Ferris Sports Update Back For Another Season!

Big Rapids, Mich. - A popular Ferris State University television program is back for another season as Ferris Sports Update returns for the 2012-13 athletics campaign.

Ferris Sports Update, which is a half-hour interview show profiling Ferris State Athletics, will air across most of Northern Michigan on Fox 32 each Thursday night at 10:30 p.m. (ET) throughout the year, beginning Sept. 6. The show is produced by Ferris State University's Television and Digital Media Production (TDMP) students in partnership with the Bulldog Athletics Department.

The first of 28 weekly episodes airs Thursday night and will feature Bulldog head coaches Tia Brandel-Wilhelm (volleyball) and Matt Kellogg (soccer) along with new football defensive coordinator Ryan Oshnock.

The host of the show is  Rob Bentley of the FSU Athletics Communications Office, who also serves as a local radio voice for the Bulldogs and is in his 13th year working for Ferris State Athletics. 

"It's exciting to be part of the show again this year and it provides us with an excellent platform to showcase our coaches, student-athletes and teams," said Bentley.  "This offers tremendous visibility for Bulldog Athletics and is an important part of our multimedia and broadcasting efforts."

The 30-minute program is taped and produced in a studio within the Interdisciplinary Resource Center (IRC) Building on the FSU campus. In addition to airing on Fox 32, the show is also accessible via the Grand Rapids Community College cable channel in the greater Grand Rapids market and it will also be aired locally on Ferris' Cable Television Channel at selected times throughout the week (see schedule below).

In addition, free live on-demand streaming of the show will be available over the internet on a continuous basis at www.ferrisstate.tv.  Segments of the show will also utilized via the official FSU Athletics website and multimedia portal at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com along with various university social networking platforms.

"I believe the collaboration we have with this program is a "win" for all areas in benefiting current students, attracting new students and representing student athletes and programs across all of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula," said faculty advisor and department chair Glen Okonoski.  "Our students function as a team in the studio, fulfilling each role necessary to create the show, and there is added importance placed on their learning when they know their product will be seen by a wide audience.

"We hope fans will tune in and see the professional production and engaging stories that are told on a weekly basis," he added.

Ferris Sports Update affords a unique opportunity for Bulldog fans to get information pertaining to Ferris State athletics while also providing insight from the respective FSU varsity athletic programs from its coaches, student-athletes and support staff. The show will include features on Ferris State student-athletes along with selected highlights from Bulldog Athletics events.

The students in the class producing the show are under the direction of Okonoski with assistance from faculty professor Fred Wyman, engineer Pat Tobin along with streaming media professor Connie Morcom. Ferris Media Production faculty member Steve Cox coordinates the airing of the show on Ferris Cable.

Funding for the show is made possible thru a joint effort between FSU Athletics, the Ferris State Admissions Department along with the College of Education and Human Services.

*The show will air locally via Ferris' Cable Television Channel (22 or 97) at the following times:

Monday - 10 p.m.
Tuesday - 7 p.m.
Wednesday - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday - 10:30 p.m.
Friday - 10 p.m.

*The show will air on the Grand Rapids Community College Access Channel at these times:

Monday - 11:30 a.m. & 11:30 p.m.
Wednesday - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday - 2:30 p.m.

*Segments of the show can also be accessed thru these website:

www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com
www.ferrisstate.tv
www.youtube.com/ferrisathletics

*Below is a list of satellite services offering either Fox 32 or Ferris TV