State Champs! Network is a full service media company dedicated to producing professional High School Sports and sports media productions and programming that promote higher education through athletic achievement in the arts and sciences.
For over 10 years we have been producing sports-related TV shows, programs and radio shows, including the STATE CHAMPS! High School Sports Show, a weekly, half hour television program providing a comprehensive look at the athletic events, lives and accomplishments of Michigan’s high school athletes. Along with providing highlights and game recaps, we’ve also included in-depth features on standout High School programs, outstanding student athletes, coaching excellence and much more.
We also develop in-depth feature TV programs and documentaries such as our Recruiting and Signing Day Shows, our True Champions! show, our State Champs! Legends and State Champs Rivals! programs, in addition GameTime Live! - our coverage of key Live Events/games across Michigan.
State Champs! Radio has been a staple of Michigan High School Sports talk radio for over 7 years - providing all of the analysis, insights and "behind the scenes" features to keep you updated on High School sports across the state. State Champs! Radio can currently be heard on Clear Channel’s WDFN 1130 am in Southeastern Michigan and Northern Ohio.
The State Champs! Network has been the recipient of 3 Emmy Awards in the last 4 years for Outstanding Youth Television. Having aired over 350 TV programs and 200 radio shows, our goal is to become the Midwest area’s premier high school sports and arts media network through the promotion of youth sports, development and achievement. Our Sports Highlight Show and other feature shows are broadcast on the CW-50 network in Southeast Michigan at 11:30 am on Sundays, reaching over 4 million households, and reaching another one million households on WOTV in Western Michigan. Re-airs of our programs are extended to over 3 million more households throughout Michigan, 9 times weekly on the Comcast Network, Channel 900.
For the latest schedule of shows and live events in your area, please click here.
With continued growth, the scope of our media productions is now expanding to include:
State Champs! Shows
High School Sports Show
Our premier, 3-Time Emmy Award Winning High School Sports Show! provides a weekly comprehensive look at the game highlights, events, news, analysis, and accomplishments in High School athletics. In addition to award winning game highlights, this show also includes features on standout programs, coaches and student athletes, as well as “The Buzz” – our in-depth media analysis on the latest coaching, recruiting, HSAA, NCAA, and High School athletics news.
Currently broadcasting in Southeastern Michigan, Western Michigan/Grand Rapids and Northern Ohio, new local shows will be produced and broadcast for North East Michigan and other regions beginning in Fall 2013. For a full listing of upcoming State Champs! Nework Shows and Events, please view our schedule at:
Our Recruiting and Signing Day Feature Shows bring you in-depth analysis, video breakdown and recuiting news regarding the top High School athletes in the country as well as the Big Ten region. Where are top prospects heading? What colleges are winning the recruiting battles? State Champs! host Lorne Plant leads a team of analysts who bring you INSIDE the scouting and recruiting zone for the very latest - including Tom Markowski of the Detroit News, Alan Trieu of Scout.com, Rico Beard of Spartanmag/Rivals.com, Kyle Bogenschutz and Sam Webb of Fox Sports Next, Scott Burnstein of the Oakland Press, as well as other scouting analysts, coaches and players!
True Champions!
State Champs! True Champions feature shows highlight the lives and accomplishments of extrardinary individuals and athletes who rise above the challenges, overcoming all odds to achieve their dreams, and in the process, reflecting "the very best" of what we all aspire to - demonstrating what it means to become a "True Champion". Please visit our Schedule page for air dates, time and re-airing details in your area.
GameTime! Live
State Champs! is live and on location with GameTime! Live - bringing you Live high profile college and highschool football and basketball games and major sporting events throughout the season, with full sideline reporting, media analysis, coaches interviews, play by play in the booth, and both pre-game and post-game live web streaming. Join host Lorne Plant, Detroit News correspondent Tom Markowski, Scott Burnstein of the Oakland Press, and the entire State Champs media team as we bring you all the action from the sideline to the booth. Check out our previous Live Evetns and our upcoming schedule at:
Catch all the State Champs! Buzz on Clear Channel’s WDFN 1130 am in Southeastern Michigan with our 14 week Football Radio Show in the fall and our 12 week Basketball Radio Show in the winter/spring. With plans to expand radio coverage into other markets in 2013, State Champs! Radio is homeplate for all the latest scores, news and high school sports analysis.
You can listen to STATE CHAMPS! Radio on WDFN, 1130 AM at wdfn.com, on I-Heart Radio on your smartphone, or listen to podcasts at:
A series of half hour TV shows providing in-depth coverage of the life, history and career of a local sports legend and their impact on the greater world of sports as well as their community. With a lineup that will include both local and international stars, our Legends series will provide the insights and impact of the important Sports Icons of the Big Ten region. Please visit our Schedule page for date, time and re-airing details in your area.
State Champs! Rivals
A series of half hour TV specials focusing on the greatest High School Rivalries across Michigan and the Big Ten states. Get the in-depth details of the greatest rivalries, their history and development through the years, and recent mash-ups. Production is planned for 2013 for Rivals, so please visit our Schedule page for date, time and re-airing details in your area.
State Champs! Beyond Sports!
Beyond Sports! are feature shows providing insight into non-sports related topics such as emerging regional business innovations, educational excellence, and student achievement. Please visit our Schedule page for date, time and and re-airing details in your area.
State Champs! Network Team
The State Champs! award-winning production team is led by veterans Lorne Plant (Host/Producer), Jonathon Kidd (Producer/Lead Camera), and Anthony Mottley (Editor). Our leadership team is led by founder and President Lou Bitonti, a marketing executive and long-time champion of youth sports in Michigan, and Jim Weissenborn, an established national business leader and co-founder of the Varsity Shop Training Center. In addition to Lorne and Tom, or media team includes State Champs! Media analysts Ryan Terpstra and David Faes as well as a growing list of media partners include long-term contributor Tom Markowski of the Detroit News, Kyle Bogenshutz of FoxSports Next, Scott Burnstein of the Oakland Press, Dan Stickradt of North Oakland Sports, Clear Channel Sports Radio host Sean Baligian, as well as other media guests, coaches and athletic directors.
For more information on the State Champs! team and our media partners, please click here.
