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8/17/2001
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Article/Press
Release
PAX TV Joins
Operation Bass as New Broadcast Partner
PAX Sets New Standard With Live Broadcasts Of Bass Fishing
Tournaments
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., (Aug. 16, 2001) - PAX TV, the family
entertainment broadcast network, and Operation Bass Inc., the
world’s largest bass fishing tournament organization, have
announced a historic broadcasting partnership that will bring live
coverage of a competitive bass fishing series to network
television for the first time.
The
announcement marks yet another milestone development for
competitive bass fishing since the 1996 inception of the Wal-Mart
FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative fishing series.
The
landmark PAX TV, Wal-Mart FLW Tour broadcast agreement includes –
for the first time in history - live broadcasts of each Wal-Mart
FLW Tour tournament and an additional 17 weeks of live programming
in a magazine-style format with segments covering outdoor sporting
news, guest appearances by fishing legends, angler profiles and
news from the fishing world. The series will include 27 hours of
programming, 24 of which will be live. The program will continue
to build on the unique weigh-in format pioneered by the tour and
will feature a consistent, guaranteed airing at 3 p.m. (EST) on
Saturdays over the entire 27-week schedule.
In
addition to a 30 percent increase in televised hours and heavy
promotional schedule throughout the 2002 season, the Wal-Mart FLW
Tour program will benefit from prominent display and promotion on
the PAX TV Web site located at
www.pax.tv. The PAX, Wal-Mart FLW Tour television broadcast
and partnership will also be promoted throughout more than 2,600
Wal-Mart stores nationwide.
JM
Associates, the award-winning Little Rock, Ark.-based television
production firm will produce the Wal-Mart FLW Tour program. JM
Associates has been a pioneer in outdoor programming for 35 years
and has produced them Wal-Mart FLW program since its introduction
in 1997.
Operation
Bass introduced the first live network broadcast of tournament
bass fishing in 1999 with the production of the Ranger M1
Millennium event from Cypress Gardens. The first-of-its-kind
tournament was the world’s most lucrative, featuring a $3.6
million cash purse, with up to $1 million going to the winner.
“Since we
began our historic partnership with Wal-Mart, we have never
stopped seeking new opportunities to bring professional fishing
into as many homes as possible through television,” said Operation
Bass Chairman Irwin L. Jacobs. “From the beginning, our goal was
to build a sport that promotes an appreciation of the great
outdoors and exemplifies family togetherness and family values.
The PAX TV, Operation Bass marriage is perfect because both
companies are committed to supplying high quality, industry
leading products and services in a family-friendly manner.”
PAX TV is
the nation’s newest broadcast network with a market penetration
rate of 84 percent. PAX reaches over 84 million households, which
exceeds any other sports programming network. In the past year,
PAX experienced 27 percent growth in the key 25-54 demographic
category while other networks experienced declines.
“Operation
Bass has been a leader in pioneering new developments in
competitive fishing - from record cash purses to live television
coverage of events. We look forward to helping Operation Bass
continue to elevate the sport of competitive bass fishing and
expanding the popular Wal-Mart FLW Tour brand to reach a larger
national audience than ever before,” said PAX TV President of
Programming Bill Scott. “We are making a major commitment of
network time and effort to the launch of the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW
Tour season and to each broadcast. The entire PAX TV programming
team is involved in this effort. Further, for the first time in
the sport’s history, we will be broadcasting 24 hours of live
coverage of Wal-Mart FLW Tour tournaments and fishing-related
programming throughout the season.”
PAX TV has
a history of successful broadcasts of both national and
international sporting events. The network currently shares the
broadcasting rights of the Senior PGA Tour with CNBC. In 2000, PAX
TV televised the Olympic Trials for numerous sports. This year,
the network expanded its sports coverage as the sole broadcaster
of the International Winter Special Olympics.
The
Wal-Mart FLW Tour is the flagship of Operation Bass tournament
programs. Wal-Mart became title sponsor of the tour in 1997. It
was the retailer’s first national sponsorship. In 2002, Operation
Bass will conduct 170 events nationwide and award anglers up to
$21 million in cash and prizes. The 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour
continues as the most lucrative fishing series in the world,
awarding anglers more than $5 million in seven events.
Paxson
Communications Corporation owns and operates the nation’s largest
broadcast television station group and PAX TV, the newest
broadcast television network. PAX reaches 84 percent of U.S.
television households via nationwide broadcast television, cable
and satellite distribution systems. Through the company’s
strategic relationship with NBC, the two networks have shared
programming.
The
Wal-Mart FLW Tour has one of the strongest sponsorship teams in
professional sports. Sponsors of the 2001 tour are ALPO Pet Foods,
BFGoodrich Tires, Black & Decker, Chevrolet, CITGO, Coleman,
Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm,
Kellogg’s, Land O’ Lakes, Lowrance, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota,
Pepsi, Plano Tackle Systems, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac,
Snickers Cruncher Bar, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater,
Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards. ACDelco spark plugs and oil
filters, David sunflower seeds, ACT II, Excalibur, Strike King,
Eagle Claw and Daiwa are associate sponsors of the 2001 tour.
For more
information on PAX, visit PAX TV’s website at
www.pax.tv. For information on Operation Bass and the Wal-Mart
FLW Tour, visit
www.flwtour.com. |
