, highlight clips, standings, trivia and interactive games,

RFD-TV said it has acquired the Imus Ranch near Ribera, N.M., with plans to use it as a location to produce original programs and host company events, later expanding facilities to create a western resort.

The ranch -- built to accommodate Kids With Cancer, the Imus family (Don, Deirdre and Fred Imus) charity -- includes a western town where RFD-TV will put on display Trigger and Bullet, Roy Rogers's famous horse and dog, the programmer said. RFD-TV bought Trigger and Bullet at auction in 2010.

“The Imus family built this ranch from scratch that is so well designed that the complex can now be adapted immediately for a wide variety of uses,” Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of RFD-TV parent Rural Media Group Inc., said in a release. “RFD-TV The Ranch fits perfectly into our desire to produce more original television programming that embraces western sports and the western lifestyle for both RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel.”

Don Imus, the famed radio and TV host, built the ranch in 1998 and announced plans to close it in late 2014, citing his age (74), health issues and upkeep costs among the factors, according to the Albuquerque Journal. 

Debbe Dunning's Dude Ranch Roundup, a dude-ranch travel show on the network, will move production to the ranch next year, the network said. The ranch includes Imus's former TV and radio studio. 

The ranch has a 14,000-square-foot hacienda and has 35 beds now to accommodate guests. Gottsch said the network plans to expand to include a health spa, shooting range, dance hall, ATV experience, conference center, bass fishing and other amenities.