ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2023

EDITOR’S LETTER TRACY RENCK

Bull riders Ky Hamilton, left, and Stetson Wright celebrate with a victory lap after splitting the Round 8 win at the 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge in Las Vegas. Wright and Hamilton are two of the many reasons why non-rodeo fans should start watching the PRCA on live TV. PRCA ProRodeo file photo

Live TV coverage benefits fans and is worth the watch

T here’s an old-fashion sign in the office of the PRCA headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., that reads: Rodeo America’s No. 1 sport. People in the western industry definitely believe that statement. It’s obviously a harder sell to the general viewing public. Of course, the PRCA can’t compete against the NFL and NBA in viewership numbers, but the PRCA has made a lot of headway the past several years, thanks to The Cowboy Channel. Back on April 12, The PRCA and Rural Media Group announced an expanded schedule of PRCA rodeos on The Cowboy Channel, RFD-TV, The PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus, and The Cowgirl Channel. The expanded schedule now totals more than 900 PRCA performances annually over the three Rural Media Group television networks and the subscription based PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. The marquee event on The Cowboy Channel is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, which this year is Dec. 7-16 in Las Vegas. Rodeo keeps moving closer to becoming a mainstream sport. The PRCA will once again look to welcome a TV audience with an upcoming PRCA special. National Television outlet CBS will broadcast a one-hour special at 1 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, July 2 titled the “CBS Sports Spectacular – 100 Rodeos in 100 Days”.

The CBS telecast is great exposure for the PRCA and

must-watch for rodeo and non-rodeo fans alike.

The coolest thing about PRCA’s rodeos right now is

how many are on live TV.

That was not the case too long ago. For example, the 2002 NFR (Dec. 6-15) was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2, but the time slots were for diehard fans only. Rounds 1 through 7 were on ESPN2 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Round 8 was on ESPN at 1 a.m. Round 9 was on ESPN2 at 1 a.m. Then Round 10 was broadcast live on ESPN at 4 p.m. (ET). If you could stay up through the infomercials – outside of Round 10 – you might have been able to see your favorite contestants compete. Unfortunately, by the time you were watching it was old news because the NFR had started hours earlier. Fast-forward to the 2022 NFR in Las Vegas. It aired live nightly starting at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. (EST). The live coverage of the NFR could be found on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners, and online at cowboychannelplus.com. Live TV exposure makes rodeo – especially the PRCA

Tracy Renck is the editor of the ProRodeo

Sports News . He previously served more than seven years as a media coordinator at the PRCA. He has three decades of experience in sports journalism with the last several consumed by ProRodeo.

– a player in mainstream media.

It’s a win-win for fans and competitors. Rodeo will

never be the NFL, but no sport is.

However, rodeo – specifically the PRCA – keeps putting its name out there in the media world, which is great. The non rodeo fan needs to get to know and appreciate the countless stories that PRCA competitors have to tell the same way rodeo fans do.

Read more about the “CBS Sports Spectacular – 100 Rodeos in 100 Days” in an article written by PRCA’s Director of Communications & Media Becky Hillier on page 14.

A NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS OF OUR PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS : EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, REFUNDS OF SUBSCRIPTIONS WILL NO LONGER BE ISSUED.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/23/2023

6

ProRodeo.com