Rich get richer: UGA signs big media rights deal
UGA announced today that it has finalized an eight-year media rights deal with ISP Sports valued at $92.8 million. The deal gives ISP the rights to the Dogs’ radio broadcasts and the coaches’ TV shows, among other properties. WSB Radio and ISP also reached agreement for WSB to remain the Dogs’ flagship station for the duration of the contract. The Athens Banner-Herald reports the deal is the biggest ever in annual payments for a school’s media rights, topping Ohio State’s deal with IMG College.
Meanwhile, Charlie McAlexander, who handled South Carolina’s play-by-play 1995-2003 and has also worked for Middle Tennessee State, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, is joining UGA’s Grady College as an assistant to the journalism school’s dean, the Banner-Herald reports. He’ll develop a sports journalism emphasis working with Toccoa-based WNEG, the UGA-owned commercial TV station.
At this point, there’s been no discussion of “Charlie Mac,” as he’s known, joining Georgia’s radio broadcast team of Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Loran Smith and Neil “Hondo” Williamson, but with the new media rights deal with ISP Sports reportedly meaning an expansion of the “Tailgate Show” by an hour, you’ve got to wonder if that’s not in the back of someone’s mind. Should Loran be looking over his shoulder?
Elsewhere, David Hale’s Bulldogs Blog looks at how Georgia stacks up against the rest of the SEC in terms of returning experience at the skill positions on offense. Hale concludes the SEC West looks a lot better than the East in terms of returning offensive talent, and while the Dawgs don’t return a lot of offensive experience, they don’t appear to have a great rival for No. 2 in the East behind Florida. Which is more optimistic than a lot of estimations.
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77 comments Add your comment
mobetta
June 17th, 2009
4:03 pm
#1 baby!!!!!!!!!!!
barneyb
June 17th, 2009
4:16 pm
“Loran, whaddaya got”? Bless his heart…..he truly needs to go
Dawgs73
June 17th, 2009
4:17 pm
mobetta…WOW, first is such an accomplishment. Now, will you get back to work and tack my order at Krystals…FIRST!!!!
dawgstephen@yahoo.com
June 17th, 2009
4:17 pm
Kevin Butler is terrific in his insight on the call in shows after the game. I vote for him to get Loran’s spot when he retires, and ONLY after Loran retires. The broadcast team is GREAT for football. Scott and Eric are great together and hondo is doing a great job along with Loran, who is a legend.
I do NOT want Buck Belue on the radio show. yes i know he won the NC with Herschel, but Buck is a prick.
Alabama Jack
June 17th, 2009
4:18 pm
Congrats, dawgs. Guess all those negative comments about Tech’s ISP deal were misdirected, eh?
David
June 17th, 2009
4:19 pm
Will the UGA football games be on the FM dial too?
Cuz
June 17th, 2009
4:21 pm
Kevin whaddayagot? Nope just does not have the same ring.
*
June 17th, 2009
4:21 pm
I hear Spurrier is so excited about the upcoming season he almost dropped his mirror!
Bye Bye Loran
June 17th, 2009
4:22 pm
I hope Loran is replaced. He is the worst!!
Auburn
June 17th, 2009
4:23 pm
War Eagle… doggies
Keith
June 17th, 2009
4:34 pm
To “Auburn.” Really?????????? How sad and lonely you must feel being a fan from that little town in the terrible state of Alabama.
Gina S.
June 17th, 2009
4:36 pm
How is it a loser like King gets a forum and talented men like Steve Hummer, Jack Wilkerson and others are nowhere to be seen. Hey King why don’t you write for a publication that could use your talent- – The Thrift Nickel.
RGraves
June 17th, 2009
4:39 pm
Enter your comments here
uga_b
June 17th, 2009
4:39 pm
Loran may not be the most polished voice but he is a great historian and has had some extremely funny moments that have been parodied at many a tailgate.
shankit
June 17th, 2009
4:40 pm
Maybe UGA will drop the price of tickets so some of
their real fans can afford to attend games.
It’s become all about the money.
I love high school sports.
