Today’s news: Out on the town

October 19, 2007
By Billy Dennis

Unless noted, all links are via the Journal Star:

  • If this “GateHouse News Service” report on how Insight Cable is going to carry some Bradley University basketball games is anything other than a press release, I’ll eat my fictional season tickets. What? No one was available in the JS newsroom to make a phone call for an additional quote or two?
  • I found the tone of this article on the last of four public forums on the site if a proposed new Woodruff High School feeder school to be entirely too condescending. The writer accused those who wanted a two-school option for appealing to emotion. Really? They want to be able to send their children to a school within walking distance, and that makes them emotional? Feh. This brief article on 1470 WMBD probably caught the real news, that moderator Brad McMillan conceded that the two school option is on the table because of input the district received at the forum.
  • Peoria School District 150 is keeping the public in the dark about its plans for Manual High School, some say. At least the district is consistent.
  • The Peoria City Council will have five options to consider Tuesday when they discuss a proposal to expand the 4 a.m. liquor license zone. Great. That means the meeting is probably going to be that much longer. I’m favor of making the entire downtown area an “downtown entertainment zone,” with relaxed rules for providing alcohol AND entertainment. Either we want a vibrant, active nightlife in the downtown, or we don’t, and we need to stop businesses from having to jump through hoops when they try to provide exactly what they need to provide for this to happen.
  • It was an accident that killed Danny Dahlquist, the Peoria County Coroner says. Funny, I always though an accident was something like tripping down the stairs. Maybe the guy’s buddies were innocently walking outside Dahlquist’s bedroom when they tripped, and the fireworks they were holding fell out of their hands, slid underneath the locked bedroom door and were ignited by the friction. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I just hope all the legal technicalities interfere with their busy academic life at BU, where they are attending classes while awaiting trial for on charges of aggravated arson and possession of an explosive or incendiary device. No one who watches the justice system in Peoria thinks they will actually go to trial, heaven forbid, or be convicted of a crime that actually leads to prison time. So look for a plea agreement for something considerably less than aggravated arson.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

3 Responses to “ Today’s news: Out on the town ”

  1. Guffawing Gaffer on October 19, 2007 at 8:03 am

    Bill’s bitter today about the BU kids. Wonder why

  2. C. J. Summers on October 19, 2007 at 9:47 pm

    Journal Star story:

    Cable company will provide insight on BU
    Insight Communications will air at least 9 more Braves basektball games

    Friday, October 19, 2007
    from journal star news services

    PEORIA – An agreement has been reached between Bradley and Insight Communications for at least nine Bradley men’s basketball games to be televised this season.

    Together with the other TV agreements in place, at least 19 of the Braves’ 31 regular-season games will be telecast, equalling 1987-88 as the most contests on TV in program history.

    Check your local listings regarding the cable channel carrying these games. On-air broadcast talent for the Insight games has not yet been determined and will be announced at a later date.

    “We are elated by Insight’s willingness to step forward and become a key partner for Bradley University,” said BU athletics director Ken Kavanagh. “In particular, we are excited about the likelihood of all nine of our Valley road games being viewed by our terrific supporters.”

    Insight’s production package will begin with the regular-season opener Nov. 10 at Illinois-Chicago and will also feature the four Missouri Valley Conference road games not already designated for broadcast in the Peoria area – Jan. 2 at Missouri State, Jan. 12 at

    Northern Iowa, Feb. 2 at Evansville and Feb. 12 at Indiana State.

    Insight will also air the home game Jan. 23 vs. Illinois State and will work with Iowa State’s and Virginia Commonwealth’s broadcast partners on the Carver Arena visits by the Cyclones (Nov. 14) and Rams (Dec. 22).

    In addition to those eight games, Insight will make available on its system the Nov. 28 BU game at Loyola through Lakeshore Public Television.

    Insight has expressed interest in televising two other games – Dec. 11 at Wright State and Dec. 19 at Butler – but hasn’t yet secured enough sponsorship support. Businesses interested in sponsoring those games should call BU promotion director John Searby at 677-2687.

    Peoria PBS affiliate WTVP will air the Valley opener at home Dec. 29 against Northern Iowa.

    Other scheduled BU contests on various networks include: Nov. 23, Iowa, CSTV; Dec. 4, Michigan State, ESPNU; Jan. 8, at Southern Illinois, ESPNU; Jan. 26, at Wichita State, MVC-TV; Feb. 6, Missouri State, Mediacom; Feb. 9, at Illinois State, WMBD; Feb. 16, Creighton, MVC; Feb. 19, at Drake, MVC; Feb. 26, Southern Illinois, ESPN2 and March 1, at Creighton, MVC.

    See the scoreboard page for a complete listing of the Bradley television schedule for the 2007-08 season.

