KLAC Will Broadcast Mighty Ducks, but Conflicts With Lakers a Problem

The Mighty Ducks’ efforts to finalize a radio deal hit a major snag Tuesday, only hours after the team announced that 66 of its 84 games would be broadcast on KLAC (570).

The Ducks, already aware that 18 games would conflict with Laker broadcasts or other KLAC programming, discovered 41 conflicts after the Lakers’ preseason schedule and 50-minute pregame shows were considered.

That left the Ducks with only 43 games on KLAC--and frantically searching for a way to get the other 41 games of their first season onto crowded local airwaves.

“This is not an easy one to deal with,” said Tony Tavares, president of Disney Sports Enterprises. Tavares, who didn’t explain how the oversight occurred, was negotiating to get more games on KLAC Tuesday night and was considering options such as tape-delayed broadcasts and joining games in progress. He already was talking with other stations about broadcasting the original 18 games that conflicted with KLAC’s schedule.

“We take responsibility for the schedule,” said Duck spokesman Bill Robertson. “Our perception is that this will all be worked out within a short period of time.”