ESPN expands WAC coverage

For the past few years, the Western Athletic Conference has been negotiating with ESPN for a new television contract without success.

Persistence on both parties has finally paid off.

The WAC and ESPN announced Wednesday afternoon that they have reached agreement on a television contract extension through April of 2017.

While negotiations, which started in the summer of 2006, had been ongoing, it's believed that the WAC success in the past 20 months may have made this deal a no-brainer.

"The last 20 months has brought unprecedented national acclaim to the WAC," commissioner Karl Benson said. "It started on Jan. 1, 2007 with Boise State's dramatic win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to Hawaii's perfect season last fall and a berth in the Sugar Bowl to Fresno State's incredible run through the College World Series to a national championship.

"With this extension, it truly shows that the WAC has re-established itself as one of the premiere conferences in the country."

Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, is happy the parties were finally able to come to an agreement.

"The WAC is a significant player on the college landscape and we are thrilled they will call ESPN home through 2016-17," said Magnus. "You cannot talk championship level teams without including WAC members in that conversation.

"The way for folks to get more, major exposure is by playing their way in. They (the WAC) have stepped up their level of play and have a national championship and BCS bids to show for it."

No financial terms were disclosed as per agreement by both parties, but conference schools will start to reap some of the financial benefits immediately.

Both Benson and Magnus admitted that changes could be made if new teams came into the conference and old teams left. Both said that was standard operating procedure.

"It's a significant percentage increase," Benson said. "In today's economical climate to strike a deal like this is very significant."

The contract calls for increased exposure for football and men's basketball, and also adds a women's component where a limited amount of volleyball, basketball and softball games will be broadcast starting this fall.

"We're thrilled that ESPN and its networks will continue to partner with the WAC to showcase the accomplishments of the schools in our conference," Nevada athletic director Cary Groth said. "The WAC is in an era of tremendous competitive success, so it's exciting that fans across the country will be able to see more of our football and men's basketball gams as well as some of our women's sports."

All told more than 300 games will be broadcast on ESPN networks.

A minimum of 16 football games, up from eight, will be broadcast starting next fall, 10 on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Six more will be shown on ESPNU.

Fans should expect some games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the new agreement. The latter has been a nice window in the past. In fact, Nevada plays at Fresno State in a Friday contest this year. Any ESPNU games will be on Saturday until the distribution of ESPNU reaches 50 million homes.

It will make for some interesting scheduling by ESPN.

"That's what we do," Magnus said. "We program sports on TV. In the case of college sports, we do a lot of it. It gets more complex every year."

Louisiana Tech's Derek Dooley was excited about the announcement.

"The people in Ruston got to see the power of ESPN over the weekend," said Dooley, whose team knocked off Mississippi State 22-14. "It brought a tremendous amount of energy to our university."

"We're excited about the extension," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "ESPN has provided excellent national exposure of our program this decade and we look forward for that to continue."

Football has been the sport that has reaped the most awards from the current ESPN contract. Benson has maintained all along that he felt the ESPN partnership had been good for both parties.

"For the past five years, WAC football has benefited greatly from the exposure it has received from ESPN," said Benson. "The WAC values its relationship with the 'leader in college sports' and is confident that this extension will allow WAC football to continue to be a prominent player in the BCS.

"But just as important, this deal will finally get the WAC's men's basketball teams the type of national exposure it deserves. And finally, for the first time ever, women's basketball regular season games will be aired on the ESPN networks along with the championship contests for volleyball and women's basketball."

The real winner in this deal is men's basketball, which has been the most underexposed conference in the country. Until last year, the WAC was ranked in the top 10 among conferences in the nation.

"We're very excited about the extension and enhancement of the WAC's partnership with ESPN," Nevada's Mark Fox said. "We play some very competitive basketball in the WAC and have a number of teams of postseason caliber, and it will be great to have more national exposure. The additional television games will benefit the schools and our conference tremendously."

Utah State's Stew Morrill agreed.

"Exposure is the name of the game in Division I basketball," Morrill said. "To quadruple our basketball television coverage with the ESPN network is a tremendous step forward to insure the future growth and success of WAC basketball. We traditionally have been a multi-bid conference for the NCAA, and this new television agreement can be a huge piece in keeping that tradition alive."

Boise State coach Greg Graham said that increased exposure will help all of the teams in the conference recruit better.

Will the WAC have a regular basketball schedule?

"We'll continue to work on that," Magnus said. The ESPN executive said that he expects a regular basketball night would be part of any discussion.

Lastly, the WAC has been strong in women's volleyball and softball in the last decade with Hawaii and Fresno State leading the way, and Louisiana Tech has carried the women's basketball banner.

"It's an unbelievable opportunity," said Pam DeCosta, San Jose State's women's basketball coach. "We have great women's sports in volleyball and the same with women's basketball.

"Just to be able to go out and recruit and tell a recruit, 'yes you will be on TV' is big."

- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281

BREAKOUT INFORMATION:

Key points in the WAC-ESPN deal

Length of contract

- Through April of 2017

Football

- Doubles the amount of games per year from eight to a minimum of 16 with at least 10 on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, and at least six on ESPNU. A minimum of nine conference games with an average of five on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Every school will appear at least once.

Men's basketball

- Quadruples the number of games per year with a minimum of six regular-season games each year on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, and three of those broadcasts must be conference games. One semifinal and the championship game of the conference tournament will be shown on one of the three networks. Also, a minimum of six regular-season games each year on ESPNU plus one quarterfinal game of the conference tournament. Every school will make one national appearance.

Women's sports

Six regular-season events (volleyball, basketball or softball) this year, seven next year and eight in 2010-11. The volleyball and women's basketball title games will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.