Every so often, Eye on the Media writer Steve Lepore will post news that concerns the VERSUS network, that channel no one can find, yet 2.1 million did during this year’s Stanley Cup. Anyway, once in awhile, he’ll post news that doesn’t really have anything to do with hockey, but because we as fans are all so invested in Versus’ growth, are posted anyway.
Sorry so coupled together, but these just happened to be here. Yesterday, VERSUS announced it’s full contingent of college pigskin coverage, and honestly, I was sorta impressed. Check it out here.
Here are the more impressive points:
For the first time since college football began airing in 2006, the network will launch VERSUS College Football Central, which includes a dedicated halftime show during each game called the Sears Halftime Report as well as pre and post-game shows on select telecasts.
Bam. VERSUS makes itself a destination for college football fans, without all the inane ESPN-esque chatter/debate. Also, it shows Versus is slowly becoming more committed to getting studio programming out there.
Read on:
VERSUS will kick-off its 2008 college football schedule on Saturday, August 30, with a Mountain West Conference showdown between TCU and New Mexico at 6 p.m. ET. The network’s entire college football schedule is available on VERSUS.com, however key games include several pre-season ranked teams such as UCLA at BYU (9/13), BYU at TCU (10/16), USC at Stanford (11/15) and Oregon at Oregon State (11/29) as well as the 125th anniversary of “The Game” between Yale at Harvard game on Nov. 22.
VERSUS is not just airing any college football, but games that matter. Games with tradition.
Here’s where VERSUS falls out of favor with me, in the talent dep’t:
VERSUS’ talent roster includes: play-by-play announcers Joe Beninati, Ron Thulin and Rich Ackerman; analysts Glenn Parker, Kelly Stouffer and Dale Hellestrae; and reporters Tim Neverett, Lewis Johnson, Bob Harwood, Anne Marie Anderson and Lindsay Soto.
What a weird list. Parker’s a solid analyst, but the rest is a list of no one’s. Rich Ackerman isn’t even the most popular 20/20 Update guy at WFAN. DO we really need more Joe Beninati? Poor Bob Harwood, getting stuck doing football during the season. Lewis Johnson? Call me when you get Gus.
That said, VERSUS is making a commitment to studio programming, which I think we’d all like to see translate to more hockey coverage.
I think this could go either way…
Right now, aside from hockey, all VERSUS is known for is extreme fighting and bull-riding...not exactly mainstream sports. In fact, when my buddy was down in Indiana and wanted to watch some NHL playoffs, the sports bar he went to hadn’t even heard of the channel.
Getting a mainstream sport like college football will bring more attention to the channel, but if it’s a joke, it will just hurt them. Not that it can get much worse when even the lasting image in my head of the VERSUS channel is some good ‘ol boy trying like hell not to get tossed from a giant horned animal with a string tied firmly around his genitals...come on VERSUS, you’re killing me.
Posted by Animal Drew from The Mitten on 08/07 at 08:24 AM