Sports
Air Time
Fledgling network to broadcast all things Big Ten.
Mark Silverman is on the run. Through the halls of the former Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalog House in downtown Chicago, he bounces from wrangling over who at the new Big Ten Network gets a TV in his or her office, to high-level discussions about distributing its programming. The new studio set is due to arrive the next week, but work on the studio itself continues. Silverman, president of the Big Ten Network, is building a television network from scratch, squabbling with cable TV giants, and hiring on-air talent.
“There’s a great energy here,” says Silverman, who was then readying for an August 30 launch. “There are not a lot of networks that, right out of the gate, get access to millions of loyal fans.”
The Big Ten Network is a bold enterprise. It will provide viewers with unprecedented access to Olympic and women’s college sports — along with the appeal of selected football and basketball games. The network, a twenty-year partnership between the conference and Fox Cable Networks, is expected to air about three hundred and eighty sports events during its first year. Beyond that, each of the eleven universities will be afforded up to sixty hours of original campus programming each year — possibly ranging from reality shows, to musical events, to public affairs talk shows. Unquestionably, the network offers promise in raising the profile of all conference sports and many of the universities’ academic offerings.
Mark Silverman is on the run. Through the halls of the former Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalog House in downtown Chicago, he bounces from wrangling over who at the new Big Ten Network gets a TV in his or her office, to high-level discussions about distributing its programming. The new studio set is due to arrive the next week, but work on the studio itself continues. Silverman, president of the Big Ten Network, is building a television network from scratch, squabbling with cable TV giants, and hiring on-air talent.
“There’s a great energy here,” says Silverman, who was then readying for an August 30 launch. “There are not a lot of networks that, right out of the gate, get access to millions of loyal fans.”
The Big Ten Network is a bold enterprise. It will provide viewers with unprecedented access to Olympic and women’s college sports — along with the appeal of selected football and basketball games. The network, a twenty-year partnership between the conference and Fox Cable Networks, is expected to air about three hundred and eighty sports events during its first year. Beyond that, each of the eleven universities will be afforded up to sixty hours of original campus programming each year — possibly ranging from reality shows, to musical events, to public affairs talk shows. Unquestionably, the network offers promise in raising the profile of all conference sports and many of the universities’ academic offerings.
Here’s the rub: that promise will ring a bit hollow without the buy-in of major cable providers who, as of early August, were giving the network the cold shoulder. The deal that created the network ensures it will be carried on satellite TV provider DirecTV, which gives it access to 14 million households nationally. But unless the channel negotiates major, lucrative cable deals, many fans could be shut out.
The network was pushing for its programming to be on expanded basic cable, where all viewers would presumably share the cable providers’ cost of adding the network. Some cable providers, however, suggested it belongs on special sports packages, for which only interested subscribers pay an added cost. The network has attracted some smaller municipal cable outfits across the Midwest. But Charter, Comcast, and Time Warner were still holding back — with Comcast issuing a biting statement last June, saying, “Indiana basketball fans don’t want to watch Iowa volleyball, but the Big Ten wants everyone to pay for their new network.”
Badger athletic director Barry Alvarez predicted a Big Ten fan outcry if the network doesn’t get wide pick-up. “If you don’t, there will be such an uproar that I don’t know why a cable company wouldn’t carry it,” he says.
Alvarez adds that the round-the-clock network has a huge upside. It can offer schools unparalleled exposure and fans a depth of coverage and events that they can’t find elsewhere.
“The thing that excites me most,” he says, “is that our coaches, and all the coaches in the Big Ten, now can go out and recruit with something nobody else has.”
The network was pushing for its programming to be on expanded basic cable, where all viewers would presumably share the cable providers’ cost of adding the network. Some cable providers, however, suggested it belongs on special sports packages, for which only interested subscribers pay an added cost. The network has attracted some smaller municipal cable outfits across the Midwest. But Charter, Comcast, and Time Warner were still holding back — with Comcast issuing a biting statement last June, saying, “Indiana basketball fans don’t want to watch Iowa volleyball, but the Big Ten wants everyone to pay for their new network.”
