• The BTK Radio Network: History and Development
• Jeff Matthews
• Jim Spence
• Daniel Dominguez
  
  

The Bulldawg, Trojan, and Knight Radio Network
The Bulldawg, Trojan and Knight Radio network (BTK) is the broadcasting arm of the Las Cruces Public Schools Athletic Department. The radio network broadcasts football and basketball games throughout the school year. The support of Al Lumeyer at radio station KSNM AM 570 and Larry Edwards at radio station KOBE AM 1450 and KSNM forms the backbone of the network. Without these two stations and the commitment of their principals to community activism, the accomplishments of the BTK network would be impossible.

History of the BTK Radio Network
The BTK Radio Network has an interesting history. In 1983, there were no radio broadcasts of high school athletics in Las Cruces. The local radio stations had not targeted the large market for high school athletic events, despite large crowds at many of the local games.

Local businessman Jim Spence decided that if the radio stations wouldn’t pursue live radio production of these events, he would. On his own, Spence lined up local sponsors and supervised the logistics of carrying the Las Cruces vs. Mayfield game in 1983. He bought time on local radio station KOBE and put the 1983 game on the air.

The following year Spence was unable to interest any of the local stations in a full season package. Again, he put the LCHS vs. Mayfield game on the air near the end of the season, this time on KASK. By 1985, Spence decided to make a personal commitment to produce regular season road games and cover the local football teams throughout the playoffs.

Lining up the advertising sponsors, Spence had all the arrangements in place for the broadcast of the 1995 regular season. Before the season began, Spence encouraged the assistance of the Lions Club (he was a new member) and got the club involved as host and therefore recipient of the broadcast profits. In 1995, the first full season of high school radio broadcasts in Las Cruces was carried under the banner of the Lions Club Sports Network. In the early years, several Lions Club members provided crucial assistance in securing advertising support. As a result, the Lions Club charitable endeavors also benefited. By using broadcast project profits, the club was able to help fund its free eyeglass project for needy students in the community. Part of the agreement Spence structured as Executive Producer was to provide the football programs at Las Cruces and Mayfield (Oñate was not yet in existence) with half of the profits of the broadcast project. The late Stan Petermeier (then head football coach at LCHS), credits the money Spence donated to the LCHS football program with helping build up the LCHS weight room. Petermeier said that in doing so, the profits of the broadcast project helped the football program reach the next level. Petermeier said often that the funds from the Lions Club Sports Network were crucial in getting some of the weight equipment his program needed but couldn’t afford to buy otherwise.

In 1986, Spence’s family and business commitments meant that he no longer had as much time to devote to the Lions Club Sports Network. As the operation continued to grow, he hired Sportscaster Jeff Matthews to assist in the day-to-day operations and become the voice of LCPS sports. With Spence as Executive Producer and Matthews in charge on a daily basis, the network added basketball and baseball broadcasts in the late 1980’s. The games were carried on KASK. In 1991, after KASK had defaulted on its financial agreements with the network, Spence and Matthews contacted Allen Lumeyer, the GM of KGRT radio. Spence and Matthews made an agreement with Lumeyer to move the games to KGRT AM 570 for the 1991 season. KGRT has been involved with the high school radio network ever since.

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Taking It to Another Level
In 1998, the Lions Club Sports Network had become too cumbersome for the Lions Club to support with volunteers. It had become a time consuming endeavor. The project required expertise in securing and billing sponsors, solving production problems, and securing the services of on-air talent. By 1998 Spence was managing his business interests and no longer had the additional time necessary to serve as the Executive Producer of the Lions Club Sports Network. Many of the Lions Club members who had assisted in running the project over the years had either moved away, died, or could no longer devote enough time to the project.

In 1998, Spence helped broker a deal where Las Cruces Public Schools Athletics would take control of the network. In one of the most unique arrangements in the country, the school system began, with the assistance of Jeff Matthews, to run it’s own sports radio network. Bump Elliott, the Athletic Director at Las Cruces Public Schools, who had quietly helped build one of the most highly regarded athletic departments in the southwest, recognized the promotional value of keeping the radio network on the air so that live broadcasts of high school athletic events would continue. So as the Lions Club Sports Network faded away, the Bulldawg, Trojan, and Knight Radio Network took its place.

