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Radio/TV/Audio-Video Streaming: Football
Pirate-ISP Sports Network The East Carolina Department of Athletics and ISP Sports, the national leader in the collegiate sports marketing industry, entered into an agreement during the spring of 2006 that provides the company with the exclusive multimedia rights to Pirate Athletics. The partnership, which guarantees the university an annual rights fee plus additional considerations based upon revenue generated by ISP, will encompass all sales and marketing opportunities associated with ECU sports, including radio and television programming, game programs and other athletics publications, signage in all campus athletic venues, and at-event corporate promotions and hospitality functions. "The partnership with ISP Sports allows ECU Athletics to join a group of elite institutions with similar goals and aspirations as well as helping to maximize the value of our marketing efforts," East Carolina Director of Athletics Terry Holland said. "This agreement signals a new day in ECU Athletics and provides us with opportunities that we have not had before. I have the highest personal and professional respect for (ISP Sports President and CEO) Ben Sutton and the team he has built at ISP." East Carolina joins an impressive group of 27 major NCAA athletic programs that are aligned with ISP Sports. That list includes such nationally-prominent schools as Auburn, Clemson, Cincinnati, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Syracuse, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, as well as ECU's fellow Conference USA members Houston, Marshall, Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB and UCF. "We are thrilled to have East Carolina as part of our ISP family of schools," Sutton said. "There has always been tremendous enthusiasm and support surrounding Pirate Athletics, and now with the leadership of Terry Holland and the administrative team he is building, the future of the overall program is extremely bright. We are excited to be a part of that future." Pirate Football On The Radio Pirate football may be heard throughout North Carolina as well as portions of South Carolina and Virginia via the Pirate ISP Sports Radio Network. Jeff Charles, who was selected as the 2000 North Carolina Sportscaster-of-the-Year, will begin his 20th year handling the play-by-play duties on the network after previously serving in the same capacity at Virginia Tech, Illinois, and Furman prior to becoming the "Voice of the Pirates". He also served as sports director at WSB in Atlanta where he was the night-time host of a sports talk show heard throughout 38 states and Canada on the 50,000-watt clear channel station. Former Pirate defensive standout Kevin Monroe, while in his fifth overall season on the network broadcast team, will join Charles in the booth this season as lead analyst after serving a previous role as sideline reporter. The four-year letterman and All-Conference USA performer was a key member of Pirates' secondary beginning in 1996, topping the program in interceptions as a junior and senior and still stands as the school`s record-holder for the longest interception return with a 100-yarder against Louisville Nov. 14, 1998. Rounding out the broadcast team are sideline reporter Marty Feurer and network engineer/producer David Horn. Feurer, who serves as public affairs director for Time Warner Cable's Wilmington division, is now in his 16th year on the network. The 2007 season will mark Horn's second year with the Pirate ISP Sports Radio Network. Horn, who currently works as a weekday morning news anchor for the North Carolina News Network, will also serve as booth host in addition to his engineering and production responsibilities. Pirate-ISP Sports Network Boasts 100,000-Watt FM Flagship All ECU football and men's basketball games, along with weekly coaches' call-in shows, will be included in the programming on WNCT-FM.
