CSU sports reach agreement for regional exposure

CSU athletics have long been on the map, now the program has a

long-term deal with a cable entity to prove it.

In an effort to enhance revenue opportunity and provide more

exposure for CSU varsity athletics, Fox Sports Net and CSU signed a

long-term deal that provides live coverage of several CSU varsity

sports. Tuesday at a press conference Tim Griggs, FSN Rocky

Mountain vice president/general manager, and Mark Driscoll, CSU

director of athletics, announced the agreement between the two

entities.

Beginning in August 2004, Fox Sports Net is slated to televise

as many as 15 CSU football, men’s basketball or other varsity

sporting events annually for several years to come. Specific

details of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We launched Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain fifteen years ago

with the

Colorado State Rams, and I’m thrilled to have them back on our

network,” said Griggs in a press release. “There’s so many success

stories at CSU, from Sonny Lubick to the women’s volleyball team

and the expansion of the football stadium. Local college sports

programming has always been the core of our offerings to fans in

this region and the addition of CSU makes our network even

stronger.”

Commenting on how CSU will benefit from the agreement, “Colorado

State University’s athletics department and Fox Sports Net have a

lengthy relationship that spans nearly two decades,” Driscoll said

in a release. “This announcement provides an opportunity for fans

throughout the region to follow the Rams on one of the nation’s

most respected cable outlets. We are very excited about enhancing

our partnership with Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain in the coming

years and know it will be a tremendous benefit for our entire

program.”

In addition to live event coverage of CSU, FSN also will

telecast a weekly half-hour magazine show, highlighting football

head coach Sonny Lubick. The still-untitled show will air Tuesday

nights in prime time late August through early January.

“We’re maximizing our resources though our regional news

operation

(Rocky Mountain Sports Report) to provide even more coverage of

CSU’s 16 varsity sports teams and its student-athletes,” Griggs

added. “The CSU football program has proven to be one of the most

successful in the country over the past 10 years, and Sonny Lubick

is proven to be one of the most popular sports figures in our

region.”