Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

Saw this in the Detroit Paper. Big Ten Network is helping to get MAC teams onto commercial TV. Will this help recruiting? Will people watch?

BTN another blow to free TV

It's all alphabet soup, legal clauses and curious stuff these days in college football TV land.

And we, the lovely home viewers, are left to negotiate this weekly maze with our own scruples.

Here's this week's curious case: WXYZ (Ch. 7) is showing Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois a Mid-American Conference game, at noon Saturday.

Traditionally, Ch. 7 has had a Big Ten game at noon, serving as a nice lead-in to ABC's main morsel at 3:30 p.m. The Michigan-Notre Dame game will be ABC's 3:30 tilt this week.

But thanks to the birth of the Big Ten Network, Ch. 7 can't get ESPN's regional Big Ten offerings anymore. The BTN is saving all the games, such as Buffalo at No. 12 Penn State or Akron at Indiana, for itself.

"It's not the perfect situation, as that would be for us to show a Big Ten game at noon, but we felt the MAC would be the next best thing," said Marla Drutz, Ch. 7's programming guru. "We figured that between Eastern, Central, Western, Bowling Green and Toledo all being either in the state or close to Michigan that would give us some built-in interest in the games.

"I find it sad that the Big Ten chose to do something that wasn't in the best interest of all of its fans in building that network. The Big Ten Network's creation is what tied our hands in this."

The Big Ten is now divvying up its games in a longer pecking order: first ABC, then the ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and Big Ten Network.

The Jedi ways of how the TV execs and Big Ten honchos divide things up each week remain secret.

But Drutz knows one thing for sure: She won't be getting any Big Ten games.

She smartly realized viewers are accustomed to having a noon football game. She could have opted for some ab-blaster infomercial or a 1987 "Matlock" episode to fill the time.

She felt strongly Ch. 7 needed football, and ESPN Plus came offering MAC games.

However, as nice as it is to have some football do the masses really want to watch EMU?

Wouldn't it be nice to have some real freedom, without having to sacrifice half of a monthly car payment, to watch the games we wanted?

I frequently hear from those of you out there on fixed budgets or unable to afford cable. Sadly, the world is moving further and further away from having "free TV" games.

The Southeastern Conference does a game of the week on CBS, Notre Dame still gets NBC as its personal network (most of the time), and ABC has the Big Ten. But that's one game for each network.

If you want to watch something else, good luck. Get digital cable or buy a dish.

Or at the very least, a flowchart to figure out where all these games are going each week.

You can reach Joanne C. Gerstner at (313) 223-4644 or

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 7709130369

Shouldn't your title be "Free" tv?

Being on local TV in Detroit could be a big bost to EMU. For them to be successful they have to get the kids from Detroit that the BCS programs miss on. They can't let those kids go to BG, Toledo or another MAC school and hope to stay competitive.

Ch. 5 in Cleveland(ABC affiliate) also will be carrying MAC games in lieu of BT at Noon...in fact, I think the BG - Temple game will be shown next week... a but surprising because I think Akron + Kent play each other that day. (not sure)
But TV, especially, major network coverage, HAS to help the MAC...now, just put on some really GOOD matchups and exciting games, and it'll even be better.

Class of 61 wrote:Ch. 5 in Cleveland(ABC affiliate) also will be carrying MAC games in lieu of BT at Noon...in fact, I think the BG - Temple game will be shown next week... a but surprising because I think Akron + Kent play each other that day. (not sure)
But TV, especially, major network coverage, HAS to help the MAC...now, just put on some really GOOD matchups and exciting games, and it'll even be better.

If I'm not mistaken, Miami/UC is on Channel 5 in Cleveland at noon tomorrow. BG/Temple will be on next Sat at noon.

This BTN deal is going to help the MAC by opening up time slots that BT teams used to have. I love it. Go follow the money, Delaney. I don't have any problems playing at noon next week for a chance to be on Ch 5 in Cleveland...one of BG's biggest alumni bases....not to mention Akron and Canton. Maybe some BG alums will see the game, see all the great things going on at the Doyt and decide to check out some games.

The BT's greed knows no boundaries.

For those with Dish, the BG game will be on Ch. 438 next week. (It's "SNY" for those that get that channel on any system.)

Also a light of hope for me and my fellow Indy-based Falcons, WNDY has a "TBA" game listed for next Saturday at noon, and as a positive sign, this week they're showing EMU-NIU.

Nothing like testing the bounds of a marriage 19 hours in, eh?

BG/Temple will also be on 13ABC in Toledo/BG as well, at least that's what I've heard.

I saw the listing for the BG/Temple game to be on Ch 12 in Cincinnati. But it could wind up being the Kent/Akron game.

Its listed as:

MAC Game of the Week

Kent State at Akron or Temple at Bowling Green.

I think the BTN is starting to sweat a little bit. The bulk of the leverage games they were to carry exclusively are now over. All but a handful of major markets have managed to hold the line against them. The FCC has started talking about putting Ala Carte back on the table. And they have not been able to carry the argument that basic cable should feature their product. Plus I noticed that ESPN Classic still featured the “exclusive” UM-ASU upset this week, and its been running on basic cable every other day since it occurred. Now, the BTN might be doing that, thinking they are promoting the network, but having already caved on true exclusivity, most of us have even less reason to want to have it.

I think Ala Carte is coming. Might not be soon, but someday in the near-term, it’ll happen.

I remember as a kid watching BG play at Miami on TV as MU was closing their old HS-style field with the non-digital clock on the scoreboard and their students sitting on the grass around the field. I also remember the Falcons playing I believe Temple inside some sort of convention hall with real grass sod layed down on a cement floor. I remember watching the 1984 NCAA Hockey champiohship on WBGU 57 I believe. And I remember watching many BG-UT basketball games on local TV.

These broadcasts made BGSU special to me eventually resulting in my only college application submitted to BG. Since my time at BG fewer and fewer free local TV broadcasts have featured BG. Thanks B10 for returning local TV to the local colleges. Now lets run with it!

jpfalcon09 wrote:BG/Temple will also be on 13ABC in Toledo/BG as well, at least that's what I've heard.

Really, that would be a shock. If true, then I must break out the ole vcr again to tape for sure. I will be at the game but nothing like having tape of a beat down right?