3 networks and still no TV coverage for some U. and Y. games

At the risk of bashing CSTV and Comcast once again — although, heck, that boat has long since sailed — remember when The mtn. was introduced to us as the greatest thing since ESPN?

We were going to be able to see our favorite Mountain West Conference teams play all their football games and basketball games on TV. Assuming, of course, our cable or satellite system actually carried The mtn.

As it turned out, we have to have access to CSTV and Versus, too.

And yet ... when Utah played at Colorado State this past Saturday, the game wasn't on TV. Neither is BYU's game at Colorado State next Wednesday.

It doesn't matter if you have access to The mtn., CSTV and Versus, those games aren't on any of those channels.

I believe that the last time I traveled to Fort Collins, Colo., that charming little city had both electricity and television. And yet it seems that when teams from the Beehive State travel there, there's some sort of inexplicable video blackout.

But wait. BYU's game at Air Force on Jan. 30 wasn't televised. When the Utes travel to Fort Worth on Jan. 27, that game won't be on TV. And when Air Force travels to Provo on Saturday, March 1, that game won't be televised, either.

Now, I'm sure they have electricity in Provo.

It wouldn't be that big a deal if those games could be shown on a local broadcast station — a local TV station in Utah reaches two-thirds as many homes as The mtn. "network."

And if BYUTV could telecast a Cougar game, it would be available in more than 45 million homes nationwide. Which is about 44 million homes more than those that have access to The mtn.

But local stations don't have any rights to MWC games under the terms of the league's contract with CSTV/CBS and Comcast.

Hmmmmm ...

(And, yes, using this much sarcasm is exhausting.)

And then we find out, via ever-informative/fun/inflammatory KFAN radio host David Locke and one of his listeners, that the folks at The mtn. are now just out-and-out lying to local sports fans.

In response to a Cougar fan's e-mail inquiry about why neither BYU-Air Force basketball game is televised this season, The mtn. staff replied, "No one asked to broadcast that particular game or we could have considered releasing the rights."