In an announcement from the athletic department, another Cyclone football game will be televised this season, bringing the total to two, while WOI-TV will continue to exclusively bring fans the Cyclone Television Network.

WOI-TV, the ABC affiliate in Des Moines, has reached an agreement with Iowa State to air the annual ISU/Iowa football game Sept. 10, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m.

The other football game being televised is the second-ever meeting against Army at the West Point Military Academy in New York. That game is Friday, Sept. 23 with a 7 p.m. kick-off and will be seen around the world on ESPN2.

The decision to televise the Army game came after an agreement was reached between the Military Academy and ESPN.

Head football coach Dan McCarney was happy to give something back to the “young people around the world protecting our freedoms.”

“It’s good to give them something nice to watch, even if it’s just three hours of college football against Army,” he said. “We just want to thank them and inspire them.”

In addition, McCarney was excited about having two of his Cyclones’ first three games televised to national audiences.

“Rarely do teams get two of their first non-conference games shown on television,” he said. “This gives a lot of the country a chance to see our team and program, so it’s a plus all the way around.”

Not only does this help the football team gain national attention and financial reward, but the other sports at Iowa State stand to gain some financial benefits as well.

With TV comes shares, meaning money for the university. In conference games, there is only one share. But, the share doubles when a non-conference game is televised.

“This helps all 18 sports,” McCarney said. “We’ve had more televised games in the last two years than we probably have in the past 90 years.”

In a related announcement, WOI-TV will continue as the flagship station of the Cyclone Television Network as it will carry a full schedule of men’s basketball games, including Big-12 games on Saturdays. In addition, Channel 5 will air the Coach Wayne Morgan Show hosted by Channel 5 Eyewitness News Sports Director and Voice of the Cyclones, John Walters.

“We are pleased that Channel 5 WOI-TV will continue to anchor our basketball telecasts and coaches shows,” said Athletic Director Bruce Van De Velde in a statement. “Our local package is one of the most comprehensive networks in the country.”

Ray Cole, President of Citadel Broadcasting and Acting General Manager of WOI-TV, said in a statement he was pleased with the announcement to broadcast Cyclone basketball.

“In Central Iowa, nobody can beat the Cyclones when it comes to fan interest and excitement,” Cole said.

“They are the number one sports franchise in our viewing area.”

WOI-TV’s association with the university goes back 55 years to its inception. Central Iowa’s first television station was owned and operated by Iowa State for 45 years.

The station can be seen throughout 33 counties in Iowa over the air, on cable or satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network.