Channel 2 Launches Thursday Night High School Football

None — WSB-TV/Channel 2 and PlayON! Sports in cooperation with the Georgia High School Association announce a new night for exclusive high school football "Game of the Week" coverage.

For the first time, high school football games will be televised live on Thursday nights.

The 12-week regular season schedule features cross-town matchups from 11 counties.

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DATE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME 8/18 Dacula at Norcross 8/25 SW Dekalb at Tucker 9/1 South Gwinnett at ML King 9/8 Lovejoy at North Clayton 9/15 Heritage at Rockdale County 9/22 East Paulding at North Paulding 9/29 Milton at Centennial 10/6 SW Dekalb at Dunwoody 10/13 Sprayberry at Pope 10/20 Dutchtown at Griffin 10/27 Chattahoochee at South Forsyth 11/3 Etowah at Lassiter 11/11 Friday night Playoff Round 1 11/18 Friday night Playoff Round 2 11/25 Friday night Quarter Finals 12/2 Friday night Semi Finals

Games will air live on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 2.2, WSB-TV's second digital channel. Fans can also watch games live on wsbtv.com and watch the rebroadcast Friday nights at 1:06 a.m. on Channel 2.

"We made a great start with last year's Friday night game telecasts," said Bill Hoffman, vice president and general manager for Channel 2 WSB-TV. "This year, we're taking this season to the next level by carving out a special night for these match ups.

"The GHSA, schools, and coaches cleared the logistical challenges involved in moving games to Thursday nights. All involved see the value in increased visibility of their sports programs on this new night," said Hoffman.

"We appreciate their trust and look forward to making high school football on Thursday nights akin to a little thing called Monday Night Football in the NFL," he added. WSB-TV 2.2 can be found on the following cable systems: Comcast 248- Metro Atlanta, Calhoun, Rome Charter 127- Metro Atlanta, Athens Windstream 871- Dahlonega, Hiawassee, Cornelia, Commerce ETC 190- Ellijay, Cherokee, Pickens, Gilmer & Fannin counties Plantation 601- Green and Putnam Counties Knology 168- West Point

TV coverage includes Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein, with the play-by-play and Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports columnist Michael Carvell, providing analysis of each game.

Coverage will also include a special halftime show featuring each school's marching band and interviews with school principals on other areas of excellence.

The partnership between WSB-TV and PlayON! Sports, now in its second year, is part of the GHSA Network, which provides multi-platform distribution of Georgia high school sports content.

About Channel 2 WSB-TV The ABC Affiliate is part of Cox Media Group and ranks as Atlanta's number one local television station. The station also operates its website, wsbtv.com, its mobile site, wap.wsbtv.com , and airs Retro TV on its digital channel 2.2.

About Cox Media Group Cox Media Group, Inc. is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps. With $1.8 billion in revenue, the company operations include 15 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 86 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. Additionally, CMG owns and operates Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

About PlayON! Sports PlayON! Sports is building the nation's premier high school sports network. The company is the largest rights holder, producer, and aggregator of high school sports events distributed across television, the Internet, and IP-video enabled mobile devices. By combining State Athletic Associations' postseason content with the regular season events of member schools, PlayON! provides marketers with a unique multi-media platform solution to reach teens, young adults and families. PlayON! Sports is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with offices in the Southeast and Midwest. For more information, contact PlayON! Sports at info@playonsports.com, or visit www.playonsports.com.

About Georgia High School Association (GHSA): The GHSA is a voluntary organization composed of over 400 public and private high schools whose purpose is to promote good sportsmanship and to standardize and encourage participation in athletics and extra-curricular activities through Region and State competitions. For more information, contact GHSA at ghsa@ghsa.net , or visit www.ghsa.net.

WSBTV