BCSN makes its debut today

1/7/2004

The Buckeye CableSystem Sports Network will make its debut this afternoon at 3, giving more than 135,000 cable customers a 24-hour television station devoted exclusively to local and area sports.

The first program, from 3 to 5 p.m., will be a two-hour, live launch show, co-hosted by Tom Cole and Andy Sanzatta. It will precede a 30-minute pregame show for the Owens Community College women s basketball game against Columbus State, followed by the game.

Also live tonight at 9 will be the Ohio State-Illinois basketball game.

Carried exclusively by Buckeye CableSystem, BCSN will broadcast 24 hours of local sports programming each day. It will be on Channel 8 for subscribers with a converter and Channel 13 for those without a converter.

Coverage will center around boys and girls high school sports, plus events from Owens, the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University.

Initially, most of the local events will be aired on a tape-delayed basis; eventually an increased number of live events will be shown. Most events that are shown will be replayed more than once in the 24 hours following the original airing.

BCSN will be a multimedia effort involving Buckeye CableSystem, The Blade and Cumulus Broadcasting s all-sports radio station WLQR, 1470 AM.

COMING TOMORROW

Check out tomorrow s Blade Sports section for Sidelines, two pages of expanded high school coverage. The highlight story will be a look at the upsides and downsides for coaches who coach their own children.

There also will be a notebook covering every in-season sport, boys and girls athletes of the week, girls basketball statistics (the boys stats will run on Fridays) and a look at some big events happening each weekend.