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Start Free Trial NowTitle: Floundering UNLV football telecasts get weak reception
Description: 3D; KRLR
Floundering UNLV So you fear the possible NFL player’s strike will put a 'damper on your Sunday af ternoon in front of the TV? .7 Well, don’t count on get s' ting any relief watching UNLV C football. Z: Western Sports Produc- tions, in the third year of a "four-year contract to televise ^selected UNLV football and ^basketball games, will present Fjust one Rebel football game .' this fall over KRLR, Channel 1:21. t So far, only the UNLV- ‘,' Fresno State game Oct. 31 is ; slated to be telecast by West- * em Sports Productions. It’s a far cry from the last two sea sons: WSP televised all Rebel football games in 1985, and all but one road game last sea son. In 1985, the system even ^^^^Splritosanto brought viewers UNLV’s home games on a tape-delayed ba sis on Sunday mornings. Last year, Western Sports tele vised four UNLV away games, the only exception being the Fresno State contest last Nov. 6 which was televised on ESPN as part of Raycom’s Pa cific Coast Athletic Associa tion game of the week. UNLV lost that game 36-7 in its first nationally televised game in three years. While it may be a particu larly frustrating turn of events a Friday, September 18, 1987/Las Vegas Roview-Journa!/3D football telecasts get weak receptibif for those genuinely interested in watching UNLV, it’s a mat ter of economics for WSP owner and operator Paul Mendes, who has taken heavy financial losses on foot ball the last two years. “As simple as UNLV bas ketball is to sell, UNLV football is that hard,” said Dick Cal vert, who along with former NFL quarterback David Humm were the Rebel broad casters the last two years. “You’re talking a lot of money when it comes down to tele vising those games. “I know Rebel basketball helped the package out quite a bit, but Paul still ended the (football) year in the negative.” According to conservative estimates, it costs on the aver age $12,000 to telecast each UNLV road football game. That includes uplink, satellite time, talent, crew and a full comple ment of facilities that in cludes truck, camera and audio technicians. Considering advertisers must pay $900 for a 30-second spot for UNLV basketball as compared to $650 for the same spot on Rebel football, it’s easy to see where popularity lies. Still, Mendes, who runs Western Sports out of San Die go and has been responsible for putting nearly every live lo cal sporting event on televi sion the last four years, is nego tiating to telecast the UNLV-Cal State Fullerton foot ball game Oct. 17. It’s a step in the right direction as nearly every major college football program has its own broadcast network. It’? a step in the right direction as long as it doesn’t put WSP in the red again. Whatever financial losses may be taken by Western Sports on football can poten tially be made up by Rebel bas ketball telecasts. WSP has tentatively scheduled 11 Run- nin’ Rebel telecasts that can not contractually coincide with any nationally televised game or any PCAA game of the week. ■ Calvert will do play-by- play and Humm will be color man on the Rebels-Fresno State game Oct. 31. Calvert, who has spent the last two seasons as full-time play-by-play man for the Major Indoor Soccer League’s Tacoma Stars, will return as public address announcer for UNLV football Fat the Las Vegas Silver Bowl in the meantime. Humm is currently doirigF], color commentary on UfcTO^' - football telecasts which are ^~ broadcast in Reno over, Channel 21. . jV ■-i /’i-- ■ It was difficult getting.., \ , used to Las Vegas Stars’ play-., by-play radio announcer? Paul /, Olden doing UNLV football^! • over KROL radio in the sea 3 r - son opener last week, i vw_,> Olden, who along witli , Dom Valentino has been the voice of the Stars for the V’ past four years, did an admira ble job in his first major,col- ' lege football broadcast. Olden teamed with former UNLV. quarterback Sam King, who] did color commentary. ]_ * Nakajima takes Milwaukee lead
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Clipped 5 months ago
- Las Vegas Review-Journal
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Sep, 18 1987 - Page 35