Posted on: Saturday, April 28, 2001

WAC sports may jump from Fox to ESPN

Advertiser Staff

ESPN has offered the Western Athletic Conference a multi-year television contract covering both football and men's basketball, according to people familiar with the proposal.

ESPN representatives met for nearly 90 minutes with conference officials and athletic directors yesterday in Monterey, Calif., during the WAC's Spring meetings.

Karl Benson, WAC commissioner, declined to reveal details of the proposal, including the number of events to be shown or the rights fees involved.

ESPN representative Dave Brown also declined comment.

If the WAC accepts the proposal, it would have to go to the conference presidents for final approval. They meet in June.

The conference has just concluded a two-year agreement with Fox Sports and may entertain a counter-offer from that network before voting on the ESPN proposal.

Benson declined to speculate on whether the WAC would attempt to sell any inventory not purchased by ESPN to Fox.

The Fox contract, which concluded with last month's WAC basketball tournament, made the conference a partner in the telecasts. In the first year of the arrangement, the WAC received limited exposure but did not realize any rights fees payments. Benson said details on the current year's yield would be available shortly.

WAC members said ESPN initially offered the conference "very little" two years ago after the eight schools that became the Mountain West Conference split away from what had been a 16-school league.