DOWAGIAC — Beginning on Dec. 10, Dowagiac sports fans will be able to follow their Chieftains via the Dowagiac Chieftains Network.

Joe Jason, former owner of Q-92/WDOW radio in Dowagiac, will launch the Dowagiac Chieftain Network. It will stream hundreds of hours of varsity sports beginning with the boys basketball season opener against Benton Harbor.

Jason said the entire 20-game regular season of games, both home and away, will be streamed over the internet, as well as select girls basketball games.

“Meeting with Athletic Director Brent Nate and new Superintendent Jonathan Whan brought about an exciting exchange of ideas and building blocks for the future,” Jason said. 

“What we’re going to put forth next month is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much opportunity to promote the district, students, student-athletes, educators and support personnel.  Everywhere you turn there’s a great story that can be told.  Yes, we’ll stream a lot of games, but there’s so much beyond that.”

Dowagiac sports fans have been following the Chieftains over the airwaves for decades, but it was mainly limited to football and boys basketball games. Jason wants to bring the community into the current form of broadcast media.

“It’s time that Dowagiac High School sports make the transition to streaming,” he said.  “Over-the-air radio just doesn’t provide the consistent commitment and effort to bring these games to the community. The desire by the public to hear games or events is as strong as ever. Just as important is the ability to hear this content whenever and wherever someone wants to. It’s how the public consumes their content in today’s world.”

Jason is no stranger to area sports fans. Not only did he own the local radio station, he has also worked for the last 20 years with the Michigan High School Athletic Association. He has produced the championships in every sport for the MHSAA Network, and has served as their main play-by-play announcer for both audio streaming and TV. The MHSAA Network streamed games to over 500,000 people in the 2018-19 school year.

Jason added that covering more than just football and basketball games will be an important part of the new network. This spring, the Dowagiac Chieftains Network will stream baseball, softball and girls soccer.

In the fall, not only with Chieftain football games be streamed live, so will boys soccer and volleyball games.

Jason will call some of games himself, but will also share broadcast duties with “talented friends in the broadcast community,” he said.

Finding the games on the internet will not be difficult, Jason said.

“Once the season begins, it will be just one simple click to listen, and that link will be published on the school website and social media platforms like the Dowagiac Chieftain Network on Facebook.  If you’re connected to Dowagiac Schools in any way, it will be easy to find.”

In proposing the Dowagiac Chieftain Network to Whan, Jason was asked, “Why Dowagiac?”

“That’s easy,” Jason said. “I’m married to a Dowagiac girl, Tracy Dodd-Urbanski ,and she manages the Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center in the Jim Snow Building and is also the chairperson for the Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant, which I emcee. My father-in-law Jim Dodd sits on city council and was a Dowagiac Firefighter for 40 years. I’m a member of the Dowagiac Elks and Moose Lodges, and at one time, I took every penny I owned and invested it in a radio station at 26914 Marcellus Hwy. I love this community.”

Until the Dec. 10 season-opener against Benton Harbor, sports fans can go to the Dowagiac Chieftain Network and listen to the 2003 100th football game between the Chieftains and Niles, which Dowagiac won 31-28 on a field goal by Hillary Bisnett.