Two Arkansas newspapers reported Friday that the University of Arkansas and KATV-TV, Channel 7, have reached a deal “in principal” to name Chuck Barrett the next “Voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks,” though neither party has yet to make an official announcement.
Frank Broyles, longtime UA athletic director, did not return a message left this morning, but told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Thursday that an announcement could be issued next week and that a deal is still being worked out.
The Democrat-Gazette and The Morning News of Springdale cited unnamed sources that said UA and KATV have finally agreed on Barrett for the job, and that finishing touches on the contract are still being worked out.
Dale Nicholson, general manager at KATV, but did not return phone calls before deadline.
Broyles and Nicholson have exchanged several letters and at least one phone call in the last month aiming to find a permanent replacement for longtime play-by-play broadcaster Paul Eells, who died in a car accident late last summer. Both leaders have chosen their candidate, with Broyles wanting northwest Arkansas-oriented and Razorbacks baseball play-by-play man Chuck Barrett, while Nicholson wants KATV weekday news anchor Scott Inman.
Nicholson told Arkansasbusiness.com Monday that he hoped to reach a decision by the end of this week, and was steadfastly sticking by Inman to land the job. The Sports Programming License Agreement between KATV Television Inc. and the UA, which runs through the 2010-11 football and basketball seasons (available in PDF format here), does not clearly state which entity gets the final say. Both Broyles and Nicholson have each said they believe the final choice belongs to them.
A source close to the situation said Nicholson originally thought Barrett would have a non-compete clause in his contract that would prevent him from taking the job with ARSN. But Barrett’s contract, which recently ended when he left his “Sports Rap” talk show on KARN-FM, 102.9, specifically included a non-compete clause that was voided if he was named Voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
With Eells having been attached to the broadcasts for so long, Nicholson knows the importance of having the ABC affiliate’s on-air talent associated with the Razorbacks broadcasts. Additionally, if Barrett ends up getting the job, Nicholson will have to sign the checks for Broyles’ pick, because KATV pays for all ARSN talent and production crews.
“I suspect Barrett will ultimately be the choice,” one source close to the network operation said. “It might be an interesting compromise to have Barrett do the broadcasts and have Inman host the coach’s show, but we’ll have to see how it pans out.”
More on the Play-by-Play Debate
Jim’s Column: It’s a new ‘voice’ [The Playing Field]
KATV: We Don’t Want Razorback Play-by-Play Question in Court [Arkansasbusiness.com]
Maybe the best ‘insider’ look at UA broadcasting ever [The Playing Field]
Breaking News: It’s Barrett [The Playing Field]
Jim’s Column: Barrett, by a Landslide [The Playing Field]
Even More today on Jim Harris’ Playing Field blog here.
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