Action Video Entertainment, a small video-production company originally based in Mt. Shasta, California, is currently owned by Siskiyou Broadcasting of Chico, California.

History

Action Video Entertainment was founded in Mt. Shasta, California, in January 1992 by Bill Janis (owner of Depth Defying Graphics), John Googins (a Southern Pacific Railroad engineer) and John McCarthy (an employee at King Videocable), three men who met at College of the Siskiyous. The company started one year after sports television coverage started on King's character generator Channel 3 in Mt. Shasta when general manager Jerrold Fischer asked McCarthy to videotape high school girls basketball games involving his step-daughter. After starting to televise games, more parents began requesting videotapes of the games. The rest, as they say, is history.

Janis, who designed the original logo, left one year after the company's formation to concentrate on his own business. A young upstart named Mike Summers joined AVE in 1994 working behind the scenes and as a fill-in announcer for the local sports broadcasts before becoming a permanent fixture with the company in 1995. McCarthy left the company in 1997, leaving Googins to be the lone representative of the original three to stay with the company.

AVE was the co-producer of the short-lived television video magazine called <I>In Focus: Siskiyou Magazine</I>, a seasonal show which lasted five episodes. The show was a joint production with King Videocable. They have also worked jointly with Northland Cable Television to help broadcast the annual Mt. Shasta Fourth of July Celebration, Fun Run/Walk, and Parade live on Channel 3 for five years before MCTV 15 (Mountain Community Television) took over the coverage.

The company was best known for its local sports coverage that officially became known as AVESportsNet in 1999 and eventually AVE Sports in 2002. The videos were telecast on such stations as King Videocable / Continental Cablevision / MediaOne / Northland Cable Television Channel 3 in Mt. Shasta for 13 years, Yreka Community Television Channel 4 in Yreka, California for two years, KGEC-TV FamilyTV 26 (a FamilyNet affiliate) in Redding, California (the first commercial television station to air AVE programs) for one and a half years, and Redding Community Access Television Channel 11 (also in Redding) for two years.

After 13 years, Googins stepped down as head of Action Video Entertainment in 2005 and Summers' newly-formed entity Siskiyou Broadcasting took over operations. The company has been rarely active since then.

AVE Sports to cease operations

Mike Summers, founder of Siskiyou Broadcasting (Action Video Entertainment's parent company), is expected to announce that AVE Sports will temporarily cease operations effective August 1, 2006. Months of inactivity is forcing the company's sports broadcasting wing to shut down. John Googins is expected to call his final broadcast at the 29th Annual Lions All-Star Football Game on July 29, 2006, and a replacement will be sought.

Restructing

Siskiyou Broadcasting is expected to do some restructing of Action Video Entertainment in the coming weeks. Rumors of the company's demise were greatly exaggerated, yet months of inactivity have forced the company to cease day-to-day operations until further notice.

External Links

Action Video Entertainment website

Siskiyou Broadcasting website