Badger athletic director Barry Alvarez predicted a Big Ten fan outcry if the network doesn’t get wide pick-up. “If you don’t, there will be such an uproar that I don’t know why a cable company wouldn’t carry it,” he says.
Alvarez adds that the round-the-clock network has a huge upside. It can offer schools unparalleled exposure and fans a depth of coverage and events that they can’t find elsewhere.
“The thing that excites me most,” he says, “is that our coaches, and all the coaches in the Big Ten, now can go out and recruit with something nobody else has.”
Wisconsin women’s basketball coach Lisa Stone sees the same potential for all UW sports. The network has committed to “event equality” between men’s and women’s events within the first three years of operation. “We have Badger fans across the entire country,” she says. “The Bucky Badger fans from coast to coast will be able to watch all of us — from women’s basketball to swimming and hockey. All of our sports will be showcased.”
The network plans about thirty-eight football games a season, with Wisconsin debuting in a game against The Citadel on September 15. The new venture will have to coexist with the Big Ten’s current network partners, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. But Silverman notes that the Big Ten Network will get the second pick in three of the season’s twelve weeks, and the third pick in three others. Silverman says that positions the network well.
“A game that features Wisconsin, even if it’s playing The Citadel, is a game that Wisconsin fans want to see,” says Silverman, a former executive at ABC Cable Networks.
The Big Ten Network will also carry at least 105 men’s basketball games and 55 women’s basketball games, 170 Olympic sporting events, classic sports, coaches shows, and Big Ten championships. The network has hired some high-profile talent, including former ESPN personality Dave Revsine as its lead studio host and Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis as its lead football broadcast team. Other analysts will include former Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo and ex-Minnesota coach Glen Mason.
Silverman says the network is planning to exist on multiple platforms — eventually offering video on demand, broadband, and wireless access. It will also broadcast in high definition.
The network plans about thirty-eight football games a season, with Wisconsin debuting in a game against The Citadel on September 15. The new venture will have to coexist with the Big Ten’s current network partners, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. But Silverman notes that the Big Ten Network will get the second pick in three of the season’s twelve weeks, and the third pick in three others. Silverman says that positions the network well.
“A game that features Wisconsin, even if it’s playing The Citadel, is a game that Wisconsin fans want to see,” says Silverman, a former executive at ABC Cable Networks.
The Big Ten Network will also carry at least 105 men’s basketball games and 55 women’s basketball games, 170 Olympic sporting events, classic sports, coaches shows, and Big Ten championships. The network has hired some high-profile talent, including former ESPN personality Dave Revsine as its lead studio host and Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis as its lead football broadcast team. Other analysts will include former Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo and ex-Minnesota coach Glen Mason.
Silverman says the network is planning to exist on multiple platforms — eventually offering video on demand, broadband, and wireless access. It will also broadcast in high definition.
At the same time, universities across the Big Ten are brainstorming concepts for original, non-sports programs to highlight the work of faculty and students, and to provide the nation a window into the laboratories and classrooms of Big Ten universities. Peter Kleppin, who is charged with producing much of that content for UW-Madison, says the programming offers a powerful tool for promoting the campus. “The programming will serve to help alumni connect, showcase student achievements, inform parents about campus life, and give potential students a taste of what could be,” he says.
The opportunity to detail academic breakthroughs and campus culture is extraordinary, Silverman says. “Traditionally, we’ve had a thirty-second halftime spot to promote the school, and to go from that to sixty hours a year is a great opportunity for the schools and a huge advantage over schools that don’t have that opportunity,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the questions keep coming about how widely available the Big Ten Network will be in its inaugural season. Silverman has a long list of meetings, and he’s off in search of the answers. Stay tuned.
— Dennis Chaptman ’80
For more about the Big Ten Network, visit www.bigtennetwork.com or www.uwbadgers.com.
The opportunity to detail academic breakthroughs and campus culture is extraordinary, Silverman says. “Traditionally, we’ve had a thirty-second halftime spot to promote the school, and to go from that to sixty hours a year is a great opportunity for the schools and a huge advantage over schools that don’t have that opportunity,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the questions keep coming about how widely available the Big Ten Network will be in its inaugural season. Silverman has a long list of meetings, and he’s off in search of the answers. Stay tuned.
