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Summer Hoops ‘25 Pictures #1

July 9, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The local summer basketball season is heating up (enough to drive a number of games indoors where there’s air conditioning) but our ATVN cameras have been out and about covering the local action on the hardwood – or concrete, depending on the locations!

Here’s a look at some still pictures of recent summer basketball action in the Astound TV Network viewing area…

Coming up on ATVN Sports, we have the following Blue Mountain League baseball games scheduled for Tuesday nights, starting at 9:30pm….

July 15th – BML Baseball: Dodgers at Orioles
July 22nd – BML Baseball: Bulls at Falcons

All four of these teams remain in the playoff chance, with the Bulls looking to retain their title from last season.

The regular season is scheduled to end on July 22nd.  We’ll have playoff coverage coming up on ATVN Sports.  Check back to our website as we will post the dates, teams and times once we get to that point and that information becomes available to us.

Also, be on the lookout for our weekly Grandview Speedway racing coverage event Tuesday night starting at 7pm on the Astound TV Network as well!

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

June ’25 Sports Highlights Recaps

July 7, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

First of all, we here at Astound hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day weekend and have had a great start to the summer season!

While high school sports take some time off for the summer months, the Astound TV Network Sports department continues to stay busy, bringing you some of the best local sports action from around our region.

Here’s a look at some of our recent sports action (when Mother Nature has allowed our scheduled events to take place!), including Grandview Speedway racing, Blue Mountain League baseball and the annual McDonald’s charity All-Star football game highlights…all broadcast on ATVN….

Astound TV Network Sports: Blue Mountain League; Northern Yankees vs. Hellertown Royals (6/25)

ATVN Shorts: Xzavier Pusateri Puts On A SHOW!!

ATVN Shorts: Duane Howard Wins Grandview’s Modified Feature (6/28)

Astound TV Network Sports: 2025 McDonald’s Allstar Football Classic (6/25)

In addition to more Grandview and Blue Mountain League baseball action coming up this month on the Astound TV Network, on this Thursday’s “ATVN SportsTalk” show, we’ll have BML Baseball President Bob Varju and members of his staff on our program to talk about this summer’s baseball season.  We’ll tout the top teams and players in the area and look ahead to the end of the regular season as well as the playoffs, which ATVN will be broadcasting for the second straight year this August.  Keep checking back to our “Broadcast Schedule” pages for information on both our regular season and post-season playoff coverage!

   

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: Jim Backus

June 30, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

Many people know Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III on the TV sit-com Gilligan’s Island, but it was actually a “millionaire-like” voice for another character that gave him his “big break” in show business.

Alan Young (who would later play “Wilbur” for television’s Mr. Ed), retold the story a few years ago on SirusXM’s “Radio Classics” of how he was developing his own hit radio show bearing his name in the early 1940s.

While Backus had some small, yet versatile roles on various programs in the early days of radio, Young realized that his own softer, humbled and more-reserved on-air radio voice needed a foil for his new show.  Young said he would need someone that would stick out with an over-the-top delivery and convey an air of snootiness, proudness and arrogance–to be a sharp contrast to Young’s much quieter on-air persona for his new show to work.

Enter Thurston Howell III … well, actually his name on The Alan Young Show was Hubert Updike III.

And the rest was history.

From that hit show, Backus began getting more prominent appearances and became a featured guest-star on some of the other top radio programs of the era.

And then, television and major motion pictures.

First, he took on the male lead role in I Married Joan, followed a few years later by his own variety program, The Jim Backus Show, which aired on ABC in 1957 and 1958.

His silver screen appearances included Deadline – U.S.A. with Humphrey Bogart, Pat and Mike with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Rebel Without a Cause (as James Dean’s on-screen father,) The Pied Piper of Hamelin, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home  and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Backus’s versatile voice acting skills also made him an obvious choice to take over the role of a brand new cartoon character, as he brought Mr. Mcgoo to life — for over 40 years — to children of all ages.

In 1963, Jim took on the role of Mr. Howell on the Gilligan’s Island television series and in three subsequent made-for-TV movies made in the late 1970s and 1980s.

He even recreated his “millionaire” persona when he reunited with his “Gilligan” co-star Natillie Shafer (aka Mrs. Howell) for a series of popular commercials for Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn in the 1980s.

Backus’s last acting appearance was in the final “Gilligan” movie, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island. By this time Backus was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, and his role was reduced to having a brief comedic line at the very end of the film.

Legend has it that once the director yelled “cut,” Backus turned to his long-time co-star, Dawn Wells (“Mary Ann”) and asked about his short cameo appearance.  “Am I still funny?” he asked, to which Wells gave the beloved star a hug, then went off by herself in tears, upset at seeing him in such a frail state after years of working with him.

While Jim Backus is not a familiar name to today’s media audience, it’s hard to find any medium he did not make an impact in, from 1944 until his death in 1989, whether it be in radio, cartoons, voice-overs, television or film.

