UH Football and Women's Volleyball revenue down $1.25 million from 2007

About the $1.2 million drop in football ticket revenue in 2008 (compared to 2007) and the $55k drop in Wahine volleyball ticket revenue in 2008, JD said:
"The numbers aren't a surprise to me, but they are a little disappointing. We're seeing it in every sector (of business) and we, especially, started to feel it from early November on." (HA)

HA Note: "Football and women's volleyball are two of the three biggest revenue-producing sports in the 19-team lineup at UH. Men's basketball, whose season is currently under way, is the other. As a result, UH officials said they are projecting as much as a $3 million shortfall of the $29.5 million budget for the current fiscal year."

About their hiring freeze and other measures to try to reduce their deficit, JD said:
"We have asked our people to cut back and be prudent in their spending." (HA)

HA Note: "The athletic department has run at a deficit since 2002. When Donovan replaced Herman Frazier 10 months ago, UH had accumulated a net deficit of $4.4 million to $6 million, according to insider estimates. The annual independent audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, which must be approved by the Board of Regents, is scheduled to be released next month."

About how they aren't going to raise season ticket prices, JD said:
"Obviously, the public is hurting right now and we're not about to raise prices." (HA)

HA Note: "Football ticket revenue for 2008 was the lowest since 2005, when UH earned $4.12 million. Last year, in the march to the Sugar Bowl, UH took in $5.85 million. UH had seven home games for all but the 2006 season, when it had eight. Despite an increase of nearly 5,000 season tickets over 2007 to 27,585, average per-game attendance dropped from 41,325 to 33,691 in 2008, according to unaudited figures. Average Rainbow Wahine volleyball attendance dropped from 6,452 in 2007 to 5,944 in 2008. The athletic department generates about 83 percent of its $29.5 million operating budget. The remainder, about $4.6 million, comes from university general funds and goes for the operation of lower campus facilities ($1.4 million) and scholarship support ($3.2 million), according to UH. One bright note for UH is expected to be a rise in its television/pay-per-view rights fees. For the 2007 season, UH received $2.54 million and is expected to receive approximately $2.61 million for 2008."

JD said that their road-game PPV package for season ticket holders at a 65% discount off the price to non-season ticket holders, otherwise:
"the pay-per-view sales mirrored our slump (at the box office)." (HA)