E-dition No. 1,061 • Friday, June 14, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
FOX Management ‘Thrilled’ With PBA Ratings
Viewership for this year’s PBA competition surged through the first five months of 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour telecasts. During that time, 20,923,000 viewers tuned in to watch the PBA on FOX, FS1 or FS2, including repeats — up 85 percent over the total audience for the entire 2018 season (11,327,000 viewers).
“The PBA’s move to FOX Sports has revitalized the entire sport,” PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark said. “In this first year of our partnership, we’ve already seen dramatically improved production values, promotion and buzz, putting the PBA in its best position in decades. We’re most proud that our players have delivered historic and inspiring action on the lanes and our fans have brought the passion in sold-out venues around the country to match.”
Added Bill Wanger, FOX Sports EVP, Programming, Live Operations and Research: “We’re thrilled with the viewership the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour has delivered this year on FOX Sports. The shows have been exciting, the bowlers are captivating and colorful, and crowds enthusiastic. The PBA is quickly becoming must-watch sports television.”
The finals of the inaugural PBA Playoffs on FOX delivered 662,000 viewers, as Kris Prather captured the championship to claim the $100,000 first prize. That was 20 percent better than first-run PBA telecasts averaged on TV in 2018 (553,000 viewers) and ranked as the most-watched PBA telecast since FOX’s Feb. 10 airing of the PBA Tournament of Champions, which delivered 1,132,000 viewers.
A total of 7,941,000 viewers watched the series of PBA Playoffs telecasts across FOX, FS1 and FS2, including repeats.
Earlier in the season, FOX had the most-watched bowling telecast of any kind on any network since 2005, with the PBA Clash averaging 1.8 million viewers.
FOX Sports coverage of the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour resumes Tuesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. Eastern on FS1 with the first of three consecutive nights of live coverage of the PBA League Elias Cup finals from Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine.
Andrew Anderson Expands Role With Turbo
Turbo Pro Staff member Andrew Anderson has accepted the positions of Associate Coach at the Turbo Tech Training Center and Tour Representative on the PBA Tour.
Anderson, 24, won two titles on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour, including the USBC Masters, which propelled him to PBA Chris Schenkel Player of the Year honors.
Before finding success on the tour, Anderson was on Junior Team USA for three years. He has been a member of Team USA in 2018 and this year.
Anderson grew up in Michigan, and earned a degree in elementary education from Oakland University before starting his career as a professional bowler.
“This is just really cool for me,” said Anderson. “I got a call from Chris Sand and I came into Turbo HQ a couple of days later. The next thing you know, I have this opportunity. I’m very happy about it and ready to get going. It’s always a good thing to be with a company like Turbo because they handle everything so well and everybody respects the people, the products and the brand.”
Noted Turbo President Lori Mraz: “Andrew is a bright young man who has a genuine passion for the sport. His enthusiastic energy and ‘people person’ mind-set is a fitting disposition for his expanded role at Turbo. We look forward to sharing his talents with bowlers throughout the Metro Detroit bowling community as well as with our committed retailers and bowlers across the globe.”
Anderson will continue to be a full-time touring pro bowler, but when the PBA Tour is off, he will be coaching at the Turbo Tech Training Center at Turbo headquarters, and working at trade shows and events like the annual Turbo Tech Collegiate Expo.
While on tour, Anderson will assist other Turbo staff players with products and promote the brand wherever he travels, including international events. He also will be working with Turbo Regional Sales Manager and Player Staff Director Carolyn Dorin-Ballard to conduct clinics for Turbo Extreme dealers during domestic travel on the tour, and serve as a liaison with Dorin-Ballard and National Sales Manager Chris Sand.
“This changes my outlook as a pro bowler,” said Anderson. “Now, not only will I be trying to improve my game, I’ll also be spreading the word about Turbo’s great products and all the great things they do for the sport along the way.”
Global to Represent Master Industries
Global Manufacturing has reached an agreement to represent Master Industries Worldwide.
The agreement empowers Global to perform all sales and marketing functions for the Southern California-based bowling accessory manufacturer.
“Partnering with Global is a great fit for Master. Our line of high-quality bowling accessories works well with Global. This is a very positive step for the future of both Master and Global,” said Donna McDermott, General Manager of Master Industries Worldwide.
Wes Pye, Global’s Executive Vice President, added, “Master is one of the most iconic brands in the history of the bowling industry. Our team at Global welcomes this opportunity. We look forward to adding Master to our offering of performance bowling products for bowlers and pro shops worldwide.”