Different But MORE OF THE SAME
The games stayed on KGRT AM 570 in 1998. Just as the Lions Club had done, LCPS contracted the services of Jeff Matthews who became the new Executive Producer of the Bulldawg, Trojan, and Knight Radio Network. Through Jeff Matthews, LCPS began to actively conduct the day-to-day operations of the radio network. Matthews helped LCPS negotiate deals with radio stations, line up sponsors, hire additional announcers and expand the reach of the broadcasts.

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LCPS, Broadcasters Combine for Unique Sports Radio Deal
In the summer of 1999, the size, scope, and impact of the project continued to grow. Al Lumeyer (the GM of KGRT) in conjunction with his fellow members in the Las Cruces Radio Broadcasters Association, agreed to share in the endeavor of broadcasting high school sports in the Mesilla Valley. In 1999, Las Cruces Radio Broadcasters Association made an agreement with the LCPS athletic department that expanded the BTK radio network. On May 19, 1999, a press conference was held. LCPS announced complete coverage of Mayfield, Las Cruces and Oñate football and boy’s basketball on three different stations under three different ownership groups. All three stations agreed to donate the air-time necessary to air all the games. The school district would continue to handle the production of the broadcasts.

In 1999, the BTK Radio Network, with help from the community’s businesses and radio stations became an even bigger success than ever before. Las Cruces High School games were aired on KGRT AM 570, Mayfield’s games were aired on KOBE AM 1450 and Oñate’s games were heard on 101 Gold, KVLC.

BTK Radio Network Continues Through 2001-2002 School Year
In 2001, 101 Gold stepped aside, but KSNM AM 570 (formerly KGRT AM 570) and KOBE AM 1450 joined forces to pick up BTK production of the Oñate High School games. In 2001, 31 of the 33 regular season football games in Las Cruces made air along with every football playoff game. The network also began to produce a weekly one hour talk show on high school sports on KOBE AM 1450.

The local community continues to support the Bulldawg, Trojan and Knight Radio Network. The network enjoys a special relationship with business partners and the radio stations. The school district’s athletic department, through the BTK Network, continues to bring the fans of this community exciting broadcasts of local high school football and basketball. The network’s following has never been larger. Fan interest for high school athletics in Las Cruces is at an all-time high as evidenced by the record-breaking crowd of 28,700 in attendance at the LCHS vs. Mayfield football game on November 9. 2001. Participation in all the athletic programs in the LCPS is also at an all-time high. The BTK Network is truly a unique community effort that showcases the accomplishments of local student athletes.

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Jeff Matthews
Lead Play-by-Play Announcer
Jeff Matthews is in his 16th season as the lead play-by-play announcer for the Bulldawg, Trojan and Knight Radio Network. Matthews began his play-by-play career in 1985 when he got his first break as the voice of the Hot Spring Tigers. In 1986, Matthews began to broadcast for the Lions Club Sports Network providing play-by-play of Mayfield and Las Cruces football and basketball.

In 1990, Matthews was named Sports Director at KZIA-TV in Las Cruces. He anchored the nightly sportscasts and provided play-by-play on the telecasts of New Mexico State's nationally ranked basketball team. He also hosted coaches shows on NMSU football and basketball and high school football. Matthews continued to do NMSU basketball telecasts through 1996. He continued as the lead play-by-play announcer on the high school radio broadcasts during the time period as well. In 2000, Matthews was hired to do regional TV play-by-play work of SEC, ACC, Pac 10 and Mountain West Basketball on College Sports Southeast. Matthews also has done college baseball telecasts on College Sports Southeast. He also served as the voice of NMSU baseball (1994-1999).

Matthews has earned a number of awards and citations in his field. Among his biggest thrills was broadcasting the Mayfield-Clovis football state championship in 1995. Mayfield came back in that game to win 13-12. Another thrill was doing the play-by-play on the regional telecast of NMSU at UNLV in basketball in 1991 when NMSU was ranked 15th and UNLV was ranked #1.