Aug. 30, 2010

RUSTON - Louisiana Tech fans in the northwest part of the state will get a little more Western Athletic Conference action this fall with the debut of the WAC Sports Network (WSN).

In an attempt to broaden television exposure for its nine member schools, the WAC and its multi-media partner Learfield Sports announced the formation of the WSN - a regional network that will allow for WAC football and basketball games to be produced and distributed to media outlets in the respective school markets.

Bulldog fans in the Shreveport/Bossier and Ruston areas will benefit from this new network as KTBS and KBXJ have cleared every game that will be televised this year as part of the WSN.

Louisiana Tech officials said that they anticipate additional affiliates within the state to be added to the network in the coming weeks as well as possibly up to two Bulldog games to be added to the schedule.

"Our partnership with Learfield Communications and LA Tech Sports Properties is vital to our growth and marketing of our athletic program," said Tech Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde. "Our goal is to be in every home within a four hour radius of Louisiana Tech University. There are over 4 million people within this radius and over 60,000 Tech alumni, and we want every one of them to have access to our sporting events through radio and television."

Shreveport and Bossier City is just one of the 15 different markets in the WAC members' reach that encompass the WSN, which will debut Sept. 18 with the Utah State vs. Fresno State contest.

Although only three games have been announced as part of the WSN deal this fall, including a pair of Oct. 2 games featuring Idaho at Western Michigan and Boise State at New Mexico State, officials with the league and the network said additional games will be released at a later date, pending ESPN national broadcast selections.

According to Learfield Sports' Vice President Eric Buchanan, WSN will be an excellent addition to the WAC member schools and is designed to complement existing local and regional television agreements.

"WSN will help broaden visibility for the league's member schools and create a simplistic way to distribute games to fans through the various media outlets," added Buchanan. "We've enjoyed teaming with Karl Benson and his entire staff in seeing this idea become a reality. We feel certain the schools and their fan base will like the added television element WSN will bring."

Learfield Sports' league relationship with the WAC is a natural fit as the company represents seven member schools - Boise State, Fresno State, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State and Utah State.

Overall, Learfield Sports manages multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations, including the Big Ten, Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) and Missouri Valley Conference, and is title partner for the acclaimed Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. WAC Sports Properties specifically focuses on the league's corporate partnership program and selling title sponsorships for championship events, as well as other conference events.

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