Temple University Athletics
Mid-American Conference/ESPN Regional Television Syndication Package To Include Two Temple Football Games in 2007
7.12.07 | Football
July 12, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - Temple Athletics today announced that the Owls' football game at Bowling Green (Saturday, Sept. 22) and home contest versus Miami-Ohio (Saturday, Oct. 20) will be televised live as part of the new Mid-American Conference (MAC) syndication package with ESPN Regional Television (ERT). Both will air at 12 noon on myphl17 in Philadelphia as part of the package that will be carried in 34 markets and reach more than 24 million households, or 22 percent of the United States.
"We are very excited to be part of a package that will not only increase the exposure of the MAC and Temple Football in Philadelphia, but on a national scale as well, said Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw. "Delaware Valley sports fans will now all have the opportunity to view MAC football on a weekly basis and be greater exposed to its quality, physical-brand of play."
"Temple is fortunate to be included in a conference that sent four teams in to post-season play last year," said Head Coach Al Golden. "This affiliation has now provided us the opportunity to showcase one of the hottest universities on the East Coast to almost one-quarter of the country. The mission of Temple and its current transformation, with nearly 10,000 students on campus and over 18,000 freshman applications last fall, is one that we are very proud to share.
"The impact that multiple television appearances will have on alumni, campus development, attracting top students and educators, as well as our overall advancement as a world-class institution in coming years is incalculable; especially given that fact that it coincides with President Hart's `Access to Excellence' comprehensive campaign which kicks off this fall."
The MAC/ERT package was announced today and will air six consecutive weeks, beginning Sept. 15, and will include the markets of Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids and Buffalo. The games will be distributed nationally via ESPN GamePlan, which is available to fans via cable, DirecTV and Dish Network. All telecasts will begin at 12 noon ET, with the telecast window extending to 3:30 p.m. ET.
"We are pleased to provide our viewers with a consistent window for Mid-American Conference football," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ERT. "With ESPN's multimedia platforms, we anticipate MAC football will touch a significant base of college football fans."
"We were thrilled when ESPN Regional approached us about this tremendous opportunity to bring more MAC football to our geographic footprint on television stations that have never before been available to us," said commissioner Rick Chryst. "The continuing growth of the conference in terms of competitiveness, bowl opportunities and NFL-caliber performers is at an all-time high, and that is being reflected in the marketplace."
The 2007 season marks the Owls first campaign as a full football member of the MAC, after playing as an affiliate league member the past two years. With Golden at the helm, Temple signed the highest rated recruiting classes in the MAC in both 2006 and 2007. The Owls are slated to begin preseason practice on August 4.
Temple has six home games at Lincoln Financial Field in 2007. Full and partial season ticket packages are available by calling (215) 204-8499 or visiting www.owlstix.com. The only way to guarantee tickets for the much anticipated meeting with Penn State (Nov. 10) is to purchase a full or partial season ticket plan. Individual game tickets, other than PSU, are on sale via Ticketmaster at 215-336-2000 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Temple will be releasing its complete schedule of televised 2007 football games at a later date.
