Penn College News

Penn College Web Site to Offer Little League World Series Games

Monday, July 29, 2002

Pennsylvania College of Technology has hit a home run for Internet users.

The Pennsylvania State University affiliate has teamed with Clear Channel Williamsport and Little League Baseball, Incorporated to offer play-by-play audio coverage of the 2002 Little League World Series on its Web site.



"We are quite pleased and excited to partner with Little League Baseball and Clear Channel Williamsport to offer the broadcasts of all World Series games on the Penn College Web site," said Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour, president of Penn College. "We believe this will be a tremendous benefit for those fans, both regionally and around the world, who might not have access to the television or radio coverage, yet still want to follow this premier youth sporting event."

Online visitors to the Penn College Web site will be able to access the audio of current games in real time and play back previous games. All 32 games of the 2002 Little League World Series will be archived on the Web site for several months.

"Penn College, Clear Channel Williamsport and Little League have been friendly neighbors over the years," said Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball. "All of us are committed to this community, and to helping to tell the rest of the world about the Greater Williamsport area. The announcers do an outstanding job of communicating the principles of Little League to their listeners."

Led by the veteran trio of Ken Sawyer, Gary Chrisman and Bill Byham, Clear Channel Williamsport will broadcast 22 of the 32 games on WRAK Radio (1200 AM and 1400 AM). The radio games will be simulcast on the Penn College Web site for a worldwide audience. The 10 games not on the radio will be produced specifically by Clear Channel for the Web audience. Other members of the Clear Channel broadcast crew include Mike Fogarty, Scott Lowery and Tom Speicher.

WRAK has enjoyed exclusive U.S. radio rights to the Little League Baseball World Series since 1991.

"We were chosen primarily because of our veteran sportscasters," said Jim Dabney, vice president and general manager of the six Clear Channel radio stations in the Williamsport area. "It's a quality broadcast crew anyone would be proud of. It's a privilege this year to have Penn College join us in bringing Little League Baseball to as many listeners as possible. It will be another great series."

According to James E. Cunningham, Penn College's chief technology officer, Internet users will listen to the online coverage via the Winamp Media Player. For those without Winamp loaded on their computer, Penn College will provide a link to download the free player.

"No matter where in the world people are listening, the audio will be every bit as good as listening to the games on a car radio while driving in Williamsport," said Cunningham. "It's the perfect supplement for people around the world to follow the games."

The 56th Little League Baseball World Series is scheduled for Aug. 16-25. The Series is the culmination of the world's largest sports tournament, with more than 16,000 games played in six weeks on six continents. The Little League International Tournament ends with 16 teams advancing to Williamsport for the World Series.

Little League Baseball and Little League Softball include 2.8 million players in all 50 states and 103 other countries, with 1 million adult volunteers.

Penn College is a special mission affiliate of Penn State, committed to applied technology education. Bachelor's and associate's degrees in more than 100 fields are focused on applied technologies ranging from manufacturing, design, transportation, construction and natural resources to hospitality, health, business and communication. Business/industry connections, national corporate sponsors, small classes, industry-standard equipment and faculty with work experience contribute to strong graduate placement rates.

Clear Channel Worldwide, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry with radio and television stations, outdoor displays and entertainment venues in 65 countries around the world.