    Bradley University press release text:

    Bradley Announces TV Partnership with Insight Communications
    Courtesy: Bradley University | Release: 10/18/2007

    PEORIA, Ill. — Two weeks after WEEK-TV (Peoria NBC 25) announced it will not be televising Bradley men’s basketball games during the 2007-08 season, Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh today announced an agreement with Peoria cable provider Insight Communications to produce at least nine games this year. The agreement means at least 19 of Bradley’s 31 regular-season games during the 2007-08 season are scheduled for television broadcasts, equalling (1987-88) the most televised games in program history.

    “We are elated by Insight’s willingness to step forward and become a key partner for Bradley University,” said Kavanagh. “Insight is providing us the opportunity to show the great product that is Bradley Basketball to as many fans as possible. In particular, we are excited about the likelihood of all nine of our Valley road games being viewed by our terrific supporters. In addition to their own subscribers in Central Illinois, Insight also has expressed a willingness to share their productions with other cable providers outside its service area to provide what amounts to a Bradley Basketball television network.”

    “Although we are heading in a different direction, I would also like to thank general manager Mark DeSantis, announcer Lee Hall and the rest of the WEEK staff for the station’s long-standing support of Bradley Athletics,” Kavanagh added.

    Insight’s eight-game production package will begin with the regular-season opener Nov. 10 at Illinois-Chicago and also will feature the four Missouri Valley Conference road games not already designated for broadcast in the Peoria area: Jan. 2 at Missouri State, Jan. 12 at Northern Iowa, Feb. 2 at Evansville and Feb. 12 at Indiana State. Insight also will air the home game Jan. 23 versus Interstate 74 rival Illinois State and will work with Iowa State’s and VCU’s broadcast partners on the home games versus the Cyclones (Nov. 14) and Rams (Dec. 22). In addition to the minimum eight games the cable provider will produce, Insight also will make the Lakeshore Public Television broadcast of the Nov. 28 game at Loyola Chicago available on its system.

    With some additional sponsorship support, Kavanagh added that Insight has expressed an interest in televising Bradley’s remaining two road games that have not yet been selected for broadcast: Dec. 11 at Wright State and Dec. 19 at Butler. Businesses interested in providing sponsorship support to televise those games should contact John Searby, Bradley’s Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs, at (309) 677-2687.

    “We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support already demonstrated by both Wingate by Wyndam Hotel at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie and the Braves Club to step up and help make these broadcasts possible,” said Kavanagh. “In turn, we would love to see others follow suit in our continued pursuit of having every one of our road games being available back here in Peoria”.

    Including games that will be broadcast by Peoria PBS affiliate WTVP, Peoria CBS affiliate WMBD, ESPN2 and the Missouri Valley Conference on Fox Sports Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a minimum of 15 Bradley games will be delivered to Insight Classic cable subscribers during the 2007-08 season. The nine games delivered directly by the cable provider will air on Insight Marketplace channels (numbers vary by service areas). In addition to those nine games, the home contest Feb. 26 versus Southern Illinois will be televised nationally on ESPN2, while the Jan. 26 game at Wichita State, the Feb. 16 home game versus Creighton and the Feb. 19 clash at Drake all will be part of the MVC package on FSN Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago. WTVP will continue it’s long-standing partnership with Bradley University by airing the Valley opener at home versus Northern Iowa on Dec. 29 and the Feb. 9 game at Illinois State will be broadcast by Peoria CBS affiliate WMBD.

    “Chet Tomczyk and the great folks at WTVP have been terrific supporters of BU Athletics for many years and we are excited to have them involved once again with both our men’s and women’s programs,” said Kavanagh.

    WTVP will continue its 12-year partnership with Bradley by also telecasting the Braves’ two women’s games against Illinois State on Jan. 13 from Peoria and Feb. 10 in Normal. As many as two additional home women’s telecasts on WTVP still are possible.

    Three more national telecasts — Nov. 23 versus Iowa (CSTV), Dec. 4 versus Michigan State (ESPNU) and Jan. 8 at Southern Illinois (ESPNU) — will be available to Insight Digital Choice subscribers. The Braves also could have two more games selected for cable telecasts, the Feb. 23 home game in the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event on the ESPN family of networks and the March 1 regular-season finale at Creighton.

    The on-air talent for Insight’s Bradley Basketball telecasts has not yet been determined and will be announced at a later date.

    If you ask me, I think Billy is right.

  3. Today’s news: Open for business | Peoria Pundit on November 13, 2007 at 11:18 am

    [...] Bradley University is investigating what happened at the sorority talent show that led to the dangerous street brawl. No doubt BU is deeply concerned about student safety. Heaven forbid that something would happen to the students who drunkenly started a fire that killed their roommate. All are still attending classes on the Hilltop while awaiting trial for killing their friend. [...]