Update regarding UNT Sports TV/Radio/Video Etc.

[El Paso Eagle]

1 hour ago, greenminer said:

Did anyone find a desktop version of the Varsity Network (an app, not via browser website)? I could only see a link to iOS/iPadOS.  Did not find anything for Windows or MacOS.

@Harry?

Fairly sure that it's App only for phones

[Harry]

3 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Fairly sure that it's App only for phones

Desktop version is here:  https://thevarsitynetwork.com/feed

[El Paso Eagle]

1 minute ago, Harry said:

Desktop version is here:  https://thevarsitynetwork.com/feed

Thanks @Harry

[greenminer]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

Desktop version is here:  https://thevarsitynetwork.com/feed

Thanks.  I was thinking this would be an app/program that you install, not a feed on a website.

[keith]

18 hours ago, NT80 said:

Thus the request to expand the radius.   Problem solved for all....

There is a limit to how far it can be expanded and even after that there will always be someone outside the radius.  For example, it will never reach to Connecticut.

[UNTcrazy727]

18 hours ago, Rudy said:

Yeah, If you live in Waco, the panhandle, Lubbock, etc, its great to have the app, but when half of the metroplex can't get the games on radio, there's a problem.

Good thing there's an app they can easily access that broadcasts games live as well as having past games and coach's shows stored for on demand listening. 

[NT80]

8 hours ago, keith said:

There is a limit to how far it can be expanded and even after that there will always be someone outside the radius.  For example, it will never reach to Connecticut.

Duh.  Think expanding to cover all of Dallas and Tarrant Counties.

[PlummMeanGreen]

The West O Plex/West Fort Worth has no broadcast coverage on the map.  
I really wish KDNT 1440 AM was still in the possession of one in Denton County. It was purchased by Latinos years ago. 1440 AM covered Mean Green football & basketball in the 70’s.  

 

[eulessismore]

On 9/14/2022 at 11:24 AM, KingDL1 said:

Well other than when I am stuck in the car driving. 

Uh, yeah. I mean isn't that where people listen to the radio?

[El Paso Eagle]

10 minutes ago, texx2818 said:

Glad to see KNTU would rather play the same Imagine Dragons song twenty times than broadcast their university’s games.

I just wonder if that had more to do with our agreement with Learfield 

[VideoEagle]

7 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

I just wonder if that had more to do with our agreement with Learfield 

If don't know if it's in the agreement, but if I'm an advertiser I wouldn't like most of the listeners tuned into a feed that can't play my actual advertisements. 

[untjim1995]

17 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

The West O Plex/West Fort Worth has no broadcast coverage on the map.  
I really wish KDNT 1440 AM was still in the possession of one in Denton County. It was purchased by Latinos years ago. 1440 AM covered Mean Green football & basketball in the 70’s.  

 

This is a huge reason that kids in schools like Aledo, that win state championships very often, can have a WR who, just a few years ago, while being recruited, said he had never even heard of North Texas...

[untjim1995]

1 hour ago, texx2818 said:

While I agree and on the same page, I hadn’t heard of Aledo before about 2 years ago and have lived in DFW for 15+.

Yeah, it's one thing for you or I not to have heard of Aledo as a regular citizen, it's a whole other thing to not know them or just give up trying to recruit there if one of us is a football coach. And it's especially bad if you see a WR receiving interest at other schools and publicly tells the local paper (FWST) that he's never heard of North Texas...

[UNTcrazy727]

@Harry when it comes to an improved ESPN+ product, did your contact say anything about the camera angles? Right now, the only play-by-play cameras seem to be stationed at the 25 yard lines which can lead to some awful angles. How is there not a camera at the 50? And we need to figure out a way to capture the ref’s mic on the broadcasts. You can’t hear them at all. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by UNTcrazy727

[Cerebus]

There seems to be a big misconception around KNTU so let me clear that up:  It is not the university's radio station. 

It is a separate legal entity to which the university provides some services.  There are dozens of those, one example is the AFROTC attachment.  The university doesn't pay any of the salaries, if students work at the station they do not receive credits toward their degree.  The university couldn't make program choices for them any more than it could for any other station.  

 

[denton_days]

the lack of tech literacy in this thread is baffling & the ESPN+ news is huge. Our in-house video product sucks, and replacing with the ESPN+ trucks will be monumental to our brand and product. We're complaining about a product that services maybe a couple thousand people in the Denton area vs the much needed upgrades for tens of thousands of people that watch these games. Also the social team has been doing a great job, and excited to see how they grow. These kinds of investments are useful and great for us moving into a modern era trying to appeal to people that are the age of people who go to the school. I don't think any of the people we are trying to draw in have ever even used a radio before.

[rcade]

14 hours ago, Cerebus said:

There seems to be a big misconception around KNTU so let me clear that up:  It is not the university's radio station.

How is it not the university's radio station when it is owned by UNT and housed on campus in the Radio/TV/Film & Performing Arts building? Students can earn practicum credit for working at the station, according to this link:

https://mediaarts.unt.edu/about-us/kntu

[greenminer]

A Tweet from the official KNTU Twitter account,  stating that they are owned by UNT.
 

 

[greenminer]

As far as a formal external reference, the FCC listing for the station only lists UNT as the licensee.  Not the same as ownership.  

https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/fm-profile/KNTU

Radio Locator lists UNT as owner.

[greenjoe]

Have any of you listened to 88.1 lately ?  I have yet to hear what I believe to be a real human being broadcasting in real time.  
 

And I too think an on-campus radio station should be broadcasting all NT football and man’s BB games.  

[UNT 90 Grad]

34 minutes ago, greenjoe said:

Have any of you listened to 88.1 lately ?  I have yet to hear what I believe to be a real human being broadcasting in real time.  
 

And I too think an on-campus radio station should be broadcasting all NT football and man’s BB games.  

I heard someone last night.  I think it was live, but not sure.  I chuckled because he made reference to something taking place in “Denton, America”.

[greenjoe]

I’ve heard that, too.  I think that’s “canned.”   Speaking of which, when I hear the KNTU official signature on the hour, they say, “ McKinney, Dallas, Ft. Worth.”  Do they no longer broadcast from Denton ?

[VideoEagle]

44 minutes ago, greenjoe said:

I’ve heard that, too.  I think that’s “canned.”   Speaking of which, when I hear the KNTU official signature on the hour, they say, “ McKinney, Dallas, Ft. Worth.”  Do they no longer broadcast from Denton ?

That one I can answer as I asked Russ Cambell about the change in licensing back 10+ years ago when it happened. KNTU-FM is licensed to McKinney, Dallas and Fort Worth. That means they put what is called a city grade signal over enough of that area that the FCC considers them to "serve" the area. When they were first licensed at 440 watts, Denton county was about all they really covered with a city grade signal. When they got their power increase, the license was changed to Denton, Dallas, Fort Worth. 

Someone, I forget whom, was putting another radio station in the already crowed DFW market. For that station to be allowed to add Dallas and Fort Worth to their license, they paid for a three-way (maybe 4-way) move of licenses and transmitter sites. KNTU got a very nice chunk of change for making their license McKinney, Dallas, Fort Worth. Russ wouldn't tell me exactly how much, but he said it was a "no brainer" to make the change. 

Since Russ and Bud Buschardt retired, I don't have regular contact with anyone in RTF or Media Arts or what ever they are calling it now.