Turner South Names Announce Team for Georgia Force Arena Football Coverage
Published on April 16, 2002 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release
Turner South's play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun and Atlanta's sports talk radio personality Beau Bock will call the action live for Turner South's Georgia Force Arena Football coverage. The network has partnered with the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League (AFL) for the 2002 season, with Rathbun and Bock calling all five televised regular season Force games. The season begins this weekend as the Force hosts the Orlando Predators on Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Rathbun is currently Turner South's play-by-play announcer for the network's coverage of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and earned a Southeastern Emmy as Outstanding Sports Performer of the Year in 1999. In addition, Rathbun announces Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves games for FOX Sports Net and has called college basketball action for the ACC television network through Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Sports since 1987. With an extensive sports background, Rathbun's broadcasting career has earned him six Virginia Sportscaster of the Year honors (1980-82, 1985, 1988-89), among other honors. He has also worked with CBS calling the NCAA basketball tournament and for ESPN for the College World Series.
Bock is the founder of 790 The Zone and is a current host on the Atlanta based sports talk radio station. He brings his sports knowledge to listeners every morning on his show "Mayhem in the AM." He began his career in radio in 1973, when he founded the Southeastern Sports Network, with more than 43 stations in the region. Bock began his television career in 1980 doing sports commentary for three years on Atlanta's WAGA-FOX (1980-83) and then on WSB-ABC (1983-1986) for three years. In 1991, he created, produced and served as the talent for The Falcons Today, which aired for three years on SportsSouth.
The 2002 season marks the 16th year of the Arena Football League and the first year of play for the Georgia Force. Leading the Force into play during their inaugural season will be Head Coach Robert Lyles. Lyles brings with him five years of AFL coaching knowledge and nine years of playing experience as a linebacker for the NFL's Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons.
Turner South, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s 24-hour regional entertainment network, presents a mix of original programming, movies, regional news and sports to cable and DBS affiliates in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and regions of North Carolina. Available to more than 6 million subscribers, the 12-time Emmy-winning network also offers games from the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks and is the official home of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. For more information, access the Web site at turnersouth.com or AOL keyword: turner south.
Turner Sports, Inc., an AOL Time Warner company, presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised sports programming. With events airing four networks - TBS Superstation, TNT, Turner South and CNN/Sports Illustrated - Turner Sports' line-up includes the NBA, NASCAR and NASCAR.com, Wimbledon, Atlanta Braves baseball, Atlanta Thrashers hockey, Atlanta Hawks basketball, college football, professional golf and figure skating.
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