KU officials laud TV deal

By Matt Tait     Apr 22, 2011

Television revenue was one of the hot topics at Thursday’s fourth and final meeting of the fiscal year of the Kansas Athletics, Inc. Board of Directors.

No, the quarterly meetings are not being broadcast on national TV for a handsome fee. But, starting in 2012-13, all Big 12 Conference football games will be.

Speaking at his second meeting as Kansas University’s athletic director, Sheahon Zenger once again praised the work of Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe, who last week announced the completion of a 13-year football contract with FOX. The deal was estimated to be worth $90 million annually and, more importantly, answered a lot of questions about the future of the conference.

“I think it safely puts the Big 12 back in the pole position with the Big Ten and the SEC in terms of television revenue dollars,” Zenger told the board. “The neat thing to watch was how the chancellors and presidents (at the 10 remaining Big 12 schools) were intimately involved. And I think that speaks to the strength of the conference.”

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little also weighed in with her thoughts on the lucrative deal. Gray-Little admitted not to being the most knowledgeable sports mind in the room but also demonstrated with clarity that she understood exactly what the TV deal meant for KU.

“The way to describe it is huge,” Gray-Little said. “It’s huge. And there is a sense of solidarity now among the 10 schools that was not there at the end of the summer.”

In addition to pegging the timing of the deal with FOX as “perfect,” Zenger updated the board members on some of what he’d been up to since the conclusion of the 2010-11 basketball season and the start of the spring sports schedule.

“During that time, you get more interaction with donors,” Zenger said. “And I’ve benefited from that.”

In other action at Thursday’s meeting:

• The board debated changing the name of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee to the Athletics Advisory Committee, or something of the like, better to reflect its actual purpose. “I think it’s very practical,” Zenger said of the new name. “And I think it states what it actually is. The only caveat would be if the people actually on it would feel it’s a demotion.”

• Board chairman Jerry Bailey led a discussion of proposed revisions to the Articles of Incorporation and by-laws of the board. Those voted upon were passed unanimously, and others were tabled for future discussion.

• Finally, the board entered into a 20-minute executive session to discuss a property purchase.

PREV POST

Tyrel Reed honored by Chick-fil-A

NEXT POST

37949KU officials laud TV deal

Author Photo

Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.