Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 28, 1990 TAG: 9003280061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JKack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Telesport Productions of Cary, N.C., will handle the Hokies' TV production and marketing for a second year despite what Telesport president Jack Gregory called "a very disappointing year."
Gregory said Telesport lost $102,000 on the Hokies' football telecasts. On Tech basketball, Gregory said, "My best guess is we'll break even or have a little loss, not exceeding $5,000-$10,000."
Under terms of a contract for four successive one-year periods, the Hokies get 50 percent of all net profits, not to mention unprecedented TV exposure for the school. All losses on the package are absorbed by Telesport. It's a sweet deal for Tech, but it could turn sour. The contract is renewable annually at the option of each party.
If Telesport's losses on the Tech package are substantial again in 1990-91, the Hokies may be looking for another syndicator.
"Year Two is going to be very important," Gregory said. "Telesport has been very much in support of Virginia Tech, and believes in what people like Dave Braine [the Hokies' athletic director] and Danny Monk [associate AD] are trying to do. Also, this coming year is do or die. Tech wants to make money, I know. We have to make money."
Despite the late acquistion of the telecast rights - Telesport and Tech didn't have a signed contract until May 26, 1989 - Telesport delivered seven Tech football games and six basketball games on a network that spanned the state, reached into West Virginia, Maryland and the Carolinas and was picked up on cable systems that were tied to FamilyNet Broadcasting of Lynchburg.
Tech's football victory at West Virginia was delivered to cable's Home Team Sports by Telesport, meaning many viewers had access to eight of Tech's 11 football games. Telesport's production was professional, but preseason advertising sales were weak, and Tech's sagging basketball fortunes didn't sustain the momentum generated when the football team played better than expected.
In 1990-91, Telesport plans to show four football games and four or five basketball games. The football telecasts are at East Carolina and Florida State, a home game against South Carolina, and either a home game with West Virginia or a home date with Southern Mississippi. Gregory wants to do the WVU game, but the Mountaineers may not agree to allow a Tech telecast of the game to reach across the states' border.
"I think those who saw the Telesport games were very well pleased, that the shows were quality, and in the area of exposure, we were way ahead of the game, maybe getting more than we expected," said Monk, who is Tech's TV coordinator. "But we told Jack we thought it would be a difficult sell. It was quickly put together and he hit the ground running, but he found we didn't have the kind of support he'd hoped for."
Gregory said, "I learned what the people in the athletic department told me - Virginia Tech is not an easy sell."
Gregory said Telesport's first-year difficulties were varied - a late start in acquiring and selling the package, too many games in the package, overestimating sales and higher production costs when crews had to be brought in from North Carolina because of an unfamiliarity with telecast technicians in Virginia.
"I can't believe the lack of support from the Virginia Tech alumni," said Gregory, who made few sales inroads with former Hokies. "Virginia Tech is trying to do things the right way now. I was astonished. I overestimated the salability of Virginia Tech."
Monk said that in their travels to Hokie Club functions this spring, he and Braine have heard appreciative remarks about Tech's increased exposure on statewide television. "We've told those people that if they want to continue to receive the kind of quality telecasts we had, we and Telesport are going to have to have some help," he said.
Monk said Tech's athletic administration "couldn't be more pleased" with Telesport's telecasts. Gregory said the Hokies' exposure in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market will be enhanced in 1990-91, with football games moving from independent WJPR (Channel 21) to NBC affiliate WSLS (Channel 10), which has a stronger signal into the New River Valley and Southwest Virginia.
"We have more than 60,000 living alumni in Virginia, so you wouldn't expect a problem," Monk said. "We've never sold 10,000 season tickets in football. We've never sold 3,000 season tickets in basketball. Now, we've gotten on the air, with a good production. If we're going to keep that, people are going to have to support it."
by CNB