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	1993 (as Hilltoppers Television Network)
Picture format	SDTV 480i (1993–2015); HDTV 1080i (2015–present)
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 in 1993 as the Hilltopper Television Network, games broadcast over the network were broadcast over the university's PBS member station WKYU-TV, and fed via satellite to WBNA-TV in Louisville, and also fed to three other television stations, and onto two cable systems in central and northern Kentucky ^[1]

The network was renamed as the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network (HSSN) in late 2000.^[2] The HSSN, who works through a partnership with Western Kentucky University, the WKU Athletic Department, and WKYU-TV, has helped the Hilltoppers make over 150 television appearances since 2010.^[3] While WKYU-TV serves as the flagship station, Louisville-based independent station WBNA (formerly an Ion Television affiliate) serves as an affiliate to make WKU Basketball games available in the Louisville metropolitan area.^[4]^[5]

While a member of the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2014-15 season, some WKU Basketball games aired on WKYU-TV were syndicated by Creative Sports (later ESPN Regional Television) during the 1990s and 2000s. Sometimes, during the 1990s and 2000s, the HSSN package competed with Jefferson Pilot/Lincoln Financial Media (now Raycom Sports) broadcasts of Southeastern Conference sporting events and ESPN Plus-operated SEC TV on ABC affiliate WBKO, who previously broadcast select WKU road games on a tape-delayed basis alongside the live syndicated SEC games before the network was formed.^[1]

Game broadcasts

The HSSN's basketball broadcasts are mainly an audio simulcast of game broadcasts of the Hilltoppers Sports Radio Network, with the live video being simulcast from the ESPN+ streaming service, Fox College Sports, who broadcast most of WKU's games nationally via satellite and/or cable television, some of which most major cable and satellite providers offered as part of an out-of-market sports package, was the previous regional broadcaster for select WKU games until the end of the 2017-18 season.^[6]

WKYU-TV programs HSSN broadcasts of WKU basketball from early December to early March.^[7] Historically, the HSSN broadcast package mostly Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball games, but its season package often included some women's basketball games as well. 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. From 2014 until 2023, WKYU-TV also broadcast WKU-involved matches broadcast by the American Sports Network and its successor, Stadium, an ad hoc syndication service owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns Nashville Fox affiliate WZTV and MyNetworkTV affiliate WUXP-TV, that can be received over-the-air in Bowling Green.

Affiliates

Current

DMA	Station^[3]^[7]^[8]	Channel (RF)	Affiliation	Notes
Bowling Green	WKYU-TV	24.1 (18.1)	PBS	Flagship station of HSSN; also has cable coverage in the north-central fringes of the Nashville, Tennessee market. See WKYU-TV article for more information.^[9]
Louisville	WBNA	21.1 (8.1)	Independent

Former

DMA	Station	Channel (RF)	Years of affiliation	Notes
Hopkinsville	WKAG-CA^[1]^[10]^[11]	43	2001-200?	Defunct as of 2011
Campbellsville, Kentucky	WGRB	34	1993-9?
Goldvein, Virginia	WNVT	53	1993-9?	Charter affiliate; now licensed to Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia
East Bernstadt/London, Kentucky	WOBZ-LD^[12]	9	2000-200?	Now Richmond, Kentucky-licensed WBON-LD
Louisville	W50CI-D	8.1 (50.1)	2013-2017	Was a LPTV translator of WBNA until it became a Buzzr affiliate in March 2017.
Louisville	WYCS	24	2000-200?	Replaced by WBNA
Owensboro	OCTV-71^[12]	Cable 71	2000-200?
Southeastern United States	Comcast Sports Southeast	Various	2000-2004?	^[11]^[2]^[13]
Eastern United States	FCS Atlantic	Various	2008?-2017

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

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Medley, Joe (November 23, 1993). "Hilltopper TV Network born". Park City Daily News. pp. 1A, 3A – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b Gamblin, Jr., Bill (November 15, 2000). "TV deal finalized for WKU". Park City Daily News – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b “Get to Know the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers”. University of Texas at San Antonio. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
^ “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball games”. Archived from the original 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
^ “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball games”. WKUSports.com (October 14, 2015). Retrieved October 15, 2015.
^ "1 Big Red Way". WKYU-TV. Archived from the original April 29, 2001. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Sargent, Billy Tom (October 17, 2018). "Every Topper game selected for TV/digital streaming". Daily News. Bowling Green, KY.
^ Staff Report (October 22, 2019). Tops add 24 games to initial TV broadcast slate. Bowling Green Daily News, October 22, 2019, page 3B.
^ Where to Watch US | WKU PBS
^ WKAG-TV 43 Hopkinsville, Kentucky - WKAG Facts. Archived from the original August 11, 2003. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Hoptown station joins Tops' network". Park City Daily News. December 14, 2001. p. 2C – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b Gamblin Jr., Bill (November 15, 2000). "TV deal finalized for WKU". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 5B. Retrieved February 17, 2024 – via Google Books.
^ Compton, Michael (December 9, 2005). "WKU announces new TV contract". Park City Daily News. p. 3C.

External links

Official Website of WKU Athletics

[HTNborn-1] Medley, Joe (November 23, 1993). "Hilltopper TV Network born". Park City Daily News. pp. 1A, 3A – via Google Books.

[WKUTVdeal-2] Gamblin, Jr., Bill (November 15, 2000). "TV deal finalized for WKU". Park City Daily News – via Google Books.

[UTSA-3] “Get to Know the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers”. University of Texas at San Antonio. Retrieved October 15, 2015.

[hssn-1-4] “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball games”. Archived from the original 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 15, 2016.

[hssn-2-5] “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball games”. WKUSports.com (October 14, 2015). Retrieved October 15, 2015.

[6] "1 Big Red Way". WKYU-TV. Archived from the original April 29, 2001. Retrieved July 2, 2019.

[wku2019-7] Sargent, Billy Tom (October 17, 2018). "Every Topper game selected for TV/digital streaming". Daily News. Bowling Green, KY.

[8] Staff Report (October 22, 2019). Tops add 24 games to initial TV broadcast slate. Bowling Green Daily News, October 22, 2019, page 3B.

[9] Where to Watch US | WKU PBS

[wkag2003-10] WKAG-TV 43 Hopkinsville, Kentucky - WKAG Facts. Archived from the original August 11, 2003. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

[pcdn01-11] "Hoptown station joins Tops' network". Park City Daily News. December 14, 2001. p. 2C – via Google Books.

[pcdn11152000-12] Gamblin Jr., Bill (November 15, 2000). "TV deal finalized for WKU". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 5B. Retrieved February 17, 2024 – via Google Books.

[13] Compton, Michael (December 9, 2005). "WKU announces new TV contract". Park City Daily News. p. 3C.

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v t e 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 Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1914–15 1915–16 1916–21 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 1999–2000 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 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball
Venues	E. A. Diddle Arena (1973–present)
Culture & lore	Big Red
People	Head coaches
Seasons	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 1999–2000 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 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Western Kentucky University
Located in: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Academics	Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky
Athletics	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Men's basketball Women's basketball Baseball Hilltopper Sports Network Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network Western Kentucky Big Red Marching Band Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium E. A. Diddle Arena Conference USA
Campus	College Heights Herald Henry Hardin Cherry Hall Kentucky Museum Van Meter Hall Western Kentucky University Heating Plant
Life	Big Red VAMPY WKU Public Radio WKYU-TV WWHR WKUE
People	List of Western Kentucky University people
Founded: 1906 Students: 21,048 Endowment: 109.9 million