SPRINGFIELD - Thanks to investments by four local businesses, 17 Missouri State University basketball games will be carried annually by KY3, Inc., over the next four years (2010-14). Likewise, eight additional games in football, volleyball and baseball will be televised live by Mediacom over the next four years as part of the two-tier television rights package negotiated by the University's marketing partner, Nelligan Sports Marketing (NSM).
The announcement came Thursday (August 26) from Director of Athletics Kyle Moats at a news conference in JQH Arena.
The first tier is an exclusive basketball agreement with KY3, Inc., the parent company of local broadcast stations KYTV and Ozarks CW. The agreement includes 17 basketball games per year, including nine men's and eight women's contests, for the next four years.
The production costs and commercial inventory of the KY3, Inc. basketball package will be supported by Bass Pro Shops, Chevy Dealers of the Ozarks, St. John's Hospital, and Great Southern Bank.
The 17 games will be carried live over the air, on cable, and on satellite carriers Dish Network and Direct TV within the KY3 and Ozarks CW footprints, which cover 31 counties in two states. Games will be divided between the two stations based on other programming commitments, network requirements and the basketball schedules themselves. Network affiliates already secured include Metro Sports in Kansas City and Charter Communications in St. Louis. Additional affiliates throughout the state and region are currently being negotiated by NSM, and broadcast announcers will be finalized in the near future.
The agreement also includes weekly coaches' shows for football, men's basketball and women's basketball to be carried on Ozarks CW. The Terry Allen Show will be the first show to air on Ozarks CW, starting at 10:30 p.m. every Sunday this season.
Promotional consideration on the KY3, Inc. family of stations is also a pivotal part of the package, providing additional exposure in conjunction with more than 22 hours of local news programming per week. KY3, an NBC affiliate, produces the area's No. 1 rated nightly newscasts.
"This agreement would not be possible without these champions of the community," Moats explained. "Bass Pro Shops, Chevy Dealers of the Ozarks, St. John's Hospital, and Great Southern Bank are first-class organizations whose standard of quality goes hand-in-hand with Missouri State. It has taken hard work, commitment and determination of a lot of people, including (president and general manager) Mike Scott at KY3, to make this a reality."
The second tier of the agreement covers Bears' football and addresses the University's efforts to retain a connection with local cable provider Mediacom. Mediacom has served as the rights holder of the basketball properties for the past six years.
Mediacom will air four football games this season with live telecasts of two home and two road games. The home games include the Oct. 23 homecoming contest against Western Illinois and the Oct. 30 game against defending MVFC champion Southern Illinois. Road games include back-to-back late-season contests at South Dakota State on Nov. 6 and at Northern Iowa on Nov. 13.
The four-year agreement between NSM and Mediacom covers a minimum of three football, two volleyball and three baseball games per year through the spring of 2014.
"The work that Mediacom has done for Missouri State is greatly appreciated, and keeping them as a television partner is important to us and a great way to stay connected with the community," Moats said.
MSU will continue to supplement its live television coverage with its on-line video channel as part of its Bears Live video streaming package available through MissouriStateBears.com. Streaming subscription information is available through the site, which also contains numerous free video features and non-premium content.
"We had three main objectives in negotiating these agreements: increasing coverage, expanding programming, and remaining fiscally responsible to our budget," Moats explained. "We feel we have accomplished all three of these goals. Coupled with our radio agreement with Meyer Communications and our on-line video channel, I feel we now have one of the best, if not the best, media packages in the conference."
