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The UK Sports Network, historically known as the Big Blue Sports Network (BBSN) and also formerly known as the UK IMG Sports Network, is the radio and television network of the
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
men's and women's sports teams. It consists of seven over-the-air television affiliates, two
regional sports network In the United States and Canada, a regional sports network (RSN) is a cable television channel (many of which are also distributed on direct broadcast satellite services) that presents sports programming to a local market or geographical region. ...
s, and 44 radio stations in
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
and neighboring states. Except for the Blue/White game, beginning in the 2012–2013 season, all men's basketball broadcasts on Fox Sports South began to be produced by Fox Sports, using their graphics and music.


History

The radio network was established in September 1968 for the purpose of broadcasting football and basketball games to select radio stations across the state of Kentucky. Prior to this, individual stations in central Kentucky each held their own coverage of the games. The original group rightsholder was Host Communications. Later on, the broadcast syndicator of the UK Sports Network was Sports Productions, a joint venture of Host Communications,
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
television affiliate
WKYT-TV WKYT-TV (channel 27) is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road (US 60) near I-75 on ...
of Lexington, and radio stations WVLK of Lexington and WHAS of
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
. Cawood Ledford and
Ralph Hacker Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
were the first play-by-play commentators for the network. In 2007, HOST Communications, a college
sports marketing Sports marketing as a concept has established itself as a branch of marketing over the past few decades, however, a generally accepted definition does not exist. Academicians Kaser and Oelkers (2005, p. 9) define sports marketing as 'using spor ...
company based in the university's home city of Lexington, that had operated the Big Blue Sports Network, was purchased by the entertainment management company
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...
. However, the name of the network did not change until the 2010–11 academic year.


Sale of media rights to JMI Sports

On June 23, 2014, University of Kentucky Athletic Director
Mitch Barnhart Mitch Barnhart (born August 27, 1959) is the athletics director for the Kentucky Wildcats athletics program at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Barnhart was hired by the university in 2002 succeeding Larry Ivy. Barnhart served ...
announced that JMI Sports, owned by former
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
owner John Moores, had been awarded the multimedia rights to all University of Kentucky sports teams. UK's contract with JMI Sports was to initially begin upon the expiration of the university's contract with
IMG College LEARFIELD, formerly Learfield IMG College, is a large collegiate sports marketing company, representing more than 200 of the nation's top collegiate properties including the NCAA and its 89 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and ...
in April 2015. The university's contract with JMI include: * Radio rights to UK's football, men's and women's basketball and baseball games (Television rights are covered by
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
broadcasting arrangements, including the
SEC Network The SEC Network is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (which holds ...
); * Stadium and arena corporate signage and game programs for all home UK events. (Prior to 2018, Rupp Arena corporate signage was managed by Learfield Sports (Rupp Arena Sports and Entertainment Properties) under a contract with the Lexington Center Corporation (LCC), who manages the arena for the
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
. In 2018, control of all multimedia rights for the Lexington Center (including Rupp Arena), including naming rights, were turned over to the university, who subsequently awarded those rights to JMI.); * Naming rights to university athletics facilities and premium areas; * Sponsorship on UKathletics.com; * Game sponsorships and game promotions; * Coaches' endorsements; * Pre and postgame television shows and specials and postseason highlight DVDs; * Video features on video boards; * Opportunities to develop UK Athletics Corporate Partnership Program; and * The potential, at the university's discretion, to market campus multimedia rights, creating the potential for an integrated approach to multimedia rights and marketing. On October 27, 2014, JMI Sports announced that they had bought out the final year of IMG's contract with the University of Kentucky. As part of that agreement with IMG, JMI immediately took over management of the entire University of Kentucky's Sports Marketing program, including the UK Sports Network. On January 27, 2020, it was announced that Lexington Center's overall
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
were sold to Central Bank, a local community bank, by the Lexington Center Corporation and JMI Sports. The Rupp name will continue to receive primacy in the fourteen-year agreement for the arena portion of the complex, and be known as "Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center".


On-air personalities


Current

*
Tom Leach Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...
– play-by-play commentator (Football 1997–present, Men's Basketball, 2001–present) ''2015–16 Kentucky Basketball Media Guide'', page 5


Former

*
Claude Sullivan Claude Howard Sullivan (December 29, 1924 – December 6, 1967) was an American sports broadcaster. Born in Winchester, Kentucky, he did the play-by-play broadcasts of the University of Kentucky football and basketball games for nearly 20 years. ...
, play-by-play commentator (men's basketball and football 1948–1967) * Cawood Ledford, play-by-play commentator (1953–1992) *
Ralph Hacker Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
– color analyst (1973–1993), play-by-play commentator (men's basketball 1993–2001, football 1993–1997) * JB Faulconer, play by play commentator (1944–1953) men’s basketball (Rupp) Men’s football (Bryant) *Neil Price – play-by-play commentator (Women's Basketball, 2005–2017) * Mike Pratt – color analyst (men's basketball and football 2001–2022)


Over-the air television affiliates


Current


Former


Regional sports networks


Radio

All listed radio stations are sorted by city of license. Areas served by these stations will vary. Most affiliates air coverage of football and men's basketball, unless otherwise specified.''2014–15 Kentucky Men's Basketball Media Guide'', page 8.''2015 Kentucky Football Media Guide'', page 199.


Notable former affiliates


See also

*
Vol Network Vol or Vols may refer to: * Vol (command), a computer operating system command * Vol (heraldry), a heraldic charge * Volatility (finance) * Volume (disambiguation) * Volunteer (Irish republican) * Nashville Vols, an American minor league baseball ...
, the
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
statewide network of the
Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...
, Kentucky's southern neighbor.


References

{{Sports networks in the United States College basketball on the radio in the United States College football on the radio Kentucky Wildcats University of Kentucky Sports radio networks in the United States