A Wild Season Underway

The Wild season is in progress and the production team at FOX Sports North is busy keeping the State of Hockey entertained with a variety of special features:

Kevin Gorg & Marney Gellner share "3 Things" about a few of the Wild players.
Video: http://tiny.cc/AuSK1

Minnesota Wild player Brent Burns appears in a instructional with Darby Hendrickson.
Video: http://tiny.cc/b48X2

Minnesota Wild player Cal Clutterbuck gets mic'd up.
Video: http://tiny.cc/mhSWR

The North marketing team is also busy helping promote a few team initiatives, including the Minnesota Wild patch giveaway:

The Wolves Way

The Wolves way is the right way...giving back to the community. The team is committed to making a difference in the lives of others.
Throughout the month of November, the Wolves honored the military with an initiative called “Operation Minnesota Heroes.” They will celebrate the “Season of Giving” throughout the month of December with a number of initiatives, including the "Kevin Love Coat Drive".

Check out a few of the ways the Timberwolves are giving back to the community:

Operation Minnesota Heroes
Video: http://tiny.cc/IBjJ9

Reading Time Out
Video: http://tiny.cc/t4of9

For more information:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/community/

Check out a new promo the North marketing team created featuring Jonny Flynn:

Relive the 2009 Twins Season with FOX Sports North

Relive the 2009 Twins Season with FOX Sports North:

"Minnesota Twins: September to Remember"
Relive everything in the run from seven games back through game #163 with extensive commentary from Ron Gardenhire on the twists and the turns and how every game over the final 3 weeks of the season felt like a playoff game.
*Premieres Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

"163 presented by Best Buy" (HD)
A special presentation of the classic 2009 AL Central Tiebreaker, which clinched the Twins’ unbelievable comeback to finally overtake Detroit for the division championship.
*Premieres Dec. 25, 7 p.m.
Jan. 26, 7 p.m.
Feb. 15, 7 p.m.
Mar. 9, 7 p.m

It’s Arrived! www.foxsportsnorth.com

It’s an exciting time to be launching foxsportsnorth.com – the world of new media seems to be changing by the day, and we think our new website positions us to roll with those changes and find new and better ways to connect with our audience. Naturally, video on-demand is a vital part of our new site, where we’re spotlighting the amazing features our production team puts together and posting highlight packages for viewers who want to catch up on what they missed or relive their favorite moments of our recent telecasts.

But we also aspire to be a one-stop shop for the Minnesota sports fan, so we’re committed to providing thorough coverage of our teams through game stories, features, stats and schedules and online community-building features like our forums, photos and comments sections.

Please continue to promote the site to your friends and family, and share your feedback with me – we want to find out what our users like and hear suggestions for ways we can improve the site and provide more of the content our viewers are looking for.

Patrick Donnelly, Digital Content Manager: patrick.donnelly@foxsports.net

Check it Out: http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/

Wild Twitter Ticket Giveaway

Twitter and tickets—free lower level Minnesota Wild tickets to be exact. The Minnesota Wild and FOX Sports North recently came up with a special promotion designed to engage social media users, increase team awareness and promote ticket sales across multiple social media platforms.

Over a week’s time, FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Wild sent out numerous clues on Twitter. Fans collected clues to try to figure out where FOX Sports North reporter Robby Incmikoski was going to be at noon on a game day. The first five people to find him at his secret location (Hockey Lodge at Xcel Energy Center) received a pair of lower level tickets.

Robby "tweeted" his secret location at noon, by 12:05 he had 5 winners. Not to worry, everyone else who showed up still received 15% off at the Hockey Lodge.

Photos: (top) Robby Incmikoski and Nordy get ready to hand out 10 lower level Minnesota Wild tickets. (bottom) A Wild fan races to the Hockey Lodge after the final tweet is sent out.

Hockey Day Minnesota 2010…Coming Soon!

