In Honolulu, Ferd Lewis reports the Univ. of Hawaii and the Big West Conference "plan to look at ways the school can continue its pay-per-view package" when UH "moves from the Western Athletic Conference to the Mountain West Conference in football and to the Big West in most other sports" in '12. The Big West's "three-year agreement with Fox expires this spring," and Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said that talks "will resume shortly." UH "receives approximately $2.5 million per year from its local TV rights agreement" with Oceanic Time Warner Cable and Honolulu's KFVE-MYT, "of which PPV is a key element." But officials have said that UH's move to the MWC and Big West puts the status of the "lucrative nine-year-old PPV operation up in the air" (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 2/3).
SUPER SHUTDOWN: PAIDCONTENT's Joe Mullin noted federal officials yesterday "gave a full list of the sports-streaming websites they have seized in advance of" Sunday's Steelers-Packers Super Bowl XLV. The officials "defended their actions, saying that each year sports leagues and broadcasters lose millions of dollars from illegal streaming." But Mullin noted the sites are "already back up at a variety of new web addresses, and critics of the government's action were quick to note that at least one of the sites ... was found to be legal by two Spanish courts" (PAIDCONTENT.org, 2/2).
LAST GO ROUND: Twins radio announcer John Gordon said that this season "will be his final year behind the microphone." Gordon, 70, has served in the role since '87, and he said that while he has "no health concerns," he is "ready to move on to a new phase of his life." Gordon "already had planned to cut back his broadcasting schedule for this year," as he will "do 90 games" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/3).
ROUND MOUND OF THE INTERNET: In San Antonio, Tim Griffin reported TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley has launched a new website, CharlesBarkley.com, which offers an "intriguing" look at "one of the most interesting men in professional sports." Visitors "can see some of Barkley's greatest moments, along with occasional chats and his commentary on all kinds of pop culture topics" (MYSANANTONIO.com, 2/2).
