Just when KFVE-TV general manager John Fink thought he had the University of Hawaii athletic department in his contract sights, here comes KGMB general manager Dick Grimm with an 11th hour bid for UH sports.
Earlier this week, Oceanic Cable withdrew its reported $6 million offer, leaving only KFVE in the picture. But Grimm and KAPA-TV (Channel 66) station owner Chris Racine also had planned to make a bid once UH settled on a process that has changed course several times over the last year.
"I don't think KFVE or UH thought another network would jump in this late," Racine said last night. "We were waiting for the procurement office to announce a bid process.
"We understood that KFVE and Oceanic were told it would be at least another three weeks before bids would be received. But no conference ever happened. We didn't think the clock had started on the bid process just because Oceanic dropped out."
That's because UH wasn't sure anyone else wanted to make a bid. UH officials spent the last two days checking with six other previously interested parties -- including Racine and Grimm -- they thought might want to bid if a process was ever settled upon.
This inability for a process to ever be officially put in place by the athletic department or the procurement office was a key reason Oceanic finally dropped out after presenting its offer to UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida more than a year ago.
Like officials at Oceanic and KFVE, Grimm and Racine attended the Board of Regents meeting last October where minimum specifications were announced for the bid process.
That process bogged down the last five months after UH officials were told the wording of the bid process needed to be reviewed by the Attorney General's office to avoid possible litigation from KFVE or Oceanic.
After Oceanic dropped out, UH officials were hoping an agreement with KFVE would be reached by the end of the week. Racine said he had to prove he was a real contender before Yoshida would take him seriously.
"They wanted me to put up a nonrefundable $50,000 by noon yesterday or forget about it," Racine said. "Yoshida said I wouldn't have to pay it if I could prove KGMB was interested."
Grimm took care of that yesterday evening when KGMB sports anchor Neil Everett announced Channel 9's intentions of entering a bid once the process was in place. Yoshida confirmed Grimm's interest during a live television interview with KGMB.
Associate athletic director Jim Donovan said last night that the bid process was set for the week of April 14.
"There are two entities interested in the television rights package," Donovan said. "One is KHNL and the other is Dick Grimm/Chris Racine of KGMB Channel 9 and Channel 66, respectively.
"With two interested parties, it's likely we will continue the bid process that should occur in the middle of April."
Grimm and Fink said they could meet the specifications -- including reaching 85 percent of the TV market statewide -- set down in last October's meeting that includes one major change. Instead of the minimum bid being $750,000, now it's $1 million.
"That's what they told us," Racine said. "It seems like they're changing the rules as they go. We wanted to get involved now because this is really a 10-year deal, not five. The contract is five years with an option for another five after that."
Racine said that Grimm plans to broadcast UH sports on KGMB when it doesn't conflict with network broadcasting. If it does, then UH fans can watch on Channel 66, a new station located in Kailua.
"Our tower over here allows people on the Windward side to watch us without cable if they want to," Racine said. "I also own KLEI (Channel 6) in Kona and we have low power stations on Maui just like KFVE.
"We were planning to make a bid in three weeks, but everything intensified the last couple of days after Oceanic dropped out. We plan to be on the air by April 15."
Fink said last night that he didn't have a comment concerning Grimm's offer.