You could say it’s no big deal that the University of Kentucky’s Big Blue Network package switched stations just prior to the kickoff of the Wildcats’ season opener with Eastern Kentucky last week.
But consider this. The UK telecasts, which include coaches’ shows and mostly delayed telecasts of regular season football games, will certainly lose audience in Louisville by switching from a powerful NBC affiliate (WAVE-TV) to a combination of games on WMYO-TV and WDRB-TV (Fox).
WAVE general manager Steve Langford said that UK’s administration has done little to protect WAVE as its Louisville station, and said he gave the school an ultimatum regarding the Sept. 15 game in Lexington when the Wildcats host U of L. The game will be aired on cable and locally on WHAS-TV as part of its agreement with U of L. As UK’s broadcast partner in Louisville, WAVE wasn’t offered the game.
But Langford said UK could have done something to protect WAVE’s interests. He said the value of the UK package has eroded over the years as UK has offered its games to cable outlets on a live basis and marketed the delayed broadcasts to its network of over-the-air stations.
Langford said another factor is that the station’s relationship with NBC is impacted when he pre-empts network programming for local sports. On Saturday nights in past football seasons, WAVE airs Saturday Night Live, then follows with the football game at 1:00 in the morning.
“The value of delayed games may have been something in the past, but those days are over,” Langford said, citing the influence of cable telecasts in the last two years.
Langford said he made a business decision to give up the UK package. He’s been president of the UK Alumni Association and can’t remember the last time WAVE didn’t have the UK TV package – his memory goes back only to his arrival at the station in 1978.
The bigger story may be that UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart has done little to court UK fans in the state’s largest city. And now, by allowing a decades-old relationship with his long-time TV partner to expire, you wonder how smart it is for Barnhart to give up on an ideal TV relationship.
NEXT: The WMYO-WDRB relationship with UK athletics
4 responses so far ↓
1 bubba 8 // Sep 4, 2007 at 11:48 am
Who the hell cares what Louisville station the UK games will be on. WAVE, WDRB, WMYO, who cares as long as they are on.
2 UBS // Sep 4, 2007 at 4:52 pm
The nice thing about the games being on WMYO is that it doesn’t look like it was taped in the glaring sun. All the games on WAVE looked like someone had turned the “bright” controls on my tv to maximum.
3 UBS // Sep 4, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Also, WMYO is not CW, it’s the My Network (or whatever), and WAVE refused to show games that were aired live on Fox Sports South, but apparently 58 will show those games. How is UK giving up an “ideal” relationship?
4 thevillevoice // Sep 5, 2007 at 8:50 am
Just ask any advertiser the difference between airing a spot on WAVE vs. airing a spot on WMYO, in any time period. The strength and reach of the UK network has taken a huge downturn, even if it gets the advantage of having more clearances. It’s Barnhart’s failure to recognize this, and to give up something of value so easily, that is part of his ineffectiveness as a leader. Can you imagine Jurich taking U of L’s package from a network affilaite to an independent station? Nothing against WMYO, because it’s a big boost to the station, but it will never be as strong as WAVE.
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