Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 9, 1993 TAG: 9311090019
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jefferson-Pilot Teleproductions will show the Virginia Tech-Virginia game on Nov. 20 from Scott Stadium. The kickoff has been moved from 1 to 12:10 p.m. for the noon telecast on the ACC's network.
The Tech-UVa game fills a void created Monday on the ACC schedule when ESPN selected the North Carolina State-Florida State game as its 7:30 p.m. College Football Association telecast. That had been scheduled as the ACC's noon game.
Tech-UVa is the only J-P telecast that date and will be delivered to all ACC network affiliates from Pennsylvania to Florida, including WSET (Channel 13) in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market.
Jefferson-Pilot also aired the Tech-UVa game at Charlottesville in 1991, a year after ESPN made the rivalry a late-afternoon kickoff from Blacksburg in the CFA package. The only previous telecast of the series was in 1982, when Turner Broadcasting's TBS showed the game in Blacksburg on Thanksgiving night.
Any telecast rights fees that the Hokies might receive for appearing in another conference's package remain in the discussion stages. J-P executive producer Jimmy Rayburn said Monday that J-P had asked the ACC for permission to air the Tech-UVa game, although a conference game - Wake Forest-Maryland - was available.
Some leagues have a reciprocal agreements, with no fees changing hands, on crossover games in conference packages.
Tech's contract for the game states that it "may be televised or cablecast only with the mutual consent of the parties . . .," and the Hokies had not been contacted Monday. Tech athletic director Dave Braine was not at work because of an illness, and he could not be reached for comment.
A Big East Conference spokesman said he was uncertain whether the ACC and Big East had come to an agreement on the telecast, although officials from the leagues did discuss the Tech-UVa game Monday. ACC network stations, including WSET, were notified of the switch Monday afternoon by Jefferson-Pilot.
The game will be the third appearance on the ACC series this season for Virginia (7-2). The Cavaliers' game at Clemson will be aired this Saturday. UVa also has appeared twice on ESPN (against Georgia Tech and Florida State) and in an ABC regional game against North Carolina.
Tech (6-3) has appeared three times on the Big East noontime schedule, including Syracuse's visit to Lane Stadium this Saturday. The Hokies have not appeared on ESPN or ABC.
by CNB