January 23 will be here before we know it. Employees at FOX Sports North, our team partners at the Minnesota Wild and our friends in Hermantown are busy preparing for the big day. Mark your calendars now, it's shaping up to be a big day:

10:00 a.m. Hopkins vs. Duluth-Marshall
1:00 p.m. Eden Prairie vs. Hermantown
5:00 p.m. University of Minnesota vs. St. Cloud State
8:00 p.m. Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
11:00 p.m. Duluth vs. Hermantown (girls) TAPE DELAY

Hockey Day Minnesota Shaping Up to be a Big Event
Media: Hermantown Star: http://tiny.cc/7LFeb

Friday Night Fights: Hinckley Grand Casino

It was a first for FOX Sports North, a live boxing event from Hinckley Grand Casino. The crew set up a doubleheader live from Grand Casino where they hosted Qwest Wild Live from the ring, immediately followed by a boxing match-up between Matt “Skelator” Vanda & Phil “The Drill” Williams.

High School Hockey Night Has Arrived

High School Hockey Night, presented by Qwest, on FOX Sports North began on Dec. 4. To view the full schedule: http://tiny.cc/wb4Og

Something New-Fan Photos!
Log on to FOX Sports North’s Facebook page to view fan photos from all of our High School Hockey Night games. www.facebook.com/fsnnorth

Holiday Bubble Tweets

What exactly is a “Bubble Tweet?” It’s a 30 second video message sent to Twitter followers. Click here to check out an example of a
Bubble Tweet: http://bbltwt.com/xqnms

Bubble Tweets make social media more personal and we’re using them to send Holiday greetings to our viewers.

Watch for Holiday Bubble Tweets from our on-air talent this December and RT (“re-tweet”) the message from FOX Sports North on Twitter to wish all of your friends Happy Holidays!

FREEZE FRAME

Joe Mauer MVP Press Conference: Roy Smalley & Robby Incmikoski interview the MVP. Video: http://tiny.cc/a2LS9

The Qwest Gophers Live Crew in Action: Robby Incmikoski, Darby Hendrickson & Tom Chorske. Video: http://tiny.cc/mZfoc

Becky Ross, Anthony LaPanta, Ralph Gasow & Paul Hipp at Target Field to shoot a "Under the Lights: Target Field Nears Completion" episode. Qwest Wild Live Promo Shoot: Editor Tod Lavanty directs Kevin Gorg, Darby Hendrickson, Dan Terhaar & Mike Greenlay

Spotlight: Patrick Donnelly, Digital Content Manager

Give us a detailed job description of what you do at FOX Sports North
I work with our staff here, in Houston and L.A. to ensure that we populate foxsportsnorth.com with all the best video, text, photos, etc. It’s a bit more complicated than that, naturally, but basically I’m helping further promote the station’s brand, strengthen our relationships with our team partners, and give local sports fans a one-stop shop for everything they want to know about the Minnesota and Wisconsin sports scenes.

Where did you attend school?
University of Minnesota – B.A. in English, minor in standing in long lines

What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Watching sports on TV and then writing about it on the internet. Also, reading, cooking, travel, live music, and setting examples (good and bad) for my kids.

Who are the most influential people in your life?
My wife and daughters, who inform my every decision; also Homer Simpson, Sid Hartman, and the barista at Caribou who knows just how I like my coffee.

If I wasn’t doing this job, I would love to…
Be a best-selling author with a lake home on Superior’s north shore and a lot of tweed sport coats with those cool leather patches on the elbows.

Tell us something unique or interesting about yourself.
I was cut from my varsity basketball team as a sophomore, but eventually won an NCAA title and six NBA championships. No, wait, that was Michael Jordan. Umm … OK, I lived in Las Vegas for four years.

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Time travel, so I could go back and prevent Carrot Top’s parents from ever meeting.

Farewell Weekend

The Minnesota Twins and FOX Sports North will present a special 90 minute, commercial-free Final Farewell to the Metrodome on Sunday, Oct. 4 after the final game of the Twins vs. Kansas City series is televised on WFTC.

The special will be presented in HD and include the “top ten” Metrodome Memories, special guests, including former great players, the conclusion of the countdown to outdoor baseball and other surprises.

FOX Sports North Wins 10 Emmy Awards

FOX Sports North received 10 regional Emmy Awards at the Emmy Gala for the Midwest Chapter of NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) on Saturday, Sept. 26.