Mandalay Bay to Host Weber Cup Ahead of Bowl Expo
If you’re arriving a few days early in Las Vegas for International Bowl Expo, you may want to take in a squad or two of Weber Cup XX, an annual made-for-TV competition between the United States and Europe that will be taking place in the U.S. for the first time.
Matchroom Multi Sport has announced that Storm will be the official bowling partner of the 2019 Weber Cup, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center, June 18-21.
The 20th staging of the annual transatlantic tenpin tussle will see America as defending champions against a European team desperate to get its hands back on the trophy lost to Chris Barnes’ side last summer.
The U.S. team features Storm staffer Kyle Troup, while Europe’s line-up includes Storm’s Jesper Svensson and Osku Palermaa. It will be Palermaa’s seventh appearance for the European team.
“It is a great honor for Storm to now be associated with the Weber Cup as the official bowling partner,” said Dave Symes, President of Storm Products. “Storm has a long history of investing in competitive bowling, and we couldn’t be more pleased to support the continued tradition of this event.”
Emily Frazer, COO of Matchroom Multi Sport, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Storm as we bring the Weber Cup stateside for the first time. Having Storm on board for this year’s event gives us a great chance to work together to grow the Weber Cup and the sport of bowling, and we are looking forward to a successful event at Mandalay Bay.”
The Weber Cup has a global TV reach and will be shown live in more than 100 countries, including on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, DAZN in America, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Japan, and Viasat in Scandinavia. News of a U.S. broadcaster will be announced shortly.
The Weber Cup is thought of as the “Ryder Cup of Bowling,” and sees four-man teams from the USA and Europe competing in a mixture of singles, doubles and Baker matches.
Barnes returns to lead Team USA, with Troup, Anthony Simonsen and Jakob Butturff also representing the Stars and Stripes. Dominic Barrett captains Europe with Svensson and Palmeraa joined by Stuart Williams.
Tickets are on sale now at http://www.webercup.com.
IBMA Seeks Proprietor Support for Pezzano Scholarship
The International Bowling Media Association is working hard to ensure that the $5,000 Chuck Pezzano Media Scholarship continues to be well funded and ongoing for years to come.
“This media scholarship is extremely important to the bowling industry because of the message it delivers; that a full-time or part-time career can be realized by writing about the sport of bowling as a professional,” said Keith Hamilton, outgoing President of the IBMA.
“Given the number of bowling writers who are ‘aging out,’ coupled with an onslaught of unprofessional commentary made via social media, securing the continuation of professionally written stories by dedicated bowling writers is growing in importance,” Hamilton added.
IBMA’s goal is to raise $5,000, through the proprietors’ network so as to guarantee one year of funding. IBMA is asking each proprietor to donate $100 to the cause.
“We don’t plan on this becoming an annual outreach,” Hamilton said, “so you won’t hear from us again for quite some time.”
If you would like to donate, contact Hamilton at keithh@lubypublishing.com. If you will be attending Bowl Expo, stop by the IBMA booth to say hello and/or make a donation.
Those who support the scholarship by July 31 will be listed in an advertisement that will appear in various media outlets in September. An email sent to proprietors earlier today through the cooperation of the BPAA brought immediate donations from Pat Ciniello of Florida and Scott Devers of Indiana.
Business Briefs…
* Diversity continues to be a challenge for bowling at the highest levels, and many believe that lack of exposure limits the likelihood that the sport’s participation base can be significantly expanded among African Americans and other ethnic groups. You can read an in-depth story on this topic — including comments from Kim Terrell-Kearney, Gazmine Mason and TNBA officials — click here: https://theundefeated.com/features/kim-terrell-kearney-and-gazmine-mason-trying-to-add-some-color-to-womens-bowling/
* A number of centers have installed ColorSplash LED lighting products recently, including The Alley YMM, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada (CS VersaLamp Lane wash lighting system); All Star Lanes, West Jordon, Utah (CS VersaCap Division Cap Lighting System); Strike Zone & Sports Den, Williston N.D. (CS VersaLamp Lane and Pindeck lighting system); Facenda Whitaker Lanes, East Norriton, Pa. (CS VersaLamp Lane and VersaCap Division Cap Lighting Systems); Andy’s Altitude 1291, Midwest City, Okla. (CS VersaLamp Lane lighting system); and Joliet Town & Country Lanes, Joliet Ill. (CS Pindeck and VersaCap Division Cap Lighting Systems).
