Nov. 15, 2000
Bowling Green, Ky. - WKYU-PBS (Channel 24) on the Western Kentucky University campus has announced a live television package for WKU men's and women's basketball that ranks as the most aggressive in the school's history.
The campus PBS affiliate will televise 13 games -- seven men's and six women's -- during the 2000-01 season, uplinking all to satellite for distribution to a regional network that will reach up to 10 million people in nine states on the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network (HSSN).
"Today, Western takes another step forward and is unique as the only Sun Belt Conference school producing its own basketball games and distributing them over its own sports network," WKU President Dr. Gary Ransdell said. "The technology and the staff at WKYU-TV are the tools in this endeavor, but it's the students who make the HSSN possible. Our students will crew each game alongside our campus television professionals. They are essential to the success of HSSN and all of us are proud of the work they do and the experience they gain as they prepare for their professional careers."
"All of us at WKYU are very excited about the opportunity this provides for the institution and for the students we have that are so important in making this happen," Jerry Barnaby, Director of Public Broadcasting at WKU, said. "Very few universities are capable of producing its own live sports broadcasts in this manner, making them available to so many people via satellite through such a broad-based network."
HSSN will provide those games to eight affiliates across the state of Kentucky--
* the flagship WKYU-PBS 24 in Bowling Green,
* WYCS-24 in Louisville,
* WKAG-43 in Hopkinsville/Clarksville,
* WOBZ-09 in London,
* Cable 10 in Frankfort,
* OCC Community TV in Owensboro,
* HCCTV-12 in Henderson and
* Comcast Cable in Paducah.
"Television exposure and program visibility are essential for intercollegiate athletics success today," said Western Director of Athletics Dr. Wood Selig. "Not only do recruits gravitate toward programs with the best TV packages, but fans benefit from such comprehensive coverage.
"The HSSN television package clearly places Western men's and women's basketball at the top of the Sun Belt Conference and among the nation's elite in terms of visibility and exposure," he added. "As an athletics department, we are indebted to our faculty and students, whose creativity and ingenuity have made this HSSN programming a reality."
In addition, College Sports Southeast (CSSE) will air each game on its cable outlets in the following markets in seven Southeastern states:
* Alabama (Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery),
* Florida (Panama City),
* Georgia (Atlanta/Rome, Augusta, Columbus and Macon),
* Louisiana (Baton Rouge),
* Mississippi (Grenada),
* South Carolina (Charleston) and
* Tennessee (Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville).
CSSE will televise five games live -- the Lady Toppers versus Louisville on Nov. 30, Denver on Dec. 10, Southwest Missouri on Jan. 29 and New Orleans on Feb. 6, and, the Hilltoppers against New Mexico State on Jan. 16 -- and carry the balance of the HSSN schedule on a same-day delayed basis. In addition, CSSE will originate the men's Sun Belt Conference game at Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 17 along with the women's contest at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 1 as a part of its Sun Belt package and make those games available to WKYU viewers in Bowling Green.
"College Sports Southeast is thrilled with this new and exciting coverage of Western Kentucky basketball," Gary Andrich, General Manager of CSSE, said. "Western has a great tradition in basketball and College Sports Southeast sees these games as a natural extension of the agreements that we have with the Sun Belt Conference."
Sunshine Network in Florida will also join HSSN and televise four games live -- the Hilltoppers versus UALR on Jan. 13, New Mexico State on Jan. 16 and Arkansas State on Jan. 25, and the Lady Toppers against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 10 -- and the men's contest with Florida International on Feb. 15 on a delayed basis. Sunshine markets carrying the broadcast include Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and virtually all of the southern Florida.
"Sunshine Network is pleased to be offering these games to its Florida viewers," said Dana Stites, Sunshine Network's director of programming. "WKYU's game telecasts are high quality and we welcome the opportunity to support student-produced programming on our statewide sports and public affairs network."
"Our station and student staff produce a product that is accepted nationally in a very competitive industry," David Brinkley, producer of the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network, said. "That validation alone speaks volumes about the dedication, effort and quality of education here at Western."
"WYCS-TV 24 is pleased to have the opportunity to broadcast Western Kentucky University basketball in the Greater Louisville market and surrounding counties," Valerie Sickles, director of programming and promotion for WYCS-TV 24 said. "We are excited to bring both the men's and women's basketball games to this region. The Louisville area has many WKU alumni and fans who will be delighted to see their favorite teams LIVE right in their living rooms."
In addition, WKYU will carry the Hilltoppers' game at Louisville (Dec. 9) in the Bowling Green area and is still in the process of finalizing plans to bring additional Western basketball games back to the area market.
The complete WKYU-PBS / HSSN schedule (as of today) follows:
Date (Day) -- Game / Time (CST) / Notes
Nov. 30 (Thu.) -- Louisville (women) / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Dec. 9 (Sat.) -- at Louisville (men) / 1 p.m. / WKYU-PBS (Channel 24)
Dec. 10 (Sun.) -- Denver (women) / 2 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Dec. 16 (Sat.) -- Akron (men) / 7 p.m. / WKYU-PBS (Channel 24)
Jan. 11 (Thu.) -- South Alabama (women)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Jan. 13 (Sat.) -- Arkansas-Little Rock (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE, Sunshine Network
Jan. 16 (Tue.) -- New Mexico State (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE, Sunshine Network
Jan. 18 (Thu.) -- Louisiana Tech (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Jan. 25 (Thu.) -- Arkansas State (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE, Sunshine Network
Jan. 29 (Mon.) -- Southwest Missouri (women)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Feb. 1 (Thu.) -- Middle Tennessee (women)* / 7 p.m. / CSSE, WKYU-PBS (Channel 24)
Feb. 3 (Sat.) -- North Texas (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Feb. 6 (Tue.) -- New Orleans (women)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
Feb. 10 (Sat.) -- Louisiana Tech (women)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE, Sunshine Network
Feb. 15 (Thu.) -- Florida International (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE, Sunshine Network
Feb. 17 (Sat.) -- at Arkansas-Little Rock (men)* / 7 p.m. / CSSE, WKYU-PBS (Channel 24)
Feb. 24 (Sat.) -- Middle Tennessee (men)* / 7 p.m. / HSSN, CSSE
* Sun Belt Conference game
-- WKU --