1. Board of Governors Emmy: Hockey Day Minnesota Celebrates the Minnesota National Guard
2. Sports-Program: Hockey Day Minnesota
3. Sporting Event-Game-Live Unedited-Series: Minnesota Twins Baseball
4. Documentary-Topical: Spotlight: Carl Pohlad
5. Promotion-Program: Wild Image-"Unassisted Goal", Editor Tod Lavanty
6. Director-Live or Live-to-tape: Matt Gangl
7. Editor-Sports: Nicole Kunkel
8. On-Camera Talent-Anchor-Sports: Anthony LaPanta
9. On-Camera Talent-Program Host-Moderator: Ann Carroll
10. New Technical Achievement: FOX Sports North Alternative Method of Production

Photo: Executive Producer, Jeff Byle accepts an Emmy for "Sports -Program: Hockey Day Minnesota"

Board of Governors Emmy Presented to FOX Sports North, Minnesota Wild & Minnesota National Guard

FOX Sports North, the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota National Guard were awarded the "Board of Governors" Emmy, saluting broadcasters, non-profit organizations and corporations that partner together on programming that supports local communities. The special award was presented to the three organizations for their combined effort during Hockey Day Minnesota. The broadcast showcased the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, the 834th Aviation Support Battalion and the 148th Fighter Wing as they played hockey during their deployment to Iraq in January 2009. A floor hockey game and special greetings from Iraq were featured throughout the day, informing viewers about the sacrifices of our Soldiers and Airmen.

Photo: (left-right) Mike Dimond, FOX Sports North; Matt Majka, Minnesota Wild, & Members of the Minnesota National Guard

Check it Out!
The National Gaurd's acceptance speech from Iraq:

Aquafina Kidcaster

FOX Sports North, Pepsi and the Minnesota Twins once again, partnered to present the Aquafina Kidcaster promotion for the 2009 Twins season. Kids from Twins Territory were encouraged to go to their local Cub Foods store to register to win a chance to be on TV in a special segment during the Qwest Twins Live pre-game show.

Kidcaster: Spanish Version
FOX Sports North also debuted two special editions of the Aquafina Kidcaster leading up to the Minnesota Twins Diversity Day on Aug. 30. The Aug. 28 and 29 kidcasters had the opportunity to interview Alfonso Fernandez, the Spanish play by play voice for the Minnesota Twins in Spanish.

Check it Out!

Wild on North

FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Wild will broadcast 45 games for the 2009-10 season. The telecast schedule begins with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, Oct. 8 beginning at 9:30 p.m.

FOX Sports North's Wild marketing campaign features the Minnesota Wild’s “It’s in Our Blood” slogan.

Check it Out!
The first promo of the campaign that we'll feature this season:

Gopher Hockey on FOX Sports North

The 2009-10 Gopher Hockey schedule is set for the 89th season of men’s hockey at the University of Minnesota. FOX Sports North will televise 28 games beginning on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. when the Gophers face the University of North Dakota.

Former Gopher and NHL player, Tom Chorske will join the broadcast team this season. (photo)

Check it out! Behind-the-scenes photos from Media Day with the Golden Gophers: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=159126&id=25652590925

A New Season: Vikings Weekly

It’s officially fall and football season here. #4 is wearing purple and gold and Adrian Peterson is off to an explosive start. Tune in to Vikings Weekly every week for the latest Vikings news and go behind-the-scenes with host Ann Carroll. This season Ann Carroll will feature a new segment every week: “Street Meet” with Jared Allen. #69 is on a mission to meet local Vikings fans!

Check it Out! Behind-the-scenes photos & video on Ann Carroll’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Ann-Carroll/68990992177

Photo: Ann Carroll was the first Minnesota reporter to get a one-on-one interview Brett Favre

Wolves 2009-10 Schedule Set

FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Timberwolves recently announced a 40-game telecast schedule for the 2009-10 season. The telecast schedule tips off on Friday, Oct. 30 against LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Target Center at 7:00 p.m.

Wolves Weekly, a half-hour weekly show featuring news items and stories about Timberwolves players and coaches begins Tuesday, Oct. 27.

