Versus takes Goldie over Utah-BYU game

Wednesday's BYU-Utah game in the Marriott Center is prime evidence of failure by the Mountain West TV partners to do their job.

Big game, great atmosphere, traditional rivalry that goes back to 1909. It's generally always exciting and only a few games separate the two schools after nearly a century. Good programming right?

Wrong, according to MWC's contractual TV buddies.

If the lawyer representing BYU and Utah (and the Mountain West) needs something for his files, it would be Wednesday night. He ought to take the programming schedule, clips, tapes and testimony and file it away.

An argument that the MWC partners fail to deliver national coverage?

In breach of the contract?

Perhaps.

Wednesday game aired on The mtn. network, the pack mule broadcasting partner of the league where the majority of events are seen. The mtn. has the possibility of reaching 1.4 million households.

The other two partners represent the national clout of the league's new contract since MWC presidents decided to abandon ESPN for more money and convenient timing in broadcasts.

Versus, available on cable and satellite to more than 70 million homes, passed on this game. CSTV, the other MWC partner with national capabilities (co-owner of The mtn. with cable giant Comcast) also has satellite ties and can reach more than 40 million subscribers and they decided not to get involved, toss it to the little mtn.

Versus and CSTV chose not to air BYU-Utah.

With partners like these, who needs enemies?

Instead ...

Versus showed "Wildcats," a 1986 movie staring Goldie Hawn and Nipsey Russell from 7 to 9 p.m. After that, Versus chose to show Stage 3 of the "Tour of California, which may have been a repeat.

CSTV — which chose to air a fine blowout of Utah's over BYU women's basketball on Tuesday night to a national audience — on Wednesday aired a One2One sports highlight show on the career of Doug Williams from 8 to 8:30 p.m.

From 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., right in the critical part of the Ute-Cougar battle, CSTV aired a repeat of a Memphis-Tulane basketball that aired earlier. By the way, Memphis won the game 97-71 the second time around also.

Ignoring BYU-Utah basketball as a national ticket Wednesday night is an act that one would think a broadcasting company would have to go out of its way to hide., almost on purpose.

Folks nationally missed out on a gallant battle by Utah to bust up BYU's school record 45th straight win. Big shots by Johnnie Bryant, Shaun Green down the stretch. They missed seeing BYU freshman Jimmer Fredette make huge plays in crunch time, trying to hold off Ute rallies in the second half.

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