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	SDTV 480i (1999–2015); 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 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 independent station WBNA (formerly an Ion Television affiliate) serves as an affiliate to make WKU Basketball games available in the Louisville metropolitan area.^[2]^[3]

While a member of the Sun Belt Conference previously, some WKU Basketball games aired on WKYU-TV were syndicated by (later ESPN Plus) during the 1990s and 2000s. Sometimes, 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 from the 1990s until 2014.

Game broadcasts[]

The HSSN's basketball broadcasts are mainly an audio simulcast of game broadcasts of the Hilltopper IMG Sports Network, with the live video being simulcasted from Fox College Sports, who broadcasts most of WKU's games regionally, or in some cases, 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.^[4]

WKYU-TV programs HSSN broadcasts of WKU basketball from early December to early March.^[5] Historically, the HSSN broadcast package mostly WKU 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. Since 2014, WKYU-TV also broadcast WKU-involved matches broadcast by the American Sports Network (now Stadium), an ad hoc syndication service owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns two Nashville-based stations, Fox affiliate WZTV and MyNetworkTV affiliate WUXP-TV, that can be received over-the-air in Bowling Green.

Affiliates[]

Current[]

DMA	Station^[1]^[5]^[6]	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.^[7]
Louisville	WBNA	21.1 (8.1)	Independent

Former[]

DMA	Station	Channel (RF)	Years of affiliation	Notes
Hopkinsville	WKAG-CA^[8]	43	199?-200?	Defunct as of 2011
Louisville	W50CI-D	8.1 (50.1)	2013-2017	Was a LPTV translator of WBNA until it became a Buzzr affiliate in March 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.

Sponsors[]

Houchens Industries
Prairie Farms
Minit Mart Foods Inc.

References[]

^ ^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.

External links[]

Official Website of WKU Athletics

[UTSA-1] “Get to Know the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers”. University of Texas at San Antonio. Retrieved October 15, 2015.

[hssn-1-2] “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-2-3] “Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network to Televise 18 WKU Basketball games”. WKUSports.com (October 14, 2015). Retrieved October 15, 2015.

[4] "1 Big Red Way". WKYU-TV. Archived from the original April 29, 2001. Retrieved July 2, 2019.

[wku2019-5] Sargent, Billy Tom (October 17, 2018). "Every Topper game selected for TV/digital streaming". Daily News. Bowling Green, KY.

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

[7] Where to Watch US | WKU PBS

[wkag2003-8] WKAG-TV 43 Hopkinsville, Kentucky - WKAG Facts. Archived from the original August 11, 2003. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

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v t Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
Venues	(1920–1931) (1931–1963) E. A. Diddle Arena (1963–present)
Culture & lore	Big Red
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1914–15 1916–21 1922–23 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1975–76 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1985–86 1986–87 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2004–05 2005–06 2007–08 2008–09 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball
Venues	E. A. Diddle Arena (1973–present)
Culture & lore	Big Red
People
	1984–85 1985–86 1991–92 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2020–21
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t 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 IMG Sports 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