Courtesy Belmont Citizen Herald

April 6, 2009) A lifelong sports enthusiast, Todd Bloniarz recently celebrated his milestone 300th episode of his talk show, “Time Out for Sports Talk.” As he reflects back on 15 years worth of shows, Bloniarz hopes that his viewers are getting as much out of his shows as he still is.

Bloniarz is a passionate, lifelong New England sports fan who started “Time Out for Sports Talk,” through the Belmont Media Center a few years after moving to the town.

Originally from Western Massachusetts, Bloniarz discovered Belmont’s public access station while flipping channels one afternoon on the couch.

“It seemed a little more raw than your average channel, and caught my eye. Then I saw an announcement for the [Belmont Media Center], so I just called the studio, visited, and told them what I was interested in.”

Bloniarz started out by helping to broadcast high school sports in town, sticking with the school sports beat for the next four years.

“It’s kind of ironic that I got into sports casting,” Bloniarz said. “Neither my high school nor college had a football team — forget a TV or radio station!”

Not long afterwards, he began producing his own program through BMC called “Marauder Magazine,” a show discussing and showcasing sports in Belmont. About a year later however, Bloniarz replaced it with “Time Out for Sports Talk.” The spin-off of the magazine show focused on a roundtable discussion on sports, eliminating the heavy post-production work of the original show.

Fifteen years later, “Time Out” has not changed much since its inception. Bloniarz emphasizes that the show is a hobby that he and his co-hosts love: sitting around and debating sports. “We’re not breaking any new ground, [we’re] just sports enthusiasts sitting around talking,” he says.

The show, and Bloniarz’s passionate hosting, have received glowing reviews from many viewers, encouraging even those who are not sports fans to watch and call in. He leads candid discussions with all of his callers — from a former co-host who called in on a recent episode to announce that his wife was just about to give birth, to more serious discussions, like when middle school students called in after 9/11 to talk about what happened and how they felt.

Bloniarz also draws viewers in with some “celebrity guest” sportscasters and writers. Bob Lobell joined him for the 200th episode in 2003, one of Bloniarz’s favorite shows. Nick Cafardo, a Boston Globe sportswriter, and Frank Mallicoat, a former WLVI anchor, have also made appearances.

“It feels like a big deal when they come down to the media center,” said Bloniarz. “We can’t pay them, they’re just talking to the community for their love of sports.”

As producer, Bloniarz makes sure that the show has enough crew to film “Time Out,” and prepares some discussion topics before the program tapes. “Maybe I’ll print out a couple of articles on the “hot topic” in sports at the moment, and I’ll sketch out a few questions, but oftentimes things go off in another direction, especially if someone calls in.”

Bloniarz says he has learned a lot from creating and producing the program. “Today I put more thought into topics for shows, reading the sports pages and listening to talk shows with a different perspective." he said.

Over the years, Belmont Media Center has been very supportive of, and receptive to, Bloniarz’s ideas. “I was able to take a production class when I started with high school sports, and over the years… I’ve learned how to run a camera, done some camera and editing work, and have helped crew on some other shows, which is how I've gained more experience,” he said. “That’s what’s great about Belmont, you can just take a class and go for it. [It led to] my first foray into TV and later into webcasting as well.”

Just as the BMC looks to expand with a newer, more modern studio, Bloniarz is thinking about how he can update “Time Out for Sports Talk.” He is looking at ways to reach people outside of Belmont, possibly streaming the show live online as a way to expand his audience base once the new center opens.

“I’m excited about the new studio, it’s reenergizing,” Bloniarz said. “The studio is going to be state-of-the-art, and I’ll have to learn a little more digital technology.”

In the meantime, Bloniarz hopes that his viewers are just as entertained as he is hosting and producing the show. “It’s still fun, that’s why we keep doing it!” he says.

“Time Out for Sports Talk,” airs live once a month on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. More information about BMC and its programming can be found by visiting www.belmontmedia.org, calling 617-484-2443. Programs can be viewed on Comcast cable channels 8, 9 and 96, and on Verizon FiOS channels 28, 29, and 30. BMC also offers classes and invites all members of the Belmont community to become producers of new shows.