Missouri's upset basketball loss at home to Kansas State on Tuesday might have taken a tad of the luster off the Tigers' trip Saturday to Kansas. But with it being MU's last appearance at Allen Fieldhouse for the foreseeable future — plus the fact Mizzou beat KU in Columbia in scintillating fashion three weeks earlier — should help boost interest in the contest that will be televised nationally by CBS.
And the game being played in Lawrence, which is only about 40 miles from Kansas City, provides an interesting platform to examine interest in college basketball in Missouri's two largest markets.
According to The Nielsen Co., through games of Feb. 12, Kansas City far surpasses St. Louis in ratings for college basketball shown on ESPN — by far the largest carrier nationally of the sport.
KC has a significant base of fans of Mizzou and KU, plus other schools, and ranked fourth among the 56 major U.S. markets in which viewership is measured electronically; St. Louis was 18th. And KC beat STL by more than 2-1 in ratings numbers. Nielsen says 2.7 percent of homes in the Kansas City area were tuning in to those telecasts, with the figure in St. Louis at 1.2.
The top five markets: Louisville (4.6), Greensboro-High Point, N.C., (3.5), Columbus, Ohio, (2.9), Kansas City (2.7) and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (2.6).
The last time the Tigers and Jayhawks met, with ESPN pumping things up by conducting its "College GameDay'' shows live from Mizzou Arena, the game drew a season-high basketball rating in St. Louis of 9.2. But that was dwarfed by the Kansas City rating — a massive 24.6 figure.
Saturday's game, at 3 p.m., airs on KMOV (Channel 4), with Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and Clark Kellogg having the call.
FSM-AT&T flap, YEAR II
The dispute between Fox Sports Midwest and AT&T that kept 20 of FSM's 148 Cardinals telecasts off AT&T's U-verse system last year has not been settled, so as it stands another 20 games are in line to be blacked out this season.
Beginning last year, FSM bought the entire Cards local TV package (about 20 games previously aired on KSDK, Channel 5) and it charges programming outlets extra for those telecasts. AT&T was the only major carrier to hold out all last season.
"We continue to talk with AT&T with the hope that they will choose to deliver all Cardinals telecasts to fans this season,'' FSM spokesman Geoff Goldman said. "Every other provider in the St. Louis area will distribute all Cardinals games" this year.
FSM will end up with approximately 150 Cards telecasts (depending on how many games are picked up by networks), and Goldman said the decision on which 20 games would be withheld from U-verse has not been finalized. The call is FSM's.
AT&T spokesperson Katie Nagus said on Thursday that "We don't have any updates to share at this time. U-verse TV customers will continue to have access to approximately 130 Cardinals games this season'' on FSM. "... We don't believe AT&T and ultimately our customers should have to pay more for access to these (20) Cardinals games, especially while we're trying to keep costs down for our customers.''
MONDAYS ARE FOR THE BIRDS
FSM is airing Cardinals-related programming on Monday nights through mid-March, and next week’s show centers on Tony La Russa’s recent appearance with Bob Costas at Peabody Opera House. LaRussa discussed key moments of the improbable run to the World Series title of the team he managed last season. The one-hour program starts at 6 p.m.
On March 5, at 9 p.m., the topic is Cards Hall of Famers.
It’s back to 6 o’clock for the March 12 show, which is about the Cardinals in the 1980s.
The series wraps up at 9 p.m. March 19, with a look ahead to this season.
NFL's Talent search
The reality TV genre of finding new talent isn't limited to "American Idol,'' "The Voice'' and other such fare. Football has the biggest audition platform in sports, the "NFL scouting combine,'' which goes on through Wednesday in Indianapolis.
And NFL Network is on hand to bring the sprints, leaps, passes, bench presses and grunts and groans into the living rooms of America as it plans more than 50 hours of coverage, with 22 on-air people to handle the chores. That list includes 1986 John Burroughs graduate Fran Charles as a host and former Rams Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner contributing analysis.
The meat of the combine, player workouts, begin Saturday. NFL Network's schedule for those (all at 8 a.m., with condensed replays at 7 and 11 p.m.):
Saturday • Kickers, offensive linemen, tight ends.
Sunday • Running backs, quarterbacks, receivers.
Monday • Linebackers, defensive linemen.
Tuesday • Defensive backs.
EMPLOYMENT DEPT.
Sportscaster John Marecek, who has been dropped by KTRS (550 AM), is entering the sales world. Marecek, whose low-key, knowledgeable approach is a nice contrast to some of the more bombastic hosts, recently was let go after a four-year run following nine years at KFNS (590 AM).
He considers his latest setback a sign of the times.
"It's not like I was anticipating it was coming in the near future when it happened, but I understand it,'' he said. "There's a lot of it going on in our business.''
He is about to start at the Bridgeton location of ''Fastsigns," which makes signs for corporations, groups and individuals.
"I was look at doing something like this part-time anyway,'' he said, adding he "absolutely'' wants to return to radio. "But I'm looking forward to this, to learning a new business.''
And there is a bonus involved.
"I'm excited about being able to spend evenings with my family,'' he said. "That didn't happen often in radio.''
• Cliff Saunders, who filled a variety of key roles at WXOS (101.1 FM) before being one of several people laid off last month, is enjoying his new position in Houston as manager of sports media for Yahoo Sports (formerly Sporting News) Radio.
"I basically work right under the program director and with the (hosts), anchors and producers,'' he said. "Lots of teaching, which is something I like after being in this business for 21 years.''
He also will fill in occasionally on the air. Yahoo Sports Radio airs locally on KFNS — primarily at night and on weekends.
