KSTC-TV (Channel 45) will broadcast four St. Thomas basketball and hockey games this winter under an agreement reached between the university and Hubbard Broadcasting Inc.
The live broadcasts from Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul and St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights will occur on these Saturdays:
- Dec. 1, 2:30 p.m., men’s hockey vs. Concordia-Moorhead.
- Jan. 12, 3 p.m., men’s basketball vs. St. John’s.
- Feb. 9, 1 p.m., women’s basketball vs. St. Benedict.
- Feb. 16, 2 p.m., women’s hockey vs. Augsburg.
Athletic Director Steve Fritz said the broadcasts represent an excellent opportunity to bring St. Thomas sports into homes throughout the region.
“We are excited about these broadcasts,” Fritz said. “They will provide great visibility for both St. Thomas and the MIAC and will give our alumni and sports fans another way to follow our teams.”
KSTC is locally owned and operated by Hubbard Broadcasting and is the only fully independent television station in the Twin Cities market. Home to 45 Local News, KSTC is the exclusive broadcast partner for Minnesota State High School League tournaments and can be watched in HD, over-the-air on 5-2 and on Comcast Channel 812.
St. Thomas will contract with CTN Studios of Coon Rapids to produce the broadcasts, including hiring announcers for play-by-play action and color commentary, said Michelle Morgan, marketing manager for the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex and Anderson Student Center. CTN already handles football game-day production for the new scoreboard in O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
“CTN has experience in all facets of producing sports broadcasts,” Morgan said. “We have an excellent working relationship with CTN with our football games and we expect they will provide first-rate broadcasts for basketball and hockey.”
Dan Terhaar will be the play-by-play announcer for all four games. He has 28 years of sports broadcast experience, including television for the Minnesota Wild and St. Cloud State hockey and radio for the University of Minnesota and University of North Dakota. He also has covered several high school sports.
Tori Holt will be a sideline reporter for the men’s and women’s basketball and women’s hockey games, with 10 years of pro and college experience. Andrew Brunette, an NHL free agent, will provide color commentary on the men’s hockey game if the lockout doesn’t end this month and a team doesn’t pick him up.
Morgan said the broadcasts are a “pilot project.” If they prove successful, she said, the university would be interested in additional broadcasts next year.
Business or organizations interested in purchasing advertising spots on the broadcasts can contact Morgan at (651) 962-6186 or morg7978@stthomas.edu.
St. Thomas football games already are broadcast, over WCCO Radio. WCCO broadcast its first St. Thomas game in December 2010, during the NCAA Division III playoffs, and subsequently signed contracts that extend through the 2013 season.
