Coverage has evolved over 50 years

Fifty years have passed since the first televised broadcast of the Michigan-Michigan State game, and the excitement surrounding the rivalry has not abated.

When WWJ-TV first broadcast the intrastate game, only 2,500 homes in the Detroit area saw Michigan trounce Michigan State 55-0. Saturday's contest will probably be viewed by more than 1.6 million households, a far cry from the game's humble beginnings.

"It's a wonderful matchup," said Dean Diltz, senior publicist for ESPN, which will be televising the game. "Any time you have a state rivalry, that heightens the excitement level."

For the first televising of the match-up, WWJ-TV only had five workers and two cameras inside the stadium. When ESPN crews come to East Lansing on Saturday, they will carry quite a larger load. They expect to bring at least 12 cameras and upwards of 85 people for the entire production. ESPN's broadcast of the event will include a pre-game show, and is expected to be one of their higher rated games of the college football season.

Fifty years ago, in order to beam the broadcast from Michigan Stadium all the way to WWJ-TV's 5,000-watt station in Detroit, relay dishes were mounted on top of a windmill at the crest of Tuomy Ridge. Two extra crew members were assigned the task of operating the dishes in the basement of a nearby farmhouse.

"I think that first televised game was part of the ongoing saga of the information age," said Bruce Madej, assistant athletic director for media relations.

Television has not only been a casual observer of football, but has affected the game as well. Nowadays, game times are regularly scheduled to fit television time slots.

"I think television has brought both good and bad things to the game," Madej said. "For example, we don't like starting the game at 3:30. We like 12 just fine. Television is a mixed bag. The good part is that it allows fans and alumni across the state and the nation to see the game."

In addition, the televising of football and other sports has brought millions of dollars in advertising sales to broadcast companies. At the first televising of the Michigan-Michigan State confrontation, signs for advertisers were held in front of the camera.

Many Michigan students will watch the game on television rather than pay the stiff prices scalpers are asking. For many, television serves as a lower-cost alternative to viewing the game in person.

"My friend said he could get six tickets for $700," said LSA first-year student Brian Pierce. "That's a little too steep."

If he cannot find less expensive tickets, Pierce said he will probably watch the game on TV. Television viewing, however, is a poor substitute for actually being present at the game, Pierce said.

"By watching it on TV, you don't get the full effect of the motion of the game," Pierce said. "When you're at the game, your heart starts to pump. You have to be there."

Other students expressed similar sentiments. "You feel the excitement of the crowd," said SNRE first-year student Joel Cupp. "There's an electricity at the game. When 100,000 people sing the fight song, it's amazing."

10-24-97