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Echo launches sports broadcasts

Ely Echo - Staff Photo -

Fans of local sports broadcasts now have a new option to follow area teams.
Starting Monday, the Ely Echo’s website will feature a daily sports report from editor Tom Coombe, and the Echo is exploring internet broadcast streaming for selected games involving Ely High School and Vermilion Community College teams.
Both were regular features on Ely radio station WELY, which has temporarily gone silent while in an ownership transition.
That has ended, at least for now, both the morning sports report on the radio station and regular coverage of area games.
Echo publisher Nick Wognum said he is responding to customer feedback in launching the new service that will be free to those who click on the website at www.elyecho.com.
“A lot of customers have told us they miss Tom’s daily sports report on the radio, and that’s something we can easily do on our website,” said Wognum. “It’s basically an expansion of our coverage and allows people to go to elyecho.com on a daily basis to get local sports results and news.”
Meanwhile, the Echo is looking into technical issues that are involved with live streaming of events, as well as sponsorships. If those hurdles can be cleared, the Echo will fill the void created by the absence of WELY and assemble a game broadcast schedule similar to what has been done in previous winters on the radio.
Wognum said he was hopeful that the Echo website could be home to one or two game broadcasts each week.
“Not everyone can go to the games, and local sports was a big part of the radio station,” said Wognum. “Look no further than the volleyball season and the state tournament broadcasts that were followed in Ely, in deer shacks, and literally anywhere in the world online. We hope to fill that void and make it possible for people to listen to the games wherever they may be.”
Coombe’s sports report was broadcast each morning on WELY but will be available at any time of the day on the Echo website with links on Twitter and Facebook.

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