North Carolina State University Athletics
Chuck Amato TV Show Kicks Off New Season This Sunday
8/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 26, 2005
A later time, a new format, enhanced replays and analysis.
Those are some of the broadcast enhancements in store for the upcoming season of the NC State football and basketball coaches shows produced by the Wolfpack Sports Network, beginning Sunday night with the first installment of the Chuck Amato Television Show.
Both Amato's show this fall and the Herb Sendek Show during basketball season will air at a later time on each of the six stations in the Wolfpack network than in previous years. Viewers should look for the shows to air at either 11:00 pm or 11:30 pm in markets across the state. The shows will be replayed on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. on the Fox Sports South cable network and, for the first time, on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. on College Sports Television.
The changes are part of a comprehensive plan to improve the accessibility and quality of the shows.
"The No. 1 piece of feedback we have gotten from our fans about the coaches show is that Sunday morning is an inconvenient time for them to watch the coaches shows because of other family commitments," said Brian Asbill, the general manager of Wolfpack Sports Marketing. "Some of our affiliated stations were already airing the show Sunday night, and the viewership is much higher during those time periods."
The later broadcast time will also allow the show to be taped on Sunday afternoons, instead of immediately after the game, after the coach has reviewed highlights, met with his staff and had time to absorb the previous day's game.
"I won't have to walk straight off the field and into the television studio," Amato said. "It will give me a chance to give the fans a better insight into the game because I will have been given a little extra time to digest what happened and go over the tape before we shoot the show."
Amato's show will be co-hosted by Tony Haynes, who is entering his seventh season as the Wolfpack football sideline analyst, and Don Shea, who enters his 21st season as a member of the coaches show team. Haynes will work with Amato to analyze games, using video enhancements like stop-action and reverse-angle video and slow motion.
"Instead of showing the same highlights most everyone has already seen, we'll be looking to add an instructional element to the highlight package," Haynes said. "By using some end zone angles and stop action, we'll have the opportunity to better tap into coach Amato's expertise and analysis."
Shea will provide a historical perspective, as well highlighting personalities within the program. On the season's first show, he will feature new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman.
"Our goal is that at the end of 30 minutes we will have done a pretty good job of taking you inside the Wolfpack program," Asbill said. "The end result is that we hope to deliver better insight to Wolfpack football," Asbill said.
Haynes will also combine with the coach for the weekly Chuck Amato Radio Show, which will feature some format changes when it debuts Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. on flagship station WPTF-680 AM and a network that includes more than 30 stations across North Carolina. The first half of the show, which will originate for the third year from Bobby Murray Chevrolet on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, will be devoted to reviewing the previous game, hearing from the opposing coaches, giving updates about the team and previewing the upcoming game.
The second half of the show will be devoted to answering questions from the in-house audience and listeners.
"Again, the things we are looking to do are to add greater depth to show and the information our listeners are getting," Asbill said. "In the end, we want our television and radio shows to be a model that other schools look at and say `We want to be like NC State.' We have made these changes in an effort to achieve that goal."
NC State athletics director Lee Fowler embraced the changes.
"We appreciate the emphasis that Wolfpack Sports Marketing is placing on the growth and development of our broadcast programming," Fowler said. "The visibility of our sports programs continues to increase our exposure on the local and regional level. I believe our fans are going to enjoy the changes and enhancements that are in store for next season."
