Espn-u Gives Friday Deadline For Rel-colerain Broadcast

[supercentex]

ESPN-U GIVES FRIDAY DEADLINE FOR REL-COLERAIN BROADCAST



The president of Fahlgren Sports Marketing, the group putting on the Tyler Lee-Cincinnati Colerain football game in September, has been given a 5:00pm eastern time deadline for this Friday, July 15th on whether the game will be broadcast on ESPNU in any state.

John Fahlgren told me there are negotiations between the UIL (University Interscholastic League) and OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) for the game to be televised live on Friday, September 9th, but he wasn't sure where the talks stood, and based on previous discussions, he wasn't sure anything could be completed in time to meet the July 15th deadline.

The OHSAA has approved the telecast, but last week, UIL athletic director, Dr. Charles Breithaupt told me..."I see no way that game will be televised live in September, and the THSCA (Texas High School Coaches Association) has been adamant in not wanting live television broadcasts during the season".

In Texas, the only exceptions for live broadcasts are for games played on Thursday or Saturday, or during the two separate state championship game weekends in December.

Contrary to popular belief, ESPNU does not have the capability of blacking out the game in one state or region.

With that being said, if the UIL doesn't come to an agreement with the OHSAA on a live telecast, there won't be any live telecast at all, in any state, and ESPNU would start looking for alternate programming.

That would eliminate some of the theories of some Smoaky.com members about the option of driving to Shreveport or another city outside of Texas to watch the game.

It's either on throughout the country for those who can receive ESPNU, or not at all.

Fahlgren told me there are discussions with other entities on a possible tape-delayed broadcast through a cable-network or a local television affiliate in East Texas and/or the Columbus-Cincinnati area..."Our first option is having the game televised live throughout the country, but if our first option fails, we'll try and work on a tape-delayed broadcast somewhere else".

Fahlgren says he doesn't quite understand the hierarchy of the UIL or THSCA and that's why he's turned over all negotiations on the matter to Dan Ross, president of the OHSAA.

Fahlgren added..."the game will go on, and everyone who will be at Crew Stadium on September 9th will be in for a treat...but it will, without question, be a tremendous disappointment for the schools involved, the coaches, players, and fans if the game isn't televised live that same night".

Fahlgren also told me ticket sales for the event are brisk, and that Tyler I.S.D. should have their own batch of tickets to sell within the next week to ten days.

Fahlgren has also worked out a deal with the University of Texas fans who have or will purchase tickets to the showdown between Texas and Ohio State the next day in Columbus.

Tyler Lee head football coach Mike Owens was out of town and unavaible for comment, but when told the game was either all over the country including Texas or nothing at all, TISD athletic director Danny Long said..."well, that wouldn't surprise me, that would only make sense".

Dr. Breithaupt is also out of town and unavailable for comment.

Smoaky

[PackAttack2005]

There are legal issues here. If the UIL allows this game to be telecast in the Friday night time slot in Texas, you are opening a legal can of worms. That move will set a legal precedence for any high school to broadcast their game if they so desired on Friday night.

If you allow Tyler Lee to live broadcast this game, regardless that they are playing Colerain in Ohio, you open the door for any school to have the same privilage as Lee. What would be their loop hole? That would be because the UIL allowed Tyler Lee to do it first. You can't have a double standard for one and not all.

[supercentex]

ESPNU TELECAST IN UIL's HANDS




By: CHRIS PARRY, Staff Writer July 13, 2005



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If the game is blacked out in Texas, it will be blacked out completely.


This was the message given by ESPN to John Fahlgren, vice president of Fahlgren Sports Marketing (FSM), in regards to the Robert E. Lee-Cincinnati Colerain game.

FSM is responsible for the high school football clash pitting the defending Texas Class 5A Division I and Ohio Division I state champs. The game is the centerpiece of the inaugural Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, scheduled for Sept. 9 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

ESPN agreed to televise it nationally on its newest network, ESPNU. The Ohio High School Athletic Association voted and approved it, granting a one-time modification of an OHSAA regulation that prohibits live telecast of regular season Friday night football games.

The University Interscholastic League has a similar law. But as of press time, the UIL hadn't given approval to televise the game, saying if ESPNU showed it, Texas would have to be blacked out.

Fahlgren said Thursday on KTBB radio that ESPNU doesn't have the technological capabilities to black out just one state, adding without showing the game in Texas, they would be forced to pull the plug entirely on a live broadcast.

ESPN has given Fahlgren until the end of business Friday to secure the UIL's approval, or it will be forced to find alternative programming.

"They've just come up on a deadline that they need to honor," Fahlgren said. "They are at a little bit of a disadvantage right now because they've been planning for months to televise a live high school game."

