CSN Northwest Inks Deal To Televise Univ. Of Oregon Games

CSN Northwest To Televise Univ. Of Oregon Sports

CSN Northwest and the Oregon Sports Network (OSN), the Univ. of Oregon's (UO) media arm, have reached an agreement to televise the school's sports, including  football, basketball, track & field and baseball. CSN will begin the partnership by airing the OSN broadcasts of three September football games, which also will be simulcast on Eugene's KLSR-Fox. CSN also will air replays of UO football games, as well as other UO sports programming. Joe Giansante will continue in his role as play-by-play announcer for OSN football broadcasts on CSN, while Anthony Newman will serve as a football analyst. Rob Closs will serve as an analyst for basketball and baseball telecasts (Univ. of Oregon). In Eugene, Jeff Wright reports in a front-page piece the length and financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the deal is "unprecedented" in school history. It comes less than a month since KEZI-ABC "ended its longtime association with UO athletics, saying that the UO’s new media partner ... sought too high a price and put too many restrictions on a broadcast deal." Giansante notes the school is "concerned about potential backlash from viewers who live in areas without over-the-air reception or who can't afford cable," which accounts for about 20% of the local market. However, he said, "When networks like these grow, these are the growing pains. If we lose 8,000 alums in Medford, we're picking up 50,000 alums in Seattle" (Eugene REGISTER-GUARD, 8/27).