SooToo

Really? I'm not sure how your math works there, buddy, but if you prefer staring down at the tops of helmets and don't get altitude sickness in the Fargodome rafters good for you. I've been to many games/events at both places (less so at the Fargdome the last six years) and they're both very good facilities for football. The Fargodome has nothing on the Alerus except for end zone seating, and the Alerus has better lighting and concourse areas. And then there's beer! Always get a kick out of SU fans who rag on the Alerus as a Quonset or "tin can" -- even though half of them probably have never seen a game there. Hopeless homers.

It was interesting to watch Binns on the sideline last year; almost always standing alone, seldom talking with other players. Obviously, "bonding" didn't go too well. Weren't there about 16 announced scholarship signees in 2009? (Or maybe that was before the Florida DB's signed.) Are we nearing a 25% attrition rate for that class already?

On this I would agree; Putting aside the nice coverage maps produced previously by Hammersmith, it's been apparent on several occasions that in areas of both ND and MN, KFGO's night-time reception is poorer than WDAY's. As Bin said, maybe we'll end up with more sports broadcast on a Fargo radio station with a greater reach. On the down side, KFGO's (and KFYR's) rating are head and shoulders above DAY's. You can bet RFM will give over some of its day-time programming hours to fawning over Gene Taylor and the AC coaches for a statewide audience. I read in today's Forum that, after bailing out of the broadcast contract with UND on two-hour's notice, Joel Heitkamp thought KFGO's relationship with UND ended "very positive." Given that display of honesty, I think I'll look elsewhere for news coverage of the NDSU audits or the looming arrests of Bison football players.

"A little discouraged?" Come on. Giving your long-time broadcast partner two hours notice that you're bailing on your 3-year contract just one year after you happily signed it is utterly classless. Undoubtedly, part of the NDSU agenda was to hurt UND's broadcast options in Fargo-Moorhead but I would hope Joel Heitkamp is embarassed by how this went down. He ought to be a little nervous, too; obviously a contract with Jim Ingstad isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Agreed. It's amazing how little understanding there is over there regarding the governance relationship between higher ed institutions in ND and the SBoHE.

Let's follow the news on audit reports for a coupla months and we'll get back to you.

Hey! I'm with you on this one. Unique, lots of maketing angles. Go Fish!

Google "BisonSports.Net" and enjoy a sampling.

...and you'll either pay a $100,000 guarantee for a one-game contract with a team from nowhere (while generating perhaps 5,000 additional paid customers) or you'll spend nearly as much in travel fulfilling your half of a home and home. Honestly, is this a difficult concept to grasp?

I guess you've got that right. But, hey, if you're satisfied with Taylor's current 25% success rate (20% when a sixth home game fails to materialize for '10) then good for you. And kudos to Gene for his ability to hook a few live ones in Fargo. Buy outs, programs folding or schools othewise refusing a return game (don't think Montana State was ever on your schedule) have had nothing to do with failure to schedule a sixth home game for NDSU. It's damn tough to find quality opponents for a single road game, and when you do, the pay out for a subpar team squashes your home payday. With the skyrocketing cost of travel, its ridiculous that the Dakota schools do not play each other on a regular basis, especially now that everyone's back in the same division. If you're anxious to continue trying to bring in subpar teams for a big pay-out then good luck to you. But don't try to sell this as a move that makes the most money for NDSU. He may be crazy, but Lakes Bison has it right; the goal from the beginning was to try to establish the AC as THE football school in North Dakota. Avoiding, delaying and, if necessary, limiting games with UND is part of Taylor's strategy. Little or nothing to do with economics. Oh, and PM me when NDSU is a big draw in the Big Ten.

Again, when does NDSU get six home games? Just once in the last five years, and then with Central Conneticut and Austin Peay. Don't think that argument holds much water. I've never checked the math, but I've also never understood the argument that NDSU would be better off with six home games (again, assuming you could get them) than regular home-and-home v UND. Assuming you get an OOC opponent that can draw 18,000 and assuming the average ticket (factoring in students) is what, $10, that grosses 180,000. You pay out $100,000 to the visitors and net $80,000. Playing home and home, you get the entire gross -- and a guaranteed great crowd -- and when you travel you pay for busfare. Doesn't seem like rocket science.

Geez, that's an easy one.

...And yet in four of the last five years -- 80 percent of the time (including, apparently, 2010) -- Taylor has been unable to reach this goal. In the single year he managed six at home, the schedule included that perennial powerhouse Central Conneticut and fan-favorite Austin Peay. Last year, the AC handed out wads of cash to lure in Wagner College of the Maritime Arts and Knot-Tying, just to get to five. Assuming this was a serious argument from the outset -- and I have my doubts -- recent history has proven it to be a fallacy. Virtually no respectable team with hopes of reaching the play-offs is willing to sign on for a one-and-done deal on the road. As conferences get larger, there are dwindling options for OOC games, and when the Bison find an opponent for sale, they're settling for yawners -- at a big price. It's in the hands of Kelley and Hanson now, but according to Faison, there won't be a game until its an annual contest. What will Gene T's next objection be? Too expensive to travel?

