UT football program to offer subscriptions for 'video magazines'

10:20 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 3, 2005

By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Mack Brown helped unveil a new money-making machine for the university's athletic department Tuesday – behind-the-scenes video of his Texas football team available over the Internet.

Customers who pay $24.95 will receive five 10-minute "video magazines," or "Vmags," throughout the 2005 season as well as 10 much shorter snippets known as "Bevo bites."

Brown said allowing cameras behind closed doors – into coaches meetings, halftime talks and players' daily lives – will be "informative but not intrusive."

"Distractions kill football programs," Brown said, adding that he is receiving no extra income for the venture. "My only involvement will be to do what I do as a coach, and the same goes for our assistant coaches. It won't take time away from what we're doing."

Unlike when the Cowboys allowed HBO to film its documentary series Hard Knocks during training camp in 2002, Texas will have control over the content.

"It's a magazine that will stress the positives of our program," Brown said.

Kathleen Hessert, who heads NEWgame Communications Inc., has worked with Brown as a media consultant in the past and finally persuaded him to launch the video magazine. Her company is fronting the money for production, although she says a "significant portion of the revenues" will go to the university's athletic department. She declined to provide more specifics.

Hessert said she is hoping for 30,000 subscribers for the first season.

During a teleconference, Brown and Hessert were asked if the video magazines were aimed at recruiting. Both acknowledged they could end up as a recruiting tool for prospective players and parents wanting more information about Texas.

"Technology has changed so much," Brown said. "Things like Vmag will be a way to get to fans, high school coaches and student-athletes in ways you can't do anymore because of things like the reduction of pages in the media guide by the NCAA."

E-mail chipbrown@dallasnews.com