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T-MINUS 100 DAYS & COUNTING TO LAUNCH OF FOX SPORTS 1
Day 1 Schedule Set; Key Talent Hires Made; New Programs Developing
New York - Today marks the start of the 100-day countdown to the historic launch of FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports' new national multi-sport network, and much has been accomplished since its official unveiling just over two months ago. The channel's launch schedule is set, key talent and production hires have been made, and programs have been developed. The Day 1 schedule and initial programming highlights are presented here, while the latest information on talent and programming developments are being announced in separate releases bundled and issued today to mark the milestone.
"We've been working for months now, but a lot has come together in the time since we officially unveiled our plans for the launch of FOX Sports 1 in March," said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports' Co-President and COO. "The programming schedule has been solidified, and we really come out of the gate incredibly strong from Day 1."
"Obviously, we knew from the start that finding highly skilled and talented senior production executives and talent to fill key roles would be essential to our success," added FOX Sports Co-President and COO Randy Freer. "It's fun to see the team take shape, and there's an incredible energy and enthusiasm present that people share when they're working on something they're passionate about."
FS1 officially launches at 8:00 AM ET on Saturday, Aug. 17 and includes 18 hours of original programming on Day 1, 16.5 hours of which are live, kicking off with NASCAR LIVE from Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. Seven hours of NASCAR programming follows, highlighted by live flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES race from MIS (12:30-2:30 PM ET). UFC takes center stage beginning at 5:00 PM with UFC TONIGHT, followed by UFC ON FS1 SATURDAY PRELIMS (6:00-8:00 PM ET) before the main event in prime time, UFC ON FS1 SATURDAY, live from TD Bank Garden in Boston (8:00-11:00 PM ET). FS1's Day 1 wraps with the maiden telecast of FOX SPORTS LIVE, the network's flagship news, opinion and highlights program. FS1's Day 1 schedule is as follows (all times ET; L denotes Live):
Time Event/Program
8:00-8:30 AM NASCAR LIVE (L)
8:30-9:30 AM NASCAR SPRINT CUP PRACTICE (L)
9:30-11:00 AM NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES QUALIFYING (L)
11:00 AM-12:00 PM NASCAR SPRINT CUP FINAL PRACTICE (L)
12:00-12:30 PM NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK RACE PRE RACE (L)
12:30-2:30 PM NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE (L)
2:30-3:30 PM TRACKSIDE LIVE (L)
3:30-4:00 PM UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER
4:00-5:00 PM UFC UNLEASHED
5:00-6:00 PM UFC TONIGHT (L)
6:00-8:00 PM FOX UFC SATURDAY PRELIMS (L)
8:00-11:00 PM FOX UFC SATURDAY (L)
11:00 PM-12:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)
12:00 AM-1:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)
1:00-2:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)
Once past the launch, the stage is set for several major premieres on Monday, Aug. 19, including CROWD GOES WILD (formerly Rush Hour), starring Regis Philbin (weekdays 5:00-6:00 PM); FOX FOOTBALL DAILY, hosted by Curt Menefee and Jay Glazer (weekdays, 6:00-7:00 PM); and FS1's MONDAY NIGHT FIGHTS franchise (9:00-11:00 PM), with bouts from Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.
FS1's exclusive live coverage of the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League season begins on Tuesday, Aug. 20 and Wednesday, Aug. 21 (2:00-5:00 PM ET), providing the preeminent competition in world club soccer greater with early round exposure than ever before. Later on Aug. 21, live coverage of the NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES race from Bristol Motor Speedway is on display in prime time (7:30-10:30 PM). The prime time schedule on Thursday, Aug. 22 features exclusive live action from CONCACAF Champions League, the most prestigious club competition in North American soccer (8:00-9:30 PM).
Next up is the first UFC-branded Wednesday night on Aug. 28 featuring a FOX UFC WEDNESDAY LIVE event and prelims scheduled from 8:00-11:00 PM ET.
The 2013-14 college football season premieres on Thursday, Aug. 29 (8:00-11:30 PM), followed by a game on Friday, Aug. 30 (8:30 PM ET-12:30 AM ET) and a tripleheader on Saturday, Aug. 31 (12:00-4:00 PM; 4:00-8:00 PM; and 10:00 PM-2:00 AM). Game action on Aug. 31 is preceded by the weekly two-hour FOX COLLEGE SATURDAY pregame show (10:00 AM-12:00 PM). Between the late afternoon and late night games are two hours of hard-hitting UFC 164 Prelims (8:00-10:00 PM).
