Coverage source of dispute
■The University and KVAL
conflict concerning the right
to air football footage
By Andrew Adams and
Jessica Blanchard
Oregon Daily Emerald
As thousands of fans watched
Oregon football on television this
weekend, they inadvertently tuned
in to the subject of a dispute be
tween the University and local
CBS affiliate KVAL.
The University recently filed a
legal complaint against the station
in Lane County Circuit Court to
force it to cease broadcasting foot
ball footage on KVAL’s post-game
show, “Inside the PAC.”
Vice President for Administra
tion Dan Williams said KVAL’s
broadcast of clips from past games
this year infringed on the Univer
sity’s exclusive contract for region
al coverage with cable sports net
work ESPN. He said although the
University will supply any news
agency with clips for news purpos
es, its contract forbids that the
footage be used for entertainment
purposes.
But KVAL General Manager
Dave Weinkauf said the University
should allow KVAL’s post-game
program to broadcast the clips be
cause other similar sports shows
are allowed to broadcast them.
The University filed its com
plaint in court Nov. 8 and asked
for a temporary order preventing
the station from airing the football
footage. Instead, the judge asked
both parties to work out a compro
mise, and the University and
KVAL reached a tentative agree
ment that will allow the station to
use some footage through the end
of the football season, Weinkauf
and Williams said.
Although KVAL and the Univer
sity reached an arrangement, the
underlying issues of the disagree
ment remain.
“The legal action we initiated is
pending,” Williams said. “But the
issue of the complaint is still
there.”
An issue of coverage rights
The dispute centers on KVAL’s
use of football footage on its sports
magazine show, which airs Sun
day afternoons. Weinkauf said that
this year, the University began fax
ing the station a copy of its media
policy, which limits football cover
age.
“In checking with other broad
casters around the state, I haven’t
found anybody else who has had
the policy faxed to them,”
Weinkauf said.
The policy was designed to pro
tect the University’s “product” -
the football coverage. Williams
said all athletic coverage is valued
at more than $750,000.
The University has argued that
KVAL damaged its product by
broadcasting previously unaired
footage of the football team.
Dave Heeke, associate director
of external operations for the ath
letic department, said coverage of
the Duck games is a vital revenue
resource for the University. Heeke
said there were “major financial is
sues at stake” in the debate be
tween KVAL and the University
because of the high level of local
interest in Duck football and the
growing national recognition of
the University’s sports teams.
But Weinkauf points out that the
footage already airs multiple times
on several other sports magazine
shows, including those on Fox
Sports Network, CNN and North
west Cable News, as well as show
ing up in highlight clips on local
news broadcasts. ABC affiliate
KEZI also airs video on its “Mike
Bellotti Show” on Sunday after
noons through a separate contract
agreement with ESPN.
“It’s not like this footage hasn’t
been seen before,” Weinkauf said.
“We understand the University is
trying to protect a valuable prod
uct. However, the contract be
tween ESPN and the UO does not
call for the kind of protection
they’re trying to get.”
KVAL had coverage rights to the
football footage for nine years be
fore the University granted cover
age rights to rival station KEZI this
summer in what was believed to
have been a $1.4 million deal.
Weinkauf said that in the last
two years of KVAL’s contract with
the University, KEZI broadcast a
sports highlight show following
Monday Night Football that fea
tured extensive Pac-10 game cov
erage. When KVAL complained to
the University, Weinkauf said the
station was told there was no way
to prevent KEZI from airing the
coverage. And, he said, the Uni
versity actually liked having the
extra exposure for its sports teams.
The University and KVAL plan
to have a formal agreement ham
mered out by the start of the bas
ketball season, Williams said, and
both sides said they believe the
current agreement is fair.
“It’s not exactly what they want
and it’s not exactly what we want,
but under the circumstances, it’s
the best solution,” Williams said.
Weinkauf agreed.
“I believe this is a reasonable po
sition,” Weinkauf said. “We’re
happy with the compromise that
we’ve agreed to with the Universi
ty.”
•CRIME
WATCH
(Reported from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10)
Wednesday, Nov. 8
7:35 p.m.—A suspicious su bject
wearing camouflage and a blue stock
ing cap was hiding in the bushes out
side the Computing Center.
Thursday, Nov. 9
6:29 p.m.—A public safety officer no
ticed a puppy in the area of the Urban
Farm House eyeing ducks.
Friday, Nov. 10
12:10a.m. — DF*S cited a resident of
Schafer Hall in Walton Complex for
possession of less than one ounce of
marijuana.
12:58a.m. — Someone reported an
intoxicated male yelling at the exteri
or of Adams Hall in Walton Complex.
The man then urinated on the doors
on the second floor of Clark Hall.
When contacted by DPS officers, the
man pretended to be asleep and re
fused to wake up. He was cited with
being a minor in possession and with
lewd conduct.
4:23 a.m.—Two cars in Bean park
ing lot had their windows broken. A
gray Chevy Blazer with tinted win
dows was seen leaving the scene. A
stereo was torn from the dash in the
first vehicle, and a key was in the igni
tion. The second vehicle had its stereo
missing. A tool, possibly a screwdriver,
was used to break into both vehicles.
7:33 a.m.—A Grand Am GT in Bean
parking lot had a window broken and
duffel bags in the vehicle had been
rummaged through.
- Compiled by Rebecca Newell
Mail-in ballot system
unexpectedly slow
The Associated Press
PORTLAND — While Oregon’s
vote-by-mail system undoubtedly
gets more people to vote, the next
trick will be to get them to do it a lit
tle earlier.
Throngs of last-minute voters
rushed to drop-off sites across Ore
gon to beat the 8 p.m. deadline.
About 44 percent of ballots were
returned Monday and Tuesday. As a
result, counting the state’s 1.5 mil
lion votes took much longer than
expected, leaving people across the
country wondering why it took
three days to know who won Ore
gon’s presidential race.
If any election was made for mail
balloting, it was this one. With 26
ballot measures and a slew of can
didates, many counties’ ballots
spilled onto a second page. Ballots
were mailed two-and-a-half weeks
before Election Day, giving voters
time to study issues and complete
their ballots.
Oregon’s 36 county clerks expect
ed a high turnout and hired extra
staff. But many did not foresee the
flood of voters who needed to up
date their registration information
in the final days of the election.
Coupled with a two-page ballot,
elections workers faced late high
turnout plus double the paperwork.
Because each voter’s signature is
checked against a computer copy,
processing vote-by-mail ballots also
takes more time.
Elections officials point out that
most states do not finish counting
all their ballots on election night. In
a traditional election, Oregon elec
tions officials were given three days
after Election Day to finish counting
absentee ballots.
Career Expo Events Calendar
Come to the Expo!
A whole week
of career education to help with
career decisions, resumes, salaries,
and finding a job!
Employer Interview Panel
Tuesday, November 14
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
EMU River Rooms
Presented by: Four Employers]
Leadership Styles
Thursday, November 16
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
EMU River Rooms
Presented by: Mervyn’s
For more information contact the Career Center at 346-3235
This publication available in accessible formats upon request
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