ATLANTA — FOX 5 Atlanta and The University of Georgia Athletic Association have announced a new exclusive media partnership, making FOX 5 Atlanta the official “Home of the Bulldogs.”
With this collaboration, FOX 5 Atlanta will produce hours of UGA programming each week during the football season, with additional specials and shows throughout the year. FOX 5 Sports Anchor and former UGA Quarterback, D.J. Shockley will lead the station’s extensive coverage of the Bulldogs as host of weekly and post-game shows, as well as specials, with help from the rest of the FOX 5 Sports team. In addition, two graduates of UGA, Chief Meteorologist David Chandley and “Good Day Atlanta” Meteorologist Joanne Feldman will provide viewers with game day weather updates on FOX 5 and with an appearance on the Sanford Stadium video board prior to each game.
Bill Schneider, FOX 5 Senior Vice President and General Manager stated, “We are proud to partner with the University of Georgia to become north Georgia’s primary and leading source for news and information about the Bulldogs. FOX 5 is fortunate to have a number of UGA alumni in our newsroom who can share their unique perspectives on the exclusive, premium content we will provide to our viewers and digital followers. We can’t wait to tap into the collective creativity of the UGA and FOX 5 teams and further explore the boundless possibilites of this partnership.”
“Georgia Athletics is thrilled to partner with FOX 5 Atlanta to tell the unique stories of our student-athletes, coaches and teams,” UGA J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks said. “With increased programming, including during prime hours, this partnership will further enhance the visibility of our 21 athletic programs as we showcase the many positive things our student-athletes are doing each and every day. It’s also special to have one of our own in D.J. Shockley deeply involved in telling these stories. We want to thank everyone at FOX 5 for making this happen.”
NEW LINEUP OF UGA COVERAGE TO INCLUDE:
“Bulldogs Now” – This weekly, half-hour program on Saturdays at 8 a.m. debuts this summer and will deliver exclusive access and the latest updates on the Georgia Bulldogs all year round. Outside of football season, the show will feature the latest news, in-depth features and updates on all 21 UGA sports programs.
“Bulldogs Final” – This short wrap-up program will air on Saturday nights of UGA football games, with a repeat Sunday mornings, and will include highlights, analysis, and exclusive content from that week’s game.
“Kirby Smart All Access” – This half-hour program will air Monday nights at 7 p.m. throughout the football season and offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look through the practice and preparation ahead of each game, from exclusive interviews with coaches and players, to features showcasing what it takes to build and maintain a championship program.
Numerous hour-long “Georgia All-Access” specials throughout the year.
Shockley added, “I’m very excited to have the opportunity to partner with an amazing institution that holds a special place in my heart. The combination of FOX 5 and UGA brings two dynamic brands together to promote the best there is within our great state. We cannot wait to bring you the best content that highlights the Dawgs and FOX 5 for many years to come!”
As the second highest rated high school quarterback in the country in 2001, D.J. Shockley chose to attend UGA where he quarterbacked their football team to two SEC championships under Head Coach Mark Richt. In 2005, he was named MVP of the Championship game and won the FCA Bobby Bowden Football Player of the Year Award. Upon graduating with a degree in Speech Communications, he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2006, and spent over four years in the National Football League. Following his time in the NFL, he became a sports broadcaster working as an analyst for the SEC Network, Raycom, and the Big Ten Network, before joining WAGA FOX 5 Atlanta in 2021 as Sports Anchor, where he co-hosts the station’s Saturday morning Atlanta Falcon’s programming, “Early Birds.” He also currently serves as the sideline analyst for the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network radio broadcasts.
The University of Georgia Athletic Association boasts 21 intercollegiate sports programs that compete in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs have earned an impressive 48 team national championships, over 200 individual national titles and 176 team SEC championships. Georgia is a leader in college athletics as one of only nine programs nationwide to finish among the top-25 of the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup in each of the last 23 years, with an astounding 12 top-10 finishes.
WAGA FOX 5 Atlanta is part of the FOX Television Stations, which owns and operates 29 full power broadcast television stations in the U.S. These include stations located in nine of the top ten largest designated market areas (DMAs), and duopolies in 11 DMAs, including the three largest DMAs (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago). Of these stations, 17 are affiliated with the FOX Network. In addition to distributing sports, entertainment and syndicated content, our television stations collectively produce over 1,000 hours of local news every week. These stations leverage viewer, distributor and advertiser demand for the FOX Network’s national content.
