Bell Tolls for Hogs

We caught wind that the University of Arkansas athletic department was on the verge of a major announcement Feb. 17 but couldn’t get the Razorbacks administration to confirm the info before this publication went to print.

However, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal learned that the athletic department had apparently found a major sponsor for all of its athletic programs. In the Jan. 10 edition of “Outtakes,” we explained how the Hogs wanted to change the way they divided up their marketing among a variety of sponsors.

We heard the new sugar daddy would be Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., giving it an early coup d’etat in what’s expected to be a heated local phone service battle between Bell and Alltel Corp. of Little Rock.

Alltel previously sponsored the Razorbacks’ signage and its Hog Trough tailgating party for football games. Southwestern Bell previously bought advertising on the university’s football and basketball radio networks.

The new deal apparently not only includes sponsorship for the Razorbacks but all of the Hogs’ telephone and wireless service as well.

The detail that’s least certain is how much Southwestern Bell is coughing up for the project. The estimate we hear is between $5 million and $6 million annually, but it’s had to say for sure.

One thing we do know is any company in Arkansas that’s able to make its name synonymous with the Razorbacks will have a leg, or a hoof, up on the competition.