Johnny Quest
June 17th, 2009
4:46 pm
and the players still work for free!
John
June 17th, 2009
4:48 pm
Expand the Tailgate Show? It already is the longest, most bloated pregame radio show in college football. Do they really think their affiliates want another hour of their programmng taken away for more fluff?
uuugh.
June 17th, 2009
4:51 pm
no they don’t Johnny.
BullGator
June 17th, 2009
4:59 pm
Players working for free? Not at Florida!
Alpharetta
June 17th, 2009
5:08 pm
92/8=11.5mill, is this part of the 70mill reported yesterday?
Anon
June 17th, 2009
5:10 pm
This is stupid. This ISP outfit operates by swinging political influence, and Lord only knows what under-the-table deals. They demand scores of free tickets and boxes, that will no longer be available to the University to sell (thus reducing the “profit” from the deal). But here’s the real kicker. If they can pay UGA $92 million, and still make a profit, the university itself should be able to operate these broadcasts, and collect the $92 million PLUS some of the profit that will now line the pockets of out of state kickbackers. After all, isn’t the average IQ in the UGA business school about 190? (Except, of course, for those faculty who haven’t killed their wives and then committed suicide lately.) I am gonna miss “The Voice.”
SugarHillDawg=Nerd Tormentor
June 17th, 2009
5:11 pm
Alabama Jack, Tech was faming out there season ticket sales to a third party. Talk about apples and oranges.Your first name says it all.
SugarHillDawg=Nerd Tormentor
June 17th, 2009
5:11 pm
Sorry, farming!
Doyouknowshon
June 17th, 2009
5:15 pm
I may be wrong, but I don’t remember a lot of negative comments about GT’s ISP deal from Dawg fans. We did mock GT’s deal with The Aspire Group pretty heavily though, as we should have. It is not very flattering when your program has to bring in marketing “gurus” to fill the seats.
FinanceBuzz
June 17th, 2009
5:22 pm
Another hour of the pregame blather? There is not enough to talk about for three hours, much less four! Starting to rival the Super Bowl for the absurdity of coverage. I think they should carry WNGC’s Fifth Quarter Show. When UGAg loses, that is one entertaining show to listen to with all the whining and crying and complaining coming out of the Mutt Nation!
90
June 17th, 2009
5:26 pm
Oooooh, FinanceBuzz..UGAg…good one…did you just make that one up yourself??
GADevildawgs
June 17th, 2009
5:28 pm
hopefully this means that the CMR show will get an upgrade in the production department….that show is so low budget (why are all the replays with a gray field?) it is an embarrassment. Plus, they might be able to show it before midnight!
Time for Loran to give up his post-game interview spot… .how do you like them boiled peanuts? what???….how is coach so and so doing from your hometown? he is dead….
DR
June 17th, 2009
5:32 pm
UGA is the king of revenue!
GT
June 17th, 2009
5:34 pm
Throw that out there after they loose to South Carolina in Athens.
a.k.
June 17th, 2009
5:39 pm
Yeah, GT, I sure hope they don’t “loose”…………
JES
June 17th, 2009
5:45 pm
I hate “loosing”!!
Sandy
June 17th, 2009
5:49 pm
Glad someone still has money in these bad economic times and can brag about it to the rest of us poor people. Maybe this will pay for the private suite for failed Sonny.The radio broadcast is a joke without Larry anyway. Look for revamp time.
In other news
June 17th, 2009
5:53 pm
Tech signs $9.28 deal for its media rights. Of course Tech had to throw 10 season tickets and an undisclosed amount in Varsity gift cards to close the deal.
Alabama Jack
June 17th, 2009
5:54 pm
SugarHillDawg=Nerd Tormentor – Obviously neither your dim little dawg brain nor you spell check work. When Tech signed up with ISP some time back the dawg nation reacted as though Tech had committed the worst sin ever recorded in college football history. Now that the dawgs have signed up, its a good thing.
The ticket deal is totally different and may or may not work out. I think it is worth the try, and time will tell.
