Chuck Williams: Jones, Williams keep SportsVisions in the game

It’s a simple philosophy Daryll Jones and his business partner Dale Williams bring to the table.

“Stay in the game,” Williams said.

The two, both north of 50 and headed toward 60, have been in the game together a long time. They were teammates on the 1980 University of Georgia national championship team. They came up through youth football at Edgewood — parted ways in high school with Williams going to Hardaway and Jones to Carver — and reunited at Georgia. Jones went on to play in the NFL for the Packers and Broncos.

It’s kind of a big brother, little brother thing with Williams being three years older.

Ten years ago, they became business partners with SportsVisions, a Columbus-based company that puts on a weekly sports television program. Jones — known to his friends as “DJ” — admits it has been challenging.

“The biggest thing is Dale and I own this deal,” Jones said Monday. “We have a show that has access to big-time college football, the Super Bowl, the Masters. It depends on us being able to get sponsorships.”

The idea was born when Jones was a local sportscaster.

“Dale used to watch me on WRBL,” Jones said. “I would call him, and asked him what he thought. He would say, “Man, you didn’t have enough time.’ He came up with the concept.”

The show has jumped around over the last 10 years. It has been on CW, ESPN2, Mediacom and Comcast through the years. The 10th anniversary show is Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on Bounce-TV.

Here’s how the deal works: Jones and Williams produce the show, sell the advertising, buy air time on a network or from a cable company, then they’re the on-air talent. During the show’s two-year stint on ESPN2, SportsVisions bought the local news break times ESPN2 offered to the various cable networks.

They tape many of the shows on location — primarily Athens where they are both connected in many meaningful ways. Jones works in various on-air roles with the Georgia Football Radio Network.

They are hoping to turn the Bounce-TV deal, which will initially air on 9.2 (one of the WTVM digital channels), into something bigger that could get them in more of the Bounce markets.

This month, they met with their former college coach, Vince Dooley, who Williams said has been a supporter. And Dooley understands the business model. “Coach Dooley was a hell of a businessman,” Williams said, pointing out that Dooley had the rights to his weekly television show and controlled the advertising sales.

“He understands,” Williams said.

Jones said while it isn’t easy, it is rewarding.

“I am more proud of this than I am of the national championship, the SEC championships and the AFC championship with Denver,” he said. “I am blessed to have been a part of those. But what we have done over the last 10 years has not been easy. We own our show and our own business.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2014 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Chuck Williams: Jones, Williams keep SportsVisions in the game."