Dragons on TV Saturday, April 25

DAYTON, OHIO-The Dayton Dragons game on Saturday, April 25 will be televised from Fifth Third Field on WHIO Digital Channel 7.2 MeTV (channel 23 and digital channel 372 on most Time Warner Cable systems in the Miami Valley). The Dragons host the West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers affiliate) at 7:00 p.m. Saturday's telecast is of one of 25 live TV broadcasts from Fifth Third Field this season. The games are available to more than 500,000 households.

Sponsors for Dragons television broadcasts include Dayton Power & Light, Fifth Third Bank, Kettering Health Network, Life Connection of Ohio, Water Street District, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, IWORKS Laser and Vision Center, Courtyard by Marriott Dayton South, the Voss Auto Network, Dayton Sinus Institute, and Dayton Beer Company.

Dragons Director of Broadcasting Tom Nichols will handle the play-by-play for each telecast this season. Mike Vander Woude will serve as color commentator on Saturday. Vander Woude was the original voice of the Dragons in 2000 and remained with the team as radio/television broadcaster through the 2007 season, when he departed to become the voice of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. He returned to the Miami Valley after five seasons with the Yankees in 2012 and has worked on select Dragons radio and TV broadcasts over the past two seasons. Mike began his career as an announcer in Minor League Baseball in 1995. 

The Dragons 25 telecasts are produced by the organization's in-house 12-person technical crew. They feature six camera angles, replays, and constantly-updated graphics.

"The Dayton Dragons have made a major investment in our television broadcast facilities," said Robert Murphy, Dragons President. "We have added high definition cameras and a network-quality graphics package to give us a state-of-the art, digital age presentation that is on par with anything produced in television sports."

WHIO Channel 7.2 launched the MeTV format in December featuring classic television programs from the 1950's through the 1980's, from Leave it to Beaver to the Andy Griffith Show to M*A*S*H to Loveboat. Channel 7.2 has achieved the highest ratings of any MeTV affiliate in the nation since the launch on December 1.  

"We are excited to partner with Cox Media and their exciting new offering, the MeTV channel," said Murphy. "We are also pleased to continue our partnership with Time Warner Cable to maximize the distribution of our game telecasts throughout the entire region."

Nichols is in his eighth season with the Dragons and 28th year in Minor League Baseball. He serves as the play-by-play announcer on all 25 television broadcasts and all radio broadcasts for games that are not televised. He has broadcast over 3,000 minor league games since beginning his career in 1988, has worked at every level of Minor League Baseball, and has missed only two broadcasts over the last 25 seasons.

Remaining 2015 telecasts:

April 25

May 7, 8, 21, 28, 29, 30

June 11, 12, 13, 20

July 2, 9, 10, 11, 23

August 1, 13, 14, 27, 28

September 5