A new “exclusive media partnership” has been created between FOX 5 Atlanta and The University of Georgia Athletic Association (UGA) which results in “making FOX 5 Atlanta the official Home of the Bulldogs.”
This collaborative relationship will permit FOX 5 Atlanta to produce a cascade of weekly UGA programming during the football season. The exclusivity of production does not end there. Additional “specials and shows throughout the year” will be produced.
D.J. Shockley will appear in a dominant leadership role in the programming. Shockley currently is a FOX 5 Sports Anchor and a former UGA Quarterback. Shockley was “the second highest rated high school quarterback in the country in 2001. He attended UGA where he quarterbacked the football team to two SEC championships under Head Coach Mark Richt.”
More accolades and honors were bestowed upon Shockley. “In 2005, he was named MVP of the Championship game and won the FCA Bobby Bowden Football Player of the Year Award. Upon graduating, he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2006.” For more details about Shockley, read here.
As reported, the scope of achievements of the UGA teams is vast. “The University of Georgia Athletic Association boasts 21 intercollegiate sports programs that compete in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs have earned an impressive 48 team national championships, over 200 individual national titles and 176 team SEC championships. Georgia is a leader in college athletics as one of only nine programs nationwide to finish among the top-25 of the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup in each of the last 23 years, with an astounding 12 top-10 finishes.”
In this partnership, Shockley will lead the station’s extensive coverage of the Bulldogs as host of weekly and post-game shows, as well as specials. To provide weather-related information relevant to the games, Shockley will be joined by UGA graduates, Chief Meteorologist David Chandley and “Good Day Atlanta” Meteorologist Joanne Feldman.
Bill Schneider, FOX 5 Senior Vice President and General Manager stated, “We are proud to partner with the University of Georgia to become north Georgia’s primary and leading source for news and information about the Bulldogs. Additional enthusiastic praise was expressed by UGA J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks: “Georgia Athletics is thrilled to partner with FOX 5 Atlanta to tell the unique stories of our student-athletes, coaches and teams.”
Increased programming facilitated by this partnership, which will include material aired during “prime time hours,” will “enhance the visibility of our 21 athletic programs as we showcase the many positive things our student-athletes are doing each and every day.”
The new lineup for UGS coverage will include programs titled “Bulldogs Now,” a weekly, half-hour program; “Bulldogs Final,” a “short wrap-up program,´ and “Kirby Smart All Access,” a “half-hour program aired throughout the football season which will offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look through the practice and preparation ahead of each game.” For more details about these programs, see here.
Shockley added: “Fox 5 is fortunate to have a number of UGA alumni in our newsroom who can share their unique perspectives on the exclusive, premium content we will provide to our viewers and digital followers.” He expressed his enthusiasm for getting the programs to begin. “We can’t wait to tap into the collective creativity of the UGA and FOX 5 teams and further explore the boundless possibilities of this partnership.”