Windy City Poker Championship Airs In Midwest

Kirk Fallah teaches news and video editing/production in the TV department at Columbia College Chicago. His company hires his students to help produce a regional poker TV show, Windy City Poker Championship, which airs tournaments run by Main Event Charity Games. Having watched some of the shows on their site, I can say that they do a good job with a low budget: they use good onscreen graphics and commentary to convey the basics (cards, stacks, blinds/antes, and action) better than many more expensively-produced shows. Fallah's company buys airtime on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, sells all the ads, and uses the revenue to pay students that work on the show. Comcast SportsNet Chicago is available in much of the Midwest, including at least 90% of Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, plus satellite. It also airs on Bright House Sports Network in Florida and Cox Cable's CST. 

Update, October 6, 2009: the September 25 Ante Up podcast has a fascinating interview with Kirk Fallah. It starts at the 36 minute mark. Some interesting points:

• They show almost all of the hands. 
• Players in the charitable tournaments they broadcast have about a 10% chance of making the TV table. 
• Post-production is the most expensive element of the show, and takes 2-3 weeks. 
• Instead of having hole-card cams at each seat they have a staffer offscreen log each hand after it's mucked. 
• Fallah is working on getting the show broadcast on other regional TV networks. 
• Fallah is talking to Ante Up about creating a Florida poker show as well.
  
• He talked about the additional complexity of broadcasting pot-limit Omaha, but hopes to be able to do so in a few years.
  

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