Just like you can always tell a dawg – you just can’t tell them much.
Limited attention span, you know.
With regards to Alabama, it ain’t perfect but it is largely free of fleas, mutts, and similar pests.
L
June 17th, 2009
6:01 pm
Yeah, Alabama Jack, no fleas or mutts, but plenty of probation and wins taken away!
Alabama Jack
June 17th, 2009
6:30 pm
Not my problem. I dislike the Red Tide almost as much as I dislike dawgs.
Johnny Quest
June 17th, 2009
6:55 pm
Oh, I forgot. Back out the scholarship money, food, and housing. Now I see how that justifies the multi-millions the school rakes in at the expense of a bunch of dumb jocks! (most of which do not graduate.)
AltamahaDawg
June 17th, 2009
7:01 pm
Is there any chance this means they afford to air the coach’s show at a time when folks can actually watch it?
Since 1785
June 17th, 2009
7:05 pm
Does anyone know how The University of Georgia’s $92,800,000 media rights agreements compares to Georgia Tech’s media rights agreement?
Jeff Grady
June 17th, 2009
7:07 pm
Does the state of Ga. come in first for TARP money as well?
AltamahaDawg
June 17th, 2009
7:07 pm
Johnny are you the self appointed advocate for the Poor dumb jock, who you think somehow had his opportunity to graduate college lessened by the college who wanted him for football purposes, or just down on colleges for making money on football? Either way, You’ll need to clarify for me who is the loser in the deal.
DawgJones
June 17th, 2009
7:07 pm
Hey Alt Dawg…where do you live. The coach’s show came on at my house at 1 pm on Sunday’s and even aired again in early evening…hell I could even watch it at midnight for a third time on WSB TV. You obviously have internet…I also saw it for free on the georgia web site…all you do is complain…
Since 1785
June 17th, 2009
7:11 pm
Jeff Grady, actually the state of North Carolina comes in first in terms of TARP money. If you had ever walked across a respectable business school campus you would know that.
JB
June 17th, 2009
7:12 pm
Complain to WSB if you don’t like what time they air the Richt show, not to UGA.
Johnny Quest
June 17th, 2009
7:35 pm
I think the football players should get a stipend for their efforts, above the cost of their education. that’s all. Very few of them make it into the NFL.
JJ
June 17th, 2009
7:47 pm
Only a matter of time before college atletes figure this out and class action the NCAA for their cut. There is no justification for schools getting rich off the backs of football players (mostly)while treating them as indentured servants subject to the folly of NCAA rules. No excuse for the coaches and all involved fattening up on ca$h like hogs at a trough while perpetuating the sham that is now “amateur” college football.
UGA folks will thump their chests at the huge contract. Why? I don’t know. It’s not as if Damon Evans is going to be handing out $100 to fans anytime real soon.
In my opinion, it is time to end the sham of NCAA football and start compensating the players based on their worth. A scholarship – especially to major in Leisure Studies at UGA – and room and board is no where near what these players deserve.
Time for some bright young college athlete – or former athlete – to look around and determine that the big time needs to be for all – especially those that actually put their butts on the line for the University.
A great example is the story on Matthew Stafford shortly before the draft hoping that a meal gift card had a few bucks on it so he could get something to eat. Just damn stupid that the kid couldn’t be compensated. His – and others – are the reason why Damon Evans and Mark Richt get to live a life of luxury. Time to compensate our athletes. These sports are now a business.
DawgJones
June 17th, 2009
7:59 pm
Hey JJ…I have great team for you to follow…they are called the Atlanta Falcons and they play professional football!
Last time I checked Stafford was on a full scholarship that included room and board (or food as is know in your dim world) That board could include a meal plan at a campus dining facility that was all you can eat when I visited with my son last year… Oh the room was free… tuition was free. Maybe we should pay them they in return could pay for their ow tuition, their own room, board, books, apparel that I sure they keep and what about all of those medical expenses.
JJ
June 17th, 2009
8:15 pm
WOW ROOM AND BOARD! Totally worth the tens of millions of dollars that UGA earned off of his back.
