Channel 4 San Diego ready for some (prep) football

Channel 4 San Diego is going straight to the top for its 2008 prep football coverage.

Poway High School, the defending San Diego Section CIF Division I champion, will be featured in the first telecast of the season when it travels to Scripps Ranch on Friday, Sept. 5.

There will be something new about the telecasts this fall. Each will be shown on a tape delay on Saturdays at noon or 1 p.m.

Traditionally, the taped broadcasts have received better ratings than live telecasts … probably because the multitudes interested in high school football are already at a game on Friday night.Here is the taping schedule for the four weeks of Friday Night Football:

Sept. 5: Poway at Scripps Ranch
Sept. 12: Ramona at El Capitan
Sept. 19: El Camino at Escondido
Sept. 26: Otay Ranch at Helix

After Week 4, Channel 4 will announce its coverage on a “flex” schedule similar to the one used by the NFL for its Sunday night games on NBC.

Those games will be based on attempting to cover the best match-up in the county each week.

Steve Quis and Lew Bush will again return as the more-than-capable announcers for prep football on Channel 4.

Channel 4 finalizes prep football schedule

Channel 4 San Diego is going straight to the top for its 2007 prep football coverage.

Carlsbad High School, the defending San Diego Section CIF Division I champion, will be featured in two of the first three games to be telecast this season.

Each of the first five games will be aired on a tape delay basis following Padres’ games and the Lexus Postgame Show.

Last year, Channel 4 received its highest ratings for prep football coverage on the tape delay games because they were promoted during the Padres’ broadcast.

Here is the schedule for the first five weeks of Friday Night Football:

Aug. 31: Carlsbad vs. St. Augustine at Mesa College
Sept. 7: Oceanside at La Costa Canyon
Sept. 14: Carlsbad at Helix
Sept. 21: Escondido at Rancho Buena Vista
Sept. 28: Grossmont at Valhalla

After Week 5, Channel 4 will base its coverage on a “flex” schedule similar to the one used by the NFL for its Sunday night games on NBC.

Those games will be based on attempting to cover the best match-up in the county each week.

Among the on-air personalities expected to be involved in the coverage are Jenny Cavnar, Chris Ello, Steve Quis and John Weisbarth.

Channel 4 features new sports show

There’s going to be a new sports show on Channel 4 San Diego as soon as the Padres’ season ends.

Starting in October, Channel 4 will present a 30-minute sports program Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. with a “very local flavor,” according to station manager Dennis Morgigno.

“We’ll give most of our coverage to local high schools, colleges and pros,” he said. “We’ll also keep an eye out nationally.”

The new program only became possible this year when Channel 4 moved its studio to just beyond right field at Petco Park. It is expected to include on-air personalities Jenny Cavnar, Jane Mitchell, Steve Quis, Bob Scanlan and John Weisbarth.

Channel 4 previously has hosted weekly shows featuring the Chargers and San Diego State. This new format will roll those former programs into one nightly show along with such topics as the preps, University of San Diego and offseason Padres coverage.

(The station begins another complete season of prep football coverage Aug. 31.)

This baseball season, Channel 4’s visibility has increased by providing an in-studio postgame show from its new facility.

“It’s huge when we’re at home,” Morgigno said. “It’s also great when we’re on the road and you can see the ballpark behind us. It gives people the idea that we are the Padres station.”

And so much more.