Radio stations making area football games available on web

The Internet is making it easier for sports fans to keep in touch with their favorite high school and college teams.

Take, for example, the case of former Clovis resident Mike Craven. Today, he lives in Lakewood, Colo., 450 miles away from his beloved Wildcats and the radio stations that broadcast their games.

A few years ago, this would be a problem. Today, Craven listens to his favorite high school team every weekend.

“I make sure I listen to at least part of the Clovis game every Friday night,” Craven said. “If I can’t listen to the whole thing, I’ll make sure I check the score every once in a while. It is a way to keep in touch with home base — or at least what used to be home.”

Craven listens to the games via webcasts, a relatively new service that allows fans to listen to games through the Internet.

Craven said the webcasts come in loud and clear.

“Of course it depends on the kind of Internet access you have and what kind of speakers you are listening to,” Craven said. “But it’s clear. There are no delays or hiccups really. It’s every bit as good as sitting at home and listening to a game on the radio.”

KCLV sports anchor Joey Reed said he has heard a lot of positive feedback about their webcasts.

“I talk to people all the time who tell me they listen to it,” Reed said. “I hear nothing but good things about it.”

KCLV has been webcasting games for the past three seasons. KTQM also offers Clovis High webcasts.

Craven, a computer programer, said he urged KCLV to make their broadcasts available on the Internet.

“I had been encouraging my contacts there to start doing the webcasts,” Craven said. “I tried going to a few high school games in Denver, but it is nothing like it is in Clovis. I mean, (in Clovis) you might have four or five thousand people in the stands to watch a scrimmage,” Craven laughed.

Lately, the 46 year-old Wildcat fan has another reason to listen to Clovis games.

“Well, I still have some friends in Clovis,” Craven said. “And some of their kids are getting to be high school age, and they are playing football. It gives me the opportunity to see how they’re doing.”

Webcasts are not limited to high school sports. ENMU games can be found on the Internet as well.

Craven, who graduated from ENMU in 1989, followed the school’s athletics while he was a student, but was not aware that he could hear his alma mater’s games on the Internet.

“Now that I know that,” Craven said. “I think I would pick up an Eastern game on a Saturday afternoon.”

ENMU sports information director Robert McKinney said webcasts are not limited to football.

“We broadcast all of our football, basketball, and baseball games,” McKinney said. “But we’ll broadcast other sports too, like an important volleyball game for example.”

ENMU has been webcasting football games for the last three seasons, and other sports for the last two.

Fans of New Mexico, New Mexico State and Texas Tech can find their team’s games online too, for a price.

Lobos fans can listen to football, soccer, and men’s and women’s basketball games. At the school’s website, UNM fans can also follow games with a “gametracker” — a program that gives live updates to games in progress.

On the web

* Clovis football:

KCLV at http://www.kclvsports.com

KTQM at

http://www.hitsandfavorites.com

* Eastern New Mexico

http://www.teamline.cc, or go to enmu.edu/athletics

* New Mexico

golobos.com

* New Mexico State

nmstatesports.com

* Texas Tech

ww.texastech.com