FS1's third live UFC event comes Wednesday, Sept. 4, with an action-packed two hours preceding the season premiere of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER (10:00-11:00 PM ET). As previously announced, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER, UFC's signature reality series, moves to its new Wednesday 10:00 PM home that night, where it anchors the network's Wednesday prime time UFC block. The coming season features UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano as coaches.
-- FSMG --
About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; Fox's 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FUEL TV; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FSMG also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com, FOXSportsNext.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are Fox's interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network and FOX Sports Skybox restaurants.
T-MINUS 100 DAYS & COUNTING TO LAUNCH OF FOX SPORTS 1
Award-Winning BEING: Franchise to Profile NYC Police Department Football Team Leading Up to Game with NYC Fire Department
Special to Air on FOX Sports 1 During Super Bowl Week
New York - FOX Sports Media Group's award-winning original series BEING: profiles the New York City Police Department football team in its latest installment, BEING: THE FINEST, which airs the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII on FOX Sports 1, a new national 24/7 sports cable network. The announcement was made today in conjunction with a series of others marking the 100-day countdown to FOX Sports 1's launch on Saturday Aug. 17.
BEING: THE FINEST follows the New York City Police Department's semi-professional football team from the beginning of its season in April through its regular-season finale against The Bravest, the New York City Fire Department's squad, in the Fun City Bowl at Hofstra University on June 2. The documentary will be narrated by Tony Hernandez, the club's general manager and an active NYPD narcotics detective.
A FOX Sports Originals one-hour documentary special, BEING: THE FINEST examines how the NYPD football team's love of the game is measured through the players' demanding work and home lives. The documentary also pays tribute to Officer Joe Pritchard, a member of the team who was killed in a car accident shortly before the 2013 season began. The Finest have retired Pritchard's No. 1 jersey and carry it with them to practices and games. The team has dedicated this season to him.
"The BEING: crew has been embedded with The Finest since April and has seen first-hand their brotherhood in the face of tragedy," Scott Boggins, the show's executive producer and director, said. "Being a member of the NYPD is a tough, intense and often gritty job, and the officers who play for The Finest use football as a stress release. But, make no mistake - they bring a rough, hard-nose style of play that even the pros would envy. This is a great New York football story."
Central to BEING: THE FINEST is the team's motto: "Family." Members of The Finest are not paid for playing, but compete because they love football and because they consider themselves to be brothers united in a common goal. They sacrifice their free time for games and practices, sometimes sleeping in their cars so they can work a shift, attend practice, and return to work another shift.
"We were attracted to this story because of the tremendous heart these players exhibit on the field, at work and at home," Michael Bloom, FOX Sports Senior Vice President of Original Programming, said. "The NYPD put their lives on the line for us every day, and then on Saturdays this team of first responders puts the pressures of life and work on hold for 60 minutes to play real smash mouth football."
"This is a never-before-seen inside look at the NYPD Football Team," Hernandez said. "It will show the public true brotherhood and family values and why we are not just another football team."
The Finest have existed since the early 1970s, when a discussion between members of the NYPD and FDNY led to the first ever game between the Finest and Bravest, which has been played annually since 1973. The Finest compete in the National Public Safety League and are a non-profit organization that has generated $500,000 for local and charities like Ronald McDonald House NY, Wounded Warrior Project, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Habitat NYC, NYPD Widows and Children's Fund and Homes for Heroes.
The team consists of 72 players who come from all five boroughs of New York City and are a mix of ethnically diverse beat cops, detectives and supervisors. The squad plays six games per year and practices twice a week from April through June. The Finest are led by third-year head coach Kevin Shanahan, who is also an active NYPD officer.
BEING: THE FINEST is produced by Tarras Productions with Boggins serving as the show's executive producer and director. A multiple Emmy Award winner, Boggins produced FOX Sports Originals' first BEING: episode, the Emmy-nominated BEING: LIVERPOOL, which profiled Liverpool Football Club, one of soccer's most iconic and influential sporting institutions. The documentary marked the first time cameras had been allowed inside a Barclays Premier League locker room. Boggins has previously worked on HBO's 24/7 series, which earned 33 Emmy nominations and 14 wins in five seasons. Boggins' work on 24/7 included insider access to boxing title bouts featuring Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz (2011) and Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (2009), the 2011 NHL Winter Classic and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.