The focus here isn't whether NDSU made a mistake in its media dealing but what opportunities those changes might hold for UND. Obviously, the old days of awarding a radio contract to a single station are over, but you certainly want stations with broad coverage areas among your affiliates and there are only so many of them out there. I agree UND should continue its partnership with KFGO in Fargo, but what are RFM's intentions when the current 3-year deal expires? If a decision is made at RFM to limit KFGO coverage to professional sports (and KVOX is all Bison), WDAY-AM certainly would be a desireable broadcast alternative. I agree with Sic that the FCS deal is far superior to a local TV network, but what percentage of viewers in ND and NW Minnesota -- our prime terrritory -- are offered or purchase FCS (premium) channels? If allowable under the FCS contract, a few games via "traditional" TV available across the region would be a great addition to current coverage. Minus its prior affiliation with SU, Forum Comm could provide that. (If I'm not mistaken, they actually own four stations in the state; WDAY, WDAZ, KBMY (Bismarck) and KMLY (Minot). I agree with you, Hammer, in that I don't understand Bison fans' objection to a deal with RFM. It's been widely speculated since RFM "upgraded" its sports station that this would be the eventual home of NDSU sports and, as an all-sports station, they may give even deeper blanket coverage (if that's possible) to SU sports than WDAY. As an aside, I'm astounded by the collective the-world's-against-us paranoia gripping Bison fanatics. The objection to RFM seems mainly to center on Joel Heitkamp and on Dan Hammer, whose "sin" is that he's the (paid, professional) broadcaster for UND football. As to The Forum, I think it still has (like most papers) an inherent bias in favor of its local school. Don't blame the messanger when it (megalomaniac president on a personal spending spree, buildings falling down, tuition waiver give-aways to inflate enrollment -- you get the picture) hits the fan.

If you know anything about Bill Marcil -- and I do, just a little -- he's not likely to take lightly the way Gene T. and Co. have walked away from their long-term relationship with Forum Communications. He's a good member of the Fargo-Moorhead community but he is a UND grad, and he may be open to considering statewide broadcasts of some UND games if for no other reason than to spite NDSU. Prather's appearance at Sioux boosters spoke volumes. Agree that UND is w-a-a-y ahead of the AC in regards to broadcast media, but you've got to wonder what KFGO's long-term interest is in UND football (and other sports), and WDAY-AM must have nearly the same footprint as KFGO. The FCS agreement is excellent, but it'd also be nice to see a few statewide telecasts of UND games over traditional commercial stations, and Forum Com could deliver that.

WDAY pulls offer At least as of now, Forum Communications is dropping out of the bidding for NDSU radio rights, apparently ending a 43-year relationship on a sour note. Interestingly, Mark Prather, GM at WDAY, was in attendance at Fargo Sioux Boosters this week and was recognized for his station's recent support. WDAY TV (for the first time in my memory) has been running some promos both for the Sioux coaches' show (which I believe still out draws the Craig Bohl show) and the booster club. Coming on the heels of the switch of TV rights to KVLY, could this open some doors for new relationships between UND sports and Forum Communications?

Per Roebuck, in comments today, UND is scouring the region for 3 Juco's for next year to fill in the scholarship/player void in this year's sophomore class. Hoping to find a point guard, someone to play low post and an "athlete," hopefully an outside shooter. Also according to Gene, Sharakova (sp?) "meets NCAA requirements but not UND requirements" to play -- sounds like a grade-point or credits issue. Not sure what her future is, but I would presume that if she's still with the team now there's hope she could play next year.

<<SIGH>> 82 Sioux Guy, you have the patience of a saint.

All for the betterment of ND, I understand. However, it seems more than coincidental that: 1) Fargo Chamber types for years have hoped to see NDSU outgrow UND; 2) Ol' Joe publicly stated his goal last year to boost graduate and foreign enrollment (which jumped more than 21% and 34%, respectively, just this year), and; 3) the AC gives away more tuition (more than 13% last year) than any other school in ND, save Dickinson State. IIRC from an earlier article, tuition waivers jumped nearly another 20% just this year at NDSU, presumably pushing the total towards 1/2 of the all waivers given through the NDUS. UND, by the way, feels the need to shell out just half the tuition waivers compared to NDSU. Tell me again, what's the motivation at Old Main?

Real-time trolling, by "fans" who don't care. Niiice.

Thanks, but I prefer to believe my computer has something against goophers this week.

Is it just my computer or does the link open a story about that poor damned cat glued to the road by vicious gopher fanatics?

I know that you know that I know ...

Some real, honest mental health issues there to be sure. On another recent sports-blog thread, one of the posters in question claimed The Forum is "out to get" NDSU, while the other labeled Sioux fans on this board "a dangerous threatening group."

In fact I would guess a large majority of UND fans are ready to move on. While there always will be die-hards, I think most fans -- though they celebrate the nickname -- are weary of the battle, understand the implications and are ready to respectfully retire the nickname and, with reservations, transition to the future. I've never understood the "nickname>>>university" crowd.