The ACC men's basketball television schedule is set in August, and unlike the football schedule, it's too complicated to change during the season, which is why Wake Forest's game at N.C. State on Wednesday night wasn't televised, said George Johnson, senior vice president of Raycom Sports, who coordinates the ACC's basketball package on TV.
"Had we known in August that Wake Forest would be a top-10 team, would we have looked at it a little differently? Probably so," Johnson said in a phone interview. "But who would have guessed that back in August?"
Of the ACC's 96 games this season, only four are not be televised: Miami-Florida State on Jan. 21, the Wake-State game, Georgia Tech at Wake Forest on Feb. 18 and Miami at Georgia Tech on March 4.
Raycom, which owns the rights, televises some games and sells some games. For example, Raycom televised the UNC-Duke game at 9 p.m. Wednesday in ACC markets; ESPN carried it elsewhere around the country; and ESPNU showed Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. ESPNU spokeswoman Tilea Coleman said the network considered that game and the Wake-State game but had to pick one.
Johnson talked about the differences between scheduling football and basketball telecasts.
"Unlike football, where oftentimes [TV] picks are done either 12 days and sometimes as few as six days in advance," the basketball schedule is done in August and isn't changed, Johnson said. Because football teams play once a week, mostly on Saturdays, "it's a little easier to say 12 days out, 'We're going to move it from noon to 3, or from 3 to 7,'" Johnson said, adding that basketball "is not really conducive to a six-day or 12-day pick."
In particular, it would have been tough to move the Wake-State game, he said.
"Both N.C. State and Wake Forest played on the previous Sunday, so the opportunity for us as the television partner to take that game on Wednesday and move it to Tuesday [is limited]." And since both teams play Saturday, Raycom could not have moved the Wednesday game to Thursday, Johnson said.
He added that eventually the full ACC men's basketball schedule may be televised.
Comments
Unacceptable
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 17:10 — DeaconPeachThe ACC has completely dropped the ball by not negotiating for every conference game to be televised. The fact that 3 schools are being hit twice by this nonsense (Wake Forest, Miami & Georgia Tech) is a travesty. Raycom Sports must not pay much attention to any conventional sporting outlet because both Wake Forest and Miami were predicted to do well this season, so that excuse offered by Mr. Johnson doesn't hold water.
If John Swofford and his staff are going to accept having some conference games go untelevised, then they should insist that every school in the conference bear the brunt of their ineptitude, not just a select few. UNC & Duke should be included in the non-televised rotation as well.
"Had we known in August that
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 17:08 — JamesinWillowSprings"Had we known in August that Wake Forest would be a top-10 team, would we have looked at it a little differently? Probably so," Johnson said in a phone interview this morning. "But who would have guessed that back in August?"
What a WEAK, weak excuse.
It's a rivalry game between two Big Four opponents that dates back to 1910. You couldn't sell the game to FSS? Or at least show it on Fox 50 at 7:00 locally?
Lame.