WEST COAST CONFERENCE, COMCAST SPORTS & COX 4 SAN DIEGO ANNOUNCE MEN'S BASKETBALL REGIONAL TELEVISION PACKAGE

Posted: Nov 20, 2008

Nov. 20, 2008

The West Coast Conference, in conjunction with Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Northwest and Cox Channel 4 San Diego, has announced a 15-game regional television package for the 2008-09 men's basketball conference season. Santa Clara will be on tv an additional six times.

"We're thrilled to enter into this agreement with our outstanding media partners from Comcast and Cox," West Coast Conference Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said. "This is an exciting time to be a part of West Coast Conference basketball. Not only are we coming off one of the best years in conference history with three teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, we now have one of the top television agreements in the country thanks to our partnerships with Comcast, Cox, ESPN and Fox."

"Comcast SportsNet is delighted to unite with the West Coast Conference in this regional package," said CSNCA Executive Producer Richard Zinn. "The teams have some exceptional talent and we look forward to bringing many exciting rivalries to our viewers."

Each of the 15 games will be broadcast live in the markets of the two participating teams, and includes five of the top 55 markets in the nation in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle and San Diego. The 15-game schedule will begin on Friday, January 9 with San Diego at Santa Clara on Comcast Sports Net California and Channel 4 San Diego.

Channel 4 has a longstanding relationship with the University of San Diego, televising Toreros basketball each year since the 1998-99 season. "USD has been a great partner," said Channel 4 Station Manager Dennis Morgigno. "So it certainly made sense for us to expand that partnership with the WCC this season to bring even more great basketball to San Diego sports fans."

With this agreement, 42 of 56 WCC men's basketball conference games will be televised during the 2008-09 season. Twenty-six of the 40 games will be televised on a regional basis, and 12 of those 26 games will be televised in more than one top 55 media market.

Last season, the West Coast Conference advanced a record three schools to the NCAA Tournament. San Diego, which defeated Connecticut in the first round of the tournament, received the automatic bid by virtue of winning the WCC Tournament, while Gonzaga and Saint Mary's each received at-large selections. On a percentage basis, the WCC qualified 37.5 percent of its teams for the NCAA Tournament, which ranked fifth in the nation behind only the Pac-10, Big East, Big 12 and the SEC.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE ON COMCAST SPORTSNET/CHANNEL 4 SAN DIEGO

Friday, January 9

San Diego at San Francisco, 7:00 p.m. (Comcast California & Channel 4 San Diego)

Sunday, January 11

San Diego at Santa Clara, 2:00 p.m. (Comcast California & Channel 4 San Diego)

Saint Mary's at San Francisco, 7:00 p.m. (Comcast California)

Thursday, January 15

San Francisco at Portland, 8:00 p.m. (Comcast California & Comcast Northwest)

Saturday, January 17

Santa Clara at Portland, 7:00 p.m. (Comcast California & Comcast Northwest)

Thursday, January 29

San Diego at Portland, 7:00 p.m. (Comcast Northwest & Channel 4 San Diego)