Hi -
 
On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 greenie <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> We should consider ourselves very fortunate to have the NCAA hockey
> frozen four on ESPN; as it is the Stanley Cup struggles for ratings
> on Fox and regular hockey broadcasts on ESPN don't really pack 'em
> in either...
 
On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, Will Anzenberger wrote:
> I believe the [NCAA DivI Ice Hockey] selection show was on ESPN2, and
> the final was on ESPN.  The ratings haven't been that great, but I'm
> glad ESPN has faith in showing the game.
 
  Neither "fortunate" luck nor "faith" has much to do with ESPN's decision
to broadcast the DivI Phinal, oops, Frozen Four.  It's hard-wired into
their contract with the NCAA, i.e., the NC$$ *INSISTS* that ESPN broadcast
the championship of its "lesser" sports (ice hockey, lacrosse, volleyball,
etc.) as part of the bid package for the rights to broadcast more "high-
profile" (= higher ratings and greater advertising dollars) sports such as
college football, the NC$$ baseball World Series, and regular season
college hoops (not to mention, once upon a time, before CBS was able to
fend off the cries from distraught soap opera fans, the early rounds of
the NC$$ squeak-ball Tournament).  Following Tom Mees unfortunate passing,
there are precious few college hockey fans at ESPN (Jack Edwards, UNH '79,
and former WUNH hockey broadcaster, comes to mind) with enough influence
with brass/advertisers to get these games on the air.  What games we *DO*
see are simply ESPN abiding by the terms of its contract with the NC$$.
They're most likely losing buckets of money too, yet are willing to accept
this in exchange for the higher ratings and $$ they receive for the more
lucrative parts of its contract.  Do you think that if ESPN actually
*cared* about the game and/or its fans they'd have cut away from the
thrilling 3-OT finish of the Maine-Michigan National Semi-final in '95 to
show the first round of some 3rd-tier golf tournament !?!?  Please ....
What little college hockey we see on ESPN is there *ONLY* because they're
forced to show it, pure and simple ....
 
  Cheers from Maryland - Jim
 
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