University of North Carolina Athletics
The Tar Heel Sports Network
August 31, 2000 | Football
Aug. 31, 2000
Learfield Communications begins its first full year as the official media rights holder for the University of North Carolina athletic teams, primarily football and basketball.
Based in Jefferson City, Missouri, Learfield purchased Tar Heel Sports Marketing in October 1999, adding the UNC property to 12 other schools under the Learfield umbrella. Among those for which Learfield also owns the rights are Alabama, Syracuse, Oklahoma, Indiana and Purdue.
"Our goal is to continue and add to the tremendous tradition and fan following at Carolina," says Gary Sobba, the General Manager for Tar Heel Sports Marketing. Sobba moved to Chapel Hill from Dallas, where he worked in the Learfield national sales office.
"I have worked on various college campuses for the last 15 years," adds Sobba, "and if there is a better athletic program in the country than this one, I don"t know where it is."
Formerly owned by Chapel Hill-based VilCom, Tar Heel Sports Marketing is in its eighth year as UNC's multimedia rights holder. All Carolina fans have heard of the Tar Heel Sports Network, which broadcasts the play-by-play of football and basketball games, but that is only one facet of the operation.
Tar Heel Sports Marketing is a full-service agency overseeing production and sales of all the University of North Carolina's football and basketball entities including television and print products.
THSM brings you a variety of ways to follow the Heels during the athletic season. Simply, listen to your radio on Thursday nights for the head coaches on their radio call-in shows or watch game highlights Sundays on "Inside Carolina Football." When you are at Kenan Stadium pick-up the official game program.
The Tar Heel Sports Network continues to bring the great tradition of Carolina sports into your home.
Woody Durham is beginning his 30th year as the "Voice of the Tar Heels." A native of Mebane, N.C., Durham grew up in Albemarle, N.C., and began his broadcasting career with WZKY Radio at age 16. He graduated from UNC in 1963 with a degree in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures.
Durham and Head Coach Carl Torbush give fans an opportunity to phone in and talk with the Coach every Thursday evening during the football season on the "Carl Torbush Live" call in show.
Durham also will visit with Coach Torbush on "Inside Carolina Football", a daily five-minute program featuring conversations with the Tar Heels' Head Coach. Both of these shows are heard on stations throughout North Carolina and beyond.
"Inside Carolina Football with Carl Torbush," hosted by Durham, is a half-hour television program seen each week on a network of stations in North Carolina and on cable networks throughout much of the United States. The show features highlights of the previous game, interviews with current and former Tar Heel players and a preview of upcoming action.
In 1981, Durham was named vice president and executive sports director at Tar Heel Sports Marketing. Since taking over play-by-play duties in 1971, he has become a permanent fixture behind the microphone during Tar Heel football and basketball games. Durham has been named North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year 10 times.
Woody and his wife of 37 years, Jean, are parents of two sons, Wes and Taylor. Wes, 34, is in his sixth year of play-by-play duties for Georgia Tech. Taylor, 27 , is a network recruitment manager with International Sports Properties of Winston-Salem.
Mick Mixon is in his 12th year as color analyst. Last year, Mixon was named North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year. A Chapel Hill native, Mixon graduated from UNC in 1980 with a degree in broadcast journalism.
Mixon joined the network in 1989 from Columbia, S.C., where he was sports director at WIS Radio. He also has served as play-by-play voice of the Maine Guides of the Class AAA International League and as sports director of WCGC Radio in Belmont, N.C.
He married Kristin Lyn Tucker (AB Journalism 1990) in 1999.
