How the Star Frame Bowling Challenge came to be…

How is a local Television show born?

WOIO TV sportscaster, Chuck Galeti would often be a fill in radio talk show host for Mike Trivisonno on WTAM radio in Cleveland. Two of the Triv show’s regular team members were Paul Rado and “Big Daddy” Marty Allen. On those occasions, Galeti and Rado would use commercial breaks to discuss local television programming. They came up with ideas but never acted on them. After all, they both had day jobs.

In 2009 the economy hit the country hard and millions of Americans lost their jobs, Galeti, Rado, and Allen were three of them. While they had time on their hands, Rado and Galeti revisited one of their ideas and concluded a bowling game show would be loved by the city that once hosted a “bowling for Dollars” franchise.

But what would the new show be like? What is the goal? How will contestants win money? Several things were kicked around but a few things the two had agreed upon from the start; that was that it had to be fast-paced with a high-energy crowd, the rules had to be simple and it had to be a “Cleveland” show.

A star frame, in bowling circles, is when all five members of a bowling team bowl strikes in a frame. Rado and Galeti decided that getting contestants to bowl a Star Frame was the best format because the contestants had to team up to win. People from different parts of the community would have to work together for the common good; Winning CASH!

But whose cash would they win?

Since Galeti found work on the STO regional sports network, Rado took it upon himself to form Paul Rado Entertainment llc and produce the “Star Frame Bowling Challenge” specifically for Cleveland Television. Since in most businesses the bosses get paid last, it was up to Rado to payout the contestants from the show producing funds. That’s why Rado doesn’t want the contestants to win, it truly costs him money.

As executive producer Rado had to find people to make sure the show can become a reality. Rado talked to Dan Sevic and John Skrada of S&S Video. They’ve produced hundreds of sporting events in Northeast Ohio and are hired by all the countrywide networks to work the nationally broadcast events that originate in Cleveland. They are perfect because they themselves are Clevelanders. Rado then asked his former radio show mate Marty Allen to provide his experienced vocal as the show announcer. Rado then hired local rocker Jackie LaPonza (www.worldjackie.com) to portray the ditzy cheerleader/spokes model “Ginger the Ball Girl.” 

Rado then stumbled upon the perfect song to be the shows theme; “Grab Your Balls We’re Goin’ Bowling!” penned by ‘Rockin’ Ray Miller and performed by The Casuals: An American Polka Band. Both are Cleveland raised talents. The stars were aligning and the vision of a Cleveland show that Galeti and Rado were looking from the beginning was coming together on a cosmic level.

WOIO/WUAB were presented a copy of the “Star Frame Bowling Challenge” and agreed to air the show for a set number of weeks. Both WOIO/WUAB and Paul Rado Entertainment anticipate a growing following of the new Cleveland Show and foresee the show being signed to a deal that will keep it on Northeast Ohio TV for the foreseeable future.