Friday, October 22, 1999
SPORTS ON TV-RADIO
UK fans lose in local broadcast feud
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A lot of Kentucky fans were upset last week because Insight, formerly InterMedia, did not carry the UK football game against LSU. The same thing will happen Saturday when UK takes on Georgia.
WBQC (Channel 25), the low-powered station out of Golf Manor, has the rights to the Southeastern Conference package, of which the LSU and Georgia games were part.
Channel 25 and InterMedia/Insight had an agreement the last two years that allowed the cable company to pick up the games, said Elliot Block, Channel 25's owner/general manager. Insight showed the games on Channel 6 until last week.
“That was the straw that broke the camel's back,” Block said. “They said they didn't show it because the picture was bad. I'm sending a letter demanding that they take us off.”
Block said the relationship always had been strained.
“We're like the Hatfields and McCoys,” he said. “We've been feuding so long we don't know what we're feuding about.”
Austin Cross of Insight said his company negotiates for rights to UK games when they are not shown locally and doesn't show games when Channel 25 has the exclusive rights.
UK fans can still pick up the game if they can get Channel 25's signal. A good outside antenna, Block said, can get the signal within the I-275 beltway.
NBC ON WS: Bob Costas hasn't shifted into his World Series mode yet.
That's how good the National League Championship Series was.
“Those were definitely some of the best games I've called,” he said of Atlanta's drama-packed, four-games-to-two win over the New York Mets. “There was such a rich texture, so much to talk about. It was just great. I still haven't gotten over it.”
Costas and his partner, Joe Morgan, will be ready by 8 p.m. Saturday when NBC (channels 5, 22) begins its Series broadcast with the Atlanta Braves playing host to the defending champion New York Yankees.
Costas says his World Series mode is a bit different from his NLCS mode. That's because the audience for the World Series is bigger and broader.
“One of the things I try to do in the early going, when there are lull periods, is fill in the backgrounds,” Costas said. “There are always lulls. Even in the big moments, sometimes you'll have time to put the drama in context ... That helps people appreciate what's at stake.”
Morgan also trims back a bit on inside baseball stuff for the series.
“You have to be sure not over burden (the audience) with things they're not concerned with,” he said. “You talk more about the No.4 hitter, because he's a star, than the No.8 hitter.”
The two NLCS games Morgan and Costas worked for ESPN, as a sort of practice for the World Series, helped.
“We fell into the rhythm and mechanics pretty easily,” Costas said. “Then we got so many good games. Like an actor, you're only as good as your script. We were lucky enough to have gotten some great games. That makes it easier.”
DOUBLE DUTY: Reds shortstop Barry Larkin will be working for NBC and www.msnbc.com during the World Series. He is doing a diary and analysis for the Web site and pregame reports with Hannah Storm on TV.
SERIES RADIO: ESPN Radio will carry all of the World Series games. Jon Miller will do play-by-play and Rick Sutcliffe will do analysis. WCKY-AM (1360) will carry the games locally, except Game 5, if necessary. Game 5 will be on WSAI-AM (1530).
MARTY AND JOE: Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall signed a three-year deal to continue as the Reds' radio team. That will take the duo to 29 years together.
Don't be surprised if Nuxhall sticks around for another contract.
“He's already talking about staying until we're in the new stadium,” Brennaman said. “This contract won't take us to the stadium.”
MORE MARTY: During baseball's postseason, Brennaman is just another fan.
Brennaman rates Costas and Morgan as the best TV team, followed by Fox's Thom Brennaman and Bob Brenly, who he ranks ahead of Fox's top team of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
Thom, of course, is Marty's son. “That's maybe a little father's prejudice creeping in,” he said. “But I think he does a nice job. He and Brenly make a good team.”
Brennaman uses basically the same criteria in evaluating television guys as you or I do: Talking too much is the cardinal sin.
“That's why I think Morgan's the best,” Brennaman said. “He has great insight. He makes good observations. And he knows when to shut up.”
That's Brennaman's complaint with Costas.
“He talks too much,” Brennaman said. “He's eloquent. He understands the game, and he obviously loves baseball.”
McCarver also is preoccupied with hearing himself talk.
NO UC ON CBS: The folks at CBS must not have paid much attention to the preseason college basketball polls. The University of Cincinnati, which has gotten a lot of attention, won't appear on the network in the regular season.
CBS is airing 40 men's games, beginning with Kentucky-Indiana Dec. 4. UK will be shown five times, IU three and Ohio State at least three.
John Fay covers radio/TV sports for The Enquirer. He can be reached at 768-8445.
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