The Louisville-Kentucky football game will be on live TV -- if you live in the Lexington or Louisville TV markets or have ESPN Classic. After waiting months to find out what network was going to broadcast the Louisville-Kentucky football game, many fans are learning they might be shut out this year. The game was picked up by ESPN Classic yesterday and is set for a 7:30 p.
m. kickoff at Commonwealth Stadium on Sept. According to ESPN's Mark Mandel, only 65 million people get ESPN Classic compared to the 90 million people who get ESPN, the network that televised the game last year.
For the fans who don't get ESPN Classic, the game will be shown on WKYT in Lexington and on WHAS in Louisville. ESPN is allowing the game to be shown locally as a "point-to-point" broadcast. Point-to-point broadcasts are shown just in the city where the teams are located.
UK spokesman Scott Stricklin said they are usually only for games that aren't otherwise on TV. "That was something ESPN was kind enough to allow us to do," Stricklin said. "We want to maximize as much exposure as possible.
We have the two biggest markets in the state, and more than 60 million people nationally have ESPN Classic. Lexington and Central Kentucky, Louisville, and their surrounding areas will see the game live on WKYT and WHAS. Although WYMT in Hazard is an affiliate of WKYT, it will not be allowed to carry the game.
Neither WHAS nor WKYT is available on cable in Owensboro, the state's third largest city, or in much of Western Kentucky. If fans in Owensboro want to see it from their home, they'll have to do it for a higher price. Owensboro has three cable packages through Time Warner Cable: basic cable, expanded and digital.
Basic cable has 13 channels, expanded has ESPN and ESPN2 and digital offers those plus more, including ESPN Classic. The price for the digital package is $65, while the expanded package is $47.99.
Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer Sports Editor Jim Pickens said the number of Owensboro residents who have the digital package is "pretty low." "Virtually everyone here gets those two stations," ESPN and ESPN2, Pickens said, but he estimated far fewer get ESPN Classic. Even though the numbers might suggest many people in the state will be out of luck, Stricklin said the game will be well-watched.
"I don't think it hurts anybody," Stricklin said. "Anything you have on cable, you're always going to have people that don't get cable. We're fortunate that all of ESPN's networks have pretty good distribution.
" The game traditionally has been the season opener for both schools, but it was moved this year to the third game of the season at UK's request. The national viewing competition on the night of the game will include the Arkansas-Alabama game (6:45 p.m.
, ESPN). Louisville at Kentucky The Louisville-Kentucky football game will be on live TV -- if you live in the Lexington or Louisville TV markets or have ESPN Classic.
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