2002: THUNDER TO BE BROADCAST IN HDTV
2002-04-16T18:32:33
WHAS THUNDER BROADCAST WILL MARK DEBUT OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION IN KENTUCKY
April 16, 2002. LOUISVILLE, KY. - When WHAS-TV begins its coverage of the Kentucky Derby Festival's Thunder Over Louisville at 2 p.m. on April 20, it will be the first local origination high definition television (HDTV) program in the history of Kentucky. The broadcast, which will run from 2 to 11:30 p.m., will air in high definition on WHAS-DT, Channel 55 and simultaneously in standard definition (traditional TV) on WHAS-TV, Channel 11 (Insight Cable 4).
WHAS-TV has teamed with Ovation Audio-Video Specialists to make the Thunder broadcast available to the public at three Ovation stores: 4600 Shelbyville Road, 4241 Outer Loop and 1005 E. Highway 131, Clarksville, Ind. Ovation will also supply HDTV sets to Buffalo Wild Wings (formerly BW3's) at four locations: 12901 Shelbyville Road, 3900 Shelbyville Road, 9134 Taylorsville Road and 6801 Dixie Highway. The Rauch Planetarium will display the HDTV show to 160 guests on Thunder day as well.
"We're thrilled to set the benchmark for the next generation of television to our faithful viewers," said WHAS-TV Vice President and General Manager Bob Klingle. Said Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry: "I can't think of a more exciting way to showcase the premiere of high definition TV than the visual spectacle that is Thunder Over Louisville. The Derby Festival is honored that WHAS has chosen Thunder as its first local origination HDTV program."
WHAS became the first commercial television station in Kentucky to transmit an HDTV signal on February 14, 2002. With the broadcast of Thunder, WHAS will initiate its full-time HDTV service to Kentuckiana viewers. The Federal Communications Commission set a deadline of May 1, 2002, for all television stations in the country to make HDTV service available.
Thunder Over Louisville - the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies - is one of the more than seventy events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 325 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period and has a local economic impact of more than $90 million. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
For more information, contact John Blim, WHAS11 Creative Services Director at 502-582-7889 or jblim@whas-tv.com. Additional information is available online at www.whas11.com.
Hours and locations for viewing the WHAS Broadcast of Thunder in HDTV
Ovation stores are located at:
4241 Outer Loop (open 11am until the conclusion of Thunder)
4600 Shelbyville Road (open 11am to 6pm Saturday)
1005 E. Hwy. 131 in Clarksville (open 11am to 6pm Saturday)
Buffalo Wild Wings (formerly BW3's):
All locations will be open 11am to 2am Saturday
Middletown - 12901 Shelbyville Road
St. Matthews - 3900 Shelbyville Road
Stony Brook - 9134 Taylorsville Road
South End - 6801 Dixie Highway
Rauch Planetarium will be another HDTV viewing spot for Thunder. However,due to limited seating, it will not be open to the public. The broadcast will air on a 30 feet by 30 feet screen in the 150 feet dome. Rauch will giveaway tickets to the public on WHAS11's Good Morning Kentuckiana beginningTuesday, April 16. Rauch will be open from 6:30pm until the conclusion of Thunder.
