The inaugural Friday Night Football Tampa Bay magazine was featured during a news segment on Bay News 9 — a cable news television network located in St. Petersburg, Fla., that serves the Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties.
The television segment was filmed at Pinellas Park High School, where FNF Tampa Bay managing editor Corey Long delivered the publication to incoming senior running back Lawrance Toafili, who was one of four coverboys for the inaugural edition. The others included fellow seniors Dylan Ridolph of Wiregrass Ranch, Tucker Gleason of Plant, and Jaylen Harrell of Berkeley Prep.
In the segment, Toafili shares that being on the cover of FNF Tampa Bay was a summer highlight for his family.
“I got to see when they saw it. I think they were more excited than I was,” said Toafili.
To watch the full segment, visit the Bay News 9 website.
The local news package gives local players, fans and business owners an opportunity to see the reach of the first-year publication. Long stresses throughout the segment the importance of providing local fans with local coverage.
“We live here, it’s an area that I am very familiar with and the idea is that we know the coaches and we know the players,” said Long. “It’s going to be a great showcase for them and I’m really excited for this one more than any project like this that I have done in a long time.”
The segment aired on July 29 — just as FNF Tampa Bay was hitting newsstands in the region. Long shared his feeling that the magazine will provide an avenue to link the Tampa Bay football community.
“They are the people we want to grow and live here and continue to make the place we live a better place. So, we should always be investing in our community and it starts with students, with student-athletes in high school,” said Long.
If you are interested in discussing how the FNF team can bring a similar magazine to your market in 2020, please email publisher Craig Baroncelli at [email protected].
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