WTVG AP Sports Operation 2012 Entry

In 2012, our sports department covered anything and everything related to Northwest Ohio athletics. We were at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series...the NFL combine in Indianapolis as our local star, Eric Page, tried out for scouts...Washington DC for Bowling Green in the Military Bowl, and of course, in Boise, Idaho as their rival Toledo Rockets played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
13abc went to New Orleans for the Final Four, spent time at Progressive Field for Indians opening day, followed Toledo-native Erik Kynard in the Olympics, and traveled to Soldier Field in Chicago, catching up with another Toledoan, Dane Sanzenbacher, as he continued his career in the NFL.
Besides the daily news, we strive to host compelling specials. Our team produced an hour-long live special at Michigan International Speedway, featuring interviews with 11 of NASCAR's biggest names. We did a two-hour live show at the Horseshoe, leading up to Michigan against Ohio State. And of course, we respect our sports closer to home, hosting a show the night before the LPGA teed off at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic.
We do 29 high school shows, both football and basketball, on Friday nights, featuring an average of 16 games per week. I've never heard of a more ambitious sports department in a market the size of Toledo.
WTVG takes its sports seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. Every Monday we do a segment called Faces in the Crowd, which captures fans on camera when they least expect it. Then our sports director comes up with a theme and writes a running commentary to correspond with the clips.
You'll see samples of all these stories and events in our video. We sincerely hope you find our material worthy of this prestigious award.