PENNSYLVANIA CABLE NETWORK SECURES FIVE-YEAR TELEVISION RIGHTS
TO PIAA HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS
Following three full scholastic seasons of televising high school sports
finals across the commonwealth-many for the first time ever-the
Pennsylvania Cable Network, a nonprofit statewide service funded by cable
companies, has entered into a new agreement with the Pennsylvania
Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
composed of junior and senior high schools in Pennsylvania, for exclusive
video rights to championship events.
Beginning July 1, 2001, and concluding June 30, 2006, the telecasting
contract guarantees network carriage of high school state finals in
volleyball, field hockey, soccer, football, team wrestling, individual
wrestling, swimming and diving, basketball, spring soccer, baseball, and
softball; with coverage of scholastic girls' and boys' cross country,
individual tennis, and track and field championships possible based on
venue and scheduling. PCN will air games live or on a delayed basis without
commercial interruption, with all contests enjoying at least one statewide
replay.
"This long-term arrangement is outstanding for our 1,300 member schools
and
the 250,000 Pennsylvania students who participate in our athletics," said
PIAA Executive Director Bradley R. Cashman. "We've received positive
comments from around the state on the increased television access to our
championships and, on behalf of our Board of Directors, I want to thank PCN
for their interest and continued commitment to making PIAA events available
throughout the Keystone State."
PCN's initial 1998 compact with the PIAA covered high school finals in
soccer, field hockey, football, wrestling, and basketball. Championship
tennis, volleyball, baseball, and softball telecasts were added soon
afterwards in response to scholastic and viewer requests, with
presentations of cross country, swimming and diving, and track and field
finals new to the network's audience this year.
"We are pleased to offer commonwealth residents and PIAA members the
finest
and most complete television coverage of state high school championships in
the nation," announced PCN President and Chief Executive Officer Brian
Lockman. "Our unmatched dedication to the number and variety of sporting
events, carriage of both boys' and girls' state finals, and live and
same-day commercial-free telecasts provides student athletes with an
extensive, timely, and far-reaching arena in which to showcase their
skills."
Prior to PCN's involvement in scholastic athletics, PIAA rights were
sporadically purchased by local media outlets when an area football or
basketball squad reached the state finals. Commonwealth residents without a
team in the high school championship, underserved by a city-based
television station, or following a different scholastic sport were often
unable to watch title games.
"Thanks to the generosity of Pennsylvania cable companies, PCN has
successfully advanced the regional distribution of select high school
finals into a robust statewide program encompassing both signature
championships and those athletic events which had previously received
little or no coverage," expounded PCN Senior Vice President Bradford N.
Hammer. "We have been overwhelmed by both the volume and passion of
sports
fans and involved families expressing their appreciation of the televised
contests."
PCN is voluntarily funded by cable television companies in the state which
carry the network on their channel lineup. The service is available on 135
cable systems in Pennsylvania reaching nearly 2.8 million homes and
approximately nine million of twelve million state residents. A complete
listing of PCN affiliates is posted on the network's Web site at
www.pcntv.com.
Financial terms of the deal center on three principal components: rights
fees (which follow an established PIAA structure for telecasting
post-season competition), event production, and statewide promotion. While
PCN has arranged production of state finals outside of football, wrestling,
and basketball for the past three years, the new television agreement
assigns all technical work to the network.
In order to offset the operational undertaking, PCN-participating companies
recently agreed to pay a slightly higher per-subscriber fee in support of
network programming. The statewide service is also exploring corporate
underwriting of the popular sports presentations but will continue to air
the contests without television time-outs or commercial interruption.
"We are committed to carrying these scholastic events regardless of
finalists, registered number of athletes, marketing appeal, geography, or
other considerations," noted Mr. Lockman. "Our investment in this
programming is for the benefit of students, parents, schools, and the
millions of people in the commonwealth, just as this network stands as a
gift from Pennsylvania cable companies to state citizens."
PCN, recognized as the state leader in public affairs programming, was
founded in 1979 as the first educational cable network in America.
Televising activities in which Pennsylvanians have a common interest, the
service devotes its 24-hour daily schedule to unedited coverage of the
state General Assembly and carriage of significant commonwealth events.
Formed in 1913, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is
organized on a voluntary school membership basis for the purpose of
establishing eligibility rules for participants, adopting contest rules,
registering sports officials, and arranging statewide championships in
boys' and girls' sports. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, the association
maintains a Web site at www.piaa.org.
For
additional information, contact:
Pennsylvania
Cable Network
facsimile:
(717) 730-6005