The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

FRISCO, Texas – For the second consecutive season, the Lamar football team will have two games air across the region via the Southland Conference Television Network, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.

The games will be showcased on more than 20 affiliates in four states, increasing the network’s reach to more than 11.2 million households. Locally, fans will be able to watch on KUIL (12.3) in Beaumont and KUBE (57.1) in Houston. All games will also be carried nationally on ESPN3.

“The Southland Conference is proud to announce its fifth year of programming with another solid broadcast schedule and a great group of affiliates,” Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett said. “There are loyal stations that have been with us from day one, plus new stations that will be with us entering the 2012 season. I believe their viewers will see a great product, not only on the field of play from our student-athletes, but in high-quality, award-winning production of the network.”

Lamar will make its first appearance of the season on September 29, when the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana make the trek to Provost Umphrey Stadium. The two sides met on the network last season, with the Cardinals scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half to secure a victory in their first Southland Conference game since 1986.

The network will return to Beaumont the following month as LU plays host to Sam Houston State on October 27. The Bearkats are coming off of a National Championship Game appearance last season.

The final two regular-season Saturdays have been designated for “wild card” broadcasts, allowing the network to air the best possible games as the conference race shapes up. The Nov. 10 game will be one of three possible matchups: Nicholls State at Lamar, Sam Houston State at Northwestern State or Stephen F. Austin at Southeastern Louisiana. The Nov. 17 contest will feature either Lamar at McNeese State or Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin in the annual “Battle for Chief Caddo.”

The network will also televise the championship matches of the Southland Conference soccer and volleyball tournaments as part of its fall broadcast schedule. The soccer championship is Sunday, Nov. 4, while the volleyball championship follows on Sunday, Nov. 18.

Live coverage in Texas markets includes Abilene-Sweetwater on KRBC (9.2); Amarillo on KCPN (19.2); Austin on Time Warner YNN Sports (408/77); Corpus Christi on KIII (3.2); Dallas-Fort Worth on KTXD (47.1); Lubbock on KMYL (22.2); Midland-Odessa on KWWT (30.1); San Antonio on KCWX (2.1/2.2); Tyler-Longview on KYTX (19.2); and Waco-Temple-Bryan on KCEN (6.2).

The list of Louisiana markets includes Baton Rouge on WBTR (41); Lake Charles on KVHP (29.2); Morgan City on KWBJ (22); New Orleans on WHNO (20.1/20.2) and Shreveport on KPXJ (21.1).

In Arkansas, the games can be found on Little Rock’s KARZ (42.2).

Viewers in Oklahoma City and Tulsa can watch on Oklahoma’s Cox Channel (3/703).

The Southland Conference continues to pursue agreements in other markets, and the list of affiliates will vary week to week, so check Southland.org/television for a carriage list prior to each game.

In addition to syndicated television coverage, all games will stream live and on demand as part of the new Southland Digital Network at southland.org. Broadcasts also will be carried by ESPN3, which is available online at watchespn.com and the WatchESPN app on iPhone, iPad, Android and Xbox LIVE systems.

Tape-delayed coverage will be available nationwide via Fox College Sports Central. Regionally, replays will be shown on Comcast SportsNet Houston and Cox Sports Television. All events will also be available on demand on the Southland Digital Network mobile and tablet applications as well as the Southland Affiliate Network and SmartTV applications.

The Southland Conference Television Network became a reality in 2008 and has broadcast more than 100 events during its first four years. The network earned a College Sports Media Award in 2009-10 for best live/game event in the collegiate division, following that up with an honorable mention in the professional division (2010-11) and a nomination in the collegiate division (2011-12). Plus, the network has captured five Telly awards.