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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --November 10, 1999
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Nov. 10 - There are more ways than ever before for fans of high school sports to enjoy coverage of Michigan High School Athletic Association championship events, a menu which expands in 1999-00 to include a greater presence on the World Wide Web.

For fall season championships, the package is highlighted by two weekends of live coverage of the MHSAA Football Playoff Finals and Girls Basketball Finals on FOX Sports Net. FOX Sports Net is covering both events for the second straight year in 1999, with the games reaching over 2.4 million homes. However, due to a conflict with Detroit Pistons games, the Division 4 football finale at 8 p.m. on Nov. 26, and Class B girls basketball game on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., will be aired on alternate channels on most systems which carry FOX Sports Net. Both games will have same-day delay airings later those evenings at 12:30. In addition, the Division 4 football game will also be shown at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 28; and the Class B girls basketball game will be replayed on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m.

The MHSAA Championship Television Network will also provide coverage of the Boys Soccer Finals and Girls Basketball Semifinals. The Boys Soccer Finals will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on a network of cable systems that include AT&T, Bresnan, Comcast and MediaOne on Sunday, Dec. 5. The Division 4 game will be shown at Noon; followed at 2 p.m. by Division 3; at 4 p.m. by Division 2; and the Division 1 finale at 6 p.m.

Most systems will air the games on the same channel utilized for Michigan Government Television (MGTV). Additional replays may also take place at the discretion of each participating cable system.

The December Dreams Recap, featuring highlights of the semifinals for the Girls Basketball Tournament, debuts on Dec. 2-3. WSYM-TV in Lansing will serve as the flagship station for the program, featuring sports anchor Ryan Field. WSYM will air the program at 10:30 p.m. each day. Other network affiliates and their air times for December Dreams Recap are: WLLA-TV in Battle Creek-Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo, which will air the Dec. 2 show at 10:30 p.m., and the Dec. 3 highlights the following morning (Dec. 4) at 7 a.m.; WGKI-TV in Cadillac-Traverse City-Alpena-Sault Ste. Marie will air the show at 11 p.m. each day; and WLUC-TV in Marquette will air the program at 12:35 a.m. each evening.

On the radio side, the finals of the MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament will be broadcast on a statewide network of stations, and the semifinal games will again be aired locally in the community in which those games are played.

Stations already committed to airing the Girls Basketball Finals on December 4 are: Flagship stations WMMI/WCZY-FM, Mt. Pleasant; WABJ, Adrian; WATT, Cadillac; WCBY, Cheboygan; WBBL, Grand Rapids; WGRY/WQON-FM, Grayling; and WIDG, St. Ignace. Additional stations will be announced as they are added to the network. WMMI/WCZY will also carry all 8 semifinal games on December 2-3.

Coverage on the Internet expands this year, with the MHSAA entering into a partnership with Michigan Live. Michigan Live will originate the audio of the MHSAA Football Playoff Finals, and will pick up the audio of the semifinal and final games of the Girls Basketball Tournament from the MHSAA Championship Network.

Michigan Live will also provide video on-demand of the Boys Soccer Finals, with those programs available for viewing the week of Nov. 21.

The Michigan Live Web Site address is www.mlive.com/preps.

Sponsors of the MHSAA Championship Network are Farm Bureau Insurance and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments conducted in 12 sports for girls and 12 sports for boys which attract approximately 1.3 million spectators each year.