The Catamount Sports Network (CSN) is the radio broadcast service for Western Carolina University's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Three of Western Carolina's men's sports -- football, basketball, and baseball -- and one women's sport -- basketball -- are currently broadcast on a full-time schedule through the year. In 2005-06, CSN, in conjunction with WWCU-FM, expanded its coverage to include the 2005 Southern Conference women's soccer championship and trip to the NCAA Women's College Cup Championship, as well as several games of the inaugural Catamount softball season. That partnership was continued with coverage of the 2006 and '07 SoCon Softball tournament.

The network currently consists of six affiliates - one FM and five AM stations - ranging from Franklin to Hendersonville, blanketing western North Carolina with Catamount coverage. WWCU, Power 90dot5 FM in Cullowhee will serve as the flagship station for Catamount athletics during the 2007-08 seasons. As a part of that responsibility, WWCU houses the network's phone coupler in its Cullowhee studios. Check below for a complete listing of the Catamount Sports Network's affiliate stations.

Through a pair of sources, Western Carolina is also offering web casting of Catamount Sports Network broadcasts - by visiting the official home of Catamount athletics - www.CatamountSports.com or by accessing the streaming audio online by visiting the web site of the Cullowhee affiliate, WWCU-FM, at http://www.WWCUFM.com.

Six stations across Western North Carolina are slated to carry the 2008 broadcasts of the Catamount Sports Network (CSN). WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee returns as the flagship station in `08, serving as the host of the network coupler and as the lone FM station in the network. Also returning this season are 1600 AM WTZQ in Hendersonville; 1590 AM WBHN in Bryson City and 1480 AM, WPFJ - The Dove in Franklin; Jackson County Radio, 680 AM WRGC in Sylva; and a select schedule on 920 AM WPTL in Canton.

Gary Ayers returns as the play-by-play voice of the football Catamounts, and will continue his similar role with WCU men's basketball. He will be joined in the broadcast booth by a familiar voice as Jeff Bryson - who has served as the Public Address voice for WCU athletics since 1998 - will provide color analysis for WCU Football. Greg McLamb, a 2000 graduate of WCU, will patrol the sidelines as CSN will bring back its "in the trenches" sideline reporter after a one-year hiatus.

Ayers has been behind the play-by-play microphone for WCU's football and basketball games in 22 of the past 23 years and has been a familiar voice to the region's sports fans for over three decades. In addition to serving as the "Voice of the Catamounts," the Swain County native has done play-by-play for Pisgah High, Tuscola High, Franklin High, Cherokee High and Swain High football and basketball. Ayers also spent several seasons as the public address announcer for WCU Athletics.

Bryson's radio experience dates back over 20 years. During that time, he has worked at a variety of stations including WZZU-FM in Raleigh; WCHL-AM in Chapel Hill; WKSF-FM in Asheville; and served as the program director at WRGC-AM in Sylva. Bryson is no stranger to the Catamount Sports Network as he worked with CSN providing color analysis for football and men's basketball for the 1995 and `96 seasons. Additionally, he has provided various play-by-play football and basketball broadcasts for Smoky Mountain, Franklin, Cherokee and Pisgah High Schools over the past 18 years.

Since 1998, Bryson has been the Public Address voice at Western Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball games.

Other voices that are scheduled to be heard on CSN this fall include former Sports Information Director - and current Director of the Cats' "W" Club - Steve White and current Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, Daniel Hooker, with student general manager of WWCU-FM, Kyle McCurry, serving as the CSN broadcast producer and on-site engineer. For the 2008 season, White will highlight Western Carolina's magical run to the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship game, as well as pass along Catamount mythology with his lovable, "What's Up with Whitey" segment. Hooker, who is the primary contact for Catamount football, will also assist in the production of the pre-game show. The 2001 graduate of WCU also assists with men's basketball broadcasts, as well as handles play-by-play duties for Catamount baseball.

Hooker's radio experience began in 1997 as a student announcer at WWCU-FM in Cullowhee. He served as an on-air personality for daily shifts, as well as helped start an interactive sports talk show, "Sports Talk LIVE," which covered Western Carolina sports. His experience also includes broadcasting Lady Catamount basketball during the 2001 season with the aforementioned Crumpler, a season as the play-by-play announcer for the Coastal Plain League-member Thomasville Hi-Toms Baseball team in Thomasville, N.C., and two seasons as the color analyst for the Charleston (SC) Swamp Foxes Arena Football team (af2). He also spent one season on the sidelines during the Catamount Sports Network's coverage of Catamount football in 2001. During the fall, Hooker contributes to each football broadcast with the "Catamount Calendar" piece, and is a staple on the WWCU-FM show, "In the Litterbox," which airs each Wednesday night at 7:00 pm on Power 90dot5. He also handles the weekly "Catamount Two-Minute Drill," which is a recap of all Catamount athletics that airs on WWCU.

A 2001 graduate of Western Carolina University, Hooker is originally from Liberty, NC, and now resides in Cullowhee.

Steven Crumpler is slated to continue his role for a fourth season as the play-by-play announcer for Lady Catamount basketball. A 15-year veteran of radio, Crumpler is a former program coordinator of WWCU-FM in Cullowhee. Before arriving in Cullowhee, Crumpler served as the student station manager at WSIF-FM in Wilkesboro, NC while obtaining his associates degree in broadcasting from Wilkes Community College in 1997. During the same period, Crumpler also worked as an announcer for the 100,000-watt super station WKBC-FM/AM in North Wilkesboro. All told, the Whiteville, N.C., native has called Lady Catamount basketball for six seasons dating back to 2000.

The Catamount Sports Network broadcasts using the Tie-Line i-Mix G3 unit, with network breaks transmitted through a 360 Systems Instant Replay machine. Also in use are a six-channel Shure M367 Mixer and a Shure PGX2/SM58 Handheld Transmitter and PGX4 Diversity Receiver.

---

© 2009 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use | About Us | Advertise | Feedback | XML RSS Feeds