Columbus winner comes to Cincinnati for Lunch Bunch

Cincinnati Reds fans from all over the state embracing their Reds, and Lunch Bunch Sweepstakes winner Joe Stueve is evidence of that. Stueve, a native of Dayton who now resides in Columbus, is a huge Reds fan. Ratings for the Reds on FOX Sports Ohio in Columbus have been record breaking this season, so it’s no surprise that a winner of a watch and win sweepstakes is from there. The Lunch Bunch Sweepstakes, presented by Time Warner Cable, was held between June 25 and July 7, with viewers entering to win at www.FOXSportsOhio.com. Stueve was one of ten daily prize winners to receive a 22” HDTV. He was also the Grand Prize Winner, receiving not only a 46” HDTV but lunch with Reds star Jay Bruce and FOX Sports Ohio announcers Chris Welsh, Jeff Brantley, Paul Keels, Jim Day and Jeff Piecoro in downtown Cincinnati. Stueve brought his mother Janet, his brother Josh and his fiancé Lindsey to the lunch at McCormick and Schmicks.

View the full photo gallery from Cincinnati!

Jeff Hogan Says Goodbye

It is with much regret that FOX Sports Ohio announces long-time Blue Jackets broadcaster Jeff Hogan will not be returning to cover the Jackets this season for the network.

After co-hosting the Blue Jackets pre-game show on FOX Sports Ohio and covering the team since its inception, Hogan will be leaving the network to take on greater responsibilities with WBNS-TV Channel 10, the CBS affiliate in Columbus.

“I want to thank my employer, WBNS, for their understanding and cooperation in allowing me to participate in what has been a joint venture with FOX Sports Ohio for many years,” stated Hogan. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to work alongside many professionals with FOX Sports Ohio and the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. It has been a career highlight to be part of a broadcast team and professional franchise since its infancy. I wish nothing but the best for both.”

Hogan holds the distinction of being the first Blue Jackets host for FOX Sports Ohio anchoring programs about the team nearly a year before the Jackets played their first game. The first show he hosted for FOX Sports Ohio was called Blue Jackets Beat which debuted in October of 1999.

Although the network is disappointed in the loss of Hogan, FOX Sports Ohio is pleased to announce Ray Crawford will assume Hogan’s role as co-host of Blue Jackets Live pre-game edition. For more information, click here!

Taking Our Volunteers to the Bank - the Cleveland FoodBank

The FOX Supports Ohio volunteer team in Cleveland was proud to be out of the office and in community again with a trip to the Cleveland Foodbank on July 27!

The Cleveland Foodbank began in 1979 as a way to eliminate the disconnect between food industries willing to donate and charities attempting to alleviate hunger in the community. “Working together, these individuals resolved that a single clearinghouse could solicit, collect, sort, and distribute food in a more efficient manner, ensuring improved operations for local charities in the Greater Cleveland area.”
In addition to repackaging and sorting nonperishable food, the Cleveland Community Kitchen at the Foodbank also prepares meals that are distributed to various local meal sites. So on that sunny Tuesday afternoon, after a short video and a tour of the massive facility, FOX Sports Ohio employees donned white “lab coats,” hair nets, and rubber gloves and were put to work in the kitchens. Their mission: ham! (And some other projects too.)

Some team members were put to work packing bagged lunches, making sloppy joes, scooping stuffing into smaller serving sizes, and labeling trays. They also made many, many ham, turkey, and cheese sandwiches. And when they ran out of turkey, they made ham and cheese sandwiches. And when the sandwiches were done, they folded hundreds of pieces of ham into two-slice servings to be used for another project!

While the volunteers may not be sitting down to lunch meat sandwiches in the Broadview Heights break room again anytime soon, everyone agreed it was a very successful afternoon and are excited to do it again. It was also an opportunity for FOX Sports Ohio to come together as a group, eager to help others. Managers and coordinators all up to their elbows: in ham.

For more information on the Cleveland Foodbank go to: http://www.clevelandfoodbank.org/.

High School Football is Back in Southern Ohio

FOX Sports Ohio is excited for the return of the Emmy Award Winning High School Football Game of the Week.

Once again, the network will be bringing the finest Southern Ohio high school football action home to fans with a schedule of nine exclusive, local games on evenings this fall.

The season will open with the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown doubleheader on Thursday, August 26 when the Loveland Tigers take on the Turpin Spartans at Mason High School at 5:30pm followed by the Edgewood Cougars verses the Wyoming Cowboys at 8pm. A link to the complete schedule is below.

High School Football Live, presented by Grange Insurance, will kick off the action 30 minutes prior to each week's game, providing fans with commentary, features, and in-depth pre-game coverage. Jeff Piecoro and Ray Crawford return as the pre-game shows’ co- hosts. In addition to his pregame duties, Piecoro will also serve as sideline reporter during the games.

For their fourth consecutive season, Brad Johansen and Dave Lapham will team up to call the games.

Each week’s telecasts will promote the schools’ sports and activities through interviews with athletic directors, principals and other key faculty. And of course, no game is complete without getting the chance to see and hear the marching bands perform at halftime!

The Northeast Ohio schedule was released earlier this summer. The complete schedule of the network's High School Football Game of the Week is below:
Southern Ohio schedule
Northeast Ohio schedule

Cleaning up at Emmys with High School Football

The 46th Annual Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), were recently in Columbus on Saturday, July 31. FOX Sports Ohio was recognized for its commitment to quality programming and received the following Emmy Award:

Category: Sporting Event/Game – Live/Unedited
High School Football Game of the Week

Brian Hunterman - Producer
Tom Farmer – Executive Producer
Doug Johnson – Coordinating Producer
Russ Jenisch – Director

This marks the first Emmy Award for the network’s coverage of high school football in southern Ohio. Earlier this summer, FOX Sports Ohio made an impressive showing at The Lower Great Lakes Chapter of NATAS’ Emmy Awards, taking home four Emmys, including one for the network’s coverage of high school football in northeast Ohio. FOX Sports Ohio is clearly the place to go for the best state-wide coverage of high school football.

