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Saturday, November 24, 2007 2:03 AM MST

TOM BUCHANAN
Perspective

If you want to see your University of Wyoming teams compete on television and you are a satellite subscriber, you are out of luck.

Neither DirecTV nor DISH has chosen to carry the mtn., the network that showcases Mountain West Conference sports. We are hearing from fans who aren’t happy about the situation, and as much as we would like to help, the situation is out of our hands.

First, some history.

In 2004, the Mountain West Conference faced a contract renewal with sports network ESPN. The nine member universities determined that ESPN’s proposal wasn’t a good deal -- for the student-athletes, the athletics programs, or the fans. The contract offered fewer televised games, an emphasis on weekday games, unusually early or late starting times, and a smaller financial package.

Early or late starting times and midweek games might be convenient for the network, but they’re not for the academic performance of our student-athletes, or for our fans who fill the stands.

When the Mountain West Conference declined ESPN’s offer, it made a bold move to build its own network -- the mtn. -- the first of its kind for any conference.

The advantages are clear.

The current television package, which includes games shown on Versus, CSTV and the mtn., allows for reasonable game days and starting times. We know our fans approve, because attendance is at a record level so far this year.

More Mountain West Conference games are reaching more people than ever before. Versus reaches about 70 million homes. CSTV reaches more than 23 million homes. The mtn. now reaches about 1.2 million homes. We know our fans now have the choice to attend games or to watch at home n if they are not satellite subscribers.

That’s the significant disadvantage. Fans who are satellite customers can’t watch the mtn., but they can watch Big Ten Conference games. Earlier this year, the Big Ten also opted to form its own network, and it has struck deals with both satellite carriers, although not with cable systems.

What’s even more confusing to our fans across the country is that while the satellite companies carry both Versus and CSTV, they still decline to carry the mtn.

Clearly, cable systems in the Mountain West Conference region have made a different decision. The mtn. is carried on 21 cable systems in more than 160 communities. In some places, such as Pine Bluffs and Evanston, it’s part of the basic package. In many more communities across Wyoming, it’s a staple of the digital basic package.

Because we know that successful companies listen to their customers, we urge you to contact DirecTV and DISH and let them know you want to see University of Wyoming sports and Mountain West Conference games on their systems:

DISH Network

www.dishnetwork.com, or feedback@customermail.dishnetwork.com

. DirecTV

www.directv.com

Customer Service Mailing Address

P.O. Box 6550

Greenwood Village, CO 80155

Tom Buchanan is president of the University of Wyoming.


		Sometimes you say yes to drugs

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Reader Comments

There are 6 comment(s)

Comments to this story.

Kent Stewart wrote on Nov 28, 2007 3:10 PM:

" This was an interesting article. What Mr. Buchanan is telling us is that the Mtn. Network is owned by Comcast, which is reluctant to contract with satelite networks in there area. The Mountain West Conference and the university presidents new or should have known this when the contract was made. They also should have build in an "out" option if the Mtn. failed to contract with the big satelite networks. It seems the universities failed to do their homework. "

Darin Dungan wrote on Dec 7, 2007 7:26 PM:

" we can't undestand why the univerisity of wyoming can't show it anyway can't they put it on the other channel "

Falcon Fan wrote on Jan 7, 2008 8:51 AM:

" The conference and it's member schools share full responsibility for this fiasco as the mtn. is owned by Comcast cable and CSTV. Comcast is asking for an amount the satellite companies are not willing to pay and 1.2 million homes is not adequate distribution for a network. Ironically, the mtn. has worked out a deal with Armed Forces Network so our troops overseas can watch these games which is great for them. As a satellite subscriber I refuse to pander to the Comcast extortion and my only hope is that the whole network folds. The Big Ten at least signed their deals BEFORE they went on the air. The MWC put the cart before the horse and as a result, 2 football seasons have been lost and now 2 basketball seasons are about to be lost as well!! "

neil wrote on Jan 7, 2008 5:05 PM:

" If the conference does not do something quick, I and alot of others will loose interest in the conference. "

Big George wrote on Jan 8, 2008 9:15 AM:

" I believe there is some revisionist history here. The "bold move" to form the mtn came later. When the MWC declined the ESPN offer, they signed a deal with CSTV. That was fine as CSTV is carried nationally. The problem came later when CSTV and Comcast formed the mtn. I believe that is where the MWC blew it, either in consenting to the change or in having signed a contract with CSTV that allowed CSTV to switch from national to regional (sort of) coverage. "

Digo Verdad wrote on Sep 25, 2008 10:24 PM:

" Kathleen Grinwis (who has now been given a principal position in Ohio) & other "administrators" from Vista Charter Academy (Grandy and White) have destroyed countless fantastic, hardworking and upstanding moral teachers lives through intimidation, lies, cruelty, ignorance, teacher favoritism and self-seeking manipulation. NHA's unprecedented sickening avarice in their "for profit" agenda in conjunction with their "no teacher contracts" has been and continues to be a fecund breeding ground for oppression and repression of teachers ideas and open communication with what has now become a self-seeking corrupt institution. Good teacher's nerves and confidence has been frayed to the breaking point.
The teacher turnover rate in these schools is astronomical (approximately 19 at Vista last year were either let go, forced to resign, or they quit out on their own free will out of self-respect against administrator's false accusations and refusal to listen to reason for the sake of the students. Teachers care about education, a productive open air healthy learning environment, and the personal lives of their students but NHA board and administration only care about money in their pockets and meaningless numbers & scores on charts regarding what student's "truly learn." They are a disgraceful and morally bankrupt institution. SEEK PUBLIC FUNDED Education AT ALL COSTS! "

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