Washington, D.C. – The University of the District of Columbia Athletic Department in conjunction with UDC-TV will televise a monthly sports show entitled "Firebird Nation Sports Update." Firebird Nation Sports Update will take an in depth look at the UDC Athletic Department and its ten Division II athletic programs. The broadcast will feature in-depth interviews with members of the UDC Athletic Department including coaches, student-athletes, and athletic directors.

The program's first broadcast will air on Wednesday, February 1st and will run eight times per week on UDC-TV.  The first show will feature an interview with UDC Head Men's Basketball Coach, Jeff Ruland, and UDC Head Women's Basketball Coach Jay Butler. The inaugural show will also consist of a student-athlete spotlight with UDC senior, point guard, Nigel Munson, as well as interviews with Director of Athletics, Patricia Thomas, and Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs, Patrick Knapp. Firebird Nation Sports Update will be hosted by UDC's own Matt Rienzo.

UDC Associate Director of Athletics for Marketing and Communications, Matt Rienzo, had this to say about Firebird Nation Sports Update, "This is a huge step for our department as we try to spread the message that the University of the District of Columbia athletics is on the rise.  There are a lot of great things happening at the university, and athletics is one part of that.  We look forward to telling the Firebirds' story and connecting with the community in a new way."

In addition to having interviews with members of UDC Athletics, Firebird Nation Sports Update will review the Fall sports season and highlight upcoming events for all ten UDC athletic programs as well as recent developments on and off the playing fields.

UDC-TV, a 24-hour educational cable program service, is operated by the University of the District of Columbia and serves as the District government's non-commercial, adult education program service. UDC-TV is part of the Comcast, RCN, Verizon television cable systems, reaching approximately 187,000 residential households in the District of Columbia and every major hotel, federal, and Congressional office and the White House.

In Washington, DC, UDC-TV can be viewed on Comcast Channel 98, RCN Channel 19, and Verizon Channels 19 and 21.  To view live streaming on the web, click www.udc.tv.

Click here to watch episode 1 of the Firebird Nation Sports Update.

Click here to watch behind the scenes footage of the taping of the show.

Provided by the University of the District of Columbia Sports Information Department.