Fox Sports Net (FSN) "has declined to do" a national
telecast of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic in
December, leaving the 35-year-old NCAA basketball tournament
without national TV exposure, according to Pat Bigold of the
HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN. The December tournament has been
televised by ESPN the last four years, which didn't renew an
option for the fifth year of the event. The absence of a
national TV deal "could pose a problem in getting" title
sponsor Outrigger to make its $100,000 commitment to the
event. Outrigger Marketing Dir Bryan Klum said this summer
that "national exposure has been a condition of his
company's sponsorship" and that he may "re-evaluate"
Outrigger's involvement if there is no TV deal. FSN West
Dir of PR Steve Webster said that the net would "take a look
at" the Rainbow Classic's field "to determine" whether the
teams would appeal to his market of 6-7 million viewers.
The field includes Gonzaga, Univ. of CO, Villanova, OH
Univ., Univ. of OR and Wake Forest (HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN,
9/24). The tournament's four-year contract with ESPN paid
the Univ. of HI $125,000 per year (AP, 9/25).