FOX Sports North at the Fair

The great Minnesota get-together is the perfect spot to meet Minnesota sports fans and FOX Sports North viewers. FOX Sports North recently set up shop for 12 days at the Minnesota State Fair. Fans were excited to record their own sports updates at the interactive “Be a Sports Anchor” booth. This year all sports updates were immediatly uploaded to YouTube so fans could share with friends and family online. In total, we recorded and posted over 650 sports updates. Check out a few of our favorites:

A Special Guest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btsYAgqkTho

Our Youngest Announcers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2jB7QOZuGc

Future FOX Sports North On-Air Talent?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfLSvZvdvuU

Photo: FOX Sports North employees at the Minnesota State Fair

Social Networking Continues to Grow

The numbers continue to grow, hundreds every week. FOX Sports North currently has over 16,290 combined followers between Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook: over 12,775
Twitter: over 3,515

Sports fans continue to log on to follow their preferred sports network, proving they want to stay connected and receive bonus footage and breaking news regarding their favorite sports teams.

FREEZE FRAME

2009 Emmys: (left-right) John Maher & Matt Majka from the Minnesota Wild with Mike Dimond & Becky Ross from FOX Sports North
Guess the Stance: Batting Stance Guy recently made a special trip to Minnesota. Here he is hanging out with Robby Incmikoski before going live for Qwest Twins Live post-game

TCF Bank Stadium: Photographer Ralph Gasow & Anthony LaPanta shoot a segment at the brand new University of Minnesota football stadium
Updates from Target Field: Marney Gellner reports on the new green grass at Target Field

Employee Spotlight: Patricia Whitney

She’s the Operations Coordinator at FOX Sports North AND an Ironman (or woman). Patricia Whitney recently finished her first Ironman race in Madison, Wis. on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Finished time: 13:32:11
39/81 in age group

What is Ironman?
Ironman is one of the most grueling events in the world of sports, and also one of the most inspiring. Ironman features a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a complete marathon (26.2 miles), all in succession. Athletes have 17 hours to complete the event (from the 7 a.m. start until midnight).

Patricia says: “It was such an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. I’ve been asked if I would do it again. While the training was half the battle and the race was tough, I would never say never!”

A Hole in One!

FOX Sports North hosted its annual golf tournament for valued team partners, sponsors and affiliates on Sept 28. It was a brisk and windy fall day, but it didn't stop Tom Bordwell from Mediacom from getting a hole in one. Congratulations Tom!


Photo: (left-right) Jean Edhlund, Tom Bordwell and Kate Schroeder

Fun at Wisconsin Dells

FOX Sports North recently took Twins Live on the road to Wisconsin Dells for a weekend-long event including three live telecasts from various Wisconsin Dells locations July 17 -19. Twins Live from the “The Waterpark Capital of the World!®” was designed to celebrate the Dells and highlight some of the new and affordable options.

The regional network, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, produced several special features and vignettes highlighting new attractions and “tips” to help plan a getaway to the Dells. These vignettes included: “How to Weatherproof your Vacation,” The New Vibe in Downtown Dells,” “The Return of Lake Delton” and “Exciting Options for Youth Sports”.FOX Sports Wisconsin was also on location to broadcast

Brewers Live programming from Wisconsin Dells over the weekend, providing the community with exposure across a five-state region.

Photo: Anthony LaPanta and Ron Coomer live from the Riverwalk Pub

Baseball Season in Full Swing

FOX Sports North congratulates Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan on their All-Star selection. The Twins are back from All-Star Break and on FOX Sports North on Friday.
.


Twins All-Metrodome Team
FOX Sports North will have the exclusive announcement of the Twins All-Metrodome Team, during the Qwest Twins Live pre-game show on Tuesday, July 28.
Selected by Twins fans, media, alumni, front office and team historians, the Twins All-Metrodome ballot included the names of 66 players and three managers who anchored Twins teams throughout the Dome era.

The Minnesota Twins and FOX Sports North Celebrate Diversity
Check out our new spot:

Batting Stance Guy on FOX Sports North

Batting Stance Guy’s videos have become an internet sensation, with more than two million views on YouTube and other video sharing sites.
Batting Stance Guy made his debut on FOX Sports North last week: http://tinyurl.com/lwen4b

In celebration of this week’s MLB All-Star Game, FSN’s Batting Stance Guy appeared as a guest on Monday's Late Night with David Letterman and hit a home run with Dave and the audience. Batting Stance Guy, otherwise known as Gar Ryness, entertained with spot-on and wickedly funny impressions of some current and past MLB All- Stars. The clip can be seen in its entirety on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/ksaph5

Earlier this year, FSN and Ryness entered into an agreement in which FSN will showcase exclusive Batting Stance Guy content on FSN regional networks during the 2009 MLB season.

