What down economy? If the government could just take over college football, we’d pay off the national debt in record time. More evidence that college sports are seemingly recession-proof is the record deal signed by UGA and ISP. The numbers are staggering. While the $92.8 million isn’t a record for a total contract (it is eclipsed by Ohio State at $110 million and Nebraska at $112.5 million) , the yearly number of $11.6 million dwarfs both of the other schools.
I have to hand it to the folks at the Butts-Mehre Building, they have pulled off a coup. By getting the largest annual agreement AND a shorter contract, the UGA Athletic Department can renegotiate this deal in a few years when the economy improves. In addition, they have kept the largest station in the south (AM750) in the fold as the anchor of one of the nation’s largest radio networks.
The people at ISP are pros and their stable of schools is second-to-none. I think we will see some improvements in the radio network and hopefully distribution outside of Athens of other sports besides football and men’s basketball (baseball?).
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
Last night, a cucumber gazpacho at The National revealed my culinary destiny to me. I guzzled it like a thirsty off-road vehicle at the foot of a muddy hill, hungry for grit in its grille. This summer soup must be the reason I’d received a blender for my birthday last year!
The waitress, framed [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
The Onion wins a Peabody. Even on April Fools Day, this seems somewhat unbelievable. The full list of Peabody Award winners from UGA’s Grady College can be found here. For those who are unaware, the Peabody Awards are a gem of a program that is the “Oscar” of the media industry. [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
Hugh Acheson, the shining star of the Athens culinary scene, is a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Award (southeastern region). The Beard Award is one of the food industry’s most prestigious awards.
Locally, you can sample Acheson’s cuisine at Five & 10 and The National. The food is always good, and [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
As a recent Facebook convert, I’ve extended the boundaries of my social media sphere by starting a Twitter account. If you’re not familiar with Twitter, it’s also been called microblogging and gives users 140 characters to answer the question “What are you doing?” Inboxer Brian blogged about the growing popularity of the application [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
I love it when an uber-traditional brand gets outside the box. While consumer brands have gotten somewhat comfortable with this, real estate and resort destinations have been less inclined to take marketing risks.
That could be changing. One of the most hallowed destinations of the South, the Grove Park Inn, has apparently decided to [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Winterville native Tom Harrold is being considered by the Obama administration for the ambassadorship to Germany.
Harrold, a quarterback for Athens High School in his youth and an Athens Y Camp alumnus, is known as one of the state’s top international and economic development attorneys. He began his career [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
Apparently, in the wake of confusing my Tivo and ruining my plans to see the entire Duke-UNC game last night, Charter has decided to file bankruptcy. Obviously forcing thousands of Charter subscribers to watch the game on Raycom rather than ESPN was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I wonder if they [...]
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:16
Just a quick note, but if you have time, check out President Adams’ testimony to the house higher education subcommittee from yesterday. It offers a fascinating summary of the challenges faced by institutions of higher education and the steps they are taking to deal with them. It is amazing how much money UGA [...]
