OUTBACK BOWL PREVIEW SPECIAL TO HIGHLIGHT TAMPA, CLEARWATER, ST PETE AREA ON ESPN NETWORKS

Tampa, FL – The Outback Bowl will once again highlight the Tampa Bay area to an international television audience on New Year’s Day, but the area will also be highlighted numerous times in the next week as the Outback Bowl Preview Special will be televised three times throughout the nation on multiple ESPN TV networks, as well as locally by WFTS TV 28.

The first airing will appear in the Tampa Bay market on Sunday, December 26 at 5:30 P.M. on ABC affiliate WFTS TV 28. The first national airing will be on ESPN2 on Tuesday, December 28th at 5:30 P.M. (ET). The half-hour show is produced by the bowl and looks at the Penn State and Florida match up while highlighting numerous amenities of the Tampa, St Pete and Clearwater area. Amenities highlighted in this year’s show include such items as Clearwater Beach, the Museums of St Petersburg, Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium, Channelside Bay Plaza, historic Ybor City and the many fun events surrounding the bowl. ESPN’s Rob Stone, who will also be the ESPN Radio sideline reporter for this years’ game, hosts the show.

Complete schedule for the special:
December 26 5:30 PM ET (Tampa Bay Market only)
December 28     5:30PM ET – ESPN2
December 29     9:30AM ET - ESPNU
December 31     4:30PM ET - ESPNU

The Outback Bowl celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year and will be played on January 1st at 1:00 PM at Raymond James Stadium on ABC TV, and heard nationally on ESPN radio, as well as on both school radio networks and in the Tampa Bay area on 620 WDAE radio. Last year’s game was telecast in 85 foreign countries.

Tickets to the game are available through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 and www.Ticketmaster.com. For more information on bowl events and area hotels and attractions go to the Outback Bowl web site at http://www.outbackbowl.com.