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Column: Is the game on at all?
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2008-09-17
I am one of the lucky few, and not just because my work is paying for my trip to Las Vegas this week.
I will be able to see the Iowa State-UNLV football game. As of right now, only DirecTV subscribers will see the game. It is being aired on the Mountain West Sports Network, the Mountain West’s version of the Big 10 Network.
While station is on a special sports package, there is a free preview this weekend for those channels, so at least a few people will be able to see the game. But for basic cable customers, it appears you are out of luck.
It seems like high school teams receive better TV coverage than the Cyclones. The Kent State game wasn’t on TV. Until a few days before the Iowa game —only the biggest sporting event in the state — no one in Ames knew which channel to turn to for the game.
And now the final non-conference game is radio only. That’s too much.
This is the 21st century where you can check your e-mail, watch TV shows, surf the Internet and chat with anyone you want, all on your cell phone while sitting in an airplane.
But college football games can’t be shown on television.
Now I understand because of conference television deals some games may be kept off the air (I wouldn’t be surprised if ISU-Baylor isn’t on TV). And sometimes there may not be enough money to be made in airing a non-conference game (which was likely the case in the Kent State game).
But that doesn’t explain how a game being shown on television can’t be put on in Iowa. That’s a little too much for me. I find it hard to believe that the game can’t be shown in the home state of one of the school’s playing in the game.
At a minimum, can’t the game be put on basic cable pay-per-view? The game is already being aired. The announcers, camera crew and producers are all ready in place. They are already being paid.
Sure, some money would have to go to the Mountain West, but I would bet it would be worth airing as Cyclone fans would purchase the game in droves. As a pay-per-view, with the Mountain West paying the production costs, the ISU-UNLV game would be a money maker in Iowa.
This situation is no different than finding a way to air the South Dakota State game on Fox College Sports, a sports tier channel just like the Mountain West station, in Iowa. That one made its way onto basic cable.
I moved to Iowa a year ago and in that time it’s been a hassle for fans to get to watch some of their major college programs.
That’s not the way it should be. That’s not the way I’ve seen it anywhere else.
Cable subscribers in Iowa didn’t get the Big 10 Network for a year. Hawkeye fans missed out on a large chunk of football and men’s basketball games. And now that the channel is on cable, some subscribers still don’t get all the channels programming.
Sure they get games. But they miss out on the daily analysis and interviews the channel airs with the Iowa football team throughout the week. And if an Iowa fan wants to watch any other Iowa sporting event the network would air — like a volleyball match — they can’t.
So much for getting the Big 10 Network.
If I was a Hawkeye fan, I would be irate. I’m hoping ISU fans don’t laugh at Iowa because the same thing could happen to Cyclone Nation if the Big 12 ever decides to put together its own network.
And then people might long for the days when they only missed two ISU non-conference games.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 232-2161, Ext. 358, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2008-09-17
Bobby La Gesse covers Iowa State football for The Tribune.
I am one of the lucky few, and not just because my work is paying for my trip to Las Vegas this week.
I will be able to see the Iowa State-UNLV football game. As of right now, only DirecTV subscribers will see the game. It is being aired on the Mountain West Sports Network, the Mountain West’s version of the Big 10 Network.
While station is on a special sports package, there is a free preview this weekend for those channels, so at least a few people will be able to see the game. But for basic cable customers, it appears you are out of luck.
It seems like high school teams receive better TV coverage than the Cyclones. The Kent State game wasn’t on TV. Until a few days before the Iowa game —only the biggest sporting event in the state — no one in Ames knew which channel to turn to for the game.
And now the final non-conference game is radio only. That’s too much.
This is the 21st century where you can check your e-mail, watch TV shows, surf the Internet and chat with anyone you want, all on your cell phone while sitting in an airplane.
But college football games can’t be shown on television.
Now I understand because of conference television deals some games may be kept off the air (I wouldn’t be surprised if ISU-Baylor isn’t on TV). And sometimes there may not be enough money to be made in airing a non-conference game (which was likely the case in the Kent State game).
But that doesn’t explain how a game being shown on television can’t be put on in Iowa. That’s a little too much for me. I find it hard to believe that the game can’t be shown in the home state of one of the school’s playing in the game.
At a minimum, can’t the game be put on basic cable pay-per-view? The game is already being aired. The announcers, camera crew and producers are all ready in place. They are already being paid.
Sure, some money would have to go to the Mountain West, but I would bet it would be worth airing as Cyclone fans would purchase the game in droves. As a pay-per-view, with the Mountain West paying the production costs, the ISU-UNLV game would be a money maker in Iowa.
This situation is no different than finding a way to air the South Dakota State game on Fox College Sports, a sports tier channel just like the Mountain West station, in Iowa. That one made its way onto basic cable.
I moved to Iowa a year ago and in that time it’s been a hassle for fans to get to watch some of their major college programs.
That’s not the way it should be. That’s not the way I’ve seen it anywhere else.
Cable subscribers in Iowa didn’t get the Big 10 Network for a year. Hawkeye fans missed out on a large chunk of football and men’s basketball games. And now that the channel is on cable, some subscribers still don’t get all the channels programming.
Sure they get games. But they miss out on the daily analysis and interviews the channel airs with the Iowa football team throughout the week. And if an Iowa fan wants to watch any other Iowa sporting event the network would air — like a volleyball match — they can’t.
So much for getting the Big 10 Network.
If I was a Hawkeye fan, I would be irate. I’m hoping ISU fans don’t laugh at Iowa because the same thing could happen to Cyclone Nation if the Big 12 ever decides to put together its own network.
And then people might long for the days when they only missed two ISU non-conference games.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 232-2161, Ext. 358, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
| Comments |
| jkfapowehjowef It's absolutely hilarious how everybody cries about this. I’ve actually heard people complain because the game wont be on TV, now we have to go to Aims and buy a ticket to watch the game. Those people were from Des Moines too!!! God forbid you have to drive 30 minutes to support your team. People have even said they might not continue to be fans if the lack of TV coverage keeps up. I understand this one is in Vegas, but if you can’t support your team at home, why would anybody want to televise this game. Nobody cares about this match up. Crying about this is just as stupid as expanding your football stadium when you cant even sell all of the seats the way it is. 9/19/08 BOB Really? Is this not like the thousandth article/whine about ISU and football TV over the last decade? Seriously, how 'bout something new that we don't all know already. 9/19/08 cjcoty You got it right!!! Bobby! Absolutely no reason this game isn't televised on Mediacom?!!? in Ames, Fort Dodge or Des Moines, let alone on satellite for a Hawkeye fan in Carolina who still loves the Cyclones. What really happened to pay (SCREW YOU) per view??? Sheesh!!! not to mention the FCC analog to DTV fiasco going early next year. mmm let's sell out to all of the "NETWORKWORKS" and allow for NO or Nothing comminity or regional broadcasting... IE THE CYCLONES FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, on and on TV What's next Big Brother you tell me.... 9/18/08 |
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