Red Hot Ratings!

The Cincinnati Reds are just as hot on the air as they are on the field. The Reds are currently the top fourth rated MLB team. Ratings for the Reds on FOX Sports Ohio have been on the rise consistently all season long in Cincinnati as well as in Columbus.

At the start of August, the Cincinnati ratings are up 58% with a 6.71 household rating. The average rating for the month of July was 7.82, which is up 125% compared to July of 2009.

The high ratings have garnered some local media coverage. Check out these articles!

We're Hooked on Sports With ASAS

FOX Sports Ohio recently announced a partnership with After-School All-Stars (ASAS) and its “Sports As A Hook” program.

ASAS is a leading non-profit organization that provides comprehensive programming to middle school children in 13 cities across the US. Its mission is to provide free, quality comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life.

“Sports As A Hook” is a sports-based youth development initiative which helps connect sports to leadership and life skills, community service, nutrition, empowering girls, nature and parental involvement. FOX Sports Ohio will be teaming with the Columbus chapter of After-School All-Stars (CASAS) to provide monetary support for “Sports As A Hook” resources as well as engage in activities set up to benefit CASAS children.

“Sports As A Hook seemed like a natural partnership the very first time we heard about it,” stated Henry Ford, Senior Vice President & General Manager, FOX Sports Ohio. “We’re excited to support such a wonderful program, but more important to serve the youth in our communities.”

This partnership officially launched at the CASAS 2010 Summer Games on July 30 from at The Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Over 1,800 Columbus youth ages 7-17 attended Summer Games for a full day of sports, enrichment, and brain game clinics and competitions.

During the 12 noon lunch “half time” presentation, Ford presented CASAS with a $50,000 donation on behalf of FOX Sports Ohio.
“After-School All-Stars Columbus is honored and excited to partner with Fox Sports Ohio to implement the “Sports As A Hook” program,” said Donald K. Anthony Jr., Executive Director, After-School All-Stars Columbus. “We want to thank Fox Sports Ohio for their generous contribution to the program and extending their resources to help us provide meaningful experiences to our youth.”
For a complete recap of the event and to learn more about the partnership, please visit www.foxsportsohio.com/pages/support.

Cutting, Chopping and Digging for the Environment

On Wednesday, July 14, the FOX SupPORTS OHIO Volunteer Committee participated in a Trail Sweep of Boston Run Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National park.

The group's mission was to assist the National Park Service in building, maintaining and improving trails within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Along the 3.2 mile path, members of the team removed unwanted vegetation from the paths by cutting and chopping down branches and overgrown bushes and scattered them away from the trails.
Others in the group dug ditches for culverts (water passage ways) and maintained existing channels using rakes and hand tools.

This was a great event to help the environment, and the committee members are looking forward to helping out again in the fall.

Be a Part of the Telecast!

FOX Sports Ohio is gearing up for the Reds Interactive Nights on http://www.foxsportsohio.com/.

During these special nights, Reds fans can visit FOXSportsOhio.com and submit questions for FOX Sports Ohio Reds broadcasters. Select questions will be recognized and answered live during the telecast.

Fans can also chat live with Hall-of-Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy as well as with other Reds fans throughout the game. There will be interactive polls and chances to win great FOX Sports Ohio prize packs too!

The first interactive night will be Monday, July 19 when the Cincinnati Reds host the Washington Nationals at Great American Ball Park at 7pm.

Here is the complete schedule of Reds Interactive Nights on FOXSportsOhio.com.
• Monday, July 19 Reds vs. Nationals 7pm
• Sunday, August 15 Reds vs. Marlins 1pm
• Wednesday, September 1 Reds vs. Brewers 7pm
• Wednesday, September 15 Reds vs. Cardinals 7pm

Fans can register online at www.FOXSportsOhio.com and submit their email address now to receive updates on game day. Reds fans can also get the latest news, vote on select game polls, access in-game stats and scoring updates on FOXSportsOhio.com.

Tennies, Tuxes and T-Shirts a Success

At Quicken Loans Arena on Friday, July 9th, the Cleveland and Akron chapters of The American Diabetes Association (ADA) hosted 350 guests at Tennies, Tuxes and T-Shirts Gala. The evening of high-stakes celebrity gaming, fine dining, and fabulous live and silent auctions helped raise almost $100,000 for and awareness of the Association's research and mission: to prevent, cure, and manage diabetes.

FOX Sports Ohio's Senior Vice President & General Manager Henry S. Ford served as Honorary Chair for the evening. Mike Snyder of WTAM 1100 emceed while celebrity dealers, including Fred McLeod, the network's Cavs broadcaster; Frank Stams, former linebacker for the Cleveland Browns; Al Jenkins, Super Bowl for Miami Dolphins; Hector Marinaro, Head Coach of Men’s Soccer at John Carroll University; and Otto Orf, former goalie of Cleveland Force and Cleveland Crunch; and many more, worked the tables.

Guests were invited to attend the MedExpo in the Court Club while the health and wellness expo, presented by PDM Healthcare, highlighted preventative medicine, disease management and diabetes awareness and care.

Diabetes affects 330,000 children and adults in Northeast Ohio alone, and 24 million nationally. One in five (or 82,000) Northeast Ohioans have pre-diabetes, which puts them at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The ADA is leading the fight to stop diabetes and its deadly consequences and fight for those affected by diabetes. For more information, visit http://www.diabetes.org/.
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