Cablevision's High school network is going "regional" with its daily sports news show.
Starting Tuesday Sept. 6 at 7 p.m., MSG Varsity's High School SportsDesk is deepening its coverage of high school sports in the New York metro area by running four different shows covering four distinct regions in the MSO's footprint.
MSG Varsity will air four different versions of High School SportsDesk simultaneously to Cablevision subscribers in New Jersey; Long Island,; New York City; and the combination of Connecticut, Westchester County and Hudson Valley in New York.
With the addition of Steve Gelbs and Keith Irizarry, MSG Varsity will bolster its High School SportsDesk team and expand its coverage of area high school sports, including feature reports, weekly polls, highlights and more. The feeds for the attendant regional shows will air weeknights during the school season in the 7 p.m. half hour.
Gelbs, former co-host of Rangers Radio and feature reporter for MSG Varsity's A Quick: 60, will join High School SportsDesk co-anchor Jared Greenberg to host the Long Island and New Jersey programs. Irizarry, former host of national baseball previews for MLB.tv and play-by-play announcer for MSG Varsity will partner with co-anchor Shawna Ryan to host the broadcasts in New York City and the Connecticut/Westchester/Hudson Valley region.
"With ‘High School SportsDesk's' expanded coverage, we're delivering the games and stories that matter most to our viewers in each region, while increasing exposure for local student athletes," said Michael Lardner, senior vice president and executive producer, MSG Varsity, in announcing the upgrade. "We welcome Steve Gelbs and Keith Irizarry, who we know will be great additions to the High School SportsDesk' team, and look forward to rolling out the new format when football season kicks off this September."
About to enter its junior year, MSG Varsity, which continues to negotiate with New York City's Public School Athletic League, the sports arm of nation's largest school district, is available on exclusively on Cablevision's New York metro area systems on channel 14.