The game between Lee and Colerain was officially announced May 18 at a press conference at the Tyler Chamber of Commerce. At that time, ESPN was rumored to be in negotiations to televise the game, but nothing was official.

During a June press conference in Columbus, it was made official that the game would be televised nationally, with ESPN broadcasting the game on its new station, ESPNU.

Fahlgren added later in a phone interview that this is the final chapter in a six-month quest to make this game a reality.

"We've come so far, and I think we can get this last part done," Fahlgren said. "As I mentioned on the (radio) today, I think it's great not just for Texas and high school football, but for high school football in general.

"The history and the tradition of Texas and Ohio high school football is so fantastic ... not being able to show the rest of the country that tradition would (be a shame)."

Fahlgren said OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross is in continued talks with UIL President Charles Breithaupt.

"I know Charles has a lot on his plate, but hopefully in the end, the UIL and all constituencies can reach an agreement," Fahlgren said. "Dan Ross has been in touch with Charles, but I don't know the outcome of that conversation (yet). We are going to speak tomorrow."

If an agreement is not reached by Friday, Fahlgren added that ESPNU might be able to show the game on a tape delay, and he is working with the network in case they need to use that option.

He also said another plus of working with ESPN is the opportunity to show highlights of Friday's Lee-Colerain game during Saturday's ABC broadcast of Texas at Ohio State.

"At the end of the day, that doesn't necessarily bother me (to show the game live)," Fahlgren said. "There is nothing better than live television, but the real value in this is to have ESPN as a partner, and have the ability to promote the game across their entire network of companies.

"When the eyes of the sports world are tuned in to ABC sports Saturday night (for Texas-Ohio State), to be able to show clips from the Tyler Lee-Colerain game, that's pretty cool."

Chris Parry covers sports. He can be reached at 903.596.6335. e-mail: sports@tylerpaper.com

[slcsportsfan]

I can assure you that if this game is televised, with Robinhood still in play, there will be several teams in this state look to have several, if not all, games on live cable. I know the booster club president at SLC. I know he is watching to see how this turns out.

[jrdaniel]

I can see most one school towns fighting to get live broadcasts of games if this thing gets approved. PackAttack was right, it will open up a huge can of worms, not with those one school towns, but with the larger communities that will have several schools competing for tv contracts. Last time I checked this was high school, while watching a game like this on tv is nice, it is still played by 15-18 year olds. I think we might have let our priorities get in the way of our love of football here.

[supercentex]

I don't think it will open a can of worms.........how many games in Texas a year do you think would get televised nationally? This is pretty much a one time thing.....Ohio has the same rules...and they got a waiver approved.......

same should be done in Texas..........and in the future......if a school requests to have a game televised nationally on Friday nights....then they would need to review it also....and grant the special request or not....it's as simple as that.

A school is governed under the UIL........so the school can't take any legal action nor I think a school would even try and come up with the money and take it to court.........

[dragonsdaddy]

maybe the uil is holding out for a bigger piece of the pie. since the po's are governed based on maximizing revenue, why not this. i bet if the cut was sufficient, the waiver would be forthcoming.

[jrdaniel]

so the school can't take any legal action
You're kidding right? UIL is just as suable as any other league. If they grant permission to one member school and deny another what is right about that? I could care less if Idaho gets to watch Texas High School football or not.

I suspect dragonsdaddy is right though, with the UIL it has always and probably always will be about money. If the figure gets as high as they want they will grant permission.

[supercentex]

Why couldn't they just do a 5 or 10 second delay and it wouldn't be 'live' :D

[relraiderfan]

Im a homer a lot of the time, and I will be happy to admit that. But i just wonder what all of you that come on here and jump on the case against Lee being on TV would be saying if your team was the one involved. This is not opening up a can of worms. Lee is not going to be broadcast over a local television station on a Friday night to take away fans from John Tyler or any other school. They have the opportunity to be on NATIONAL television for the whole country to see and enjoy high school football from Ohio and Texas.

I respect whatever decision the UIL makes, because quite frankly the marketing company knew the rules before they even decided to schedule the game. However, all of you that are quick to jump on the bandwagon against it happening, but your self in the other set of shoes.

[dragons08]

why not just move the game to thursday like we did with ryan?

[supercentex]

They can't move it because it has already been offically announced......people have already bought travel tickets, hotels, etc.

Plus in the official announcment it was announced as a 'two day' weekend of football.

[slcsportsfan]

I talked to the booster club president here at SLC and he told me that if this does go through, they will push to have all SLC games on local and/or regional cable. The booster club can then sell advertising to help the overall athletic program. This money will not fall under Robinhood in regards to the piece of the money given to the district.

By the way, he told me they already have verbal agreements with two well know broadcasters to do the games.

Let's just say he is hoping that Lee gets on TV on FRIDAY night.

