Love to the Cavs

The Cavs acquired Kevin Love in a three-team trade that sends guard Andrew Wiggins and forward Anthony Bennett to Minnesota and a protected 2015 first round pick (via Miami) to Philadelphia. Minnesota will also acquire forward Thaddeus Young from the 76ers, while Philadelphia receives forward Luc Mbah a Moute and guard Alexey Shved from the Timberwolves.



SportsTime Ohio's All Bets Are Off carried the Cavaliers press conference introducing All-Star forward Kevin Love. [VIDEO CLIP]

During the presser, FSO Cavs broadcaster Fred McLeod had a 1-on-1 interview with Love. [VIDEO]

FOXSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico also did a hit with FOX Sports 1 in which Love talks to Amico about joining the Cavaliers and teaming up with LeBron James.

Reds Urban Youth Academy Ribbon Cutting



The Reds cut the ribbon on a $7 million youth baseball and softball complex in Roselawn on Aug. 22nd with MLB commissioner Bud Selig joining Reds owner Bob Castellini, players Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce and Cincinnati area leaders at the ceremony.


FOX Sports Ohio was there to cover the official opening of the Reds Urban Youth Academy and share via Reds Weekly, which airs every Wednesday at 6pm.

Hall-of-Famers Joe Morgan and Frank Robinson were part of the ceremony to christen the P&G Cincinnati MLB Urban Youth Academy, which will serve the youth of Greater Cincinnati with year-round instruction, educational and vocational programs. [VIDEO]

 The complex is already the home site for Walnut Hills and Purcell Marian High Schools as well as the Cincinnati RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program but will be open to all through the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

 This is the fourth MLB Urban Youth Academy to be built in the United States; there are also facilities in Compton, Calif., New Orleans and Houston. Facilities in Haileah, Fla., and Philadelphia are scheduled to be opened soon. There are six current MLB players who were a part of the Compton complex, which opened in 2006.

 CLICK for the full feature by Kevin Goheen on FOXSportsOhio.com.

Reds Community Fund Telethon

FOX Sports Ohio and the Cincinnati Reds produced a special telecast to highlight the Reds Community Fund on Thursday, August 21st when the Reds played host to the Atlanta Braves.

A limited number of Reds packages were available for purchase during and after the telecast, featuring a Joe Morgan replica jersey, a Reds mini-bat, bobblehead, tickets and more. Proceeds benefited the new P&G Cincinnati MLB Urban Youth Academy, which officially opened to the public on Friday, August 22nd. The telethon helped to tell the story behind the construction of the Urban Youth Academy.

 During the special Reds Live pre-game show beginning at 6:00pm, FOX Sports Ohio and the Cincinnati Reds featured many of the wonderful programs the Reds Community Fund supports.

  • Pregame feature VIDEO: RBI program provides opportunities
  • Pregame feature VIDEO: Daron Bowling gives back at youth baseball camps

During the game, Jim Day provided updates from the call center. An extended Reds Live postgame also featured Reds Community Fund initiatives and provided an opportunity to donate.



Since its inception in 2001, the Reds Community Fund has used baseball as a vehicle to reach out to kids. As one of the nonprofit arms of baseball's first professional team, the Community Fund strives to create programming that connects at-risk children with baseball, while creating fundraising programs that connect baseball with the community.

"The Cincinnati Reds' dedication to improving children's lives through the Reds Community Fund is inspiring to all of us at FOX Sports Ohio," stated FOX Sports Ohio Senior Vice President and General Manager, Francois McGillicuddy. "We are proud to partner with the team again this year on the Reds Community Fund telethon."

Welcome Home Lebron Party

LeBron James, a four-time NBA MVP and Akron native, announced his decision to come back to the Cleveland Cavaliers and his Northeast Ohio roots following four years with the Miami Heat. James was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavs in 2003 and played with the franchise until 2010.

  The LeBron James Family Foundation staged a 'Welcome Home LeBron Community Rally" on Aug. 8 at InfoCision Stadium on the University of Akron campus.



FOX Sports Ohio Girl Bridget along with FOXSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico and Zac Jackson were there to cover the event. 
Check out their BURST videos for the sights and sounds of the party in Akron and read Zac Jackson's Lebron Homecoming article and Sam Amico's apology letter to Lebron.