* Parker Creek Partners will pay $1.35 million for a 2.8-acre parcel in Fort Monmouth, N.J., that’s home to a 17,500-sq.-ft. red brick building housing a shuttered bowling center. The new entity will bring in advisors from Brunswick Bowling to help create a bowling entertainment center. Brunswick, which will provide the equipment and technology, also will advise on the planning, redevelopment and operation of the facility, officials said. Read more here: https://tworivertimes.com/buyer-to-modernize-fort-bowling-center/
* A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on May 26 for a 90-year-old two-lane bowling installation at the Bellport Community Center in Bellport, N.Y. The building was constructed in 1926, and the lanes were installed three years later. The refurbishment of the lanes took a few months to complete, and was funded by the Bellport Village Program Fund. Plans call for the lanes to be available for parties or group outings, with guests paying only for one or two Bellport Village employees to staff the facility.
* Steuben County, N.Y., officials are moving forward with a plan that will convert historic Steuben Bowling Academy into additional parking space for the county office building. The county is in the process of closing on the purchase of the property for $70,000, County Manager Jack Wheeler told the Chronicle-Express newspaper. A collapse of a back corner of the center, which was built in 1934, occurred last Sept. 29. No one was hurt. Ten days later, the owners announced that the facility would be shutting down permanently, noting that without the cash flow from the business, they could not afford to make the necessary repairs. Report: https://www.chronicle-express.com/news/20190612/bath-bowling-alley-plan-in-place
* White Sands Bowling Center in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., will close in September, the Emerald Coast Bowling Association said in a social media post. Employees of White Sands confirmed the closure but directed all questions to former owner and manager Butch Hutcherson, who reportedly sold the business to a real estate developer out of Daphne, Ala.
* Incredible Technologies is teaming with ESPN to televise highlights from the 2019 Golden Tee World Championship, which is being conducted June 21-23 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Plans call for a 30-minute program to air on ESPN networks later this summer, highlighting some of the event’s most impactful moments. The network designation and air time will be announced at a later date.
Other News You Can Use…
* It’s not a secret Shannon O’Keefe sets goals for herself each season. This week, she checked off an item she called a pie-in-the-sky, bucket-list goal. O’Keefe captured her second title of the season with a 259-195 victory over Colombia’s Maria José Rodriguez in the title match of the PWBA Tucson (Ariz.) Lanes at Golden Pin Lanes. It marked O’Keefe’s 10th career title, a goal she never thought was likely to happen in her bowling career. Comments from the champ: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/shannon-okeefe-wins-10th-career-pwba-title-and-second-of-2019/
* For the second time in his career, Venezuela’s Amleto Monacelli hoisted the trophy at the USBC Senior Masters, this time averaging higher than 246 while climbing the stepladder at the Sam’s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The 57-year-old right-hander entered Sunday’s championship round as the No. 5 seed and won five games to secure the coveted major title and $20,000 top prize. His run included a pair of wins over top seed Stoney Baker, and made him the eighth bowler in history to win the Senior Masters twice. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/amleto-monacelli-wins-fifth-career-pba50-major-with-senior-masters-victory/
* Defending champion Mika Koivuniemi retained his Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm lead after Wednesday’s third round, but another northern European native, Tore Torgersen of Norway, made some news of his own as the season’s third and final major for players 50 and over reached the halfway mark in Las Vegas. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/defending-champ-mika-koivuniemi-retains-2019-senior-u-s-open-lead/
* At the opening event of the 2019 PWBA season, Danielle McEwan surprisingly found herself not competing on the second day of the event. McEwan, who comes into this week’s PWBA Fountain Valley (Calif.) Open at Fountain Bowl as the defending champion, didn’t exactly get out of the gates well at the start of the season. She failed to advance after two qualifying rounds at the Greater Cleveland Open, the first time in 19 consecutive singles events she failed to earn a check. But she made the stepladder finals at both the PWBA Lincoln Open and last weekend’s PWBA Tucson Open, finishing fourth in each, and looks to continue that momentum this week at Fountain Bowl, which is playing host to the PWBA Tour for the third consecutive season. Preview: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/defending-champ-danielle-mcewan-riding-momentum-into-pwba-fountain-valley-open/
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is bowler and writer Gary Zwiezinski. To listen to the conversation, click here: http://www.kegel.net/phantomblog/2019/6/12/gary-zwiezinski-phantom-radio
* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit bcmmag.com or bowlersjournal.com, and “Like” Bowling Center Management and Bowlers Journal International on Facebook. BJI Cyber Reports are now archived at bcmmag.com.
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