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| The Michigan volleyball team's 0-2 start was one of the topics of discussion on Fox Sports Detroit's new show, 'Wolverine Weekly.' Although highlights from the Michigan versus Michigan State football game was shown, the program focuses on the non-revenue sports at the University
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By Jeff Druchniak
For the Daily
Last night, a squealing electric guitar signaled the birth of another one of Michigan Athletic Director Tom Goss's brainstorms.
In all likelihood, though, this one won't be as controversial as the infamous 'halo.'
Cable viewers were able to witness the occasion: the debut show of the Wolverine Magazine, a half-hour review of the past week in Michigan athletics.
Goss put together the deal for Fox Sports Detroit to produce and broadcast the show, which will air at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. The show still has some growing pains to work through, but it promises to supply a statewide audience with coverage of the entire spectrum of varsity sports on campus.
After the opening sequence of an old-school highlight footage and high-pitched guitar riff (a riff that became way too familiar by the end of the half-hour), the show moved right into a leadoff feature piece of several minutes on preeminent Wolverine golfer Mike Harris.
The piece featured candid interview footage with Harris, and managed to get across Harris' dominance of the links to even the most uninformed viewer, as well as providing some long-overdue coverage of one of Michigan's best, yet under-recognized, student-athletes.
The show continued to offer in-depth highlights and updates for every Michigan sport. One of the highlights was a blistering sideline speech delivered by field hockey coach Marcia Pankratz to her team in the middle of this weekend's match with Michigan State.
Pankratz was visibly angered at the short-lived threat that the Wolverines would let their lead slip away, and with it the match and their shot at the Big Ten championship. Michigan responded to the motivational ploy to win the match, but the Fox coverage was able to capture a rare moment for viewers that no football broadcast would have the access to get.
The show was adequately staged on a sports-bar set, and hosted by Sandy Heng.
Heng did double duty, handling both the in-studio hosting chores and narrating all the features except for one about the football team's use of digital video technology for coaching purposes. This was done by Michigan football radio voice Jim Brandstatter, who did not appear on camera.
He did, however, give Fox Sports Detroit a recognizable media "name" to attach to the show.
As for Heng, she showed good knowledge of her material but seemed to have difficulty reading the script from the teleprompter.
Heng appeared to do better when she was allowed to work unscripted during an in-studio interview with Michigan volleyball assistant coach Aimee Smith.
Heng refused to soft-pedal the disappointing start to the Wolverines' season, asking Smith questions such as, "Is anybody (on the team) stepping up at all right now?"
The Wolverines' football victory over Michigan State was saved until near the end of the show. This may have been simply a producers' ploy to keep as many people watching as long as possible, but it served the additional purpose of securing prime position for the coverage of less exposed sports.
This is something that the players and coaches of those teams undoubtedly appreciate.
09-30-98
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