PARK CITY, Utah (Dec. 8) - The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association boasts an expansive television schedule this year, with 27 programs scheduled for broadcast throughout the 2003-04 season. Original programming includes eight hours of events on NBC and 17 events on ESPN. At least 16 of these programs will be rebroadcast on the Outdoor Life Network. In addition, OLN is committed independently to broadcast 16 World Cup races in Europe and Canada this winter.

"We are ecstatic about the volume of coverage and support from our broadcast partners," said Ted Morris, vice president of corporate sales and marketing for USSA. "It will go a long way in building the visibility of our athletes and events. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams had tremendous success last year, and this year is going to be even better. We have more stars than ever before, and these athletes are going to be visible for everyone to follow throughout the year."

Morris said being on NBC is terrific placement for ski racing programming as the network recently signed a deal to broadcast the Olympic Games through 2012. He also noted the value of programming on ESPN, considering its status as "the world-wide leader in sports," and the network's partnership with USSA, which has existed since 1984.

OLN's coverage puts ski racing in primetime thanks to its independent commitment to broadcast select European and Canadian World Cup races. In addition to re-airing programming from NBC and ESPN, OLN will be on location this season with same-day, in-depth coverage of 16 World Cup events. Events will air Saturdays at 7 p.m. EST, and will re-air Sundays at 5 p.m. The OLN broadcast team features Chad Fleisher, Pam Fletcher and Steve Porino. USSA believes in the value of television exposure, said Morris, and has invested about $5 million in programming. Several of USSA's long-term corporate partners, including Chevy Truck, Visa, Sprint, Charles Schwab, Earthlink and Anheuser-Busch, also support this belief and are on board with advertising during programming.

"It's obvious by the numbers that our sports have incredible visibility worldwide through multiple European and Asian broadcasters," he said. "Alpine World Cups generate viewership numbers of 15-20 million per race worldwide and jumping events range from 20-35 million worldwide." Monday, December 08, 2003.