FOX Sports Originals' BEING: franchise gives fans a deep, thoughtful look at today's teams and players from an insider's point of view. It is an all-access invitation into the personal and professional lives of some of the iconic people and institutions in sports today. The first installment of FOX Sports Originals' BEING: series, BEING: LIVERPOOL, was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award and won Cynopsis Sports Media Awards in the categories of Documentary Series and New Sports Show.
-- FSMG --
About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband
platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; Fox's 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FUEL TV; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FSMG also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com, FOXSportsNext.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are Fox's interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network and FOX Sports Skybox restaurants.
About NYPD Finest Football
The NYPD Finest Football team is a registered not for profit that is comprised of active duty New York City police officers who play football while off duty and raise funds for charity. To date, Finest Football has raised half a million dollars for local and national charities. Some of the organizations the team supports through contributions and projects are; the Wounded Warrior Project, the Make a Wish Foundation, NYPD Widow and Children's Fund and the Ronald McDonald House NYC. Players and staff also visit New York City area hospitals delivering mini footballs and coloring books to young patients. In October 2001, at the invitation of the Walt Disney Corporation, the team conducted a stay-in school football clinic for 120 children-at-risk as part of "Disney's Global Celebration of Children." On June 19, 2002 the team was presented with the "Community Partner of the Year" award by the Walt Disney Corporations' Disney VoluntEARS Program. www.NYPDFinestFootball.org
T-MINUS 100 DAYS AND COUNTING TO LAUNCH OF FOX SPORTS 1
On-Air Personalities Don Bell, Molly McGrath and Julie Stewart-Binks
Join New 24/7 Sports Network
New York - FOX Sports Media Group today announced the key additions of Don Bell, Molly McGrath and Julie Stewart-Binks to the FOX Sports 1 broadcaster roster.
Bell's primary role includes anchor duties for FOX SPORTS LIVE, FOX Sports 1's flagship news, opinion and highlights program. McGrath and Stewart-Binks serve as update desk and breaking news correspondents for the new 24/7 sports network set to debut on Saturday, Aug. 17. The announcement was made today by Executive Vice President, Studio Production, Scott Ackerson in conjunction with a series of others marking the 100-day countdown to the launch of FOX Sports 1.
Bell joins FOX Sports 1 after spending three years as an anchor for ESPNEWS. Prior to ESPN, Bell flourished as a weekend sports anchor at KYW-TV, the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, where he earned a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Outstanding Sportscast. Bell began his broadcasting career as a weekend sports anchor at WWSB-TV, in Sarasota, FL in 2002 before moving to KPLR-TV St. Louis in 2004. Bell has covered a number of events including the World Series, the NCAA men's college basketball Final Four and thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
A native of Hillside, N.J., Bell graduated from Boston University in 2000 with a double major - a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism. In 2002, Bell received a Master's in journalism from Northwestern University.
McGrath joins the FOX Sports family from the Boston Celtics where served as a sideline reporter and in-arena host during the 2012-2013 season and was responsible for live segments during Celtics home games including halftime updates and player interviews at TD Garden. She also worked as host of Celtics Now!, a monthly recap program on Comcast SportsNet New England highlighting the best moments on and off the court for the Celtics. Additionally, McGrath hosted packages for Comcast's Celtics On Demand as well as hosted, produced and edited daily updates, exclusive interviews and other packages for the Celtics' team website. Originally from San Francisco, McGrath is a 2011 graduate of Boston College, where she studied broadcast journalism.
Stewart-Binks joined CTV, Canada's largest television broadcaster as an on-air personality in 2011. Prior to CTV, she was a reporter with FOX Soccer for the FOX Soccer Report in Winnipeg. An avid hockey player and fan, Stewart-Binks worked at CBC's Hockey Night in Canada as a program assistant, with the NHL's Leafs TV as a freelance reporter, and eventually as host and reporter with TV Cogeco's The OHL Tonight, covering the Ontario Hockey League.
Stewart-Binks attended Queen's University in Ontario, Canada where she completed a double degree in Physical and Health Education and Drama. She moved to England and completed her Master's in International Broadcast Journalism at City University London.
About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; Fox's 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FUEL TV; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FSMG also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com, FOXSportsNext.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are Fox's interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network and FOX Sports Skybox restaurants.
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