Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network

Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network
Type	Digital broadcast television network/syndication service
Country	United States
Availability	Bowling Green, Kentucky and Louisville, Kentucky media markets
Owner	Western Kentucky University
Launch date	1999
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Official website	www.wkusports.com

The Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network (HSSN) is a viewer-supported, student-run, and seasonal syndicated programming service based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It features live broadcasts of men’s and women’s college basketball events of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, the sporting team representing Western Kentucky University. The institution is currently a member of Conference USA.

History

Founded prior to the 1999-2000 season, HSSN, who works through a partnership with Western Kentucky University, the WKU Athletic Department, and university-operated PBS member station WKYU-TV, has helped the Hilltoppers make over 150 appearances since 2010. ^[1]

While WKYU-TV serves as the flagship station, Louisville-based Ion Television affiliate WBNA-TV serves as a regular affiliate to not only make WKU Basketball games available there, but also expand HSSN’s coverage to Louisville’s southern Indiana suburbs. ^[2] ^[3] The HSSN’s basketball broadcasts are mainly an audio simulcast of WKU’s Radio sports network, Hilltopper IMG Sports Network, with the live video being simulcasted from Fox College Sports, who broadcasts most of WKU’s games nationally. While a member of the Sun Belt Conference previously, WKU Basketball was syndicated by Creative Sports (later ESPN Plus) during the 1990s and 2000s, sometimes competing with ABC affiliate WBKO’s broadcasts of Southeastern Conference sporting events from Jefferson Pilot/Lincoln Financial Sports (now Raycom Sports), which were broadcast on that station until 2009, and ESPN Plus-operated SEC TV until 2014.

Historically, the HSSN broadcast mostly WKU Hilltoppers men’s basketball games, but its season package often included some women’s basketball games involving the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers. In 2015, the HSSN purchased a $2 million fully-high definition mobile production facility, making the game broadcasts available in full 16:9 high definition.

Affiliates

DMA	Station ^[2]	Affiliation	Channel VC (RF)	Notes/Reference
Bowling Green	WKYU-TV	PBS	24.1 (18.1)	Flagship station of HSSN; also has cable coverage in far northern reaches of the Nashville, Tennessee media market. ^[4]
Louisville	WBNA	ION Television	21.1 (8.1)
Louisville	W50CI-D	ION Television	8.1 (50.1)	Main channel is a low-power translator of WBNA

Funding and Sponsorship

Because HSSN flagship WKYU-TV is a viewer-supported television station, the HSSN was mainly funded by local merchants who are supporters of the sports teams of WKU, as well as some WKU Hilltopper fans that view the games via television, especially those who live within the Bowling Green media market.

References

↑ Get to Know the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. University of Texas at San Antonio. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
1 2 “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball Games.” WBKO. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
↑ “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball Games.” WKUSports.com (October 14, 2015). Retrieved October 15, 2015.
↑ Where to Watch US | WKU PBS

External links

Official Website of WKU Athletics

Television stations in South Central Kentucky, including Bowling Green and Glasgow

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Local stations

WBKO (13.1 ABC, 13.2 FOX, 13.3 The CW)

W14DG-D (14.1/14.2 Silent, 14.3 Laff)

WKYU (24.1 PBS, 24.2 Create, 24.3 NWS Weather radar with KIH45 audio)

WCZU-LD (39.1 Ant.TV/MNTV, 39.2 Buzzr, 39.3 Bounce TV, 39.4 SBN, 39.5 Grit, 39.6 Escape)

WNKY (40.1 NBC, 40.2 CBS)

WKGB (53.1 PBS/KET, 53.2 KET2, 53.3 KY Channel)

Outlying areas

WPBM-CD (31.1 Religious Ind./Walk TV/GEB America – Scottsville KY)

Cable television stations

Bowling Green	BGTV4 HSSN (seasonal, through WKYU-TV) cn\|5 WKU Cable 12

Glasgow	EPB 24/7 EPB6 SCTV-6

Other areas	MC22 (Morgantown/Brownsville)

Adjacent locals

Nashville	WSMV (4.1 NBC, 4.2 Heartland) WTVF (5.1 CBS, 5.2 NewsChannel 5+, 5.3 Laff) WZTV (17.1 Fox, 17.2 WXNation, 17.3 Antenna TV) WNPX-TV (28.1 ION, 28.2 Qubo, 28.3 ION Life, 28.4 Ion Shop, 28.5 QVC Over Air, 28.6 HSN) WUXP-TV (30.1 MNTV, 30.2 GetTV, 30.3 Comet)

Elizabethtown (KY)	WKZT-TV (23.1 PBS/KET, 23.2 KET2, 23.3 KY Channel)

Louisville	WLKY (32.1 CBS, 32.2 Me-TV WBKI-TV (34.1 The CW, 34.2 Movies!, Campbellsville) WDRB (41.1 Fox, 41.2 Antenna TV) WMYO (58.1 MNT, 58.2 Cozi TV)

Defunct stations

"WBWG" (The WB/WB 100+, cable only)

W60DC / WKUW-LP 60 (TBN)

WKUG-LP 62 (TBN, Glasgow)

WKUT-LP/LD 64/25.1 (TBN)

W55AL 55 (PBS/KET via WKSO-TV, Tompkinsville)

Kentucky broadcast television areas by city: Bowling Green; Charleston, WV; Cincinnati, OH; Evansville, IN; Knoxville, TN; Lexington; Louisville; Paducah

See also: Nashville TV

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball

Venues	Red Barn (1920–1931) Health & Physical Education Building (1931–1963) E. A. Diddle Arena (1963–present)

Culture & lore	Big Red

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

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