UH games on ESPN won't be blacked out

Advertiser Staff

There will be no provision for blacking out University of Hawai'i home football games when the new ESPN contract with the Western Athletic Conference is signed, athletic director Herman Frazier said yesterday.

Football coach June Jones had been seeking — and Frazier said he requested — an exception whereby UH home games might either be blacked out locally or allowed to be shown under the school's existing pay-per-view contract with KFVE and Oceanic Cable.

Because the Hawai'i market is self-contained and because the school has its own pay-per-view deal, UH had hoped for an exemption. But Frazier said that point didn't last long in discussions. "That came off the table before you could blink an eye," he said.

Frazier said: "I don't think that (an exemption to live cable) will ever happen to be honest with you. I don't think that is a possibility at all."