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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, May 14, 2003

ESPN might televise more UH football

By Ferd Lewis and Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writers

 •  2003 UH football schedule
Aug. 30 — Appalachian St.
Sept. 6 — Open
Sept. 13 — at USC
Sept. 19 — at UNLV
Sept. 27 — Rice
Oct. 4 — at Tulsa
Oct. 11— Fresno State
Oct. 18 — at La. Tech
Oct. 25 — Texas-El Paso
Nov. 1 — at San Jose State
Nov. 8 — Open
Nov. 15 — at Nevada
Nov. 22 — Army
Nov. 29 — Alabama
Dec. 6 — Boise State
At least two more University of Hawai'i home football games might be televised nationally this coming season.

Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson said UH's games against Fresno State Oct. 11 and Alabama Nov. 29 are "on the list" of games ESPN is considering for national coverage.

ESPN2 will air the game between UH and Nevada-Las Vegas Sept. 19. ESPN or ESPN2 is committed to televising the Dec. 6 game between UH and Boise State as part of the cable network's contract with the WAC.

Benson said there is a possibility that ESPN would request moving the Fresno State and Alabama games to Friday night. "All of our games are subject to possible moves," Benson said.

Benson said ESPN's schedule of college football telecasts will be announced by the end of the month. Even if additional UH games are not included on that schedule, Benson said, "it doesn't mean there aren't (televised) games that can't materialize later in the season."

It has not been determined how ESPN telecasts of Warrior home games — shown live statewide — will affect season sales of UH's pay-per-view package. UH is advertising a six-game package of home games (excluding the Boise State game).

Meanwhile, chances are good the UH game at Southern California will be televised, but it won't be on ABC and the Warriors won't get a penny in television rights fees from it, officials said.

UH coach June Jones had said ABC was considering televising the Sept. 13 game from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But a Pac-10 spokesman said the network has chosen the Illinois-UCLA game that day instead.

Jim Muldoon, Pac-10 assistant commissioner, said the game still could be picked up by one of the other two networks — Fox Sports Net or Turner Sports — that have contracts with the conference.

"Since all but about two of our games have been shown on TV the last 10 years or so, there's a pretty good chance somebody is going to pick it up," said Tim Tessalone, USC sports information director. "Right now, though, we're listing it as TBA — to be announced."

ABC has selected the Sept. 6 USC-Brigham Young game.

Under terms of the conference contract, ABC and Fox Sports Net pay participating Pac-10 teams between $240,000 and $580,000 each, depending upon the size of the portion of the country it is shown in and the time slot. But non-conference opponents do not share in the payouts.

Similarly, Muldoon said, USC would not share in the WAC's payout if it plays in Hawai'i as a visiting team.

Tessalone said Fox or TBS could make their selection as early as next month or as late as up to two weeks before the game.