Nov. 16--Despite the success many schools have had outsourcing their broadcast and marketing rights, WVU has resisted following the trend.

The Mountaineers Sports Network is only one of a dwindling number of schooloperated broadcasting networks left in the country. It is also one of a kind in terms of sheer size and scope.

"I'd say West Virginia is very, very unique," said Arthur Parks, Providence College's associate athletic director for marketing and communications, and holder of a graduate degree from WVU. "The whole Mountaineer Sports Network is very elaborate.

"I don't think anyone else has that. I don't know of any [school] that has a situation like West Virginia's."

MSN operates as an arm of WVU athletics' sports information department. The network has three full-time employees who handle the television production for things such as "Mountaineer Magazine" and "Mountaineer Jammin' " -- feature programs that air weekly during football and basketball season.

All the other MSN staffers are athletic department employees who serve dual roles.

Deputy Director of Athletics Mike Parsons runs MSN, with the help of Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Michael Fragale and the sports information staff. Brad Howe and Matt Wells, from the sports marketing department, handle all of MSN's advertising sales.

Parsons' MSN duties are part of his job description as the deputy director of athletics. He is not paid extra to run the network.

"Most people within the athletic department have some role in MSN, there's a lot of people involved in how it all works," Parsons said.

But that only covers the daily operations.

On game days, MSN works in conjunction with the West Virginia Radio Corp. to produce its radio broadcasts.

Give and take

MSN and the West Virginia Radio Corp. have a long-existing trade agreement.

"It's called barter," Parsons said. "They don't pay us anything. Basically, they provide a service to us."

West Virginia MetroNews (a news service owned by the West Virginia Radio Corp.) produces the Mountaineers' games and distributes the games to MSN's 49 affiliates via a radio network satellite system.

In exchange, West Virginia Radio Corp. earns broadcast rights for its stations in the Morgantown and Charleston areas.

"The arrangement between WVRC and the Mountaineer Sports Network is that we are, in fact, the truck," said Dale Miller, general manager of West Virginia Radio Corp. "If we were a TV broadcast, we'd be the company that comes in and does the technical production.