‘FLW OUTDOORS’ TV CONCLUDES 2005 WAL-MART FLW TOUR EVENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE

February 7, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 7, 2005) — Tune in Sunday to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN (Fox Sports Net) for the conclusion of the $900,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Lake Okeechobee.
Watch as co-hosts Charlie Evans and Keith Lebowitz take viewers through the final weigh-in and award Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas, the winner of the season-opening tournament, $100,000.
The one-hour show is the second of a two-part series covering the first event of the 2005 FLW Tour season. On-the-water cameras give viewers an intimate look at the 10 finalists who compete for a career-changing top prize. All anglers start day three at zero, with the winning pro determined on day four based on the heaviest two-day weight. Finalists are survivors of two days of qualifying competition that pitted them against a field of the world’s best bass anglers.
Lake Okeechobee is the season-opening site of the nation’s most lucrative bass-fishing circuit, and despite its massive size, anglers were compressed into small areas of clear water that remained on the lake after it was hit by multiple hurricanes last summer.

FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in television production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camerawork that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.

Some of the 10 finalist’s boats are equipped with an underwater camera, showing the struggle from a whole different perspective. Plus FSN utilizes two cameras that capture clear video 25-feet underwater. These cameras provide not only tremendous video shots, but an enormous benefit to amateur anglers watching at home, who can now see how the pros handle the bass when the fish are within range of the boat. FSN is also using a helicopter to get the most detailed coverage of how anglers sprint from the takeoff to fishing hotspot. Additionally, every finalist wears a small camera on their hat for the ultimate close-up action.

FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon EST. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. During each tournament show, “FLW Outdoors” hosts Evans and Lebowitz go on location to provide on-the-water coverage. While tournament weigh-ins are broadcast live at Wal-Mart stores throughout the country, “FLW Outdoors” is tape-delayed to bring audiences nationwide the best tournament footage possible throughout the season.

FSN reaches more than 82 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. FSN, based in Los Angeles, serves as the cable TV home to 60 of the 81 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces over 4,500 live events each year. In addition to home team games, FSN telecasts a wide variety of national sports events and programming, including Best Damn Sports Show Period, I, Max and Beyond the Glory. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit the FOX Sports/FSN Web site at FoxSports.com.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers eight national tournament circuits offering more than $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and more than 40 of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on FLW Outdoors and its bass, walleye, redfish and kingfish tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

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