Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406020082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The league and Virginia Tech announced Wednesday that Roanoke's WSLS (Channel 10) has agreed to carry the entire Big East noontime TV schedule for the next two seasons. Also, Norfolk's WTKR will air 10 of 11 games this season and WFTY, an independent station in Washington, D.C., will carry eight games.
No more than three games from the Big East schedule were aired on any state station last season, and the league did not have an affiliate in the nation's capital. In the region, cable's Home Team Sports gave the Big East most of its exposure. HTS will not carry Big East football this season.
Big East associate commissioner Tom McElroy, the league's TV coordinator, said a Richmond affiliate will be named soon. It is believed that CBS affiliate WTVR is the front-runner.
The Big East's increased exposure in 1994 can be attributed to Tech's 9-3 finish and Independence Bowl victory last season and this year's expectations, plus a tour of state TV stations taken two weeks ago by McElroy, Tech athletic director Dave Braine and Big East sales and syndication executives.
McElroy said that the Big East chose WSLS over WDBJ (Channel 7) in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market because of a two-year commitment from Channel 10 vice president and general manager Jim DeSchepper and past loyalty the station has shown toward the Hokies and a limited Big East schedule.
CBS affiliates, like WDBJ, have shown more interest in the Big East package this summer, since the network lost rights to major league baseball and the NFL's NFC schedule. CBS also becomes the Big East's network home starting with the 1996 football season.
In agreeing to air Big East football, WSLS will be pre-empting or tape-delaying NBC's schedule of six Notre Dame home games. The network isn't likely to be happy about that. DeSchepper said Wednesday that he hasn't notified NBC, and that Channel 10 will offer to join the Fighting Irish games in progress - likely at halftime -or start a 1:30 p.m. telecast after the Big East games finish between 3 and 3:30.
"We felt like it was more important to show Virginia Tech for our viewers," DeSchepper said. "Notre Dame is a terrific team, but it's not regional. Our loyalty has to be to our viewers."
In addition to the Hokies, who are likely to appear three times on the Big East schedule, West Virginia - which has a significant alumni base in Southwest Virginia - also will appear about the same number of dates. The Sept. 10 Big East opener has the Mountaineers at Rutgers. The rest of the September schedule will be determined in about a month after ABC Sports and ESPN select the CFA schedule.
by CNB