I know your bulldogs are just beloved to you. But, major college football is no more amateur than freakin’ NASCAR. Time to start sharing the wealth with those that make the big dogs rich – the players. A scholarship and room and board are just a drop in the bucket of the millions that are now being churned out.
I know you want to keep your serfs unpaid and under the thumbs of your school and the NCAA, but they deserve better. Perhaps one day, we will get some litigation along the lines of the early 70’s MLB litigation hat opened up free agency for the players.
Free Tuition and room and board? – give me a freakn’ break! Millions being made and the ones making it are getting screwed.
V.I. Lenin
June 17th, 2009
8:28 pm
Preach on, Comarade JJ!
Bowser
June 17th, 2009
8:29 pm
I’m gonna fill in a little time here whlle Alt-Dawg gets his wife to figure out a good come-back for this guy, DawgJones.
JJ
June 17th, 2009
8:34 pm
Comrade? Paying someone what they are worth you equate with communism? Are you a UGA PolySci grad or something? I believe in compensating someone for what they are worth. You guys are apparently the southerners that still believe indentured servants are just fine and dandy as long as it doesn’t interfere with your UGA football. After all, those young men are disposable once they graduate with that totally useless Leisure Studies degree that Evans and Richt convinced them to major in to keep up UGA’s APR score. What a fine way to steer a lot of young men into a life of poverty while banking million$.
JJ
June 17th, 2009
8:36 pm
There is no good “comeback” Bowser for screwing student atletes out of the million$ that they earn for Evans and Richt.
Biggdawg33
June 17th, 2009
9:04 pm
Listen people. Over here in the Palmetto State they have 6, yes, 6 hours of pregame for the Clemson football games. 12pm kickoffs mean that they start at 6am.
And UGA signing the big deal, dang aren’t we still a capitalistic country? I know that our president is trying to bring us into the great state of progressive communism, but we are not totally there yet,
Bowser
June 17th, 2009
9:05 pm
I suppose, “JJ”, that the term “student-athlete” has some meaning here. What comes first, “student” or “athlete” ? I think even you can answer that one. And yes, while college football has become a big $$ business, and the colleges make money off of the “student-athlete”, I propose that the universities reward those students that contribute as an athlete, and no longer admit the “athlete” that has no interest in being a student. Com-preendo, mo-fo ?
Bowser
June 17th, 2009
9:15 pm
I’d like to retract the last phrase of my post, and substitute “What do you say?” for it. And my apologies to JJ and everyone else.
Johnny Quest
June 17th, 2009
9:32 pm
What about the walk-on players who sacrafice their bodies for the good of bulldog nation? They could be paid, right?
U2
June 17th, 2009
9:36 pm
If you want to play football, do it. If you want pay, find a job.
AltamahaDawg
June 17th, 2009
10:20 pm
Comes on during church and again at midnight here. Lighten up francis, obviously I was funning a bit. You seem to have a log of everything I have ever said in here, and you have to ask where I live?
AltamahaDawg
June 17th, 2009
10:23 pm
You don’t Have to go to college Danny, this isn’t Russia.
AltamahaDawg
June 17th, 2009
10:45 pm
Is the guy who got an athletic full ride worth, ohhhh let just say conservatively 50,000-60,000, and got in on 3 plays his entire career consisting of whiffing on 2 block, maybe catching one pass……….more or less being taken advantage of than the star player?
And them “southerner” boys, who would have NEVER have gone to college except forced to accept an athletic scholarship. How unfair to strap him with the 800,000 differential in his lifetime income. Think of the taxes he’ll have to pay now.
Cuz
June 17th, 2009
11:51 pm
Altamaha, yep same time for the show with no repeats on my cable provider. So when we win, I miss a home game church Sunday. I do penitence by saying several paster nosters and watching the local big time Methodist Church service that evidently got a better contract than UGA. My Dad goes to that one so it is the only time I can see him at church, he sings in the choir, God I don’t know why, give the man a bucket. When we lose, I go to my church and let the old guys from UF and UT give me a jovial hard time. Last year was the first time in seven years that some of my best friends could rib me on a Thanksgiving weekend. Heck, I would leave them alone because I did not want to hurt their feelings. Now whenever they see me they scream 45-42. It is really embarrassing during the prayer, but they only have a year to do it so we cut them some slack.
