Rob's Thoughts

How AFANA Was Hatched - Part I

I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about how AFANA came to be since the number of us who remember and we're around in 1995-96 are getting fewer and memories shorter.  I welcome any additions or corrections anyone wants to submit. 

As the 1995 AFL season concluded there were major changes afoot in the sports television industy in the United States.  Since 1989 the AFL Highlights had been distributed in the US by PrimeSports to various regional sports networks around the US.  However, those networks were being sold and changing ownership at a rapid pace and one of the major buyers was FOX Sports and what was to become FOX Sports Net was being created. 

As things deteriorated, the scheduling and distribution of the Highlights was getting worse and the AFL was hearing complaints.  The AFL decided to try to return to ESPN where the sport had been until 1987 and met with the ESPN management at the Sportel TV conference in Monaco in November, 1995.  A handshake deal was done.  Unfortunately, it would be apparent later that ESPN had done more than one such deal and went back to Bristol to sort it out.  The AFL was to fall out in that sorting process since no contract was in writing.  The ethics of the ESPN management in all of this would become a matter of debate over the next two years.

As the 1996 season approached, fans began to ask when and where the highlights would be on the air.  Rumors among fans began to spread on the newsgroups on the internet and by e-mail.  No hard answers were forthcoming from anyone who might have known such as the AFL and Prime.  Sometime in mid January, I decided to do some serious digging.  My first big break came when an advertiser on the programs the previous year told me that ESPN was the tentative broadcaster. 

In addition to myself a number of others were also involved.  Those included Wade Hinkle, the late John Harrell of Louisville, Richard Lipp, and others.  Collectively all of the fans in touch on the newsgroups began to exchange information.  I volunteered to become the "information clearinghouse" and to distribute the info by rec.sports.football.australian and e-mail.

As the season approached and fans began to contact the AFL and ESPN to try to find out if the programs would be there when Round 1 got underway.  Answers were hard to come by.  The AFL simply didn't tell anyone anything of consequence.  ESPN would only acknowledge that negotiations were underway. 

Chapter II tomorrow.

-Rob (digging up old files just now...)