Clemson Broadcast Company Defaults on Payment |
CLEMSON — The company which owns all broadcast rights to Clemson University
sports has defaulted on a mandatory payment to the school and has until Monday to come up with the money, according to a source close to the situation. Collegiate Sports Partners, Ltd., a Birmingham, Ala.-based company, missed a $750,000 payment due on June 30. The company’s agreement with the university calls for a two-week grace period following the due date, the source said, and because that date falls on a weekend the deadline is extended to Monday. Robert Ricketts, Clemson’s athletic department business officer, referred all questions on the issue to associate athletic director Tim Match. Match did not return messages left at his home Wednesday night. According to the source, Ricketts called CSP on June 30 to check on the status of the payment. After he was informed the payment had not been sent to the university, Ricketts responded with a letter to CSP detailing terms of the contract agreement and requesting the payment be made. CSP’s contract with Clemson also provides a good portion of the income for the school’s coaches. The source said the coaches have been paid in full. Meanwhile, the Daily Journal/Messenger has learned that several freelance camera operators, audio technicians, broadcast engineers, commentators and other independently-contracted employees are owed thousands of dollars by CSP. Nine such freelancers, contacted Wednesday, said they were owed a combined total of more than $17,000. Several others did not returned messages or were not available by press time. Collegiate Sports Partners, Ltd. was awarded a five-year contract to broadcast Clemson sports in Jan., 2000. The 2000-01 school year marked the network’s first as the new Clemson Sports Network. The network has come under fire locally because of a lack of service providers in the area carrying Clemson television broadcasts on CSP’s cable partner, College Sports Southeast. Dan Scott is the host of SportsTalk (10AM-Noon) on 104.9 FM in Upstate SC and Managing Editor of Seneca Daily Journal/Clemson Daily Messenger
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