Ty Webb
June 17th, 2009
11:52 pm
This isn’t Russia is it?
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2009
12:15 am
Me winning isn’t , you do.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2009
12:26 am
Cuz, the price we pay for living in the other Georgia I suppose.
UGA #1
June 18th, 2009
1:27 am
Damn, we as in UGA, RULE!
UGA #1
June 18th, 2009
1:30 am
JJ, you’re an idiot.
JedBurlwood
June 18th, 2009
1:35 am
Hi JJ and Johnny Quest,
Please forgive me because I’m just a dumb southern redneck who went to UGA before the HOPE scholarship made my diploma worth more than almost every other public institution in the republic but you do have a few flaws in your lame argument. Athletes get more than tuition, room and board. Much more. Unlike other sports, pure talent will not get you to the next level. There is not a single graduating high school senior capable of playing in the NFL. They all need college to prepare them for the NFL and it ain’t free. Why? Because of the training and facilities. FREE TRAINING AND FACILITIES!!!! There is not a player in the country that could become mentally or physically prepared without a few years in college. Do you know how much money it would cost to get this without playing college ball? (No, you don’t. It’s rhetorical, its an assload and it’s free!) Without NCAA d-1 football “exploiting” athletes, the rich would have an almost insurmountable advantage on becoming pro as they would be the only ones to have a shot at this privilege. Is this any different than life for non-football players? No. We all gain an advantage from going to college but we don’t all get to go for free. As an added bonus, those who can’t play in the NFL have a chance at a free diploma and a level of local fame to give them an advantage in their adult life. Do the universities gain more than the players? Yes, but this is true for any business. The person(s) staking the capital and taking the risk always have a larger upside. It’s called capitalism. It’s ok. Calm down. Don’t let this reality trouble you too much. Most of the money that the schools make from your so-called “exploitation” goes to fund academics and pay salaries to idealogues that have never had to think or survive in the real world, leaving them free to indoctrinate you enough to troll around on football fan blogs making an a$$ of yourself. Post back with your brilliance but I won’t care because as I said, I’m just a dumbass redneck whose happiness is not attached to winning this fight. As for my expertise… get you some!!!!!! DAWGS are gonna whip some ass this year! Sic ‘em! WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!!!!!!!!!
bigdawg
June 18th, 2009
6:18 am
I’m with Jed, I mean yeah players on scholarship do even get spending money because they can’t work with training. BUT athletes draw in soooo much revenue I think it all works out. Until you want fair scholarships, just tell everyone to not watch college sports and that football in the South is a simple past time. Also, yeah, I have three legacies at UGA, but I didn’t get in (I did apply out of state though but still). That’s just the way it is but hey, I can go to a tech school for a year, then I’ll officially be Dawg ( IT IS WORTH IT) GO DAWGS BABY!!!! If I had any misspelled words or bad grammer, it’s early and I’m preparing for so….sorry!
bigdawg
June 18th, 2009
6:19 am
* preparing for work*
Hey, JedBurlwood...
June 18th, 2009
7:15 am
…nice post, but you should have stopped before saying “Most of the money that the schools make from your so-called “exploitation” goes to fund academics and pay salaries to idealogues that have never had to think or survive in the real world”. While it is true the athletic department contributes to the world of academia, “most of the money that the schools make” does NOT go there, but to support the facilities (and other programs – i.e. Title 9)upon which you correctly pontificate in the first part of your post.
I am with you that “student athletes” receive significantly more than the so called tuition/room/board; heck, the out of state kids receive approx. $30K per year just for this, so if you consider that “pay” then they are making quite a decent “first year” salary for only having a high school education. True, it does not all go to their bank accounts, but it is also tax free, so they are really receiving approx. $45K per year if they had to pay taxes. The in state kids are receiving approx.$25K before taxes, so all in all, everyone, including the university and the players are winners in this deal. And all they have to do to receive this is make decent grades, go to practice and meetings, and work out 2 – 3 hours a day in the off season, something a lot of kids who are not on scholarship do everyday anyway!
