TV/RADIO -=
Black Ent
By ROBIN ADAMS
Staff Writer
It'c nrtt tho J
^ ..w? ?uv nvirrui IVa Jaiuiucty
afternoon broadcasts of ACC or Big 10
games, but it is black college basketball
at its best. : _
Black Entertainment Televison's
taped broadcasts of 10 black college
basketball games for the 1983-84
season fill a void created by the lack of
black college games on other media.
James Felton, who serves as sports
producer for the programs, says BET
started the project four years ago and
that overwhelming support from the
participating schools and audiences
have kept the project going and growing.
"The audience is demanding more
coverage," Felton says, "and the
schools are very positive. We have got
a lot of cooperation from the coaches
.apd their staffs, the athletic depart7"
* ments and the students."
"It's all about exposure. We are <
and for black college sports."
In fact, the response from the
students . was so positive that BET
began using student interns from the
schools with broadcast majors to help
with the shooting and production of
the programs.
This year, BET will broadcast seven
individual basketball games on Saturday
night&^I 8:00 in addition to tournament
action from the CIAA, MEAC
and SWAC. The telecasts will feature
Charlie Neal, a noted pro-sports announcer,
on play-by-play with
Washington, D.C., sportscaster James
Brown providing the color.
Felton says no particular criteria are
used to determine which games will be
broadcast; the choices are based principally
on available technical facilities.
"Basically," says Felton, "the
choice is made based on the facilities
that are available. Some schools have
facilities that are too small for us to use
and others don't have the proper
lighting. Technical abilities are the top
priority."
In addition, Felton says, some conS.C.
State's
Dennis Williams, the leading rehonnHer
and nnmher two scorer on I
South Carolina State's 4-3 basketball
team, has been suspended for
the remainder of the season by firstyear
Head Coach Chico Caldwell.
Caldwell said the action was
taken after a review of class attendance
records indicated the 6-8
. z II,
ertainment
sideration is given to rivalries, games
that attract audiences and games that
are,expected to be exciting.
BET wishes it could broadcast black
college sports 24 hours a day on Saturdays,
Felton says, but, for now, it's not
feasible. :
unnT* i t -
Dei oniy oroaacasts seven nigtits a
week for six hours," he says. "If we
expand our broadcast time, then
maybe we could expand the sports
coverage."
The one immediate area BET expects
to enter before the end of this basketball
season is the broadcast of a
women's game.
"The women's games," Felton says,
"are usually played prior to the men's
games and sometimes there is more excitement
or more attention on their
games than there is on the men's
games."
The wild card game or one of the
tournament games may feature
women's teams, Felton adds.
doing a service for our audience
? James Felton
- *
Also on BET's list of things to do in
the future is live broadcasts. But, as
Felton says, that's a long time coming.
Now, most of the games are shown on
BET six or seven days after they were
played.
Since the audience response has been
so positive, Felton says, it's obvious
that the need for BET's broadetsts and
other black college sports broadcasts is
there.
"It's all ahont pvnnsnrp " h#? cave
4'We are doing a service for our audience
and for black college sports
Where I'm from, there were very fevs
black colleges that I knew of. I only
knew of Central State of Ohio and
Grambling. But when I moved tc
D.C., I found out there were many
others. I never had any idea that there
were that many black schools and I'ir
sure there were other youngsters whc
thought the same way as I did. Because
you don't see Grambling or some o!
the other black colleges on TV, theii
existence just normally escapes you."
Barry Cooper, a syndicated colum
Williams Si
Williams had amassed a high
number of unexcused absences.
Although semester grades have
not been released by the Office of
Admissions and Records at the college,
Caldwell said Williams would
not play anymore this season
regardless of how he came out in his
studies.
4CI\ CCH ECt St
TV Helps Fill
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Bethune-Cookman's Greg Rosa blocki
exposure blocks the progress of blacl
talnment Television offers an alten
Branch-race).
nist who writes about black college
sports, says that, because the audience I
demand for broadcasts of black college
sporting events is so great, plans are <
being made to give the fans what they <
want: live broadcasts. *
1
: "Grambling University, is
f spearheading a plan where a represen- i
r tative of the SWAC will go to the individual
stations and ask for broadcast i
- time," Cooper says. 1
uspended Fc
. i,.**
Caldwell, who succeeded Johnny
Jones as the Bulldogs' head coach
this season, said that class attendance
is mandatory for team
members.
He added that he made it clear to
the players from the beginning that
failure to attend class would result
in immediate suspension from the
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i a Howard shot - and a lack of TV
k college sports. But Black Enterlative
on cable (photo by Brian
"Now the big schools are forcing all
hf? email rnllpoM nff TV "
? **** ??''Ovu " *
Cooper says the plans are in the very
:arly stages, and nothing yet is con:rete,
but he speculates that,
'although the major networks may
:urn away from the small schools, the
opportunity to get some exposure and
lo make a few dollars is present."
In the meantime, Felton says, BET
will continue to improve and expand its
broadcasts.
>r Season
team.
Caldwell said that Williams, who
was avwaaino R A rpKnnnHc nnr\
. . ..M ? ? w# V I VWUI IW?J Ui 1 VI
12.7 points for the Bulldogs, had
been warned at miff-semester when
attendance records showed he had a
number of unexcused absences.
The Bulldogs took a holiday
break before resuming their
schedule Jan. 6 at Grambling.
S5SSSSB January, 1984-Page 9