Athletic Department officials said a new policy governing how broadcasters cover University sports events should become official this week, but the final draft will look different from the current version that has caused an uproar among journalists nationwide.
Assistant Athletic Director Dave Williford said the department hopes to remain on schedule by having a policy decision by the beginning of August.
“I don’t think it’s very long before an exact policy comes out,” he said.
Last week, Athletic Director Bill Moos admitted the policy will have a different look than its current proposed position, but he wouldn’t say how it will differ.
Moos said he didn’t want to harm relationships between the University and its “friends in the media” who are behind an avalanche of criticism of the University, which Moos admitted was unexpected.
Under the currently proposed policy, the University would restrict television stations to 20 seconds of highlights and interviews for 48 hours after a game and 30 seconds for up to a week after the game. After one week, no footage could be broadcast without the permission of ESPN Regional, the network that owns most rights to University sports broadcasts.
Broadcasters that violated the rule could face the loss of their press passes and access to future games.
Moos has final approval of the policy, but Williford said the administration remains involved in the process.
“It’s Bill’s call, but the administration will know what that call is,” he said.
Earlier this year, ESPN contacted the University because KVAL, Eugene’s CBS affiliate, ran an “Inside the PAC” show, which ESPN believed infringed on its contracted rights. The policy was drafted to address those concerns.
Complaints from local and national media groups that the proposal violates their First Amendment rights started after the University held a public hearing July 11. Three national media organizations — the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio-Television News Directors Association and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press — sent a letter to President Dave Frohnmayer July 23 claiming the rule violates the freedom of the press.
Two weeks ago, Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, a former Portland sportscaster, said he would seek legislative action if the University’s final draft isn’t much different that the current proposal. Bill Johnstone, the CEO of the Oregon Broadcasters Association, has threatened to take the issue to court if changes aren’t made.
On Friday, The Oregonian opined that, “the concept is so ill-conceived in so many ways that you have to wonder whether University of Oregon officials go off on a retreat each year to dream up new ways to offend people and make themselves look foolish.”
Moos said the University and the Athletic Department are listening to the concerns and that the policy was not set in stone when it was presented on July 11.
“We want to make sure we are good listeners,” he said. “There will be no action which we feel abridges anyone’s First Amendment rights.”
Although broadcasters are threatening to take action if the policy isn’t changed, ESPN Regional is not threatening similar action if the policy doesn’t go into effect as-is. Regional Manager Tim Roberts said he is confident the final draft will quell media concerns and protect his network’s contracted rights.
He said the procedure to draft the proposal has been difficult because in March a judge ruled the University had to create a policy that applied to all members of the media, even though ESPN had a problem only with KVAL’s “Inside the PAC” program.
“It was an issue of one station, one show,” Roberts said.