GPB Sports is in Moultrie today to televise the Colquitt County-Valdosta game. It will be the network's first trip south of Metro Atlanta in the five seasons of its "Football Fridays" coverage, a point of contention to many fans in South Georgia, where football is king.
GPB sports director Harmon has heard those voices and hopes it's the start of more expansive coverage.
"It has always been the goal of our president and CEO, Teya Ryan, to showcase the state to the rest of the state. This is that first step," Harmon said while driving south on Thursday. "We have been talking to other towns around the state about the possibility of doing games to showcase what they're all about. We hope we can do more of these kinds of events as we go forward."
Until now, GPB had never traveled below Lovejoy or Sandy Creek. Harmon said it's not bias. It's money. Going outside of metro Atlanta is expensive for an Atlanta-based company.
"We get a lot of questions on social media about why we stay close to the Atlanta area," Harmon said. "It comes down to one thing: finances. When we leave the Atlanta area, the budget to do 'Football Fridays' doubles. It's another day of personnel. It's another day of having a production truck. It's another day of all the expenses associated with putting the broadcast on the air."
Harmon said GPB's mission isn't merely to cover a game, but to capture the experience of Friday night lights, thus the show's title, 'Football Fridays.' Harmon hopes to soak in the atmosphere of a town and school that is prideful of the home team, in this case the defending Class AAAAAA champion Packers.
"We want to tell stories about the town, the teams, the bands, the parents, cheerleaders, students, fans, and everything else that makes these nights as special as they are around the state," Harmon said. "The people of Colquitt and Moultrie have been incredibly accommodating with all it takes to put on a production like the one GPB Sports does every week. We could not be more excited to show a game of this importance."
Does that mean more trips south next season? Harmon hopes so, but it's not entirely his call. It depends on the corporate support that GPB gets from year to year.
"We have been talking to a couple of other schools around the state who want us to visit, so we might be on the road more next year," Harmon said. "This is what we envisioned 'Football Fridays' being when we started doing the broadcast five years ago."
Venue change for DeKalb County games
Two games scheduled for Godfrey Stadium this weekend have been moved because of facility problems. The M.L. King-Miller Grove game scheduled for tonight has been moved to Saturday at North DeKalb Stadium (7:30 p.m. kickoff), and the Towers-Cedar Grove game on Saturday has been moved to Hallford Stadium at 5:30 p.m.
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