[CCHS77]

I respect whatever decision the UIL makes, because quite frankly the marketing company knew the rules before they even decided to schedule the game.


Exactly!!!!

Forget the rest of the country! Let's say, if it was broadcast live, one fan from Hallsville decide to stay home and watch the live game on TV rather than go pay admission and see his team play. That's what the UIL is try to protect.

I personally hope that no amount of money or lobbying in the press changes that polocy.

BTW, (Regardless what many will think) I beleive it's still the right policy, even if my local team was involved!

[RPM]

last year for the "Battle of the Arroyo" which is one of the most intense rivalry games here in the valley between Harlingen and San Benito drew so much attention that they were gonna televise it..UIL came into effect and they had to shut it down...people were standing outside the stadium for this game..there were people sitting on top of the roof of there houses to catch the game..firework display and they even have a trophy for it..I know this isnt a big time game for you guys upstate but I would think that if they didnt let this small game go on they shouldnt let it go on with any other team...regardless...dont get me wrong i would love to watch the game cause i know i cant make it but rules are rules..

[raidercheerdad]

Exactly!!!!

Forget the rest of the country! Let's say, if it was broadcast live, one fan from Hallsville decide to stay home and watch the live game on TV rather than go pay admission and see his team play. That's what the UIL is try to protect.

I personally hope that no amount of money or lobbying in the press changes that polocy.

BTW, (Regardless what many will think) I beleive it's still the right policy, even if my local team was involved!
Does anybody in Hallsville own a VCR? If I were a fan of my hometown's team, I wouldn't miss our game to watch this one -- I'd go to ours and RECORD this one to watch later. Sometimes we get hung up on thinking ours is the only game in town! By the way, let's talk market share. How many of you actually have ESPNU and what do you think the ratings would be on a Friday night HS football game? I don't think it would be a blip on the radar. (And I'm a huge REL fan w/a daughter that's a cheerleader there!)

[RPM]

i wouldnt miss my hometeams game for this one..id record it and watch it later..prolly next day...i got the channel too...

[supercentex]

Does anybody in Hallsville own a VCR? If I were a fan of my hometown's team, I wouldn't miss our game to watch this one -- I'd go to ours and RECORD this one to watch later. Sometimes we get hung up on thinking ours is the only game in town! By the way, let's talk market share. How many of you actually have ESPNU and what do you think the ratings would be on a Friday night HS football game? I don't think it would be a blip on the radar. (And I'm a huge REL fan w/a daughter that's a cheerleader there!)


Have you heard anything on whether the cheerleaders are going or anyone else?

[jrdaniel]

Im a homer a lot of the time, and I will be happy to admit that. But i just wonder what all of you that come on here and jump on the case against Lee being on TV would be saying if your team was the one involved. This is not opening up a can of worms. Lee is not going to be broadcast over a local television station on a Friday night to take away fans from John Tyler or any other school. They have the opportunity to be on NATIONAL television for the whole country to see and enjoy high school football from Ohio and Texas.

I respect whatever decision the UIL makes, because quite frankly the marketing company knew the rules before they even decided to schedule the game. However, all of you that are quick to jump on the bandwagon against it happening, but your self in the other set of shoes.

I couldn't care less if it was Judson v Katy on national TV. If the rules state no live TV on Friday, then those are the rules. It will open a can of worms if the UIL decides to let it happen. Why couldn't a local station in SA, like a UPN or something, broadcast a Game of the Week with different teams each week and sell advertising for it? That means not only would it keep some fans from attending local games, the tv station would be making the money off the program.

[raidercheerdad]

Have you heard anything on whether the cheerleaders are going or anyone else?
All we have been told is they are trying to raise the money from private sources. We'll probably go to the game anyway, but it would be nice to have the cheerleaders on the field.

[supercentex]

This is looking good guys...if it has gone this far....that means something is up! I'm happy to see at least they are talking.

From smoaky website:

I can't get into details...but it appears as if the dialog between the UIL, THSCA, OHSAA, and Fahlgren Sports Marketing Group has improved dramatically over the past 48-hours.

Stay tuned.

Smoaky

[supercentex]

LEE, COLERAIN TV DECISION POSTPONED




By: CHRIS PARRY, Staff Writer July 15, 2005



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The Robert E. Lee-Cincinnati Colerain television saga was expected to end Friday with a decision. But recent developments have prolonged things until August.

Lee and Colerain are the centerpiece of the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. the USA Challenge, scheduled for 8 p.m. Sept. 9 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

It was announced at a recent press conference that ESPN agreed to televise it nationally on its newest network, ESPNU.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association voted and approved it, granting a one-time modification of an OHSAA regulation that prohibits live telecast of regular season Friday night football games.

