Meet Our Team

Andy Lynch, Sports Director

Andy Lynch has been here in Lima for two and a half years now and is excited to be a part of the sports community. He was the Sports Information Director of the Christian sports ministry, Athletes in Action and also served as the Sports Director for KTVF-TV, the NBC affiliate in Fairbanks, Alaska, for four years.

He also was the voice of the Mineral Wells Steam summer collegiate baseball team in the summer of ‘05, and he called Syracuse Women's basketball games from 1999-2001, when he was a student at SU.

Andy loves good sports, good food and bringing God's love to the people he interacts with everyday.

Andy likes to try new sports (which you'll see on his weekly series 'Andy's Antics') and is always looking for ideas, so feel free to invite him to your activity by emailing him at alynch@wtlw.com

Mark Kunz , Anchor/ Reporter

After spending the last several years in that state "up north", Mark Kunz is thrilled to return to the Buckeye State. A native of Toledo, most recently, Mark was News and Sports Director at WBKB-TV 11 in Alpena, Michigan, where he won a total of 7 Michigan Association of Broadcasting Excellence Awards and was recognized by the state's Associated Press bureau with an Honorable Mention award.

A graduate of Ohio University, Mark began his professional career working as an editor and producer at WBNS-10TV in Columbus before handling similar responsibilities at the Ohio News Network.

There isn't a time in his life Mark can't remember sports not playing a major role, in fact his earliest memory involves baseball cards.

Mark is excited to be able to use the gifts God gave him in His service.

When not at work, Mark enjoys watching, playing, reading and talking about sports. You can e-mail him at mkunz@wtlw.com

Brandt Showalter, Anchor/ Reporter

Brandt Showalter joined the Sports Report in August of 2006 and loves being able to watch and follow sports for a living. Brandt spent the first 23 years of his life in Indiana where he graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Telecommunications. His high school days were spent playing tennis and golf for Bloomington High School South.

While at Ball State, Brandt reported and produced for NewsLink Indiana on WIPB-TV in Muncie. By night, he was one of the sports anchors for the student-run newscast, Newslink @ 9.

If he’s not working hard covering sports, you can probably find Brandt at home, watching sports. Brandt is eager to meet the friendly fans of Northwest Ohio and see how high school sports here stack up to the Hoosier state. If you have a story or game you want Brandt to cover, e-mail him at bjshowalter@wtlw.com

Chris Parks, Reporter

Chris is the newest member of the Sports Report, joining the team in August of 2007. He is a native of Cranberry Twp, PA near Pittsburgh. Chris graduated from Clarion University of PA in May '07 with a degree in communication.

At Clarion, Chris was a member of WCUB-TV for all of his 4 years. He served as the play by play commentator of the football and basketball teams, was the Sports Director in his senior year, and was a weather reporter to mix things up his final 2 years.

His favorite sports are baseball, basketball, and football. Being born and raised in Pittsburgh, he is naturally a Steeler, Penguin, and Pirate fan. Chris is very happy to be in western Ohio and cover a wide range of sports here in Lima.

cparks@wtlw.com

Mark Shine, Color Analyst

After 26 seasons as a basketball coach at Bellevue and Bath High Schools, Mark has gradually grown in his role at TV-44 Sports. In his first three seasons, he provided color commentary during WTLW's basketball games. He then began working on Touchdown Friday and Full Court Press as a shooter and analyst. Today, Mark significantly contribues to Sports Report on Fridays as an analyst and continues to provide insightful color commentary for WTLW's basketball game productions.

Except for his stint at Bellevue, Mark is a life-long native to the area having graduated from Lima Senior High School, Defiance College and BGSU where he earned a Masters degree. In addition to is work at WTLW, Mark teaches at Bath High School and James A Rhodes College and officiates volleyball and basketball games.

Mark appreciates the positive way that games and highlights are telecast on TV-44 and hopes viewers come to understand the mission of the station through its coverage of high school athletics.

Mark Miller, Basketball Play by Play, Color

Mark attended Canton South High School where he was a standout athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. Although his first love was basketball, he became a prolific quarterback and was recruited by Bowling Green State University. After a successful four-year collegiate career, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns and later played for the Green Bay Packers and Michigan Panthers (USFL). After a successful career as a player, Mark assisted coached at BGSU for seven years. He then transitioned into broadcasting and became BGSU’s football radio color commentator for twelve years. He has been both a color commentator and play by play announcer for WTLW’s basketball productions for over 17 years. As Director of Business for Elida Local Schools, Mark also finds time to be an advisor to the Fellowship of Christian Fellowship. He and his wife Barb have successfully raised three sons. Mark enjoys getting to know local athletes and coaches and hopes to influence them in a positive way toward living for Jesus Christ. He is honored to be a part of TV-44 and the Christian outreach it provides to West Central Ohio.

Mike Schepp, Basketball Play by Play

Mike has been the voice of 44 Sports since 1987. He has worked for the station in some capacity for the last two decades covering sports of all kinds. He has also done radio work dating back to 1979. Mike is a Lima native and graduate of Lima Central Catholic, Ohio State University and the University of Dayton. His full time job is teaching English and Speech at Wapakoneta High School. He has been happily married for the last 32 years to wife Mary Lou who is a teacher at Bath Local Schools. They have two daughters, Mary Beth, an interior designer, and Kelly, a senior at Ohio University. In his spare time, Mike plays golf as much as possible and roots for the Browns and against the Bengals.

Joe Faine, Basketball Play by Play, Color

Joe Faine has been around the game of basketball for the last 30 years. He played high school basketball at Cory Rawson from 1974-1977. He played four years of collegiate basketball at Bowling Green State University, finishing up his career in 1981. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1981. He had a short stint as a radio broadcaster for the Bowling Green Falcons men's team in 2000 and 2001. He has also wrote a six week column on basketball several years ago. Joe has four children, all of whom have taken up his enthusiasm for the game of basketball. Joe has had the blessing to meet, play with, and discuss the game of basketball with many wonderful and talented athletes and coaches over the years. He hopes to bring his and other's insights to the games he broadcasts. He feels blessed to be part of the Channel 44 team, and to work with the group of talented broadcasters assembled to bring our fans the best in Northwest Ohio high school basketball.