Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 9:16 a.m.
TIM GRAHAM is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His media column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]
There certainly is room in Las Vegas for another sports station.
ESPN, ESPN2 and Fox Sports West already are available on Prime Cable. CNN/SI is on some menus and being added to more homes every day as the pay-TV company's services expand.
But sports viewers are a hungry lot. They need more. What about Fox Sports West 2? ESPNews? Classic Sports Network? The Golf Channel?
Prime Cable has been reluctant to add any of those, and indications point to a freeze on all-sports channels in the near future. DirecTV's flabbergasting satellite options cannot be accessed by everyone.
Nevertheless, valley residents soon will find more sports on their sets, and they won't have to pay an extra dime for it. KFBT Channel 33 is developing into a regional sports network of sorts.
"What we want to do is create a niche with national sports and local sports franchises as well," KFBT program director Mark Higgins said.
KFBT already owns rights to 32 Arizona Diamondbacks games and Pac-10 football. It is negotiating with the Phoenix Cardinals to carry their preseason NFL slate. The Las Vegas Stars and Thunder also have switched to KFBT from Prime Cable Channels 1 and 48.
"We really want to brand this station two different ways: One is sports, two is entertainment," Higgins said. "To us it goes hand in hand."
KFBT now goes hand in hand with KUPN Channel 21. The stations reached a Local Marketing Agreement earlier this month. The LMA allows Sinclair Broadcasting Group, KUPN's owner, to operate both stations without violating the Federal Communications Commission law that prohibits one company from owning two TV stations in the same market.
Turning one into a local sports source was part of the LMA equation.
"Sports is a real emotional reason for people to watch television," said Dale Palecek, director of programming and promotions for both stations. "It's a really good way to bring people to the television set."
KUPN is the longtime TV home of UNLV football and basketball, but negotiations are under way to transfer the Rebels to KFBT.
Higgins and Palecek said KFBT eventually could usurp the Blue & White Network, Brigham Young's sports syndicate, from KUPN. Other programming options could be local boxing and prep sports.
"We're open to all ideas," Higgins said. "If it makes sense, it's a good program and it's something the viewer is interested in, it's something we'll take a look at."
Feel the draft
ESPN kicks off NFL Draft coverage Saturday at 9 a.m. with the first three rounds. ESPN2 picks up the fourth round at 4 p.m. ESPN starts Sunday's coverage at 8 a.m., with ESPN2 taking over the rest of the way at 10 a.m.
ESPN Radio, heard locally on KENO 1460-AM, also airs the draft.
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