Columbus Crew SC’s regional television home, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, today announced its 2015 programming lineup for the Black & Gold, debuting this week with shoulder programming and a special episode of “Access Crew SC,” on Wednesday, February 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET that will feature behind-the-scenes coverage of preseason training from Bradenton, Fla. The club’s first regular-season game broadcast is scheduled for Saturday, March 7, at Houston, with pre-match coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.
In 2015, 32 of Crew SC’s 34 regular-season matches will be produced live in high definition on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. “Crew SC Match Day” features a half hour of pre-match coverage and “Crew SC Post-Match” will offer a half hour of highlights and analysis, including the post-match news conference from Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter following home clashes. The two remaining matches on the regular-season schedule will air nationally on July 19 (vs. Chicago on ESPN2) and on September 6 (vs. FC Dallas on FOX Sports 1). The May 22 tilt against Chicago is set to air nationally on both Univision Deportes Network and locally on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.
“The depth of programming planned for this season will provide Crew SC supporters additional inside access to our players and our club, both on and off the pitch, through increased Crew SC programming,” said Crew SC President of Business Operations Andy Loughnane. “Time Warner Cable SportsChannel is committed to extending the Crew SC viewership experience and value proposition.”
The television broadcast team for Columbus Crew SC this year will feature Dwight Burgess and Neil Sika as co-hosts, with Ashleigh Ignelzi serving as a sideline reporter for home matches. Burgess will be returning for his 20
th
season with the club, bringing more than three decades of soccer-specific broadcast experience. He has called the action for a variety of national and international soccer events, including XM Satellite Radio’s 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage. He spent two years as the radio play-by-play announcer for Ohio State men’s basketball and hockey. He also has ample soccer coaching experience, having started as the Assistant Head Coach at The Ohio State University for two years before progressing to Capital University. Burgess led Capital’s men’s and women’s programs to six conference championships and three NCAA Tournament berths combined.
Burgess is partnering with Sika, who previously served as the play-by-play announcer for the club's radio coverage over the past eight seasons. He began calling games for the Black & Gold in 2004 and formerly served as the voice of Ohio State hockey (2003-08) and baseball (2004-05). He is also the host and lead announcer for the FBU National Championship. His national credits include work for Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, the Big Ten Network, ESPN3, and Sirius XM's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Ignelzi will be entering her seventh year and sixth full season on the sideline. Since 2007, she has covered national and international soccer for FOX Soccer, Sky Sports and FOX Sports Ohio, college football and basketball for the Big Ten Network, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, the NFL for FOX NFL Sunday and professional golf, football and basketball for
ESPN the Magazine
. She has worked as a sideline reporter for the Guinness International Champions Cup and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team in addition to her Crew SC duties. She previously served as the host and feature reporter for “Game Time with Urban Meyer” and “Inside Ohio State Athletics” on FOX Sports Ohio. In 2013, she served as a College Football Analyst on the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel for the Mid-American Conference. Additionally, Ignelzi works as FOX Sports Ohio’s sideline reporter for its high school football “Game of the Week” and is the digital host for one of the most esteemed stops on the PGA Tour, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance.
In addition, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will feature a healthy lineup of weekly programming to give fans an inside look at the club. “Access Crew SC” will air each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the exception of the episode on Wednesday, February 25, which is slated to air at 9:00 p.m. ET. The show provides an in-depth look at the team on and off the pitch and will feature player interviews, exclusive features and a preview of the team’s upcoming match.
“Timeless” will feature classic Crew SC games throughout the season. “Crew SC Condensed” will feature a one hour condensed version of the latest match, airing on Mondays after each match. “Black & Gold Originals” are periodic Crew SC specials and documentaries.
Crew SC will also be covered in Center Circle, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel’s weekly national soccer show with an emphasis on the MLS clubs within its service footprint. Center Circle debuts Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET in Ohio.
“Crew SC is a valued partner of Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and we are proud of the breadth and quality of the content we offer our customers,” said Vice President and General Manager for TWC SportsChannel Jason Pheister. “We have a genuine commitment to the club, the League and the sport, and viewers can continue to expect unprecedented – and expanded – depth and access with top-notch production value.”
The Time Warner Cable SportsChannels are 24/7 networks that carry distinct, comprehensive local sports programming on different channels across the nation. In Ohio, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel is led by Columbus Crew SC, the Mid-American Conference and high school games and programming, and can be found in HD on Time Warner Cable channel 1311HD/311 across the state, as well as on channel 510 in the formerly Insight portions of the Columbus area and on channel 511HD/510 in the formerly Insight portions of the Cincinnati metropolitan area in northern Kentucky. For more information, visit
www.twcsportschannel.com
and follow the network on Twitter via
@TWCSportsOH
and Time Warner Cable at
@TWC_Ohio
.