More information: http://www.battingstanceguy.com/.

A Wild Summer

It’s been a wild summer for the Minnesota Wild and it’s only July. FOX Sports North has been with the team throughout the busy summer covering breaking news, the NHL draft and community initiatives.

FOX Sports North televised two live press conferences during the month of June. The first announced new Minnesota Wild GM, Chuck Fletcher and the second introduced newly appointed Wild head coach, Todd Richards.
Qwest Twins Live included complete coverage of the NHL draft from Montreal, reporting exciting news of the Wild’s first round pick Nick Leddy from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Leddy has been featured in numerous FOX Sports North High School Hockey Night broadcasts over the past few years.
The Wild also joined FOX Sports North in Hermantown, Minnesota at a press conference announcing Hockey Day Minnesota 2010 before embarking on a three day trip across the “State of Hockey” for the 2009 Minnesota Wild Road Tour. The road tour came to an end in St. Paul where thousands of hockey fans attended the Wild Summer Bash celebration in Rice Park.


Photos:
Minnesota Wild players John Scott and Derek Boogaard sign autographs during a stop on the 2009 Wild Road Tour

Bill Robertson, VP of Communications for the Minnesota Wild talks to FOX Sports North at the Wild Summer Bash at Rice Park

An Active "Off-Season" for the Wolves

It might be the off-season for the Timberwolves, but the team hasn’t had much down time. It’s been a very active summer for the team as they build and prepare for the 2009-10 season. FOX Sports North has captured a lot of the busy off season, including two live press conferences. The first press conference was held to announce the Timberwolves new head of Basketball Operations, David Khan and the second press conference introduced two new players acquired in the 2009 NBA draft: Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington.

Video: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=1178167098036&ref=mf

Photo: Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations, David Kahn talks to Anthony LaPanta before the 2009 draft

Social Networking Continues to Grow

The numbers continue to grow, hundreds every week…FOX Sports North currently has over 12,000 combined followers between Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook: over 9,800
Twitter: over 2,800

Sports fans continue to log on to follow their preferred sports network, proving they want to stay connected and receive bonus footage and breaking news regarding their favorite sports teams.

Hockey Day Minnesota 2010 Announced

Fox Sports North, in conjunction with the Minnesota Wild, recently announced a cooperative effort to celebrate the Fourth Annual Hockey Day Minnesota.
Hockey Day Minnesota 2010 on Fox Sports North will take place on Saturday, January 23, 2010. The city of Hermantown will serve as the host for the three high school games featured in the 2010 line up:

10:00 a.m. Hopkins vs. Duluth-Marshall (boys)
1:30 p.m. Eden Prairie vs. Hermantown (boys)
4:30 p.m. Duluth vs. Hermantown (girls)

Hockey Day Minnesota coverage will also include a Minnesota Wild game from Xcel Energy Center, as well as the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers against the St. Cloud State Huskies.

According to Nielsen Media Research, FOX Sports North received top ratings for their coverage of Hockey Day Minnesota 2009, including record-breaking ratings during the first hour of Hockey Day programming and their highest-rated high school hockey and Gopher game of the season.

Photos:
(left to right) Hermantown Mayor, Wayne Boucher; Hermantown Boy's Head Hockey Coach, Bruce Plante; Duluth Star's Girls Head Hockey Coach, Amber Fryklund, FOX Sports North Host, Anthony LaPanta; Minnesota Wild Analyst, Mike Greenlay; University of Minnesota player, Cade Fairchild; St. Cloud State player, Drew LaBlanc and Minnesota Wild players John Scott and Derek Boogaard.

Anthony LaPanta, FOX Sports North presents the Hermantown Mayor, Wayne Boucher with a custom Hockey Day Minnesota 2010 jersey.

