In Raleigh, Luke DeCock wrote ESPN's decision to place the ACC Network in Bristol instead of Charlotte raises "legitimate questions" about whether the network "will end up being SEC [Network] Lite instead of a comparable operation." Those questions "will now persist even if the two networks end up getting equal treatment in terms of resources and production values, solely because of ESPN’s decision to base the network somewhere other than the heart of ACC country." The move "certainly has the distinct aura of penny-pinching, although in this era of digital television, it may not matter at all" (NEWSOBSERVER.com, 9/20).
TIMING PLAY: In Detroit, Tony Paul reported game times for an ESPN college basketball doubleheader at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 16 "have been moved up, meaning there's no more conflict" with the Bears-Lions game taking place the same time at Ford Field. The Michigan-Detroit Mercy game "now will be played" at noon ET (instead of 1:30pm) and Michigan State-Oakland now will be at 2:30pm (instead of 4:00pm). MSU-Oakland had "been originally scheduled to be played practically opposite" the Lions game, which kicks off at 4:30pm the same day (DETROIT NEWS, 9/19).
TWELVE-STEP PROGRAM: Univ. of Oregon AD Rob Mullens said the Pac-12 Networks have "improved our league from a distribution standpoint" and has had a "very positive impact on Olympic sports and the exposure they receive." But Mullens said he gets "a lot of calls" about late kickoff times for football games to accommodate the network. Mullens: "That’s probably the one thing that really frustrates our fan base. ... I understand that because of the travel distance [for other schools] it’s a concern” (REGISTERGUARD.com, 9/20).
