
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 8, 1994                   TAG: 9501120037
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WOMEN'S TIME HAS COME

ESPN GIVES THEM increased exposure, but moves the Stagg Bowl to ESPN2 in 1996.

The loss of telecast exposure for the NCAA women's basketball tournament under a new contract with CBS was reversed in another deal Wednesday.

The NCAA announced that starting in March 1996, ESPN and ESPN2 will air 23 games of the Division I women's tournament annually. That's an increase from the current seven on ESPN and CBS.

CBS dropped the women's hoop coverage in an eight-year, $1.725 billion contract with the NCAA announced Tuesday. ESPN also will take over live coverage of the Division I-AA football championship game. ESPN reportedly will pay the NCAA $1 million annually under the new contract, which wasn't great news for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, however.

The contract wasn't great news for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, however. The Stagg Bowl has been shown live in recent years by ESPN, which will air Saturday's NCAA Division III title game between Albion and Washington & Jefferson at Salem Stadium.

In the new contract, the Stagg Bowl will be moved to a live telecast on ESPN2, which, although growing, still is available in 48 million fewer homes than ESPN.

ESPN is on cable systems in 62.9 million homes; ESPN2 has 14.9 million homes.

ESPN2 is available on few Southwest Virginia cable systems, so area viewers won't be able to watch future Stagg Bowls on the tube unless systems increase channel capacity and add the ``Deuce.''

In addition to adding NCAA events dropped from the CBS contract, ESPN and ESPN2 will air the Division II football and women's basketball finals live, as well as an increased number of live hockey tournament games.

The women's basketball tournament coverage on the two ESPNs will include eight first-round games and all games starting with the regional semifinals.

There is no telecast contract for the Division III baseball and men's basketball tournaments, which will move to Salem in May and in March 1996, respectively.

by CNB