FSN North - Operation Home Base
by FOXSports.com
FSN North will be creating truly unique programming for "Operation Home Base" and "Freedom Week." The network will embed FSN Live anchor/reporter Ron Johnson, Emmy-Award winning producer Chris Withers, and Emmy-Award winning photojournalist Benjamin West of KMSP Fox 9 with the Minnesota National Guard, which currently has more than 3,000 members serving in Iraq. FSN North will become the first sports network to embed a reporting team in Iraq.
"We are proud of the men and women who serve our country in the military. This is an opportunity for us to express our appreciation for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf," said Mike Dimond, Vice President and General Manager of FSN North. "We want to show our support to the soldiers and their families through this very special telecast."
During "Operation Home Base," the regular commercial breaks and in-game televised elements will be replaced by live reports from Iraq, live conversations between Twins coaches and players and the U.S. troops, greetings from soldiers to their families, and human-interest stories that feature military families from communities throughout the North region.
"Operation Home Base" will feature the National Anthem and a rendition of "God Bless America" sung by troops in Iraq. The telecast also will support the Minnesota Military Family Foundation.
On July 2, the Minnesota Twins will conduct "Armed Services Appreciation Day." Special pregame ceremonies are planned to recognize current and former U.S. military servicemen and servicewomen, including a special tribute to the "Twins Platoon," a group of Vietnam veterans who were sworn into active duty before a June 1967 Twins home game. Twins and Brewers players also will wear baseball caps representing all branches of the U.S. military for the July 1 and 2 games.
"We are pleased to partner with FSN North to honor current and former U.S. servicemen and servicewomen," said Twins President Dave St. Peter. "In recognition of their efforts, all current and former members of the military, along with their families, are invited to attend the July 2 game for free. They only need to show military identification to obtain tickets."
"Operation Home Base" serves as the finale to "Freedom Week" on FSN North. From June 26-30 during "Freedom Week," the embedded FSN North reporting team will deliver live and taped reports from Iraq on FSN Live and help local military families connect with their loved ones overseas.
"FREEDOM WEEK" SCHEDULE ON FSN LIVE
Tuesday, June 27, 6:30-7:00 p.m. and Immediately Following Twins-Dodgers Game
Wednesday, June 28, 11:30 a.m.-Noon and Immediately Following Twins-Dodgers Game
Friday, June 30, 6:30-7:00 p.m. and Immediately Following Twins-Brewers Game
Another component of "Freedom Week" includes live interviews with members of the Minnesota National Guard on the Fox 9 morning news between 8:00-8:30 a.m. Anchors Alix Kendall and Tom Butler will link members of the Guard live in Iraq with their families in the Fox 9 studios. Those segments will air from Friday, June 23 through Friday, June 30.
"Fox 9 is proud to be part of this major effort to honor members of the Armed Forces and to offer them an opportunity to speak to their families back home," said Carol Rueppel, Vice President and General Manager of KMSP Fox 9.
On KFAN Sports Radio AM 1130's "Power Trip" morning show from June 23-30, the FSN reporting team will provide live reports beginning at 8:35 a.m. to the show's host, Mike Morris.
U.S. troops around the globe will be able to watch FSN North's "Operation Home Base" live on July 1 and the June 26 and 27 telecasts between the Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers on American Forces Network. American Forces Network is seen by more than one million US Armed Forces personnel serving in 176 countries and aboard 200 US Navy, US Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command ships at sea, including those who are part of Operations: Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, and elsewhere fighting the global war on terror.
Other Fox Sports Net regions in the U.S. will benefit from FSN North's presence in Iraq. The FSN North team will gather greetings from troops based in the Rocky Mountain region (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming), Arizona, the San Francisco Bay Area, Florida, Michigan, the South (Georgia, Carolinas, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky), and the Midwest (Missouri, Indiana, Southern Illinois). Those taped greetings will be played during Major League Baseball games around the July 4 holiday.
FSN North reaches more than 3 million homes throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota and telecasts nearly 2,600 hours of locally produced programming per year. The Emmy Award-winning regional sports network provides comprehensive coverage of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks, MLB's Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers, the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx as well as the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin athletic events.
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