You can see some of Jim’s work in I Married Joan, Rescue of Gilligan’s Island and more movies and television guest-starring appearances this summer on the Astound Television Network.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Summer Hoops: June ’25

June 25, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

Before we delve into the latest news concerning high school basketball in Eastern Pennsylvania, a few programming notes for our ATVN SportsTalk show…

  • This Thursday, our special guests will be long-time Head Coach Ed McIntyre and members of his Easton girls softball team.  The Rovers were the eight “seed” in the District XI tournament and defeated the defending champs from Nazareth to win this year’s championship.  There’s also been rumors that this would be “Coach Macs” final season…we’ll tackle those and other issues on this week’s program
  • Next Thursday (July 3rd), our guests will be the Bangor baseball team, who captured their first ever district championship in this sport last month.  The Slaters also have some special stories to share about this year’s team…tune in for those details on next week’s show!

Remember, everyone can watch a free live-streaming edition ATVN SportsTalk in addition to watching on the Astound TV Network.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel and get free alerts when ATVN is going “live” by going to: YouTube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork

Now, as far as the local high school basketball action, the “usual” suspects continue to play well as the outdoor temperatures rise.  Parkland, Liberty, Executive Charter and Northampton continue to be among the top local “big school” teams in our coverage area.

Emmaus and Nazareth are working with “new” head coaches this summer – although both hires were familiar names (more on that in a future edition of the “SportsTalk Shop”).  Lehighton, fresh off its first year in the Colonial League, also continues to play well and should be a team to watch again this winter.

Here are some of the pictures I took from recent action around the Valley…and check back for more in future blog entries!

  

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Tennis & “Last Call” 2025

June 9, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

As we reach the end of the school year, we are making our “last call” for honors, awards and special achievements by students in the ATVN coverage area!

We are making the transition to the “summer season” and will have some exciting events coming up over the next few months.  Plus, we will be having some special people on our Thursday night “ATVN SportsTalk” program – keep checking back to “The Shop” for more information and broadcasting dates.

Before we change this over, I wanted to send out one more “call” for information to highlight athletes.  Please email them to me at chris.michael@astound.com over the next few days to be included in our “final” blog for the past school year.

Speaking of “finals” (sorry for the pun for those students taking them this week), today we take our last look at the local high school tennis results for the spring…

Here are the 2025 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Championship tourney results: View Results

Next, here’s the 2025 Spring “All-EPC” listings… View Boys EPC Tennis Championship Bracket

Last but not least, here are the results from the District XI tourney, along with pictures of the 2A champions, Moravian Academy and the 3A champs, Liberty…

Congratulations to all these outstanding accomplishments!

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

District Recaps ’25 (Part 2)

June 4, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

We continue our look at some of the top video highlights and moments from the spring sports season of games broadcast on the Astound TV Network.

Among today’s highlights include:

  • Parkland baseball winning its first District XI 6A title since 2015 (and ATVN Sideline Reporter Gabrielle DiPaula helping to set up the team’s “ice bath” of Head Coach Kurt Weber)
  • Southern Lehigh girls lacrosse winning its fourth consecutive 3A championship (and clips of our exclusive post-championship interviews)
  • Northwestern girls reaching its first ever district title game – AND coming within a minute of going to overtime
  • Central Catholic boys lacrosse winning its 8th district title in the last 15 years
  • Easton going back-to-back with another 3A boys lacrosse championship
  • A very young Notre Dame-Green Pond baseball team overcoming a slow start to win a title AND state playoff game

Here’s a look at all those big moments….

ATVN Shorts: Parkland Trojans Win District 11 Gold

ATVN Shorts: Parkland Pitcher Sawyer Marsteller

ATVN Shorts: Parkland Manager Kurt Weber Celebrates District Gold

ATVN Shorts: Southern Lehigh Coach Eric Tesche Talks Titles

Astound TV Network Sports: Lacrosse – Northwestern Lehigh vs. Southern Lehigh (5/25)

Astound TV Network Sports: Lacrosse – Moravian Academy vs. Allentown Central Catholic (5/25)

Astound TV Network Sports: Lacrosse – Easton vs. Parkland (5/25)

Astound TV Network Sports: Baseball – Palmerton vs. Notre Dame Green Pond (5/25)

ATVN Shorts: Easton Red Rovers Strike In OT To Win District 3A Gold


Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more memorable notes, interviews and highlights from this spring’s playoff season!

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

District Recaps ’25 (Part 1)

June 2, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

It’s been an eventful few weeks this month with ATVN covering a number of different District XI playoff games (when the weather allowed) in multiple sports this spring!

