By SCOTT NOVAK
Niles Daily Star

The voice will be familiar, but the way you listen to it will change dramatically.

Rob Clingaman, who area sports fans were used to hearing do local sports on WNIL, has created his own broadcast company.

Clingaman announced earlier this week the formation of Southwest Michigan Sports (www.swmsports.net)

“I will be broadcasting local sporting events as I always have, but now instead of transmitting my voice through the radio airways …. it will be streaming online at www.swmsports.net,” he said. “All games will be available to anyone with high speed internet at home and with the appropiate applications for cell phones with internet capability.”

Southwest Michigan Sports will officially launch on Thursday with coverage of the Niles at Edwardsburg baseball game, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

“I will be doing a ‘Game of The Week’ through the regular season of both baseball and girls softball,” Clingaman stated. “Then carrying forward and covering playoff action as well.

“Then once high school ball is over, I will convert over to the little leagues of the community at both Firemen’s Park and Howard Township. I know Firemen’s is hosting the 11-year-old Ohio Valley Regional at the end of July, so that will be a definite event I will be webcasting,” he added.

All events will be live and then archived so that people can listen to games anytime they want to.

“The greatest thing about this is it will be the end of the neverending battle of transmitter power at WNIL,” Clingaman said, “where if you weren’t camped out on Philip Road by the second half of any game, you wouldn’t be able to hear the broadcast as the transmitter went to low power under FCC regulations. Not the problem anymore and obviously with being on the Internet ….. our games can be heard throughout the world for all players family, friends and alumni to be able to listen to the games no matter where they are.”

Clingaman said he was extremely disappointed last year when WNIL decided against broadcasting Niles softball games on its way to the Division 2 state title and earlier this year when Brandywine reached the Class C state semifinals.

“I pleaded for them to do something, but basically got ignored on the matter,” he said. “So that’s when I decided to start something on my own and hopefully make it better than it ever has been. Joining my broadcast team will be my new business partner Steve Adolph, along with Larry Pickles. I am even pulling my father ‘RC’ (Rick Clingaman) out of retirement to join me on broadcasts from time to time.”

For those interested in listening to the games, they should head over to the Web site as soon as possible to download the latest media player (available on page).