BATON ROUGE — WBRZ is officially partnering with Southern University to become the official television station of the Jaguars. 

The announcement was made Friday morning by WBRZ CFO Ralph Bender during the annual Jag-A-Thon fundraising effort.

"There are two major universities in this town, and we are the only locally owned and locally operated TV station in southern Louisiana, and it's important to support the community," Bender said. "It's not just about airing stories; it's about putting back the good fortune we had with dollars into our local community to allow the local community to continue to grow." 

The partnership will encompass not only Southern Athletics, but also an investment into the school's mass communication program, Bender added. 

"These guys have lived in this community, are from this community, they're involved in this community, and that's why WBRZ is my television station," Chris Powers, the voice of Jaguar athletics, added. 

WBRZ has a similar partnership with LSU and its athletic department.

"This is a two-cat town, and we want to be a two-cat sponsor," Bender said. 

Southern Athletic Director Roman Banks said that, while LSU is a big name in town, Southern also plays a large part in the community. 

"They're doubling down on that," Banks said, praising the partnership with WBRZ. 

Learn more about Jag-A-Thon here. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Leon R. Tarver II Cultural and Heritage Center.