Mike Ross throws some red meat to the downstate Hog fan
Congressman Mike Ross is co-sponsoring the Television Freedom Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill to ensure that satellite and cable customers have access to in-state news, sports and local programming from network affiliates. This has long been a problem here in Texarkana. Since we're in the Shreveport media market here in Texarkana, we're normally at the mercy of Louisiana programming. Our only Arkansas news coverage comes from the Democrat-Gazette (doesn't deliver to my particular neighborhood), AETN, and KATV (but generally only during news programming). KTBS does a good job of local Texarkana programming during its 6:00 and 10:00 newscasts. While the benefits of this legislation would mainly include more Arkansas news coverage, I think you'll see a lot of the discussion centered around sports programming.
Growing up, it wasn't unusual for us to drive to Hope on a weeknight and rent a hotel room just for the evening to watch a Razorback basketball game on KARK. I remember seeing a Gazette article around here somewhere on problems televising the famous 1969 shootout between #1 Texas and #2 Arkansas here in Texarkana, but I can't find the newspaper clipping. I could give dozens of examples, but being a Hog fan here in this corner of the state means that you seldom know whether your team will be on television until the morning of the game. I remember former LSU football coach Curley Hallman tell a reporter upon Arkansas's entry to the SEC that there were probably more Razorback fans than LSU fans across northern Louisiana (Baja Arkansas). That was probably true at that point, and we were frequently televised in Shreveport (but still not over a lousy game between 2-9 LSU vs. 4-7 Ole Miss). Arkansas had been what most would consider a perennial top 10 football program in the previous three decades at that time, and our baseball and basketball programs were regulars in the CWS and Sweet 16. Since then, both LSU and Texas have seen a resurgence in their football programs, meaning that anytime LSU or Texas is scheduled for a game at the same time the Razorbacks play, chances are we won't be seeing it here in Texarkana. This also goes for other cable programming, including the regional sportsnet channels from Fox. While Arkansas may be playing Georgia or Auburn on Fox Sports South, we're normally relegated to watching Texas Tech vs. Baylor on Fox Sports Southwest. Even on Lincoln Financial's split-telecast games, we'll sometimes miss an Arkansas-Alabama matchup in favor of LSU-Kentucky.
This legislation is going to see some strong opposition from broadcasters and netwrok affiliates. Ross said the market areas were designed based on over-the-air broadcast ranges from the 1950s. Television should advance to the 21st century, he said. "How many people get their TV from an antenna in the air anymore?" Ross asked. Good question, and I figure this bill will have some appeal to those in Congress representing border areas.
Growing up, it wasn't unusual for us to drive to Hope on a weeknight and rent a hotel room just for the evening to watch a Razorback basketball game on KARK. I remember seeing a Gazette article around here somewhere on problems televising the famous 1969 shootout between #1 Texas and #2 Arkansas here in Texarkana, but I can't find the newspaper clipping. I could give dozens of examples, but being a Hog fan here in this corner of the state means that you seldom know whether your team will be on television until the morning of the game. I remember former LSU football coach Curley Hallman tell a reporter upon Arkansas's entry to the SEC that there were probably more Razorback fans than LSU fans across northern Louisiana (Baja Arkansas). That was probably true at that point, and we were frequently televised in Shreveport (but still not over a lousy game between 2-9 LSU vs. 4-7 Ole Miss). Arkansas had been what most would consider a perennial top 10 football program in the previous three decades at that time, and our baseball and basketball programs were regulars in the CWS and Sweet 16. Since then, both LSU and Texas have seen a resurgence in their football programs, meaning that anytime LSU or Texas is scheduled for a game at the same time the Razorbacks play, chances are we won't be seeing it here in Texarkana. This also goes for other cable programming, including the regional sportsnet channels from Fox. While Arkansas may be playing Georgia or Auburn on Fox Sports South, we're normally relegated to watching Texas Tech vs. Baylor on Fox Sports Southwest. Even on Lincoln Financial's split-telecast games, we'll sometimes miss an Arkansas-Alabama matchup in favor of LSU-Kentucky.
This legislation is going to see some strong opposition from broadcasters and netwrok affiliates. Ross said the market areas were designed based on over-the-air broadcast ranges from the 1950s. Television should advance to the 21st century, he said. "How many people get their TV from an antenna in the air anymore?" Ross asked. Good question, and I figure this bill will have some appeal to those in Congress representing border areas.
posted by Steve Harrelson @ 6/25/2007 06:49:00 AM | Permalink |
<< Home