07/08/2009 9:54 AM Article By:
NESN to Carry Cape League’s New TV Show Starting Thursday
SOUTH YARMOUTH, Mass. -- "Cape League On Deck”, the Cape Cod Baseball League's weekly half-hour cable television show, has enjoyed unprecedented success since its debut in mid-June on local cable television.
After just four episodes aired on a network of Eastern Massachusetts cable systems covering all 15 Cape Cod towns and extending into Plymouth, Kingston, Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Martha's Vineyard, the show was picked up by the New England Sports Network and given a Thursday afternoon time slot as a lead-in to the Boston Red Sox pre-game.
NESN will air its debut episode of “Cape League On Deck” at 5 p.m. this Thursday, July 9, with a replay set for 1 p.m. on Friday. Three showings of show number two are scheduled, the first at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 16. Replays will air on Friday, July 17, at 1 and again at 4 p.m.
“The Cape Cod Baseball League has a special place in New England sports culture and NESN is proud to deepen our relationship with the League,” said Joel Feld, NESN’s executive vice president of programming and executive producer. “Cape League On Deck expands our coverage, which already includes the annual All-Star Game that will be held at Fenway Park this year, and gives baseball fans in New England a chance to see the best college players in the nation.”
Produced at the Cape Cod Community Media Center, in South Yarmouth, "Cape League On Deck" is a fast-paced magazine-style program chronicling the on-and off-field happenings in America's premier summer collegiate baseball league. It is hosted and produced by Boston University graduate and former NESN intern Katy Fitzpatrick, who heads a talented crew of young reporters.
Eye-catching graphics, plenty of action footage and in-depth interviews with Cape League personalities have been responsible for the show's successful start, reports co-executive producer Joe Sherman.
"I can't say enough about the tremendous work being done by the staff at the media center," Sherman said. "They were asked to take on the task of producing a complex, timely program that transcends the usual community access TV fare and to do it with very little preparation time. They not only accepted the challenge, they met it head-on and the result been a consistently high-quality show that has earned praise from viewers and critics alike."
Heading that staff is Terry Duenas, longtime director of the media center and another of the show's executive producers. Duenas is ably assisted by coordinating producer Mindy Lamothe, who supervises each week's production while still finding time to serve as the media center's full-time production services coordinator, Other key staffers are Thomas Milkey, media center access production coordinator, Dave Dewees, director of operations, and Ivan Rambhadjan, associate director of operations.
The multi-talented Milkey even composed and recorded the show's catchy musical sound track.
Tom Souza, president of USA World Events, is the man responsible for bringing "Cape League On Deck" to NESN. Souza's company produced the 2007 and 2008 Cape League All-Star Games for NESN and is doing the same for the July 23 game at Fenway Park.
"When I approached NESN, they were intrigued by the idea but wanted to be certain that the quality of the production would meet their high standards," Souza explained. "After I saw the premier episode, I knew that would not be a problem. I assured them that the production values, graphics and content would be outstanding, so they agreed to pick up the show for a six-week run starting on July 9."
Souza said he plans to meet with media center and Cape League officials shortly after the 2009 playoffs conclude to discuss plans fr the show in 2010. He, Duenas, Sherman and John Garner, Cape League director of public relations and broadcasting, all expressed confidence that "Cape League On Deck" will continue its success next season and for many seasons to come.
Garner, who shares executive producer duties with Duenas and Sherman, said the Cape League is proud to be connected with the show and is committed to working with the media center and USA World Events to ensure that "Cape League On Deck" will play a major role in the league's promotional efforts well into the future.