Media:
Hermantown to Host 2010 Hockey Day Minnesota, FOX 21-Duluth: http://www.fox21online.com/sports/hermantown-host-hockey-day-minnesota-2010

Hockey Day Minnesota Comes to Hermantown, Hermantown Star: http://www.hermantownstar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=946:hockey-day-minnesota-comes-to-hermantown&catid=18:breaking-news&Itemid=117

Minnesota Lynx

Tune in to FOX Sports North to catch the remaining Lynx broadcasts this season:
Aug. 7 vs. Connecticut, 9:30 PM
Sept. 5 vs. Seattle, 7:00 PM

Coaching Boys into Men Campaign

FOX Sports North is proud to support the “Coaching Boys into Men” campaign, a community education program supported by the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the Minnesota Department of Health.

"Coaching Boys into Men" Special Event:
Monday, August 10
National Sports Center, Blaine
Free, designed to educate coaches, parents and role models
Presented by FOX Sports North and the Domestic Violence Council of Anoka County

More information:
www.anokacounty.us

Fun Times at Valleyfair

FOX Sports North took the show on the road and set up Qwest Twins Live at Valleyfair. It was a fun day of baseball, games and rollercoasters. The special pre and postgame shows were designed to highlight all of the activities, performances and rides that provide family fun at Valleyfair. Hundreds of fans came to the park to celebrate with the FOX Sports North crew and over 500 fans commented on their favorite Valleyfair rollercoaster on the FOX Sports North Facebook page for a chance to win a private cabana at Valleyfair’s Soak City.

Photos:
Anthony LaPanta and Roy Smalley on the Qwest Twins Live set at Valleyfair

(left-right) Vanessa Lambert, Producer; Jeff Byle, Executive Producer; Becky Ross, Communications Manager and Amy Anderson, On-Air presentaion and Marketing Manager

Employee Spotlight: Matt Gangl

Give us a detailed job description of what you do at FOX Sports North
Director: I direct Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Wild games on FOX Sports North. I call the camera shots, and work with the producers, I am the conduit for what gets on the air. My job is to tell stories with camera shots and enhance the viewer’s experience of the games.

Where did you attend school?
St. Cloud State University

What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Spending time with my family, traveling, do it yourself projects, trying to find time to learn to play the guitar.

Who is/are the most influential people in your life?
My family

If I wasn’t doing this job, I would love to…
Work in the movie industry

Tell us something unique or interesting about yourself.
In high school and college I was active in the theater, both on stage and behind the scenes

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
The ability to fly

Media: WCCO Interviews Matt Gangl
Good Question: Why Does Bert Circle People? http://wcco.com/specialreports/circle.me.burt.2.1049272.html

Crystal Clear: Twins in HD

FOX Sports North continues to increase high definition production. 95 of the regional network's 115 Minnesota Twins game schedule is in high-definition for the 2009 season.


Check Out Our Upcoming HD Games:
May 15 at N.Y. Yankees, 6:00 PM
May 16 at N.Y. Yankees, 12:00 PM
May 18 at N.Y. Yankees, 6:00 PM
May 19 at Chicago White Sox, 7:00 PM
May 22 vs. Milwaukee, 7:00 PM
May 23 vs. Milwaukee, 6:10 PM
May 26 vs. Boston, 7:00 PM
May 27 vs. Boston, 7:00 PM
June 2 vs. Cleveland, 7:00 PM
June 3 vs. Cleveland, 7:00 PM
June 8 at Oakland, 9:00 PM
June 9 at Oakland, 9:00 PM

Media: http://www.startribune.com/sports/42508017.html?elr=KArksUUUU
Video: Twins in HD on FOX Sports North promo

North Hits 6,000 Fans on Facebook & Twitter

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard a lot about Facebook and Twitter recently. Why? These social networking sites seem to be taking the world by storm. They are the fasting growing online communities and serve as both a news source and a meeting place for family, friends and fans…including sports fans.

FOX Sports North recently started promoting these social networking sites during broadcasts and through marketing and PR initititaves. It is an attempt to attract new online fans after receiving a challenge: Which regional sports network can attract 5,000 combined Facebook fans and Twitter followers first? Not only did North win the challenge, but went above and beyond...with over 6,000 fans and growing.

Current Totals:
Facebook: 4,586 fans
Twitter: 1,831 followers

If you’re not following us on Facebook or Twitter, sign up today!

