Our TV station had the rights to Minnesota-Duluth hockey from 1990 through
this past season.  In 1993 when UMD was invited to the West Regional in
Detroit, the NCAA would not allow us to televise the games back to Duluth
unless 9000 seats at Joe Louis Arena were sold, because they didn't want TV
to hurt the gate receipts.  This, despite the fact that Duluth is several
hundred miles from Detroit, and with the first round on Friday evening, fans
travelling on less than a week's notice would have to have left on Thursday
and take two days off from work.  As a contingency, we put a production crew
in Detroit on stand-by and flew in four of our own people in the event enough
tickets were sold, but that didn't happen.
 
At least now, three years later, the NCAA's blackout only pertains to a 200
mile radius around the site.  But that's small consolation for those fans
close to Albany who can't be there..
 
WDIO-TV
Duluth, MN
 
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