SNY Announces Broadcast Teams

 With nearly four decades of industry experience and 24 Emmy Awards, SNY’s Senior Vice President and Executive Producer Curt Gowdy, Jr., approached the task of bringing UConn women’s basketball to the network’s viewers for the first time with an open mind.

He asked questions and sought advice about who might be best to entertain and inform an audience weaned on Husky hoops for nearly 20 years by CPTV.

Ultimately, Gowdy decided to bring two important pieces of the program’s past to its new home on national cable.

“We have assembled a formidable and highly experienced group of on-air talent who will bring expert analysis, unique insight and compelling story-telling,” Gowdy said. “Our coverage will provide unprecedented access to the UConn women’s basketball program – while delivering innovative, first-rate game production and studio programming.”

SNY announced Thursday that Meghan Culmo and Kara Wolters will be a part of the team that will televise 20 live games in 2012-13, the first of its four years as the home of the seven-time national champion.

Culmo, the former UConn player and assistant and long-time analyst on CPTV, will serve as the network’s game analyst.

Wolters, a national player of the year at UConn and gold medal winning Olympian, will be the studio analyst for pre-game, half-time and post-game shows. She had spent the last six years as Bob Joyce’s partner on the UConn radio network.

Joining them will be play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon, who recently served as a play-by-play announcer at the London Olympics for NBC.

SNY reporter/anchor Kerith Burke will be the sideline reporter.

Veteran sportscaster Gary Apple, who hosts SNY’s Big East basketball studio shows, will anchor the network’s studio coverage alongside Wolters.

All of SNY’s Big East Conference games will be wrapped with pre-game, half-time and post-game shows. The network’s schedule tips off with the season opener Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m., against the College of Charleston.

Prior to the game, SNY will air a special pre-game show featuring in-depth analysis of the upcoming season, including interviews with players and coaches, and highlight key players to watch

SNY will offer an online streaming package for games airing on SNY.  Details regarding the streaming service will be announced shortly.

New to UConn fans will be Catalon, but he has worked three Olympiads for NBC and has worked NFL games and professional golf among many other assignments.

In addition to the broadcast team, SNY has hired Carl Adamec, the veteran UConn beatwriter for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer to write a blog about the program and Big East women’s basketball for its website.

And the Courant’s John Altavilla will appear regularly on SNY’s telecasts and studio shows to report on the team and the conference.