Media Attention Media Attention
John Rooke (left) and Joe Hassett (right) team up for their 25th season as the voices of PC Basketball. The Friars can be heard on 103.7 WEEI.
Fans can hear all the Friar games on 103.7 WEEI, the market’s top radio station. All Friar games also can be heard via the internet at www.friars.com. John Rooke is an award-winning broadcaster, currently serving in several broadcast capacities, including his 25th season as play-byplay voice for Providence College basketball. Additionally, Rooke calls Big East Conference football and basketball play-by-play for ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television; serves as stadium voice for the New England Patriots and New England Revolution; hosts Inside the Big East on ESPNU and several regional sports networks and local TV stations; and serves as a talk host for the ESPN Radio Network and WEEI Radio in Boston. A 1981 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rooke also holds a position as adjunct professor in journalism at Emerson College in Boston. A former voice of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, he has also served as a gubernatorial communications director, a program director/manager for a major communications company, and as a television sports anchor for 25 years in several markets. Former Friar Joe Hassett ‘77 has been the analyst on Friar radio broadcasts since 1985. Hassett spent his first few years working radio broadcasts with Eric Reid and Gary Cohen. However, he has spent the majority of his broadcast career with his longtime partner John Rooke. Hassett, one of the greatest shooters in Friar history, scored 1,828 points in four seasons with the Friars. A third-round draft pick of the Seattle Supersonics, he helped the team win the 1979 NBA title. He also played for the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. For the last 27 years, Hassett has worked in the financial services industry. Currently, he works for Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC.
204
Media attention, especially television is what big-time college basketball is all about. And the BIG EAST re-wrote the book on television exposure and media attention. Since its formation in 1979, the BIG EAST has been the most televised and most-watched conference in the country! The Friars will have every game televised this season. With its new agreement with the BIG EAST, Fox Sports 1 and other Fox Networks will cover every game, which ensures that all the Friar games will be seen nationally. When not on one of the Fox Networks, some Friar game can be seen nationally on CBS Sports Network and ESPNU. Fox Sports 1 is scheduled to televise the BIG EAST Tournament from Madison Square Garden in March.
Former Friar women’s basketball player Doris Burke ’87 and President Barack Obama discuss the Presidential Bracket for the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Burke often covers Providence games for ESPN and ESPN2 where she has served as an analyst for more than 13 years. Burke also serves as an analyst for ABC for NBA games.
Indicative of the tremendous support and interest in the Providence College basketball program is the attention Head Coach Ed Cooley and Friars receive from the local media. The Friars have two television shows that can be seen throughout Rhode Island. Friars All-Access is a weekly show that airs throughout the BIG EAST season on Cox Sports Television. It also will be carried in several other BIG EAST markets this season. The show gives the viewers an inside look at Friar basketball. The Providence College Basketball Show with Head Coach Ed Cooley, hosted by Frank Carpano, also airs weekly during the BIG EAST season on WJAR-TV 10. It features in-depth stories on the Friars, as well as recaps and previews. WEEI 103.7, the radio home of Friar basketball, broadcasts the Ed Cooley Radio Show on Thursday nights throughout the season. Friar fans also can follow the team at www.friars.com. The audio broadcast of all Friar basketball games are streamed at friars.com. Fans also can find stories, box scores, statistics and much more at friars.com.