# WNBA news 9/19



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Sonics & Storm restructure public relations department*

SEATTLE, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2006 - The Seattle Sonics & Storm announced today the restructuring of its Public Relations Department. The PR and media relations department is headed up by Karen Bryant, who was named Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Development earlier this year. Bryant will retain her Seattle Storm duties as the Chief Operating Officer.

Tom Savage has been hired as the Director of Public Relations for the Sonics & Storm, and will oversee the day-to-day PR operations for both teams. Savage joins the Sonics & Storm from the Indy Racing League in Indianapolis, where he spent the last four seasons as the Senior Director of Media Relations. Prior to working for the IRL, Savage spent seven seasons in various NBA and WNBA PR departments with stops in Houston, Los Angeles and Indiana.

Jennifer Carroll, who has been with the Sonics & Storm since 2003, has been reassigned as the Manager of Corporate Communications, and will be responsible for promoting the organization to "non-traditional" media outlets, or those that do not regularly cover the NBA, in both local and national markets. Carroll, who originally was hired as the Coordinator of Public Relations for the Seattle Storm, will continue her responsibilities with the Storm during the WNBA season.

Kurt Fedders will continue as the Manager of Public Relations for the organization, with a primary focus on Sonics basketball media relations. Mark Rosenberg continues as Coordinator of Public Relations and will be a point of contact for both teams.

The Sonics open the 2006-2007 NBA season with its annual Media Day at Furtado Center on Monday, Oct. 2 beginning at 2:00 pm. For daily PR updates throughout the season, media are encouraged to contact the Sonics and Storm PR Hotline at 206-281-5847.

The Seattle Sonics & Storm organization manages the Puget Sound region's professional basketball franchises - the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. The organization oversees all sales, marketing, finance, public relations and basketball operations for the teams.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Shock to award championship ring to lucky fan*

Auburn Hills, MI -During 2007 opening night festivities, Detroit Shock players and coaches will receive their 2006 WNBA Championship rings - and so will one lucky Shock fan.

"We've always said that we wouldn't be anywhere without our fans," said Shock COO Craig Turnbull, "and they provided us with a home-court advantage all season long, especially in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. As a way to say 'thank you' we're giving every Shock fan the opportunity to take part in our ring ceremony and win a championship ring of their own"

To participate, fans should log on to www.detroitshock.com and fill out the online entry form anytime from Tuesday, September 12th at 12 p.m. to Friday, December 1st at 12 p.m. Entrants, who must be 18 and older, may also send their name, date of birth, address and phone number to: Detroit Shock 2006 Ultimate Fan Championship Ring Contest, Four Championship Drive, Auburn Hills, MI 48326. Mail entries must be received by Noon on November 1st. Fans can also automatically enter to win by purchasing a Detroit Shock full season ticket for the 2007 season.

One entry will be chosen at random from all eligible entries and will receive a pair of tickets to see the Detroit Shock Home Opener and a 2006 WNBA Championship ring.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*2006 WNBA Finals scores double digit increases in attendance, viewership*

New York (September 14, 2006) - The 2006 WNBA Finals presented by Vonage capped a playoff run in which the WNBA saw significant increases in attendance and viewership. The Finals, which aired live on ESPN2 from August 30-September 9, saw the Detroit Shock top the Sacramento Monarchs in the first WNBA Finals match up ever to go to a fifth and deciding game.

Average attendance for the 2006 Finals was up +28% compared to a year ago (14,587 vs. 11,419 in 2005) while average attendance for the playoffs overall increased by +16% (9,738 vs. 8,397 in 2005). The historic Game 5 on Saturday, September 9, featured a sellout crowd of 19,671 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI. These increases followed closely on the heels of a strong second half of the regular season in which attendance throughout the league rose nearly 12% after the All-Star break.

Television viewership also increased. Detroit's Game 4 win at Sacramento on Wednesday, September 6, was the second-most watched WNBA game in ESPN2 history (0.68 rating) and average viewership for the 2006 Finals was up +11% over that of 2005 when Sacramento defeated the Connecticut Sun in four games. The decisive Game 3 of the 2003 Finals, in which host Detroit topped the Los Angeles Sparks at the Palace of Auburn Hills, drew the largest WNBA Finals crowd ever (22,076) and the highest viewership for a WNBA telecast on ESPN2.

In addition to the ESPN2 telecast, the 2006 WNBA Finals reached more international viewers than ever as it was broadcast in 198 countries by 60 telecasters in 29 languages allowing the league's global fan base to witness all the action. The games were broadcast internationally by first-time licensees in the Bahamas, China, Italy, Mexico, Serbia and Venezuela.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Taurasi leads U.S. to victory*

Diana Taurasi scored 15 points and Tina Thompson added 12 to help the undefeated United States overpower France 76-41 Sunday in the second round of the FIBA women's world championship.

The United States is 5-0 overall, but credited with a 4-0 mark in Group F because only first-round games against advancing teams count in the second-round standings.

The victory pushed the United States' winning streak at worlds, which dates to the 1994 bronze-medal game, to 24, and also extended the string of victories in the Olympics and worlds to 48.

"I would say France is stronger defensively than anyone else we've seen," said U.S. coach Anne Donovan, who coaches the Storm.

Storm guard Sue Bird had four points, four assists and four turnovers.

complete article


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Americans rip Czechs to advance*

Candace Parker and Tina Thompson each scored 14 points, and the two-time defending champion United States beat the Czech Republic 63-50 Monday night to secure a quarterfinal berth in the women's world basketball championship.

Diana Taurasi added 13 points in the Americans' victory over the European champions.

complete article


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Undefeated Americans clinch date for quarterfinals*

Candace Parker and Tina Thompson each scored 14 points, and the two-time defending champion United States beat the Czech Republic 63-50 Monday night to secure a quarterfinal berth in the women's FIBA World Championship.

complete article


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