FSCC awards Greyhound rights to Pittsburg station

Fort Scott Community College has awarded the radio broadcast rights to Greyhound sporting events to KSEK-AM radio in Pittsburg.

KSEK is an ESPN Radio affiliate and has an all-sports format on 1340 AM. KSEK carried the Citizens Bank Bowl game last December after winning the rights to the broadcast from the bowl committee.

This also means that Fort Scott Broadcasting, owners of KMDO-AM and KOMB-FM, will no longer be able to broadcast Greyhound athletics after doing so for the past 40 years.

Fort Scott Broadcasting owner Tim McKenney said that the station wanted to retain the rights but that his proposal apparently did not give FSCC everything it was seeking.

"He (J.D. Ettore, FSCC athletic director) called me and told me that the other station had given them a proposal that they felt was in the best interest of the junior college to take," McKenney said Thursday afternoon. "And this was because (KSEK) is going to carry basketball games and do some things that the junior college wanted done that were not in my proposal. So I wished them the best and we do wish them the best."

McKenney said his proposal included continuing coverage of Greyhound football with a coaches show and pre- and post-game shows but did not guarantee basketball coverage.

He also said that the awarding of the rights to KSEK was not something that popped out of nowhere.

"I received an e-mail from the juco -- I'd have to look at exactly when -- but it was a proposal for any radio station to bid on the rights to carry Greyhound sports," McKenney said. "And there were several requirements that they wanted included in the proposal."

McKenney won't have a hole in his programming schedule, however. On Monday, he will have a meeting with representatives from Kansas State University's radio network and hopes to add coverage of K-State sports to his station's lineup. McKenney said K-State has been seeking an affiliation in the area for quite some time. KMDO/KOMB will also continue to broadcast University of Kansas sports.

He added that the stations still support FSCC and want the college and its athletic programs to succeed.

NOTES: The Tribune attempted to contact Ettore by phone and e-mail Thursday afternoon. The Tribune also attempted to contact Mike Snow of KSEK. Ettore did not return the contact requests prior to the time the Tribune needed to go over the Fort Scott High School softball games. Snow was preparing to broadcast a high-school baseball game and was not available for comment.