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UPDATE: ‘Game On’ racks up four Emmy Awards

Game On,” Liberty University’s 30-minute weekly sports television program produced by the Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN), hit a grand slam at the National Capital Chesapeake Bay chapter of the 60th National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards in Bethesda, Md., on June 23. The show, which received a network record of seven nominations, won a total of four Emmys.

“We’ve never won more than one in one year, so it was exciting,” said “Game On” anchor Matt Warner. “It’s a huge market — Baltimore and Washington, D.C., included — so to beat those guys, that’s pretty big. The first couple of years, we were trying to get our feet underneath us and figuring out what we wanted the show to be. Now the quality has continued to rise to where we feel like there are more segments deserving of being entered into a competition like this.”

Warner said the greatest accomplishment was receiving an Emmy in the general Sports Feature/Segment category, for a story on Flames Men’s Basketball superfan J.J. McCracken, produced by Features Producer Matt Atkins.

“That was our first sports award outside of the religious category, so to win against all the other big affiliates and pro teams that we were going up against was really exciting to see,” Warner said. “Those guys know what they’re doing, so to beat an NFL franchise like that gives credibility to what we are doing.”

Both of the “Game On” nominations in the Religion: Program Feature/Segment category received awards — for stories on former Flames Men’s Soccer Head Coach Bill Bell, produced by Warner, and former Lady Flames javelin thrower Yana Babbitt, produced by LFSN Unit Production Manager Jonah Jabbour.

The show also won in the Audio category for work by Sound Designer/Audio Mixer Alex Short, who attended the ceremony and received his award in person. The award was based on a composite of different stories; the primary story featured Liberty swimmer Alicia Finnigan and included underwater sound effects.

The LFSN studio, located near the School of Communication & Digital Content, has enabled “Game On” to offer students more technical production experience.

“There is a lot more student involvement, especially on show days in the studio and the control room,” Warner said. “It’s not just us doing this. We are also training students to do high-level work themselves so they can go on to do great things.”

Watch the Emmy Award-winning episodes, as well as new and archive shows, at GameOnLU.com.



‘Game On’ sports show reaps record seven Emmy nominations

6/7/2018

Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) 'Game On' staff are up for a program-record seven National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards, with winners to be announced June 23. (Photo by Jessie Rogers)“Game On,” the 30-minute weekly sports television program produced by the Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) at Liberty University, received a record seven nominations for the National Capital Chesapeake Bay chapter of the 60th National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards. Winners will be announced at a June 23 ceremony at the Bethesda (Md.) North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

This is the second year in a row that “Game On” has been selected as a finalist in the Sports Daily or Weekly Program category. The Sept. 8 episode, aired following the Flames Football team’s 2017 season-opening victory at Baylor University, will be competing against three entries from NBC Sports Washington and two from Ravens Productions.

“We are going up against shows from networks that cover the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Wizards, in a tough Washington, D.C., media market,” said Matt Warner, “Game On” anchor.

“Game On” also had two nominations in the Religion: Program Feature/Segment category for pieces on former Liberty Men’s Soccer Head Coach Bill Bell and his legacy of faith, produced by Warner and former Lady Flames javelin thrower Yana Babbitt and her recovery from a serious weightlifting injury, produced by LFSN Unit Production Manager Jonah Jabbour.

In the general Sports Feature/Segment category, “Game On” was nominated for a story produced by LFSN Features Producer K. Michael O’Neal on Lady Flames swimmer Danielle Booth, a senior pre-med major from the Cayman Islands who talks about her faith and overcoming stereotypes, and a piece on Flames Men’s Basketball superfan J.J. McCracken, produced by “Game On” Features Producer Matt Atkins.

The show is also represented in the Audio and Graphic Arts categories for work produced by Sound Designer/Audio Mixer Alex Short and Graphics Producer Austin Reddington.

Warner said the broad spectrum of categories that “Game On” is nominated in is a reflection of the diversity of talent on the LFSN team, with more than half of the staff members represented.

“There’s talent not just in shooting and editing and writing, but in audio and graphics and other areas as well,” he said. “It would be hard to find a group our size that brings more talent to the table than we do. It is a confidence boost to have that kind of recognition, and it is an indication that the show is moving in the right direction, and people are starting to take notice.”

As well as being available online at GameOnLU.com, the show is aired on 34 affiliate television stations around the country, including 10 throughout Virginia.

'Game On' Co-Anchors Matt Warner (left) and Rett McGibbon broadcast from the LFSN studios in Liberty University's Green Hall. (Photo by Jessie Rogers)Warner, Jabbour, and Adkins traveled to Georgia and Florida in May and Warner and “Game On” Co-Anchor Rett McGibbon will visit Arizona, California, and Canada this summer to film features for upcoming programs.

“It is great getting to meet so many incredible Liberty alumni and be able to tell their stories about their faith and how it is tied into the sports they play or coach,” Warner said.

While its focus is primarily on Liberty’s NCAA Division I and Club Sports student-athletes and alumni such as ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown host Sam Ponder, former Minor League Baseball player and Major League Baseball coach Tony Beasley, and Olympic distance runner hopeful Sam Chelanga, “Game On” often ventures outside Flames Nation to feature inspiring athletes, coaches, or other sports figures who share the Christian faith.

“Game On” staff members have traveled to Colorado to work on a feature on five-time Olympic gold-medal-winning swimmer Missy Franklin and have profiled an array of professional athletes, including NFL players and team chaplains who visited Liberty this past semester.

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