FWC News Release

October 9, 2009
Contacts: Bob Wattendorf, 850-488-0520, ext. 17245 or Tony Young, 850-488-7867

It's been missing from local airwaves for a while, but if you live within the Big Bend or South Georgia, you can tune in to the area's only locally based outdoors television show, "Around the Bend." The hour-long program airs Saturdays from 5:30 - 6:30 a.m. on Tallahassee's WTWC - NBC 40 (cable 12) and is hosted by Randy Hopkins (former wildlife officer) and Tony Young - the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) hunting and game management media relations coordinator.

The show, which debuted June 13, informs and entertains the public on the many diverse local opportunities for getting outdoors and enjoying fishing, hunting and other nature-based recreational activities in a safe and sustainable manner. The mainstay of the program is to interview local saltwater and freshwater fishing guides. Hopkins and Young provide timely fishing details on "where to go, when to go and what to throw" and tips to hunters that undoubtedly will enhance their outdoor experience. They also stress taking a youth along.

The show features FWC messages, along with some from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, to help ensure the safe, legal, ethical and sustainable use of resources across state lines. Expert special guests are interviewed each episode about issues such as boating safety, gator hunting, access for individuals with disabilities, and taking a Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop. They also discuss such things as the importance of protecting your skin when outdoors. A weekly event calendar, featured by Get Outdoors Florida!, helps plan for upcoming outdoor activities.

If you'd like "Around the Bend" to show off your most recent fishing and hunting pictures, e-mail them to aroundthebend@wtwc40.com. You're also invited to become a fan of the show's Facebook page.