In the wake of a crippling budget crunch, the ISU Athletic Department struck a $1.7 million multimedia marketing rights agreement with radio giant Clear Channel Sports and ESPN Regional Television, athletics officials said.

The five-year agreement, which was reached Friday, will bring in new revenue for Iowa State during the next five years. It will begin in Fall 2002 and includes a three-year extension option.

The contract will enhance the school’s radio and television networks and installation of a new video scoreboard at Jack Trice Stadium.

Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde said the agreement means greater exposure of Cyclone athletics from every aspect of media.

For ISU football, it means an FM flagship station in eastern Iowa, he said.

For men’s and women’s basketball, the agreement means potentially more markets watching Cyclone games, said Bob Helmers, national director of distribution and clearance for ESPN Regional. Helmers said the men’s program has the potential to be viewed in more markets than the women’s.

The agreement also means an instant replay, state-of-the-art video screen on the scoreboard at Jack Trice Stadium, Van De Velde said.

Van De Velde said this plan helps a financially struggling department. The athletic department cut two programs last spring, the baseball team and the men’s swimming team.

“It helped us out in finances and maximizing our revenue potential at no extra cost,” he said.

ESPN Regional and Clear Channel will hire a sales staff, Van De Velde said, which lets the ISU athletic marketing staff to focus on season ticket and single-game ticket sales, promotions and event management.

Van De Velde said most of the revenue produced over the life of the contract is not new. The athletic department was generating a significant portion of the revenue rights fees beforehand.

In the next five years, the rights fees from television, radio and corporate sponsorship will total $8.2 million, including the new revenue of $1.7 million from the ESPN and Clear Channel agreement.

Van De Velde said, “The additional revenue doesn’t kick in ’til years three, four and five.”

For 13 years, Clear Channel has owned the radio rights to ISU football and men’s and women’s basketball.

Nearly 40 Clear Channel stations statewide broadcast ISU football and men’s basketball games, and 25 stations broadcast women’s basketball games.

ESPN Regional Television enters its fifth year as the rights holder for ISU men’s basketball games and the basketball coaches’ shows.