Matt Buckler: Channel 8 report by Bob Wilson featured University of Hartford athletes
May 7—It was a late-breaking story that forced local news stations to act quickly.
The University of Hartford stunned a lot of people Thursday when it announced its athletic program will be moving from Division I, the premier division of college athletics, to Division III.
That's like trading a Cadillac for a scooter. They will both get you where you want to go, but one is a much more expensive ride.
Only one TV reporter, however, had remarks from the people affected the most — the current student athletes at Hartford.
That was Bob Wilson, who was at a rally and talked to two athletes, a soccer player and a lacrosse player.
Both were very articulate in expressing their disappointment.
This story should continue when more students speak out.
Hartford was a Division II school when it decided to move its men's basketball program to Division I in 1984 and the school made the move in a big-time way right from the start.
The basketball team played its home games at the Hartford Civic Center and would schedule concerts after some of the games to promote interest.
The Beach Boys performed after a Hartford game. Granted, most of the fans didn't arrive until after the basketball game was over, but the basketball team did get noticed. When the school moved its baseball team to Division I, it hired a former major league pitcher, Bill Denehy, as coach.
Hartford was serious. On Thursday, however, the seriousness ended.
Perhaps the decision can be changed before a historic first takes place — they start selling tickets to the first Hartford-Trinity basketball game.
So long Singh
Shows that air at 1:35 a.m. don't get that much attention.
"A Little Late With Lilly Singh," however, which debuted in 2019, was worth staying up to watch.
It was important because Singh was the only woman to be hosting a network late-night show.
Starting June 3, however, there will be no women hosting late-night. NBC is not only ending Singh's show, but it no longer will provide programming at 1:30 a.m.
Obviously, there were some flaws during the first season. Singh was over the top, overwhelming her guests and her audience. A lot of the show's planned features weren't very entertaining.
The outlook started to change, however, during season 2.
One show really stands out. Singh's guest was Renee Montgomery, a former UConn star who was on national championship teams and WNBA championship teams.
She is now an owner of the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. Montgomery and Singh had a serious conversation about the acceptance of women in non-traditional roles.
Singh said that her friends were happy to see her as the only woman hosting a late-night show, but her friends didn't watch her show. They didn't even stream it.
Montgomery, meanwhile, said that many of the people who want women to get more opportunities in sports don't go to WNBA games even though it's a great product.
Her complaint was that people who claim they want to see more being done for women don't support what's already out there.
It was a very strong message. That's why its sad to see Singh's show leave the air.
It will be the first time NBC has stopped programming in the 1:30 a.m. time slot since "Later with Bob Costas" premiered in 1988. Perhaps there's a reason — the people at NBC want more sleep.
Recognizing genius
Sacha Baron Cohen is about to join a short list — being a comedic genius.
He will be receiving the Comedic Genius Award at the 2021 MTV Music and TV Awards, an award that will be presented on May 16.
Cohen will be joining past winners Melissa McCarthy, Kevin Hart, and Will Ferrell.
Cohen is nominated in three categories at the MTV Awards in addition to being honored for his contributions to comedy. Obviously Rudy Giuliani wasn't on the nominating committee.
Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.