Before we start looking back at a number of special moments, plays and student-athletes during the district playoff season, a quick programming note…

Astound will be the exclusive video provider for the state 1st round baseball playoff game between Neshaminy and Parkland.  The game will only (and EXCLUSIVELY) be available through ATVN.  Per PIAA regulations, there is no “steaming” of this state games, so only Astound TV Network video customers can see this contest!

Be sure to tune live at 4pm on Monday!

 

Now, here’s a few of the biggest moments during this springs district playoff season…

The Bangor baseball team overcame a 7-0 deficit to capture its first ever district championship.  Here’s the rundown of highlights as they unfolded…

Astound TV Network Sports: Baseball – Bangor vs Whitehall (5/25)

Next, the Pleasant Valley girls lacrosse team continued its domination by winning its second consecutive EPC AND District XI title.  Here’s their Head Coach Toni Bush talking about her team overcoming adverse weather conditions en route to another mercy-rule playoff win…

Astound TV Network Sports: Pleasant Valley G Lax Postgame Interview (5/21/25) – Watch Here


Last but not least, here’s some amazing student-athletes’ performances in the District XI 3A girls lacrosse championship game…

Astound TV Network Sports: Lacrosse – Nazareth vs. Pleasant Valley (5/25)

Check back to “The Shop” for more memorable notes, interviews and highlights from this spring’s district playoffs!

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 

District Baseball Previews ’25

May 27, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

Through all the rain we’ve had this month (Sunday was the first day in three weeks I was at a baseball game in which it did NOT rain!), we are busy getting ready for the District XI championships, and will be broadcasting a number of those games over the next several days on both ATVN and on the Astound TV Network’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@astoundtvnetwork

Our first game will be the 3A final between Palmerton and Notre Dame-Green Pond, Tuesday at 4pm.

Our ATVN cameras caught up with the Blue Bombers’ winning pitcher Cameron Pengelly (6-innings, 2 runs and 4 hits allowed) and Shortstop Jason Carrelli, who had two hits and scored the first run in the team’s 3-2 victory over Pen Argyl in the semifinal game this weekend.  We ask for their thoughts on the win and insights into their rematch against the Crusaders (Palmerton defeated Notre Dame during the regular season back on April 10th)….

LV Baseball Notebook 25: Palmerton’s Cameron Pengelly

LV Baseball Notebook 25: Palmerton’s Jason Correlli

We’ll also be broadcasting the 5A championship between Bangor and Whitehall and the 6A final between Parkland and Liberty – a rematch of this year’s EPC title game.

For interviews with members of the Crusaders, Zephyrs, Trojans and Hurricanes, go back through our “SportsTalk Shop” archives and see more from our “Lehigh Valley Notebook,” to get insights and opinions from those teams before their championships.

Keep checking back to our ATVN website for possible changes – especially with rain probable in the forecast for both Wednesday and Thursday!

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 

Track and Field Honors 2025

May 21, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

Before we put the spotlight on some local track-and-field honorees in the Astound TV viewing area, a quick programming note…

ATVN will be broadcasting the girls 2A and 3A District XI championship Wednesday night, featuring Southern Lehigh taking on Northwestern (making their first ever appearance in a girls lax final), followed by defending district champion Pleasant Valley facing off against Nazareth, who has not won a title in three years.

On Thursday night we’ll have live coverage of the boys championship.  The 2A game features Moravian Academy (in their first-ever championship game), taking on Allentown Central Catholic, who was in the district final a year ago.

In the nightcap, Parkland will face defending champion Easton in the 3A final.

We invite everyone to go see the game in person, but don’t forget to take Astound TV with you to use your phone or smart device to get multiple-camera replays, in-game stats and game analysis and sideline reporters for all four games via our YouTube channel.

The games can be live-streamed for free at YouTube.com/@AstoundTVNetwork 

Additionally, check back to the ATVN website next week for more high school District XI playoff coverage in other sports.  Bookmark and check back to our ‘broadcast schedule’ page early next week for teams and viewing information.


Now, we continue our review of the top student athletes from this spring’s track-and-field squads.

Here are Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s “All-Stars” for 2025, along with the new record-holders in the different events after the completion of this year’s campaign….

2025 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference All-Stars
New Record Holders

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more news from this past spring sports season, along with video recaps of our high school sports broadcasts, along with information on upcoming local sports action for over the summer months!

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Lacrosse/Softball All-Stars ’25

May 19, 2025 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

Here at “The SportsTalk Shop” we continue with our look at honoring the top players in different spring sports in the Astound TV Network coverage area.

First, here are the listings for both the girls and boys lacrosse “all-stars” from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference….

Next up we put the spotlight on girls softball from the EPC…

We have a few more sports in the ATVN area to highlight, so keep checking back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more “all-star” listings as we receive them from the appropriate administrators, athletic directors and league/district chairs.

Also, be sure to check back to our website for our continuing coverage of local high school spring sports post-season action, the District XI playoff coverage of different sports in our region starting later this week!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

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