Half of NCAA Tourney Airs in HDTV on KFSM

KFSM, Channel 5, didn’t air the first three rounds of the NCAA college basketball tournament in high-definition television. But the final three rounds of “March Madness” will be in HDTV.

Van Comer, the station’s general manager, said except for one game, CBS had provided affiliates nationwide with an HDTV feed that wasn’t synchronized with the analog feed. Without another system on which to air local advertising, KFSM would have lost that advertising revenue by airing the HDTV feed during the first three rounds. Comer said ad rates during the tournament range from $300 to $1,400 for a 30-second spot. With fewer games being played during the final three rounds, the HDTV feed allowed for local ads, he explained.

“Many stations around the country are in a similar predicament,” Comer said.

Starting with the “Elite Eight” regional semi-finals on March 26, the remainder of the tourney was to be broadcast in HDTV on Channel 5. The “Final Four” will air from 5-10 p.m. April 2, and the championship game is slated for 8-10:30 p.m. April 4.

Comer noted that KFSM will air the entire Masters Golf Tournament, including early rounds, in HDTV on April 7 and 8.