Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 14, 1990 TAG: 9007140033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
After having seven regional telecasts in 1989 with Telesport Productions, Tech will get two TV dates this year. Both of those are through opposing schools.
The Hokies will appear Sept. 1 at Maryland in the ACC TV opener (Lynchburg's WSET Channel 13) throughout the conference's region. Tech's other date is Sept. 22 against South Carolina, a game that is part of the Gamecocks' new TV deal with SportsNet of Columbia, S.C.
That game, however, has not been cleared on Virginia stations. SportsNet and Litton Syndications of Baltimore couldn't put together the Hokies' desired four-game package because stations in Virginia weren't interested enough to pay a rights fee in exchange for all of the advertising inventory in a game.
Telesport dropped about $125,000 televising Tech sports last year, including a $102,000 loss on seven football telecasts. The Cary, N.C., production company went out of business, and Tech hoped SportsNet, co-owned by former Telesport play-by-play man Jim Forest, could pick up Telesport's projected four-game schedule.
"The stations said they couldn't commit to that few games, that they couldn't make it work [financially]," Forest said.
"There wasn't the money there to support it in Virginia markets," said David Morgan of Litton Syndications.
The Hokies will be on TV against the Gamecocks in the Carolinas, but maybe not throughout Virginia. Morgan said the only Virginia market that had shown interest in the Hokies' original package was Norfolk. In Roanoke-Lynchburg, the Tech package would have cost more than $5,000 per game, which is about what some local stations have paid in the recent past for NCAA Tournament basketball telecasts involving Tech or Virginia.
Tech associate athletic director Danny Monk, who oversees the Hokies' TV-radio negotiations, said Litton will try to clear Virginia stations for the South Carolina date. Telesport president Jack Gregory said last year that a lack of advertising support for Tech in the region and the state was the most puzzling aspect of his work with the school.
Apparently, state television stations have learned as well that Tech, despite its improved and cleaned-up program, remains a tough sell.
Virginia's final three football games this season - against Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Maryland - will be televised as part of the ACC's noon TV schedule. The Cavs' other ACC appearance is Sept. 22 at Duke, in a game that moves from a night kickoff to noon.
Jefferson-Pilot Teleproductions, which airs ACC football, is looking for a new play-by-play man. Brad Nessler, who worked last year, has been hired by CBS to work NFL games. Nessler's replacement should be named within two weeks. Jack Corrigan returns as the ACC analyst.
The effect of NCAA probation on Maryland's basketball program continues to mushroom. Raycom Sports and Jefferson-Pilot, who combine to produce the ACC package, will visit stations in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore within the next week to determine whether a tape-delayed schedule of Terrapins games will be aired.
The NCAA has banned Maryland from live TV in 1990-91. That will cost the Terps exposure throughout the ACC region, and they won't be seen nationally on ESPN cable, either. The Terps also will not share in the ACC's TV package revenue for this year, costing the school more than $1.1 million.
Raycom executive vice president Ken Haines said stations in Washington and Baltimore will be offered a six-game Terps package, either for Friday or Saturday late-night viewing. "A lot depends on the reception of the stations to what we propose," Haines said.
No other ACC markets can televise the Terps in 1990-91. "Doing this package will give them at least something locally," Haines said. "Not being part of the regular ACC schedule is devastating for a program, because everyone else is getting so much more exposure."
The crunch on the Terps is exacerbated because the ACC region is so strong in basketball television. The presence of nearby Big East Conference power Georgetown causes further problems for coach Gary Williams' program, which last year had 12 appearances on ACC, CBS, and ESPN telecasts.
ABC Sports will televise the British Open golf championship next weekend for the 29th year, but there will be a change in the coverage. For the first time, ABC will cover all 18 holes at the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland - a tradition the network has established at the U.S. Open.
ABC's telecast of the final two rounds will be expanded to four hours (10 a.m. July 21 and 9:30 a.m. July 22, WSET Channel 13). Cable's ESPN has live, five-hour shows of the first two rounds Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m.
On the air:
Brent Musburger's first appearance for ABC Sports has been moved up from the Hambletonian in August to July 21 on the Caesars International Handicap, a turf race for 3-year-olds and up in Atlantic City, N.J. That event is part of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" (4:30 p.m., WSET Channel 13). . . . Former Pitt, Kansas, Cincinnati and Murray State football coach Mike Gottfried has been hired as a CFA game analyst by ESPN, filling a slot vacated by former Georgia coach Vince Dooley.
Bob Costas returns to his beloved baseball July 21 on NBC (3 p.m., WSLS Channel 10). Costas will call a game in Havana between the Cuban and U.S. national teams. Costas' on-air partner will be former Mets manager Davey Johnson. . . . SportsChannel America will televise 25-30 Canadian Football League games, mostly on weekends, when the network is available on some area cable systems.
by CNB