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Mountain West Conference leaders vie for TV visibility
The Mountain West Conference board of directors agreed on the following items during their meeting Sunday in Santa Fe:
Approved changing the format of the men's MWC Tournament, moving the game between eight and nine seeds from Tuesday to Wednesday. In the women's tournament, the eight-nine game will still be played on Tuesday night.
Established a one-game suspension for a second ejection from a contest in any sport.
Reaffirmed a one-game suspension for a second offense under the public criticism provisions of the MWC's sportsmanship rule.
Opposed the establishment of an early signing period in the sport of football, noting the lack of consensus among the MWC football coaches on the issue.
Supported a fifth season of eligibility in football. The NCAA Football Issues Committee has solicited feedback on the proposal.
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After enduring a year of fans' grumbling, Mountain West Conference leaders are doing something about their television woes.
The conference's board of directors, composed of presidents from all nine member schools, announced Tuesday it is hiring prominent Los Angeles attorney Kelly Crabb in a push for greater TV visibility.
It was a struggle to make the Mountain, a network devoted to MWC athletics run by CSTV and Comcast, available in all the league's markets, mostly via digital cable.
Conference schools, and their fans, expected the network to be available nationwide on DirecTV or Dish Network.
One year after CSTV first announced it was forming the Mountain, no satellite agreements have been reached.
"We were all very concerned with the failure to move more quickly with the distribution of the Mountain," said David Schmidly, who just took over as the University of New Mexico's president. "It was unanimous that we needed to take action."
The board is asking Crabb to analyze the television contract, determine what strategies are available to help expand distribution of the network and represent the board during ongoing TV negotiations.
The group also formed a committee that will monitor progress and can retain more experts to help make the Mountain available in more markets.
Crabb brings hefty credentials to the table.
He is a partner in the Morrison-Foerster law firm and specializes in entertainment law and media content rights. He has represented a variety of athletes and actors. He also is international counsel to the Beijing Organizing Committee in advance of the 2008 Olympics.
Schmidly, whose two previous stops were as president of Big 12 Conference schools, said it was wise to hire Crabb.
"I chaired a committee in the Big 12 that looked into starting a new network, and I know it's very difficult," Schmidly said. "That's why it's so important to hire a consultant. You need someone who knows the industry, is concerned about your interests and can move you toward a distribution deal as quickly as possible. That's exactly what we got."
Schmidly has less than a week under his belt as UNM's president, but he was eager to discuss the Mountain when the conference board met Sunday in Santa Fe.
"It was my first meeting, but I knew exactly what I needed to be talking about," he said. "This was one of my big concerns as soon as I started here.
"I've had a lot of people come up to me and tell me, `You have to do something about the TV deal.' "
At the same time, Schmidly asked fans to be patient and recognize the potential of the Mountain.
"You have growing pains anytime you start ventures like this, but I think we still have the potential to have one of the finest sports networks in the country," he said. "Now we just have to make sure everyone can see it."