— Dennis Chaptman ’80
For more about the Big Ten Network, visit www.bigtennetwork.com or www.uwbadgers.com.
IN SEASON: Women's Golf
Circle the Dates: September 9–10, the Badger Invitational will take place at University Ridge.
Keep an eye on: Senior Katie Elliott, whose score of sixty-nine at the Legends of Indiana tournament last October snagged her the second-best individual eighteen-hole record in Badger women’s golf history. Her finish also helped the team to the second-best eighteen-hole team record in school history.
Think about this: When they placed second at last year’s Badger Invitational, the Badgers had their best finish since the 2003 Big Ten Championships. The meet also has a good history for Elliott. She won her first individual tournament title there last year.
Keep an eye on: Senior Katie Elliott, whose score of sixty-nine at the Legends of Indiana tournament last October snagged her the second-best individual eighteen-hole record in Badger women’s golf history. Her finish also helped the team to the second-best eighteen-hole team record in school history.
Think about this: When they placed second at last year’s Badger Invitational, the Badgers had their best finish since the 2003 Big Ten Championships. The meet also has a good history for Elliott. She won her first individual tournament title there last year.
Disk Drive
While the women’s hockey team and the men’s indoor track team earned national championships amid much buzz and attention, one of the UW’s lesser known sports had some success of its own this year, albeit much quieter. The ultimate Frisbee club team, whose disk-throwing sport includes elements of soccer and flag football, claimed its second national title. The Hodags, who entered last May’s national tournament in Florida with a 49-1 record, defeated Colorado 15-7 in the championship game. Here Dan Heijmen x’08 (in pale blue) flings the disk before a Colorado player can catch him. One of the team’s two captains, Heijmen was also a member of the Hodags the last time they won the national tournament, in 2003.
BADGER TICKER
Senior Nathan Brown was named Academic All-American of the Year for men’s track and field and cross country by ESPN The Magazine. This was the third first-team Academic All-American recognition for Brown, who competes in the decathlon, heptathlon and the javelin in track and field. Brown completed his undergraduate biochemistry degree with a 3.98 grade point average and earned a 4.0 in his first year in medical school while finishing his UW track and field career. Senior and three-time Academic All-American Joe Detmer joined Brown on the first team, and senior Tim Nelson earned second-team honors.
UW student athletes earned several record-setting academic achievements in the 2006–07 academic year. Overall, student athletes earned a 3.0 grade point average, 20 percent made the Dean’s Honor List, and fifty-five earned a 4.0 GPA in either the fall or spring. One hundred eighty-two student athletes were named to the Academic All-Big Ten.
Former UW men’s hockey coach Bob Johnson will be inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in October. During Johnson’s seasons coaching the Badgers from 1966 to 1982, the team garnered three NCAA titles — 1973, 1977, and 1981. His son is current women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson ’94.
Ranked number one by the USRowing poll last spring, the women’s lightweight rowing team capped off the season by taking third at the IRA National Championships in Camden, New Jersey. The men’s rowing team dominated the Midwest Rowing Championships held in April on Madison’s Lake Wingra, sweeping every event.
UW student athletes earned several record-setting academic achievements in the 2006–07 academic year. Overall, student athletes earned a 3.0 grade point average, 20 percent made the Dean’s Honor List, and fifty-five earned a 4.0 GPA in either the fall or spring. One hundred eighty-two student athletes were named to the Academic All-Big Ten.
Former UW men’s hockey coach Bob Johnson will be inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in October. During Johnson’s seasons coaching the Badgers from 1966 to 1982, the team garnered three NCAA titles — 1973, 1977, and 1981. His son is current women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson ’94.
Ranked number one by the USRowing poll last spring, the women’s lightweight rowing team capped off the season by taking third at the IRA National Championships in Camden, New Jersey. The men’s rowing team dominated the Midwest Rowing Championships held in April on Madison’s Lake Wingra, sweeping every event.
