viewership (they are received in 55 percent
of all households that have cable TV), they
aren't at a decided disadvantage in terms of
maintaining its market for black college
sports.
For one, they have become "the" net
work for black college athletics. They've
developed a niche in the minds of their view
ers because thev provide coverage on a regu
lar basis and in prime time viewing hours.
"We were there before anybody else
thought about the numbers (total households
reached)," explained Whigham. "We've
always been committed to black college
sports and that won't change. Our sports pro
gramming is geared specifically towards that.
We were the first to show people the kind of
-pass catching talent that Jerry Rice (Missis
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ing for the 49ers."
Even though ESPN has a big edge in
terms of viewers, the feeling among media
observers is that they won't pursue black col
lege sports and cover it in the way that BET
does. At this point, ESPN's stock has risen as
a major force in cable TV.
They've landed contracts with major
league baseball, major college football and
football. For them to actively go after black
college sports would require them to cover
Division I and Division n. That's not likely
to happen. *
"My feeling is that we won't go in that
direction/ Matthews said. "We have the
major events we're covering and those are the
items that will drive the train (generate prof
its)." ? ?
Please See RageJJL
Black College Sports Today to debut on ESPN
Phillip McAlpin's long term objective as
a broadcasting entrepreneur was to initiate a
national television network show about black
college sports. In September, he will have the
opportunity to turn that dream into reality
when Black College Sports Today , a 30
minute weekly program, airs on the ESPN
network.
ESPN has committed itself to broadcast
ing the show for 26 weeks. It will air on
Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. EDT. The show
debuts on Sept. 13 and will run through the
end of the black college basketball season.
Black College Sports Today will high
light athletic happenings in the SWAC,
MEAC, CIAA, and SIAC - the four predom
inantly black college athletic conferences.
The show will focus on football, basket
ball, and the other sports that are in season.
McAlpin, president of Focus Marketing in
Greensboro, NC, is the show's executive pro
ducer.
This program represents an expansion of
national media coverage for black college
athletics -- something that has been sorely
lacking.
However, there are those who feel that
McAlpin's efforts could undermine Black
Entertainment Television's sports coverage.
The thinking is that ESPN may be con
sidering how to best take advantage of reach
ing a sizeable market of black consumers,
many of whom are avid followers of black
college athletics. Since ESPN has more
financial resources and reaches more house
holds, it appears that they could be in posi
tion to eventually take over BETs market
niche.
McAlpin doesn't agree with that reason
ing. "We don't view the show as competition
for BET/' he said. "We look at it as providing
an additional outlet for black college sports.
When I first started this, I explained that to
the executives at BET and to the administra
tors at black colleges. All we're doing is giv
ing a closer nuts and bolts look at black col
lege sports and presenting it to a larger audi
ence."
While ESPN hasn't done a great deal of
programming geared specifically to black
colleges, McAlpin asserts that it's unlikely
that the network will attempt to capture a
considerable portion of the black college
sports viewing audience. To do that, he said,
would mean that the network would have to
cover Division I and Division II.
'1 can't see them doing anything on a
regular basis on Division 11 schools whether
those schools are black or white," he said.
"They're already doing some live program
ming with Division I. And of course they'll
want to do as much Division I football and
basketball like anyone else."
The initial 26 week run will be crucial to
the success of McAlpin's show, which will be
produced in Greensboro, NC. And some of
the skeptics are wondering aloud if the show
... . ... . . _ . ,
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at that lime of day, there's always someone
watching at all times. We could have been put
on at a worse time, like midnight Sunday."
From all indications, it appears that
ESPN will give the show a chance to prove
itself. The 2:30 p.m. time slot puts the pro
gram in the anchor position for the network's
programming for that time of day. The show
follows Coach's Corner, which features con
versations and interviews with the top colle
be able to get a better time slot."
Focus Marketing has been involved in
black college sports coverage before this ven
ture with ESPN. The firm had aired ME AC
Today, a weekly program that aired on Satur
days which covered highlights, issues and
personalities in the Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference. Focus provided regular season
coverage of MEAC basketball during the '87
'88 season along with the finals of the confer
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Black College Sports Today executive producer
Phillip McAlpin (immediate right) pauses for a
moment while conversing with ESPN program
manager Tom Odjakjian. Because ESPN has posi
tioned itself as "the" network for college sports,
Focus Marketing and ESPN feel that the 30-minute
show will help the network strengthen its posi
tion.
Photo Courtesy of Focus Marketing
has a chance because it's not slotted in a
prime-time position when more people are
more likely to be tuned in.
"It's a new show, so you really can't
expect to be on at prime time because the net
work executives want to see how the show
will fare," he said. "After all, you don't see
networks replacing shows that work in prime
time with shows that haven't been tested. So
sure, I would have loved to get a prime time
slot But while fewer people are watching TV
giate athletic coaches around the country.
McAlpin feels that the show will survive
its 26 week acid test if the production quality
is like it should be for national TV and if
viewers let ESPN know that they want to
show to stay on the air. The same principle
applies to getting the program's time changed
to prime time, he adds. "If there are enough
people contacting their local cable system
operators and telling them that they want to
see the show on the air at a better time, we'll
ence basketball tournament
Even though McAlpin's program has yet
to be seen, he is optimistic that the show can
cut it "Black college athletics needs that kind
of exposure. It needs to be advertised, it has
to be marketed, it has to be promoted. That's
what fills up stadiums. I feel that if you do
those things, the black community will
respond as other communities have when
they're exposed to the same stimuli."
? Lonnie Sheldon