‘FLW OUTDOORS’ TV HIGHLIGHTS 2005 WAL-MART FLW TOUR EVENT ON LAKE TOHOPEKALIGA

February 22, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 22, 2005) — Tune in Sunday, March 6, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN as co-hosts Charlie Evans and Keith Lebowitz take viewers to the $900,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Lake Tohopekaliga. The second tournament of the FLW Tour season, presented by Snickers, awarded the winning bass pro a cash purse of $100,000.

The one-hour show is the first of a two-part series covering the second event of the $7.6 million FLW Tour season and concludes with the winning co-angler receiving a check for $20,000. The tournament featured 400 top bass anglers from the United States, Japan and Australia.

The show presents a profile with Judy Israel, the only woman to ever win an FLW Tour event. Israel, who is sponsored by Land O’Lakes, competes as a co-angler on tour. In addition to her FLW Tour victory on the Atchafalaya Basin in 2004, Israel has claimed a victory in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division and has finished in the top 10 an amazing 11 times.

FSN also speaks with red-hot 7 UP pro J.T. Kenney, who shattered the EverStart Series five-bass record with 32 pounds, 12 ounces earlier this year at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Kenney followed up that performance with a 14th-place finish at the January FLW Tour event held on the Big O. He has won an FLW Tour event and a BASS Open on Florida lakes in the past. With his recent success in the ‘gator state, Kenney has earned the mantra King of Florida. Watch Sunday as Kenney discusses his commitment to flipping Florida’s matted vegetation and how confidence is connected to his recent success.

Also featured is co-angler Ken Chapman, a retired Army veteran who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Chapman is fishing in his first season on the FLW Tour and has positioned himself at Lake Toho to make it a memorable year.

FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.
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 Charlie Evans and Keith 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 many 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 Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

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