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Conference USA could have its new TV contract completed within about a month, according to Western Kentucky athletic director Todd Stewart. Stewart told the Daily News on Thursday that those negotiations remain an "ongoing process." The Hilltopper AD just returned from C-USA's Winter Meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., where the new TV deal was a main topic among the league's athletic directors, chancellors and presidents. "We talked about it quite a bit. It's a challenging marketplace right now," Stewart said. "ESPN laid off close to 400 people. There's some challenges there for all the networks, in terms of how they move forward. But there are some exciting opportunities for Conference USA." Stewart said he couldn't offer many details on the league's TV future with the process ongoing, but he did say it should be wrapped up soon. Conference USA’s current deal with the Fox Sports Media Group is set to expire June 30. It's widely expected that securing rights fees comparable to the previous agreement will be difficult, with many major outlets on a downswing. WKU President Gary Ransdell told the Daily News in October that he expects C-USA to take a "shorter-term perspective than a longer-term perspective" with full anticipation that the swings in the marketplace will continue. He also said negotiations begin with current partners Fox and CBS, "but we're looking at a couple ... other possibilities that could be in addition to our primary partner contract." Read more: http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/wku/wku-s-stewart-c-usa-tv-deal-could-be-complete/article_3a1f2112-c616-11e5-b100-cf175bd2ff90.html