Web Viewing Options Were Limited for Petrino Press Conference

If you tried to watch online April 10 as University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long announced that he’d fired head football Coach Bobby Petrino, you may have noticed there weren’t many options.

The official Razorbacks paid subscription service that offers live video broadcasting of Razorback athletics, RazorVision, provided a live Web stream that was open to the public.

And so did 5NewsOnline.com, the website for KFSM-TV of Fort Smith and KXNW-TV of Fayetteville.

“What was communicated was that the university maintains exclusive webcasting rights for Razorback athletics,” John Diamond, UA associate vice chancellor for university relations, told Whispers. “They did not allow Web streaming, but they did allow live broadcasting and full media coverage. … Web streaming is a specific product that the athletics department provides and markets.”

Nick Genty, news director of KATV-TV in Little Rock, confirmed that his station linked to the RazorVision Web stream instead of its own to honor the university request.

Van Comer, general manager of KFSM and KXNW, said his stations didn’t stream sporting events, per university request.

But when Comer’s staff members received word, after its Web stream was already active, that the UA didn’t want the press conference streamed online, they made a decision.

They “deemed it as a news event and not an athletic-type event,” Comer said. “We felt it was a major news event that our viewers were interested in viewing. … To me, our website is part of the broadcast.”