FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 1998
Contact: John Johnson or Mike Clifford 517.332.5046
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- March 17 - Fans of high school sports can catch a
variety of Michigan High School Athletic Association tournament finals in
upcoming weeks as March Magic takes to the audio and video airwaves.
The package begins on Sunday (March 22), when the MHSAA Championship Television
Network begins its winter coverage with tape-delayed television coverage
of the Association's Ice Hockey Finals from the IMA Sports Arena in Flint.
The Class B-C-D Final between Calumet and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
will air at 1 p.m.; followed at 3 p.m. by the Class A title tilt between
Trenton and Grosse Pointe South.
The MHSAA Championship Television Network is a cooperative venture between
the Association and the Michigan Cable Television Association. Broadcasts
on the network will air on the following participating cable systems - Comcast
Cablevision, TCI Cablevision, Media One and Bresnan Communications. Consult
your local cable system for the channel and additional playback times.
In addition, the MHSAA Championship Television Network will provide coverage
of the Lower Peninsula Girls Volleyball Finals, with those games airings
on March 29, with the Class D match at 6 p.m.; followed by Class C at 7:30;
Class A at 9; and Class B at 10:30 p.m. One April 11, highlights of the
Individual Wrestling Finals will be shown, with the Lower Peninsula Division
I and II program airing at 6 p.m.; followed by Lower Peninsula Division
III and IV highlights at 7 p.m.; and Upper Peninsula highlights at 8 p.m.
The MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals will enjoy three days of television coverage
with the debut of the March Magic Recap, which will originate live at 10:30
p.m. on March 26, 27 and 28 from the Breslin Student Events Center in East
Lansing. The flagship outlet for the program will be WSYM-TV, Channel 47,
in Lansing; with participating MHSAA Championship Television Network cable
affiliates picking up the program statewide. The daily, 30-minute programs
will provide highlights, interviews and analysis of the four games played
each day, and will be hosted by WSYM sports director Mark Wolf.
The four championship games of the Boys Basketball Finals will be televised
exclusively on FOX Sports Detroit, which reaches over 2.3 million homes
in Michigan and Northwest Ohio. FOX Sports Detroit will air the Class D,
A and B games live; and carry the Class C finale on a same day delay basis
at 12:30 a.m. following the
Class B game, FOX Sports News and The Final Word. Additional first replays
are on March 30 for Classes D and C, with the D game at 1 p.m., followed
by Class C at 3 p.m.; while the Class A game will be shown on March 31 at
1 p.m.; and the Class B game will be shown on April 2 at 1 p.m.
Announcers for the telecasts are the Fred McLeod and Matt Shepard on the
play-by-play; Gregory Kelser and Tim McCormick doing the color; John Keating
will serve as the sideline reporter, and Saginaw High School boys basketball
coach Marshall Thomas will serve as a guest analyst. Kelser has been a part
of the announce team since 1990, and this is the sixth year on the crew
for Thomas.
Features to air during the finals telecast include: A tribute to Chassell
High School, which won the 1956, 1957 and 1958 Class D titles, setting a
Michigan high school boys basketball record which still stands today of
65 consecutive wins; a tribute to the recipients of the 1998 MHSAA Scholar-Athlete
Award and Sports Nutrition Award; and a feature on the 1998 Charles E. Forsythe
Award recipients, Lofton Green of River Rouge and Joe Todey of Essesville
Garber.
The radio coverage of the finals also hits a new high in 1998, with all
semifinal games airing in addition to the network coverage of the championship
games.
The flagship station for the semifinals and finals will be WVFN in East
Lansing. WVFN will also be airing special editions of Staudt on Sports with
WILX-TV sports director Tim Staudt at noon on March 26 and 27; as well as
special editions of The Sports Guys, Jeff Hager and Dave DeMarco, at 5 p.m.
each day during the semis. MHSAA Championship Network affiliates may also
pick up selected semifinal games. Consult your local listings.
The final games will also be broadcast on radio on 36 stations on the MHSAA
Championship Network. Consult your local listings for the games to be aired
in your area.
Here is a complete list of the stations on the MHSAA Championship Network:
Adrian -- WABJ;
Alpena - WHAK-FM; Battle Creek - WBCK/WRCC/WBXX/WWKN; Bay City -- WIXC-FM;
Boyne City -- WBCM-FM; Cadillac -- WATT; Caro -- WKYO; Cheboygan -- WCBY;
Coldwater -- WTVB; Escanaba -- WDBC/WYKX-FM; Escanaba -- WCHT; Flint --
WFDF; Gaylord -- WSNQ; Grand Rapids -- WBBL; Grayling - WGRYWQON-FM; Hancock
-- WMPL; Hillsdale -- WCSR; Hillsdale - WMXE-FM; Holland -- WWJQ; Houghton
-- WCCY; Ironwood -- WJMS; Iron River -- WIKB; Ludington -- WKLA; Manistique
-- WTIQ; Marquette --WJPD/WDMJ-FM; Mt. Pleasant -- WMMI/WCZY-FM; Muskegon
-- WKBZ; Newberry -- WNBY; Ontonagon -- WUPY; Petoskey -- WMBN; St. Ignace
-- WIDG; Sturgis -- WMSH; Tawas City -- WKJC-FM; and Traverse City -- WTCM.
Broadcasters for the semifinal and final games are Mike Grisdale and Steve
Chimner of WCBY in Cheboygan for the Class D and A games; Tom Duke and Mike
Stiles of WMSH in Sturgis for the Class D and A contests. For the finals,
Andy MacDonald and Mike Stump of WATT in Cadillac will host the broadcasts,
and Ken Delaney of WTVB in Coldwater will serve as the sideline announcer.
Fans unable to attend or access the radio or television broadcasts of the
event will have the opportunity to listen to the broadcasts of the semifinal
and championship games via telephone on Teamline through an arrangement
with TRZ Communications of Akron, Ohio.
TRZ provides pay to listen services for numerous collegiate and professional
teams. The service allows an individual who is unable to attend a contest,
or who is unable to pick up the radio or television broadcast of a game
to listen to the event while it is taking place.
To access the games, call Teamline at 1-800-846-4775. A caller will be requested
to provide a VISA or MasterCard number. The cost to listen to an entire
game is $19.95.
Video tapes of all semifinal and final games will be available for on-site
purchase through Advanced Video Service of Columbiaville. A limited number
of tapes will be available for pickup immediately after each contest at
a cost of $20.
There is a $4 charge for all orders requiring mailing. Orders will be taken
at the sale location on the concourse at the Breslin Center. Mail orders
may be directed to: Advanced Video Service, 5547 Columbiaville Road, Columbiaville,
MI 48421. Make checks payable to advanced Video Service. Allow 4 to 8 weeks
for delivery.
Sponsors of the MHSAA Championship Television and Radio Networks are Farm
Bureau Insurance and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.