RICHMOND, Va. — Riding an 11-game winning streak, the red hot VCU Rams currently sit atop the Atlantic 10 standings with a perfect 8-0 conference record. VCU fans eager to see their team extend the winning streak to 12 games Wednesday night in Philadelphia against La Salle University were in a panic over the weekend when they realized the game was not scheduled to be shown on television.
Many fans reached out to WTVR CBS 6 through social media and asked the station — which broadcasts several VCU games a year – to pick up the match up. The problem is, there is no broadcast to pick up.
“Normally we could bring in a satellite feed of a broadcast and show the game on CBS 6.3,” WTVR president and general manager Stephen Hayes said. “There is no television feed available for this game. We did discuss putting the Atlantic 10’s Internet feed on our air, but the end product/quality of the broadcast via internet prohibited us.”
Even if the Internet feed plan worked, the University of Richmond has a previously scheduled basketball game that same night against George Mason. That game is being broadcast on WTVR CBS 6.3.
“WTVR values its broadcast basketball partnerships with VCU and UR. Fan interest and engagement is as high as we’ve seen,” Hayes said. “We look forward to showing more games in the future.”
A statement released by VCU Athletics further explained the lack of television coverage.
We deeply appreciate our passionate, knowledgeable fans at VCU and recognize their deep interest in following the Rams when the team is on the road. Our men’s basketball program feels your support at every game, regardless of the location.
We realize our fans have some disappointment that Wednesday’s game at La Salle will not be televised. Fans can follow the game via the Atlantic 10 Network’s free web stream (link below) or listen to Robby Robinson and Mike Litos on the Ram Radio call live from Philadelphia on the official radio home of VCU Basketball, 107.3 FM WBBT.
Ultimately, the host institution owns the TV rights for each game. If a TV network does not choose to broadcast the game, each institution weighs the significant costs associated with independently producing a broadcast and purchasing airtime. We make that decision every year for the small number of games not carried on national TV.
Finally, we value our incredible relationship with our partners in Richmond, WTVR CBS 6. If not for their investment in VCU Basketball, we would not have aired every single home game live for the last four years. We appreciate CBS 6’s role in bringing VCU Basketball to our fans, but CBS 6 has no control over Wednesday’s broadcast.
The game is available for live streaming here.