(as of August 15, 2008) Charlotte/Belmont - WCGC (1270 AM) Charlotte/Concord - WEGO (1410 AM) Elizabeth City, N.C. - WGAI (560 AM) Fayetteville - WCIE (1230 AM) Greensboro - WPET (950 AM) Greenville - WNCT (107.9 FM) Hamlet - WKDX (1250 AM) Jacksonville - WJCV (1290 AM) Myrtle Beach, S.C. - WRNN (1450 AM) Nags Head - WZPR (92.3 FM) Portsmouth, Va. - WRJR (1010 AM) Raleigh - WRBZ (850 AM) Sanford - WFJA (105.5 FM) Sanford - WWGP (1050 AM) Whiteville - WTXY (1540 AM) Williamston - WIAM (900 AM) Wilmington - WMFD (630 AM) The RBC Centura Skip Holtz Radio Call-In Show The Skip Holtz Television Show Beginning in late August, The Skip Holtz Show airs each Sunday on WITN (channel 7 in Greenville) at 12 noon, however ***due to the Ryder Cup coverage on NBC, the Skip Holtz Show will air at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21***. It may also be seen on the following stations on a weekly basis throughout the year: ECUPirates Total Access ECUPirates Total Access will include live pre-game, in-game and post-game audio of all East Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball contests and will be the only online source for those Pirate Sports Network broadcasts. Subscribers to ECUPirates Total Access will also be able to view numerous live and archived video events in the future, including selected Pirate home game and match highlights from a variety of sports other than football and men's basketball. Other services featured in the ECUPirates Total Access include live audio of the Skip Holtz Radio Show and the Mack McCarthy Radio Show, video of selected ECU press conferences and classic Pirate games from the past as well as complete live statistical coverage from GameTracker Live. Fans can begin purchasing subscriptions for ECUPirates Total Access for $4.95 per month or $44.95 annually for the upcoming season at www.ECUPirates.com in late August. Due to contractual stipulations in the CSTV and Conference USA agreement, live audio streams of ECU games will no longer be available via Pirate Radio 1250, Talk 1070 and Bonesville.net, but the three entities will continue to serve Pirate fans with its traditional online source of local and archival programming. CSTV.com and the CSTV.com Broadband Network of 183 official athletic sites for top universities and conferences is the number one online source for college sports broadband content, news, information, scores and analysis. Its GameTracker Live provides live statistics and scores for more than 13,000 college sports events a year and its College Total Access subscription service provides live audio and video of more than 6,000 events, including games, coaches' shows and press conferences. ECUPIRATES.COM TOTAL ACCESS FAQ Subsequently, the primary reason for the decision is the need to deliver more programming at a better quality. By making this a paid service, ECUPirates.com will offer more live audio/video events, post-game coverage and exclusive features. Streaming broadcasts and hosting multi-media are expensive endeavors on the scale required to support the many ECU alums and fans desiring access to this content. We recognize fans' desire to access live audio/video and experience other rich multi-media opportunities; as access to the Internet and broadband availability increases, the demand for more event coverage and other dynamic media is also augmented. Through ECUPirates Total Access fans can receive this unique and expanding connection to the University. Why are you charging for access to live game audio while a select few other schools still have free audio? Nearly 200 colleges and universities have upgraded its website capabilities and initiated a subscription program since 2003. Those colleges and universities who have not made the switch, will undoubtedly be using some form of subscription product for their multi-media content by the start of the next school year. By shifting into this model now rather than later and making the transition to begin competing in the same landscape as our regional and national opponents, fans can benefit from improved experience and broader media coverage immediately. Further, subscriptions enhance the athletics department from a revenue standpoint, instead of draining the budget while offering considerable less content to fans. Simply, this avenue will offer as many live events as possible and the best in multi-media production. Why should I pay a monthly fee when I only want to listen to one game? Isn't that awfully expensive? The goal of Total Access is to present live game audio streaming for a number of sports, in addition to compelling on-demand audio and video content. The initial payment options include a monthly fee ($4.95) and an annual option ($44.95); based on feedback and user data, a pay-per-play system of payment may be instituted in the future. What do I get each month? In the future, Total Access programming will expand even further with other exciting features and content that will be exclusive to subscribers. I am a Pirate Club member; I already give the University money every year. Do I have to pay for this? Donations from University contributors in every form are essential to the success of our student-athletes and our program at large. We're extremely grateful for all contributions. However, contributions to support student-athlete scholarships, for other capital projects and other purposes through the ECU Educational Foundation do not fund the costs associated with game audio streaming or multi-media hosting. ECUPirates Total All-Access is a service funded by user subscriptions. A portion of each subscription will contribute to the athletics department as will the purchase of officially licensed merchandise, which will also become available to fans on the new ECUPirates.com.
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