Story Links
Sept. 3, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginiasportstv.com will initially focus on the football program. Head Coach Al Groh has granted unprecedented access to behind-the-scenes aspects of his operation. From his locker room speeches, to his talk with players after practice, the access Groh has granted will better help Virginia fans understand their team and what it goes through during the course of a season.
“Fans have been asking where is grohsgridiron.com,” Groh said. “Well, we’ve just been waiting to announce the exciting launch of our new site which will provide fans 24/7 access to all facets of Cavalier Football. Fans will get game action, behind-the-scenes preparation, player and coach interviews, and great stories. You will constantly be ‘in the know’ about Virginia Football.”
Virginiasportstv.com will grow to provide on-demand video of UVa’s 25 sports programs. The content will be jointly produced by Atkinson & Co. and the University of Virginia athletics video services unit.
“The abilities and creative vision of Jess Atkinson and our video services staff will be combined to document our goal of Uncompromised Excellence in athletics,” Virginia Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage said. “This venture means we will use video to tell the stories of our student-athletes, coaches, support staff, teams, and fans.”
Atkinson & Co. LLC is a cutting-edge media company specializing in the creation of Internet TV websites for major college athletics programs. These sites leverage the exclusive access given by teams to “tell the stories” of the programs. Jess Atkinson, founder and CEO of Atkinson & Co. LLC, was an All-ACC place-kicker at the University of Maryland in the early eighties, and went on to have a four-year career in the NFL. His experiences in major markets, including stints with the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants, led to an easy segue into broadcasting.
Atkinson has spent 14 years in broadcasting as sports anchor for WUSA-TV and WRC-TV in Washington DC, football color analyst for Jefferson-Pilot, Internet talk show host for AOL, and radio talk show host for WSKO in Providence, R.I. He specializes in “telling the stories” of athletes.
Building on the success of the University of Maryland’s FridgeTV.com, Atkinson & Co. partnered with the Virginia athletics department to create virginiasportstv.com and take the original concept to a new level.
“Continuing their tradition of innovation, Coach Groh and the University of Virginia have made a giant leap to the forefront of on-demand video, and in the process have given Cavalier sports fans the most comprehensive video-based website in the country,” Atkinson said.
For more information on this new Internet TV channel, contact Jess Atkinson at 301-229-3454 or jess@atkinsonandcompany.com.