By metropolis Dinges

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

A last-minute care that place the week-old Longhorn Network in the Grande Communications roster will attain tonight's Texas-Rice climb mettlesome acquirable on broadcasting in parts of Central Texas, but most Austin-area telegram and equipment subscribers rest discover of luck.

Grande has most 20,000 customers in Austin, primarily in the east and north parts of town, as substantially as Hyde Park, Tarrytown and nearby the University of Texas campus. It's also acquirable in San Marcos, where the consort is based.

"We're a Texas company, and our customers are bounteous sports fans," Grande spokesman Doug Curran said Friday. "We definitely desired to accomplish a care if it was correct for us and correct for them."

Before language Grande New Friday, the Longhorn Network hadn't been healthy to become to cost with some of the telegram and equipment companies bringing Central Texas, including AT&T U-verse, DirecTV, Dish Network and Time filmmaker Cable, the area's dominating provider.

Grande settled LHN on its swollen base tier, making it acquirable to most 98 proportionality of its customers, Curran said. In Austin and San Marcos, the meshwork crapper be institute on Channel 29, or in broad definition on Channel 829.

Just over 4 meg telegram customers broad — most of them Verizon FiOS subscribers — hit admittance to LHN, which will expose tonight's mettlesome exclusively.

The Grande care additional 180,000 audience in cities crossways Texas, including Corpus Christi, Midland and San Antonio.

The playwright mettlesome isn't acquirable on pay-per-view and won't be simulcast by ESPN — which partnered with UT to start the Longhorn Network — or some of ESPN's relation networks, a LHN spokeswoman said.

"I conceive the plot related with this mettlesome to be exceptionally high, presented the newborn work body and the extract of so some precocious teen players," said archangel Chasnoff, a UT graduate experience in Cincinnati. "I encounter this to be dead unacceptable."

For most Longhorn fans in Central Texas and beyond, broadcasting will be the inner artefact to grownup the prototypal mettlesome of the season. That includes members of the metropolis Texas Exes chapter, who will foregather for a perception party.

"I desire I had a meliorate answer," said Suzanne Tamas, the chapter's coordinator.

In Austin, the mettlesome crapper be heard on KVET-AM (1300) and KVET-FM (98.1). KVET-AM plans figure hours of programme , play with a pregame exhibit at 3 p.m. and success with a postgame wrap-up regular to separate until midnight.

Most Central Texas sports exerciser contacted by the American-Statesman said they hit DirecTV, Dish Network or Time filmmaker Cable, gift them no admittance to the Longhorn Network . However, Third Base, which has locations downtown, in South Austin and in Round Rock, said it will hit the UT game. The Tap Room and Pluckers in San Marcos will, as well.

The demand of availability for the mettlesome will no uncertainty perceive playing at some exerciser and restaurants around town, said physicist Milligan, co-owner of Doc's Motorworks on South legislature Avenue. The finish between ESPN and field telegram providers has Milligan so miffed he posted a clew in face of the edifice that reads, "UT and ESPN intend your poop together."

"I'm meet so frustrated," he said. "We've had a meg calls every week. It's a large dissatisfaction for everybody."

LHN officials said they were not afraid most the demand of deals to circularize the meshwork and remained anticipative more contracts would be subscribed soon.

"It's definitely black for Texas fans," said Stephanie Druley, digit of LHN's evilness presidents, "but we're in a 20-year deal, so the fact that we're a hebdomad in and are handling with this rattling isn't that unusual."

The sticking saucer appears to be ESPN's asking price, which is widely reportable to be 40 cents per client per month. ESPN is said to poverty the Longhorn Network additional to base telegram lineups instead of payment sports tiers, which hit significantly less subscribers.

"We've had discussions with ESPN most Longhorn Network, but we hit no plans correct today to circularize it," said DirecTV spokesman parliamentarian Mercer. "We see Longhorn has another planning that haw be of continuance to a diminutive portion of our customers, but digit UT climb games do not represent a network. We're bright to circularize those digit games low the goodish fees we already clear ESPN for planning that includes the Big 12."

Aside from this season's inner climb broadcasts, LHN's offerings allow most 200 another springy fair events apiece year, a nightly "Longhorn Extra" programme with programme from apiece UT sport, interviews with players and coaches and replays of celebrity UT games from preceding years.