Reds Hall of Fame Weekend



FOX Sports Ohio had special coverage of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Weekend:
  • Friday, August 8th -€“ extended Reds Live post-game coverage: 
    • Over 20 Reds legends, including members of the 2014 Induction Class, were introduced on the field during post-game ceremonies.
  • Saturday, August 9th -€“ hour-long Reds Live pregame show at 6:00pm: 
    • Ken Griffey, Jr., Dave Parker, Ron Oester and the late Jake Beckley were officially inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame during on-field ceremonies. 
    • Marty Brennaman served as master of ceremonies and Griffey Jr., Parker and Oester addressed the crowd and threw out ceremonial first pitches
  • Wednesday, August 13th - special Reds Weekly Hall of Fame edition at 6:00pm
    • Highlights of many of the Reds Hall of Fame celebration events from the Friday and Saturday on-field ceremonies to the Sunday Induction Gala.
Not only did FOX Sports Ohio cover the events, but FOXSportsOhio.com highlighted the occasion with two special feature stories by Hal McCoy and provided a photo gallery:

Reds Buses For Baseball


In cooperation with the Major League Baseball Player's Association and the Player's Trust, FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports Ohio Girl Kristine and the Reds provided the Boys and Girls Club of Cincinnati with a lifetime of memories all jam-packed into one fantastic day with Buses For Baseball.

  • Ride on the FOX Sports Ohio Reds Fan Express
  • Early access to Reds batting practice
  • Meet the players
  • Watch the Reds beat the Indians 5-0
Check out the photo gallery from the day.


Crain's Cleveland: Tribe is crushing the local competition in prime time

Author: KEVIN KLEPS

Tribe is big TV draw

The Indians continue to be a huge hit for SportsTime Ohio.

Since the start of the 2014 season, SportsTime Ohio, which Fox Sports purchased from the Indians in December 2012, is crushing the local competition in prime time.

Prior to Tuesday’s loss to the Reds, Indians games that were televised in prime time had averaged a 6.73 rating. According to SportsTime Ohio, the next-best prime-time ratings in that span were compiled by WOIO (4.21) and WJW (4.01).

The Tribe’s prime-time games, with a ratings norm of 6.73, are drawing more than 100,000 households. The Indians’ average rating of 6.3 for all games ranks fifth in Major League Baseball, and the numbers for July were among the best ever.

Last month, the average SportsTime Ohio rating for a Tribe game was 6.9, the third-best norm for a month since the channel was launched in March 2006, and the best since August 2011. Indians games were watched by an average of 102,000 households in July.

The season average rating of 6.3 heading into Tuesday was 17% better than the year-over-year norm from 2013. Also impressive: Monday’s win over the Reds drew a massive 9.39 rating and was watched by more than 138,000 households, making it the second highest-rated non-simulcast game of the season.

Click HERE for more.

Tribe ratings, Browns preseason & more








From Bob Finnan's sports media notes:

STO’s prosperity

Since the start of the 2014 season, Indians telecasts on SportsTime Ohio are the highest-rated and most-viewed programming on television in Northeast Ohio.
Indians telecasts are averaging a 6.73 household rating and 100,000 households in prime time (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.), 60 percent higher than the No. 2-ranked CBS (4.21) during the same period.
The Indians also have the fifth-highest local TV ratings in Major League Baseball.
July was the third-best month ever and best since August 2011 for the Tribe on SportsTime Ohio with a 6.9-household average (more than 102,000 households).
The Indians are averaging a 6.3 household rating, which is 17 percent ahead of last year’s pace.
“Fans are passionate and excited about the Indians, and we’re proud to bring them the most in-depth and high quality coverage each game,” said Francois McGillicuddy, senior vice president and general manager of SportsTime Ohio and Fox Sports Ohio, in a prepared statement. “Indians baseball on STO is the best part of summer.”

Quick shots

- Fox Sports Ohio will replay the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Grand Parade on Aug. 10 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will also be replayed on Aug. 11 at 8 p.m.
-  SportsTime Ohio will replay the Browns-Lions preseason game on Aug. 10 at 5 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
-  SportsTime Ohio’s “All Bets Are Off” with Bruce Drennan will head to Cincinnati to air live from outside Great American Ball Park on Aug. 7 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30.p.m.

More Emmys!

FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio have won five EMMY Awards this year in combination of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Ohio Valley and Lower Great Lakes Chapters. This marks the first year that the networks' coverage of all four of their professional teams has won an EMMY.

 FOX Sports Ohio won two EMMY Awards at the Ohio Valley Chapter's 50th Annual EMMY Awards, held downtown Columbus on Saturday, August 2nd. Earlier this year, FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio won three EMMYs at the Lower Great Lakes Chapter's 45th Annual EMMY Awards.

 "With these two recent wins for the Blue Jackets and Reds productions, we are proud to win an EMMY for coverage of all four of our professional teams for the first time," said Francois McGillicuddy, Senior Vice President and General Manager of FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTimeOhio. "We are committed to our team partners and strive for production excellence. It's an honor to receive these prestigious awards that recognize the collective efforts of the talented and innovative employees of FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio."

 CLICK for a complete list of FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio EMMY winners.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)