To learn more about how FOX Sports North is using Facebook & Twitter, check out these features:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn5mIqkWAGY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVK6tGpQpi4

Bert vs. Nightcrawler Raises $15,000 for the Minnesota Parkinson's Association

It started as a casual on-air conversation between Dick and Bert. They were chatting about the Minnesota fishing opener when Dick told Bert he was collecting nightcrawlers to use as bait. It ended in a challenge: Bert vs. Nightcrawler. Bert would eat two nighcrawlers to raise awareness for the Minnesota Parkinson’s Association and Dick and Ron Coomer were both in with $100 donations.

For the next week leading up to the Minnesota fishing opener, FOX Sports North encouraged fans to make donations and show their support for Bert vs. Nightcrawler. The Minnesota Governor even sent his words of encouragement. Bert raised over $15,000 and ate two live nightcrawlers during the Qwest Twins Live pregame show on May 9.

Media: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/44452017.html?elr=KArksUUUU
To watch the entire feature visit: www.facebook.com / search: FSN North

Espanol on FOX Sports North

FOX Sports North is bringing diversity to their Twins broadcasts this season by incorporating the Spanish language into a variety of different features.

FOX Sports North play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer recently interviewed Alexi Casilla and Luis Ayala in Spanish while the on-air marketing and promotions team recently debuted a Spanish version of “Tales from Twins Territory” featuring Twins player Tony Oliva. Miguel Ramos, the Emerging Markets Manager for the Minnesota Twins, has been a great resource to the team, working on-site to help with translations and converting the final product with English subtitles.


Photo: Dick Bremer with Twins pitcher Luis Ayala
Video: Tales from Twins Territory Promo with English Subtitles

Kids in the City Event Raises over $100,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs

FOX Sports North and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities hosted the fifth annual Kids in the City Event on April 30 at the Metrodome. Over 500 people attended this year’s event including event emcee and Minnesota Twins Right Fielder Michael Cuddyer.

A major fundraising event for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, the 2009 event raised over $108,000. Over the past five years, the Kids in the City annual event has raised over $540,000 for the organization.
The event showcased the FOX Sports North Youth All-Star Program and celebrated the achievements of Boys & Girls Club members throughout the Twin Cities. Guests enjoyed sport themed pre-game activities, silent auction, celebrity autographs and photos, dinner and live entertainment by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities Performing Arts Troupe.

The FOX Sports North Youth All-Star Program was designed to recognize kids who are going above and beyond in displaying good characteristics at the club. Each month, one boy and girl (ages 8-13) from each of the Twin Cities clubs is chosen by Club leaders as a Fox Sports Youth All-Star. The kids earn this honor by achieving success in five important categories: Character & Leadership Development, Education & Career, The Arts, Health & Life Skills and Sports, Fitness & Recreation.

Thank you to the Minnesota Twins for hosting the event, to all of our team partners who played a role in the event and to the guests and FOX North staff volunteers.

Photos: (top-bottom)
Event Emcee and Minnesota Twins player Michael Cuddyer on stage with some of the FOX Sports North All-Stars (wearing the jerseys of all of our team partners)

TC Bear hangs out with some of the Boys & Girls Club kids

The Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders with some of their biggest fans

A Wild Time with the Twins

The Minnesota Wild recently wrapped up their 2008-09 season. They’re off for most of the summer but will be hitting the road to meet fans and talk about next season during the 2009 Minnesota Wild Road Tour. FOX Sports North wanted to make sure fans heard about the Road Tour so we invited the Minnesota Wild’s Cal Clutterbuck, James Sheppard, Josh Harding and Colton Gillies to a recent Twins game.

The players teamed up with Bert Blyleven and Ron Coomer for the postgame instructional. The topic: How is swinging a baseball bat like swinging a hockey stick? The players even got a few comments from Ron Gardenhire and Justin Morneau. In the end they figured out that a bat and a hockey stick are very different.

For more information about the Wild’s Summer Road Tour visit: http://wild.nhl.com

Photo: (left-right)Minnesota Wild players: Cal Clutterbuck, James Sheppard, Josh Harding & Colton Gillies with Dick Bremer & Bert Blyleven