Founded 1999 | Launch date 1999 Official website www.wkusports.com | |
Mainstreet hilltopper sports satellite network
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.
Contents
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.
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. 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.
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.