August 25, 2004
The 2004 Texas A&M Sports Network will again be one of the largest college sports radio networks in the country with more than 50 affiliates signed to carry Aggie football, meanwhile, the athletic department announced that its weekly television show the Aggie Sports Connection will be carried in nine markets plus regionally on FSN Southwest.
The Aggies' radio network will blanket the State of Texas with affiliates in markets like Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Lubbock, Odessa, Corpus Christi, Waco, and Brownsville.
More than 50 affiliates in Texas, led by flagship station Aggie 96 (KAGG-FM) in Bryan-College Station, will carry the A&M football games. A station in Pittsburg, Kan. is also a part of the network. Pittsburg is the hometown affiliate for coach Dennis Franchione.
The network is under the direction of Clear Channel Communications.
The broadcasts will feature the "Voice of the Aggies" Dave South, and will mark the return to the booth of former A&M All-American and NFL All-Pro Dave Elmendorf. Former A&M offensive line standout Chris Valletta will man the sidelines for the broadcast. South enters his 19th season at the microphone for the Aggies, while Elmendorf enters his 14th as analyst. Valletta is entering his second season on the sidelines.
Subscribers to Sirius Satellite Radio should be alert for the company to offer a college football package that could include anywhere from one to five A&M football games this season.
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The Aggie Sports Connection (ASC), the department's weekly 30-minute television show, will start its season with a preview of the 2004 season featuring Franchione on Sunday, Aug. 29.
The show is seen on Sunday nights in many markets and throughout the week on additional outlets.
KBTX-TV in Bryan-College Station will again air the program on Sunday's at 10:35 p.m.
Also airing the program on Sunday nights will be News 8 Austin (10:30 p.m.), San Antonio's Time Warner Video On Demand, KFXK-TV in Longview/Tyler (11 p.m.), KFXL-TV in Lufkin/Nacogdoches (11 p.m.), KTAB-TV in Abilene (11:35 p.m.), KOSA-TV in Midland/Odessa (11:30 p.m.), and on Cox Cable 7 in Oklahoma City (10:30 p.m.) and Cox Cable 3 in Tulsa (11:30 p.m.).
Additional outlets include KSBI-TV Oklahoma City on Tuesday evenings, FSN Southwest on Wednesday's at 2:30 p.m., and on KAMU-TV in College Station on Wednesday's at 10:30 p.m. and Friday's at 10 p.m.
FSN Southwest provides coverage over the southwestern United States via cable outlets and nationwide to those with satellite dish access.
The ASC features Franchione each week during the season. The show is hosted by Will Johnson, and will take viewers behind the scenes with the playmakers and offer a front row seat to the highlights of the A&M sports programs.
Fall shows will focus on the football team, but will also serve as a window into the volleyball and soccer seasons. Following a holiday hiatus, the show will run every Sunday through the Month of May and will focus on the spring sports season at A&M.
The show is produced at Kyle Field by Texas A&M Athletics TV Productions. Andy Richardson and Brandon Verzal, oversee the production of the show each week. Verzal recently joined Texas A&M's production staff from the Seattle Mariners where he served as the TV Production manager for the Mariners organization. He has also had stints with the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the University of Nebraska's HuskerVision operations.
Viewers should check their local listings for exact broadcast time in their area. .
The ASC will continued to be available worldwide on the school's streaming website Aggie Ultimate Access at AggieAthletics.com. AUA offers subscribers live and taped telecasts of many A&M athletic events.