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2009
7:42 am
so we are all ok to still have sports at colleges now? do we need a czar for this?
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2009
7:55 am
What he should have said is that “most of the profit goes to…..” What “they make” is a pretty broad term. Capital expenditures and funding other athletic program is really just part of doing business. Even the term profit is deceptive. As if this year is the last year we plan on being in business.
Certainly a robust athletic program fuels overall enrollment and that certainly has a direct correlation to how many professors get to indoctrinate young trolls.
Bama Dawg
June 18th, 2009
11:45 am
Last time I checked, nobody was putting a gun to a high school football player’s head and making them sign a college scholarship. Those who want to get a good education do (i.e., the Stinchcomb brothers, Damon Evans, Eric Zier, Pollack and Greene). Should they get some type of stipend, sure, but they do receive a lot in return for playing football.
If they don’t want to play, don’t take the free ride!
yellow fuzz
June 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
Am I the only one appalled that Georgia gets $9 million a year from ISP and Tech only gets 4.5?
uuugh.
June 18th, 2009
2:01 pm
No Fuzz…it is because UGA has real fans and a waiting list to buy tickets while Tech has trouble selling half as many tickets as would sell out their stadium. UGA has a large built-in viewer/listener base…and that is why they paid so much, stupid.
There should be a larger difference if you ask me.
I think you might find more sympathy on the tech blog.
These kids get plenty. The facilities and weight training were mentioned but they also get world class tutoring in their field of choice: football. How many dawgs are playing in the NFL? That has a lot to do with the coaching and football training that they receive at UGA. At the combine, Stafford was a stud on the whiteboard according to NFL people and that is because he got great coaching at UGA.
These kids are preparing for careers just like all the other students at UGA…this career just requires them to play football instead of man a desk someplace.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2009
3:25 pm
The probem with the inevitable rants every year of how unfair it is for a school to make big money from football, is that the people who claim that its such a clear cut issue, slip away when asked even the basic questions about how that should work, in real life terms. But ohhh to wave some flag for a while.
Its not ever a question of fairness, its one of practical application. It’s not the “schools” that decide not pay these fellow. Hell if it were that simple, the Top $ schools, such as UGA would pounce on that.
Partial list of questions:
Does a star player get more money than a reserve?
Does a player at a richer, larger, school get more money?
Is it based on results, rankings, or school earning. UGA made more money than FL. Does Tebow deserve more or less money than the third string punter on UGA’s more profitable team?
What about the majority of football program in the country that do NOT earn a profit, how much do thier boys get?
Are we charging back expenses to the players?
The most basic question is: how great will College Football be when there is about 10 teams left? How nice all those 1000s of ex-football player dont have to be taken advantage of any more.
uuugh.
June 18th, 2009
4:54 pm
Football players also get additional “help” in the classroom. I sat next to a player in one of my classes at UGA who had no idea what was going on in class yet somehow still made a’s on all the tests. HMMMM.
Altamaha, the system could be set up like soccer clubs in Europe. A player signs a contract with a team for a certain salary plus free college. The school gets the player and his rights. At the end of their eligibility, the NFL, CFL and WWE have the opprtunity to buy the rights of the player from the universities. You could let the market decide the players rights’ value or cap it based on draft status.
This way the schools that sign lesser recruited kids still have a chance to be profitable by coaching the kids up and there would be more than one way to make money in college football.
Not all kids will pan out and earn the school money from the NFL but schools already take risks on every kid anyway (Sanks). Walk-ons/non-performers get a league minimum. This way it is all above the table and no school have to find ways to pay kids without getting caught…and the NCAA would not have to spend millions and millions on oversight.
I personally think they get enough now but this would be a way for everyone in the whole process to win (except the NFL…but hey either you pay or the CFL and WWF will).