Major changes to content are on the horizon this fall at Fandy.com, starting with televised broadcasts of high school football games.
Games will be broadcast and archived for replay at Fandy.com. The website also debuted an over-hauled Roundtable Live show on Tuesday night.
There are 14 games that will be broadcast during the 10-week season, including two highly anticipated Sandusky games at Strobel Field -- in Week 1 against rival Fremont Ross and Week 2 against Perkins.
Kyle Knight, who signed on as lead commentator for the 2011 season, has covered the Sandusky-Perkins series and the Blue Streaks' first-round playoff win in November.
"I can remember going to Strobel Field with my grandpa in the '70s and early '80s and listening to all the local broadcasts when I was growing up," Knight said. "This area has such a wonderful football tradition, and I'm honored to be the voice of the Fandy.com webcasts.
"I'm glad the fans will be able to experience the same things I'm seeing and talking about on their computers this fall."
The Friday Night Replay and Saturday Live Broadcasts are sponsored by Fisher-Titus Medical Center.
Other interactive additions and changes this year include:
• Hosting the Fandy.com Roundtable from 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays at Cooker Bar & Grille, including guest appearances from various coaches and players.
• A text-based vote that allows users to select the winner of the Fandy.com Football Player of the Week, sponsored by Norwalk Heating and Air.
Tandem Media Network Mobile Specialist Dana Freeman designed the Player of the Week texting contest. Each week, Fandy.com staff will nominate three players, and users can vote on the top performer by texting their selection to 4194U (41948) by 4 p.m. Wednesday. Winners will be announced in Fandy.com Magazine each Thursday.
Friday football games will be broadcast as early as 10 p.m., because the Ohio High School Athletic Association prohibits live broadcasts that day. On Saturdays there are no regulations on live broadcasts.
Fandy.com broadcast the Sandusky Bay Conference-Suburban Lakes League All-Star Game in June live from Huron Memorial Stadium to determine if the idea was practical for the 2011 fall season.
"When I was approached about this project I felt it could be a huge success. I could see the true potential of the webcasts when we broadcasted the SBC vs. SLL All-Star game earlier this summer," Knight said. "When people are watching our broadcasts they will get the full football experience from the action on the field, to the bands and the fans."
Knight, who went to Mount Union in hopes of becoming a journalist, changed his focus after he worked the radio the first day of classes. He has broadcast play-by-play since the fall of 1989 and has covered high school and college sports for 22 seasons in Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.