It was reported Wednesday that ESPNU gave Fahglren Sports Marketing, the Ohio firm responsible for putting on the game, until Friday to secure a similar approval from the UIL.

According to released reports, the deadline has been extended until Aug. 3, so the UIL can vote on it.

In a phone call to Fahlgren, the vice president of FSM said he was currently in negotiations and could not comment any further.

Chris Parry covers sports. He can be reached at 903.596.6335. e-mail: sports@tylerpaper.com

[supercentex]

I think they may get this done.


National TV still alive for Tyler Lee-Colerain?

07/16/2005 With kickoff of the Tyler Lee-Cincinnati Colerain game in Columbus less than two months away, event organizers are still working to televise the game live on ESPN's newest channel, ESPNU.
Defending 5A, Div. I state champion Tyler Lee and defending Ohio state champion Cincinnati Colerain were contracted in April by Ohio-based Fahlgren Sports Marketing (FSM) to participate in the inaugural Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge in Columbus on September 9. The kickoff from Columbus Crew Stadium at 8 PM (Central) will occur less than 24 hours before collegiate powers Texas and Ohio State meet for the first time down the road at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, in a game set for national TV by ABC.

FSM conducted press conferences in Tyler in May and in Columbus in June alongside Tyler Lee coach Mike Owens and Colerain coach Kerry Coombs to officially announce the event. The Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge will include Columbus powers Westerville North and Westerville South in the first game of a doubleheader at Columbus Crew Stadium before the Tyler Lee-Colerain game.

FSM announced at both press conferences that the Tyler Lee-Colerain game would be nationally televised by ESPNU, provided both the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the University Interscholastic League voted to make exceptions to their respective state's guidelines barring live TV on Friday nights.

While the OHSAA voted and granted such a waiver for live TV of the Tyler Lee-Colerain game in June, the UIL cannot change its Football Manual without an approval or interpretation from its State Executive Committee. The earliest that the 11-member group will meet in Austin since the press conference announcements were held - August 3.

The UIL Football Manual, and not its constitution, includes the following ruling for live TV on Friday nights: "UIL member schools shall not have a live telecast or video webcast/live videostream of a Friday night regular season football game when other schools are having interschool football games in the telecast area."

UIL athletic director Charles Breithaupt is a supporter of Texas high school football being televised live on Friday nights, provided the clearance is to a national audience instead of on a localized TV network. Moreover, Breithaupt understands that ESPNU's reach in Texas is extremely limited with no cable operator in the Lone Star State yet to add ESPNU to its subscriber lineup, making ESPNU only available via satellite dish.

Breithaupt is concerned that if more and more state associations deny their high schools from live national TV on Fridays, ESPN and its competitors will continue pushing colleges to expand their Friday night schedules - a definite taboo for high school coaches and state associations from California to Texas to Maine.

Last fall, when Miami and Florida State were forced to move their college football game to a Friday night due to inclement weather, the Florida High School Athletic Association reported that attendance for its member schools that night across the Sunshine State dropped by nearly 45 percent.

Notably, ESPN and its family of networks is slated to televise as many as five high school football games during the 2005 season after televising one each of the past two years, including Southlake and Denton Ryan last October -- which was moved up 24 hours to a Thursday night to satisfy the UIL's football manual for live TV.

Fox Sports Net may also televise as many as five high school football games across its regional networks during the 2005 season. FSN, which was plagued by programming gaps last fall due to the NHL strike, televised a handful of high school games nationally during the 2004 season, including rivals Midland Lee-Odessa Permian.

The State Executive Committee now will formally address the live TV component of the UIL Football Manual as it relates to the Tyler Lee-Colerain game at its meeting in August. The 45-minute presentation to the State Executive Committee will be presented by FSM (which purchased the three-hour programming slot on ESPNU) as well as representatives of the Tyler ISD.

The decision from the State Executive Committee that afternoon will then determine whether ESPNU televises the Tyler Lee-Colerain game live or on tape delay.

"We've come so far, and I think we can get this last part done," John Fahlgren of Fahlgren Sports Marketing told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. "I think it's great not just for Texas and high school football, but for high school football in general.

"The history and the tradition of Texas and Ohio high school football is so fantastic ... not being able to show the rest of the country that tradition would (be a shame)."

Fahlgren also told the Tyler Morning Telegraph: "At the end of the day, that doesn't necessarily bother me (to show the game live)," Fahlgren said. "There is nothing better than live television, but the real value in this is to have ESPN as a partner, and have the ability to promote the game across their entire network of companies.

"When the eyes of the sports world are tuned in to ABC Sports Saturday night (for Texas-Ohio State), to be able to show clips from the Tyler Lee-Colerain game, that's pretty cool."

(By TITUS Sports Marketing, which is a content contributor to Texasfootball.com.)