Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411210026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's happened every Monday night when the coaches' radio shows air in the same one-hour time slot. It will continue through basketball season, and neither Tech nor UVa sees any reason to relieve the on-air conflict between the ``Hokie Hotline'' and ``Cavalier Call-In.''
For the most part, their shows appeal to two very different audiences - Hokies and Wahoos. As for those - such as sportswriters and sportscasters - who might want to hear both George Welsh and Frank Beamer and Bill Foster and Jeff Jones, well, the Monday night matchup will continue to be a problem.
``By far, it's been our most successful year in terms of volume of calls,'' said Bill Roth, host of the Hokies' shows. ``We don't need a different night. We need a longer show. The No.1 complaint we get is that people can't get through.''
Doug Easter, general manager of Virginia Sports Marketing and coordinator of UVa's radio network, said VSM hasn't received any complaints about sharing a time slot with the Hokies.
``Listenership is better on Monday night than on Sunday,'' Easter said. ``There's less going on at 7 [p.m.] on a Monday than on a Sunday, when people have been out all day or watching NFL games. People are getting off work and settling in at home.
``There's not a whole lot of heavy programming on TV or radio at that time. The only thing that could make it difficult for both networks is that some stations might like to pick up both shows.''
The irony is that Tech and UVa both moved their radio shows to Monday from separate nights without knowing the other was making a switch. Who says Hokies and 'Hoos don't think alike?
The first two weeks of basketball coaches' shows will bring a temporary change, with Foster's Tech shows airing Tuesdays (Nov. 29 and Dec. 6) because of travel from a tournament in Puerto Rico and a game against Xavier. Jones takes over the UVa show from Welsh on Monday, Nov. 28. Most weeks, the Tech and UVa shows will stay on Monday.
PHONE-A-THON: In giving viewers a toll-free ``Name the Game'' choice on NFL telecasts from NBC this season and last, WSLS hoped viewers would enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to make a programming impact. However, there are three viewers who have tried to ruin a good thing.
After getting its 800-number phone bill, Channel 10 noticed repeated - like more than 2,500 - calls from the same three numbers. One of those callers kept dialing in votes from 1-4 a.m., probably through a computer modem, officials at WSLS believe.
``We're not going to pull the contest, because the vast majority of our viewers don't abuse it,'' said Randy Smith, WSLS' new general manager. ``We're not going to let one or two or three people spoil it. We might spoil it for those few though, if it continues.''
Smith said WSLS picked the phone numbers off the bill and has contacted the individuals who loaded the ballot box. The only positive in the situation, Smith said, is that each of the three callers apparently had been voting for different teams.
``We've told them if we see a similar pattern from their numbers in future weeks, then we'll just have to put a block on their phone so they can't call our 800 number,'' he said.
BEFORE KICKOFF: Advertising sales by WSLS (Channel 10) went so well for today's Big East Football TV network noon telecast from Blacksburg that the Roanoke station decided to air a half-hour preview to the UVa-Tech game.
``Grudge Match '94'' will be hosted by WSLS sports director Greg Roberts at 11:30 a.m. The show features a look at both teams and the bowl implications in this edition of the state's only Division I-A rivalry. The special also will air on several other Big East network stations in Virginia.
CONFERENCES: With the ABC and ESPN football telecast schedules determined through the remainder of the season, the conference rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech is even close in CFA rights fees for the 1994 season.
The ACC will get $7.66 million for its schools' appearances in the CFA package this season. Six of the eight Big East teams will be paid $7.53 million. The Big East doesn't share network TV dollars. The ACC will make 21 ABC or ESPN appearances, the Big East 20. Tech and UVa will have three each, ending with N.C. State's visit to Virginia on Thanksgiving Friday for an 11 a.m. kickoff on ABC.
Seven of the nine ACC members have played on the two networks, while six of the eight Big East clubs appeared. Wake Forest, Maryland, Temple and Rutgers were the absentees, although the Rutgers-Penn State game aired on ESPN2. Miami (six) and Boston College (four) led the Big East with network dates. Florida State and N.C. State had the same numbers, respectively, in the ACC.
by CNB