TV air times not up to UNC

At 3:37 p.m. Saturday North Carolina kicker Jay Wooten booted the Tar Heels' opening kickoff in College Park Md.

At 4 p.m. back in Chapel Hill the basketball team opened its season against the Penn Quakers in front of a not-quite-full Smith Center. But it wasn't UNC's fault.

In fact" the University has essentially no say in what time its televised games start.

""Well" if anybody thought that we did the last couple of weeks could certainly put that to rest" couldn't it?"" UNC athletics spokesman Steve Kirschner said.

The reason for the conflicting schedule Saturday is simple.

Television.

""We get a chance to express our opinion to the conference office" make suggestions Kirschner said.

But in the end it's really not even the conference office" it's the television partnerships that we have.""

ABC and ESPN hold the primary rights to ACC football. They can choose up to three ACC teams' games and can air them either nationally or with split regional coverage in essentially any time slot.

After ESPN chooses" Raycom Sports — the regional syndicated partner of the ACC — is next to pick.

Through its contract with the ACC" Raycom airs its ""ACC Game of the Week"" at noon.

""We select a game that we feel is the best for our regional network"" said Colin Smith, vice president of information and new media for Raycom Sports.

Then after we make our selection"" ESPN will go back and pick another game for ESPNU or ESPN360.""

After the first two games of the season" for which schedules are laid out several weeks before the first kickoff ABC and ESPN typically must select their games at least 12 days before they are played.

But twice a season the global sports conglomerate can take a six-day option meaning it can wait until all the previous week's games are complete before selecting which games to air.

This option often is taken when conference and divisional titles are in the balance late in the season.

Bowing to the mercy of television isn't the most desirable situation for UNC or any other school.

But if Butch Davis and Roy Williams keep UNC's most visible teams successful Tar Heel fans might just have to get used to making tough decisions in November and December. It could even happen again this season.

If the gridiron Tar Heels are invited to the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl this season" the basketball team's game at Nevada could tip off before their football cohorts are finished with business in the Georgia Dome.

""In a case like this when we have more than one program that people want to see … sometimes you really are at the mercy of when television wants you to play"" said Kirschner, who attended the basketball game while staying updated with the progress in College Park online.

And you just make the best of it.""



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.