CELEBRATION, Fla. – ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) have announced a six-week regionally syndicated football package that will air in 34 television markets, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids (Mich.) and Buffalo for the upcoming season. The package will consist of six consecutive weeks of MAC conference and non-conference matchups, beginning Saturday, Sept. 15.
“We are pleased to provide our viewers with a consistent window for Mid-American Conference football,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Regional Television. “With ESPN’s multimedia platforms, we anticipate MAC football will touch a significant base of college football fans.”
 All games will begin at noon ET, with the telecast window extending to 3:30 p.m. ET. The games will be distributed nationally via the ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view package, which is available to fans via cable, DirecTV and Dish Network.
“We were thrilled when ESPN Regional approached us about this tremendous opportunity to bring more MAC football to our geographic footprint on television stations that have never before been available to us,” said Rick Chryst, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. “The continuing growth of the conference in terms of competitiveness, bowl opportunities and NFL-caliber performers is at an all-time high, and that is being reflected in the marketplace.”
The six-week package will begin with a split window Sept. 15 that will feature Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois along with Cincinnati of the Big East at Miami. The package will conclude with Miami at Temple on Oct. 20. A full list of games can be found below.
The 34 markets that will air the package represent more than 24 million television households, or 22 percent of the U.S. Those markets and affiliates include: Chicago (WPWR – MyTV); Philadelphia (WPHL – MyTV); Detroit (WXYZ – ABC); Cleveland (WEWS – ABC); St. Louis (Charter Cable); Indianapolis (WNDY – MyTV); Columbus (WWHO – CW); Cincinnati (WKRC – CBS); Milwaukee (WDJT – CBS); Grand Rapids (WXSP – MyTV); and Buffalo (WNGS – Independent). A full listing can be found below:
2007 MAC “Game of the Week” Schedule (All Times at Noon ET)
Saturday, Sept. 15
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
Cincinnati at Miami
Saturday, Sept. 22
Temple at Bowling Green
Saturday, Sept. 29
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan
Saturday, Oct. 6
Central Michigan at Ball State
Saturday, Oct. 13
Eastern Michigan at Ohio
Saturday, Oct. 20
Miami at Temple
2007 MAC Affiliates (By Market Size)
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Chicago
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WPWR-MyTV
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Philadelphia
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WPHL-MyTV
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Detroit
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WXYZ-ABC
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Cleveland
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WEWS-ABC
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St. Louis
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Charter Cable
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Indianapolis
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WNDY-MyTV
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Columbus, Ohio
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WWHO-CW
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Cincinnati
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WKRC-CBS
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Milwaukee
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WDJT-CBS
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Grand Rapids, Mich.
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WXSP-MyTV
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Las Vegas
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KEGS or KBNY-Independent
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Buffalo
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WNGS-Independent
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Little Rock, Ark.
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KWBF-MyTV
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Dayton, Ohio
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WKEF-ABC
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Charleston, W.Va.
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WSAZ-DT2-MyTV
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Flint, Mich.
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WNEM-DT-CBS
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Green Bay, Wis.
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WACY-MyTV
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Toledo, Ohio
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WTVG-ABC
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Springfield, Mo.
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KWBM-MyTV
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South Bend, Ind.
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WBND-ABC; WMWB-WB
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Cedar Rapids, Mich.
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KWWF-Independent
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Davenport, Iowa
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WBQD-MyTV
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Evansville, Ill.
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WAZE-CW
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Fort Smith, Alaska
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KFDF-Independent
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Youngstown, Pa.
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WYTV-ABC
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Fort Wayne, Ind.
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WPTA-DT2
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Tyler, Texas
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KYTX-DT
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Lansing, Mich.
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WHTV-MyTV
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Traverse City, Mich.
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WFQX-Fox
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Peoria, Ill.
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WAOE-MyTV
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Rockford, Ill.
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WTVO-DT-ABC
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Marquette, Wis.
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WMQF-MyTV
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Wheeling, Ill.
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WTRF-CBS
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Roanoke, Va.
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WDRL-Independent
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